Today we are celebrating the 16th anniversary of the Americans
with Disabilities Act. As the chief sponsor of this landmark civil rights act,
I am very proud that this legislation has increased equality of opportunity,
full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for millions
of Americans with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Sixteen years after the passage, the physical impacts of ADA’s quiet revolution
are all around us. Sidewalks are equipped with curb cuts allowing access for
people using wheelchairs. New buildings are outfitted with ramps, wide doors,
and large bathroom stalls. Many banks have talking ATMs to assist individuals
who are blind. Service animals are welcome in restaurants and shops. And much
more.
But there is still much work to be done. As we celebrate the 16th anniversary
of the ADA, I hope that you will join me as we continue to build on the legacy
of increased access and equal opportunity.
Here’s a short summary of what’s going on in Washington, DC and
in Iowa.
While Senator Tom Harkin spoke eloquently about the ADA and the initiatives he has been involved with to advance the opportunities for Iowan’s with disabilities, IVRS has no greater example of responding to that call to action than when considering the vibrant career of Jim Gates and his work in helping individuals achieve employment.
Jim grew up on a farm in Winfred, South Dakota, and admits he is a farm boy at heart. However, due to a back injury at an early age, he was unable to stay and work on the farm in the job he loved. Following high school graduation, Jim started working at John Morrell and Company (a packing house) in Madison, South Dakota, and really enjoyed his work. While working at the packing house, Jim re-injured his back and realized he would not be able to be a heavy laborer the rest of his life. This led to Jim’s decision to transfer to the night clean up crew for a less physically intense position and also to attend college so he could obtain a less physical job.
Realizing that he wanted a job where he could be involved with people, use his farm background, and pass on his love of sports, Jim decided to attend Dakota State University and graduated with a degree in education with an emphasis in industrial arts and physical education. Jim then went on to South Dakota State University and obtained a Master’s of Science Degree in Education with an emphasis in secondary school counseling.
Following his graduation, Jim was looking for a position when he noticed an announcement for IVRS on the career center board. Jim’s sister, Joy, had passed away at an early age from polio, and he has always felt a compassion and desire to assist people with disabilities. Jim understood the mission of a public VR agency as one of his friends from elementary school had a hearing impairment and cleft pallet. This friend also worked with Jim at Morrell’s, and he had met and spoken with his friend’s VR counselor several times. Because of his compassion for people with disabilities and knowledge of the position, Jim decided to apply. This was the start of a 36 year career with IVRS.
Throughout his career Jim has enjoyed the relationships he has built with his clients and the success they have achieved. Jim believes that continued client contact is essential to the success of a rehabilitation plan, and he believes in the value of a counselor completing placement activities and developing job seeking skills in clients. But the most important aspect of a counselor’s work is to give clients positive reinforcement and to build their self-esteem.
Although Jim has had several success stories of clients over the years, two stand out in his mind. The first is when he was able to utilize his farm and vocational background to modify farming equipment for a gentleman who was paralyzed. The second was when he assisted a gentleman, who had a back impairment, start a bait shop in the Algona area. Both of these gentlemen were able to support their families as a result of Jim’s work. Jim admits that his background and the vocational skills he gained in school and work were of value to him--not only in these two examples but throughout his career.
Although Jim is proud of his accomplishments at work, he is even more proud
of his family. Jim’s family includes his wife, Becky, who is an x-ray
technician at the local hospital; his four children Jenny, Jessica, Janelle
and Jordan; and one grandson, Caden, who have brought a lot of joy to his life.
Jim is an avid Hawkeye fan and was very proud that all four of his children
attended the University of Iowa. Jim jokes that the highlight of having children
in college was when all four of his kids were at the U of I at the same time.
Following his retirement, Jim is planning to spend time with his family and
friends. Jim has always been an avid sportsman and is planning on enjoying the
hunting season. Since Jim has always had a love of kids and sports, he is planning
to substitute teach and become an assistant coach. Hopefully the coaching will
be on the baseball field as Jim has fond memories of playing college ball.
The children that Jim will be coaching and the students he will be teaching are fortunate to have a person of his compassion and dedication to learning and growth. Jim’s philosophy and attitude toward actively placing clients and working with employers to develop opportunities will be a real loss to IVRS. This agency is a better agency because Jim chose to work here, remained dedicated even into retirement, and served the clients with respect and great expertise. We will miss him! We look forward to seeing him again and hearing about his new pursuits.
Steve Marvets, Sr., a client of Diane Dischler’s, has had a long history of very difficult dental problems. Steve was fearful of dentists, but he knew he had to take care of his dental health problems. The pain and look of his damaged teeth were hindering his work search. He receives SSDI and has received Medicaid, but he and Diane had a very difficult time finding a dentist to accept Medicaid payments. They tried to arrange for DHS State Papers so he could go to the University of Iowa for treatment. It would have been very difficult for Steve to get to Iowa City because of his limited travel experience out of his home area. His dental health has been an on-going dilemma for Steve and his counselor.
In December 2005, Diane Dischler learned about the Iowa Donated Dental Services from information provided by Kathy Levine in the resource unit. Diane contacted Steve to let him know about the new program and encouraged him to apply. Diane and Steve met in January to complete the application forms. In May, Diane received a call from the Donated Dental Services coordinator confirming that Steve had been accepted for the program. He would be able to have all of his teeth pulled and then receive free dentures. In June, Steve had his teeth pulled by a dentist in Britt. He is now healing and will be fitted for dentures in Mason City.
