DEAM Team brings opportunity to Edwards

  • Published
  • By Rebecca Amber
  • Staff writer
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Disability Employment Awareness Committee held its first annual abilities expo at the Oasis Community Center Oct. 9. The companies invited to attend prepresented a variety of tools to assist individuals living with disabilities including communication, mobility and recreational aides. Though many of the resources are for daily living, the over-arching theme was helping people with disabilities procure jobs at Edwards.

"We feel, candidates like wounded warriors, would be the prime candidates to bring their experience with a weapons system back to work in a test and evaluation environment," said Darcy Painter, 412th Communications Squadron, DEAM Committee member. "They have that key experience that we can bring to bear on improving the next generation of weapons systems."

Nicole Carter, an Independent Living Center of Southern California case manager, was born with cerebral palsy. During the expo, Carter visited the Mobility Works booth in the parking lot, where she sat behind the wheel of a 2012 Chevy Silverado truck. The truck was modified to include a platform lift and hand controls allowing an individual to drive sitting in their wheelchair.

"This is a really liberating experience and it makes me really excited for the possibilities for the future. I haven't really ever felt this degree of independence before," said Carter. "I've been in a wheelchair my whole life. I've never had the experience of sitting in the driver's seat in my chair; it's extremely liberating and I haven't even driven anywhere. Just to know that I can is great."

Tim Rosso, Mobility Works certified mobility consultant, said the technology has been around for years, but the real draw is having options.

"Most of the vehicles that are available to them are minivans, now you open up the doors for them to have a truck," said Rosso.

Inside the expo, Michael Botte 412th Communications Squadron, Information Technology specialist, demonstrated how deaf and hearing personnel can make phone calls to each other using ZVRS, video relay services software.

"I use a video phone to call hearing people and when the hearing individual picks up there's automatically an interpreter in a remote location that I sign to on the screen," said Botte. "The remote interpreter speaks for me to the hearing person. Basically, the whole gist is pretending like the interpreter isn't even there. Without that I really wouldn't be able to do my job as well as I do it now."

Internal agencies like the Health and Wellness Center and Ground Safety promoted topics like workplace safety and accommodations for people with disabilities in emergency procedures.

"People with disabilities work to get to work, it's a big deal just getting to work, going home, surviving. Sometimes they don't address these larger issues like 'what I would do in an earthquake,'" said Painter.

Access Medical representative Kevin Swafford was there to show how a custom wheelchair acts as a health tool, not just a means of getting around.

"Tilt and decline helps people who cannot independently weight shift because that puts them in danger of pressure source and respiratory issues. You can put them at an angle so they can breathe easier," said Swafford.

The right kind of wheelchair can even be used to pursue hobbies like hunting and fishing. The tank chair is equipped with a gun mount and treads that enable the hunter to travel through various terrains like marsh, sand or snow.

"There are all kinds of tools," said Painter. "Something as grandiose as a tank chair, or something as simple and easy like devices that help people use utensils to eat."

Service dogs in training visit Branch

Melissa Billingsley, a volunteer puppy raiser for K-9 Companions for Independence, brought two of her puppies, Tansy and Marvin, to Branch Elementary School Oct. 10.  Billingsley received the dogs at eight weeks and will have them for a total of 18 months before she returns them to the company.

During her time with the puppies, Billingsley takes on all of the responsibilities related to raising a dog including things like paying for veterinary care. Once they are returned, the dogs will go through advanced training and be placed in one of four categories: service dogs, skilled companions, facility dogs or hearing dogs.

According to Billingsley, the company is seeking to add a fifth category for dogs trained to work with people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"A PTSD dog would stand in front of or behind the individual in public places so they don't feel too enclosed," said Billingsley. "One of the commands is search so they will go into the room, turn on the lights and make sure no one is in there."

Each of the dogs raised at K-9 Companions for Independence are a mix of Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Tansy is a purebred Lab and Marvin is three-quarters lab, one-quarter golden retriever.

"I love the opportunity to raise them and then hand the leash over to a graduate and change someone's life," said Billingsley. "[Today is about] raising awareness about the service dogs, working with kids and people with disabilities; also proper etiquette when they are out in public and if they do see a working service dog."

For more information about upcoming DEAM events throughout October, call 661-277-7527.