Oct. 21, 2008 — Listeners to marine channel seven don't know her name on the radio, but they know her voice. Guiding the ferries to pick up and drop off tourists at Frenchman's Reef is Laurie Armstong, who works for Adventure Center Tour Services at the hotel.
Amstrong and her employer, Tiffany Miller-Luff, were among those honored Tuesday at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort in a ceremony sponsored by the Department of Human Services. Celebrating upcoming Disabilities Awareness Month, the department also lauded the achievements of its Vocational and Rehabilitation Services and the 22 disabled people who have been placed and gone to work over the past year.
Miller-Luff told how Armstrong is able to perform her marine radio job.
"She is legally blind, but she overcame that," Miller-Luff said. "We made her a book with large-print phone numbers."
Armstrong has a talent for turning cranky customers into happy ones, telling them jokes and making them laugh.
"When I am done, I have them smiling," Armstrong said. "My job is to make sure they are satisfied and happy with the service. I am good at that, because I am always smiling."
When she cashiers for the tour company, Armstrong uses a magnifier with a light to see the large numbers on the back side of the bills to determine denomination. She has a real penchant for coming out even.
"Balancing the register — I am great with that," Armstrong said.
Many people have followed a path similar to Armstrong's.
"It is amazing that so many people who were unemployed last year are here today," said Michal Rhymer-Charles, assistant commissioner for Human Services. "They are testament to stick-to-it-iveness and inner strength. And also our hard-working staff, who work with clients and employers — let us celebrate what we have done together."
Rhymer-Charles hopes that the program of celebrating the successes will encourage other employers to hire people with disabilities.
While the employees at the celebration were lauded and feted for their dedication to their jobs, and employers were congratulated for hiring them, Human Services counselors sometimes still have to overcome prejudice when placing clients with employers.
"We should stop being naive about people with a disability," said Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Lloyd Maynard. "It could be anything from a broken arm to a learning disability to a mental disorder to high blood pressure. It is naive to think that that person can't work."
Maynard works hard to place employees in jobs for which they have the correct skill set and qualifications. Some will require some kind of accommodation, such as a magnifier or tailoring the bathroom for accessibility for a wheelchair. Clients in college may need special permission to use a tape recorder in class or get extra time on tests.
"If the employer or school has trouble finding assistive devices, we can find the device and pay for it for them," Maynard said.
Phillip Raveneau, who manages the Havensight Gourmet Gallery, contacted Human Services for a personnel referral.
"I gave the specifications; they sent over a couple of people," Raveneau said. "I employed both of them and both of them had disabilities."
The experience has been positive, he said. Hasani Baron now works as a stock clerk for the grocery.
"He has taken a liking to what he does, and people have taken a liking to him," Raveneau said of Baron, who was honored at the celebration. "He knows what he has to do and he does it, and it is refreshing to see how honest he is in his speech and in his ways."
Keynote speaker, poet, developer and motivator LeDerick Horne talked about having a disability and the prejudices that disabled people encounter.
"When people recognize they had prejudice," Horne said, "… it is only by accident that they got exposure to people with disability, and that one-on-one contact allowed the prejudice to break down."
Horne cited studies that say people who decide to work with people with a disability have had previous contact with someone with a disability.
"Most of us only have our prejudice to base our opinion on," Horne said, explaining that the best way for people to erode those prejudices is through exposure.
Horne, who is learning-disabled, says there is prejudice on both sides.
"When we have not had too much contact with the non-disabled world, we fear that we will be rejected and ridiculed," he said.
Horne's advice to people with disabilities is to make it clear to teachers and employers what it is they need to be successful in their class or job.
"Overwhelmingly, most people are open to the idea, as long as that person can articulate what they need to be successful," Horne said.
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