THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606210178
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 59 lines
SUFFOLK
STATE GRANT AWARDED: Suffolk Public Schools has been awarded a $12,000 state grant to prepare students with disabilities for successful employment in the community.
The grant is funded by Project UNITE (Unified Inter-community Transition and Empowerment for Youth with Disabilities), which is directed by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services.
It provides training, technical assistance and incentive funding to promote transition services for youth and young adults with disabilities. Suffolk Public Schools will use the grant money to fund a project entitled CEE/US (Community Enclave Entrepreneurs/Unique Services). Under this project, two enclaves of students - one from Lakeland High School and one from Nansemond River High School - will develop their skills in local businesses.
Enclave supervisors, provided by the school division, will train the students in accordance with the standards of the participating businesses. Obici Hospital will work with Lakeland students, and Penn Engineering and Manufacturing Corp. will work with Nansemond River students. The companies are partners-in-education with those respective schools.
Two students and an enclave supervisor will work in those businesses approximately two hours each day. The CEE/US proposal will provide student stipends for sophomores and juniors, and then those companies can consider students for employment when they are seniors.
PAIN PREVENTION WORKSHOP: Workshops aimed at preventing Cumulative Trauma Disorders can be arranged upon request through the Portsmouth Campus of Tidewater Community College. The college can deliver them to a company's doorstep.
Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs) are a group of maladies that affect people who repeat the same motion over and over - a computer operator who spends hours at a keyboard or an industrial worker who repeatedly bends over a workbench.
CTDs hurt and can be expensive. They are associated with ongoing aches and pains to the neck, back, shoulders, elbows and wrists. Perhaps, the most well-known CTD is carpal tunnel syndrome. In some cases, it can require corrective surgery. Treating a single case of carpal tunnel can cost $29,000.
CTDs affect almost 5 million Americans annually and in 1986 accounted for nearly 30 percent of all workers' compensation claims.
Many times the culprits are poorly designed work stations, as well as poor postures and movement habits. A computer screen, for instance, situated at an incorrect height, a keyboard placement that lacks wrist support - these little things can lead to big troubles.
The TCC workshops help prevent these problems and introduce participants to proven strategies to prevent such aches, pains and costs through a study of work station designs and employee work habits.
Specific exercises are designed to enhance circulation, warding off fatigue, stimulating performance, and enhancing mental acuity.
Those interested in arranging a workshop for a company should call 484-2121, Ext. 396.
CHESAPEAKE
CLASS REUNION: The Oscar Smith High School class of 1961 will sponsor its 35-year reunion on Aug. 17. For information, call David Martin, 436-9794, or Linda Briggs Phelps, 497-8639. by CNB