Steve allowed us to share his story with others and he is very proud that he is one of the first IVRS clients to use this service. Even though he admits it was somewhat painful and scary, he is glad that he went ahead and got the dental services he so desperately needed. All of the dental services were provided at no cost to the client.
The following newsletter was received on July 11, 2006, and contained some
great suggestions!
-----Original Message-----
Years ago, Bing Crosby sang, "Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, and Don't Mess With Mr. In Between." Not bad advice. The trouble is ... a good portion of our society and many of our work places do just the opposite.
That's certainly true of the news industry. It would be more accurate to call it the "bad news business," or as one person said, CNN stands for "Constant Negative News." In the world of broadcasting, a killing is always covered while acts of kindness are always almost ignored.
This negative emphasis is all too evident in our workforce -- young and old. I've spent a lot of time on university campuses, and I don't see a lot of enthusiastic students there. In fact, student health clinics report that help with clinical depression is one of the most frequent services they offer. In a national survey of 16 to 29 year olds, MTV reported that "angry" and "stressed out" were the best descriptions of that generation.
When I'm working inside an organization, I notice a similar negativity among many workers. I go into the hallways, lunchroom, or work area, and I see a whining-griping-complaining syndrome. The light has gone out in people’s eyes. People come to work with a sense of routinism and obligation rather than passion.
This has got to stop. I can think of few things worse than spending 30 to 40 years in a negative work environment. Besides robbing you of your health and happiness, it's almost impossible to produce the highest quality goods or provide exceptional customer service in such an environment.
So what can you do?
=> 1. Start by taking a good, honest, and perhaps uncomfortable look at
your actions.
Are you making your work environment more positive or negative? No one is a
neutral. You're doing something to make your organization a richer or poorer
place to work.
=> 2. Look at your words.
Can you go for 24 hours without saying anything negative? When I ask my audiences
that question, a few raise their hands signifying "Yes," but the vast
majority shout "No." I respond by saying, "Those who can't answer
'Yes' have a serious problem. If you can't go 24 hours without drinking alcohol,
you're addicted to alcohol. If you can't go 24 hours without smoking, you're
addicted to nicotine. And if you can't go 24 hours without saying something
unkind, you're addicted to negativity."
Indeed if your attitude is too negative, you DON'T have to stay that way. All too many people say, "I can't help the way I feel." That's a huge myth.
You can change your attitude once and for all ... if you just do the right things. That's why I wrote my latest book called "PIVOT: How One Turn In Attitude Can Lead To Success." Click here http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=1342094&s=42558255 if you'd like more information or would like to get a copy of the book.
If the two tests above lead you to thinking you're too negative, then the third thing you need to do is...
=> 3. Realize the price you're paying for staying negative.
In a study done at Duke University Medical Center, it was discovered that people
with high levels of cynical, complaining behaviors were 50% more likely to have
clogged arteries than those who were less negative. In another one of their
studies, people with high cynicism scores had five times more heart disease
than those who scored below the median. Quite simply, complainers do not live
as long as positive people.
To become a more positive person at work, quit keeping track of the negatives. Did you ever notice that on a bad day, some people tend to count every irritation or inconvenience that occurs? They'll burst out with "This is the third time today something like this has happened." Yet seldom on a good day do these people say, "This is the third time today something great has happened." Keeping track of the negative reinforces a negative personality.
Consider the benefits of talking about good things instead. You might discover more positive incidents occur than negative. You could find yourself actively looking for incidents to celebrate rather than complain about. And keeping yourself in a positive frame of mind means you get more enjoyment from your work and personal life.
Now you might be saying "That's all well and good. But I'm fairly positive. What bothers me are all the negative people I have to work with. What do I do in that situation?" I conduct a workshop that deals with that. It's called "Staying Up In A Negative World: 8 Keys To A Positive Work Environment." Click here http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=1342095&s=42558255 if you'd like an outline of the program.
Or call me at 1-800-621-7881 if you'd like to talk to me about speaking at one of your meetings on this topic. But let me give you three strategies to get started.
=> 1. Passively or actively question the negative remarks of others.
You've heard the expression, "It's too good to be true." You've learned
that that's often the case. Likewise, when you hear someone go on and on about
how bad things are or how bad it's going to be, simply say, "It's too bad
to be true." More often than not you'll be right.
=> 2. Don't take advice from constantly negative people.
When you hear people say things like marriage doesn't work ... that change will
never succeed ... that no one cares, take a look at who's talking. Are they
winners or losers? Obviously, they're losers. So be careful of taking their
comments too much to heart. In my workshop, I ask people to raise their right
hands and repeat after me, "I hereby commit that from now on I will not
take advice from anyone more messed up than I am." People laugh, but they
get the point.
=> 3. Use an imaginary glass screen.
The moment you sense negativity coming from others, imagine a glass screen coming
around you. Tell yourself the glass screen rebuffs all the negative, allowing
only the positive to flow through. You will find that you can continue to converse
and stay involved with those around you, but you won't be affected by their
negativity. I know, it sounds silly, but it works!
A couple of years ago in the movie "Forrest Gump," Forest's mother said, "Life is like a box of chocolates." Sure, you could get a nougat, a chocolate covered nut, or a cherry cordial, but the most important thing about a box of chocolates is that everything it contains is sweet. High achievers always take that approach.
There is nothing more important than having that same kind of spirit in the work place. I can teach you how to do that. Call me and we can book a program for your next meeting.
What is your typical response when you hear negative comments from others?
How happy are you with your response? How well does your response work? And
what would you ideally like to do or say in response to the negativity of others.
Figure it out. Practice your response, and be prepared to use it the next time
you're around too much negativity.