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NewsOK: Deaf-blind week focuses on workplace
Advocates for Oklahomans who have both vision and hearing loss are trying to let employers know what a meaningful addition deaf-blind people can be to a workplace.
That's this year's focus for the national Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week, said Joan Blake, deaf-blindness specialist for the state Rehabilitation Services Department. The national celebration ends Saturday in Oklahoma and other participating states.
"With the amount of technology and training available, there's just absolutely nothing deaf-blind people can't do, except drive,” Blake said.
Named for the well-known deaf and blind author and activist, the national awareness week was established by President Reagan in 1984.
The observation is celebrated annually during the week of Keller's June 27 birthday, according to the Helen Keller National Center.
Though the precise number of deaf-blind Oklahomans is not known, Blake has worked with more than 200 people with vision and hearing loss during the past two years, she said.
"And I've barely scratched the surface,” she said. "The number is constantly growing as the population ages.”
Despite federal laws requiring workplaces to accommodate people with disabilities, some problems remain, Blake said. Making appropriate changes isn't expensive, but some companies think it's a gamble when a new employee hasn't proven himself.
"Some people may say, ‘Well, how can we afford to make all these accommodations?' But gee, how can we afford to put them in a nursing home? Allowing them things to help them do for themselves at any age is much more cost-effective and better for their self-concept,” Blake said.
In most cases, workplace accommodations can be made for $500 or less.
For companies needing more expensive equipment, financial assistance is available through the state Rehabilitation Department.
Federal dollars made up nearly 75 percent of the department's $116 million budget this fiscal year, said Jody Harlan, state Rehabilitation Services Department spokeswoman.
Those dollars come from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, which helps subsidize vocational programs and everyday skill training for people with disabilities.
"A hearing loss and vision loss is not the end of your life. You can do the same things you did before; you just have to learn a new way to do them,” Blake said. "It's possible and we're here to help make it happen.”
Advocates for Oklahomans who have both vision and hearing loss are trying to let employers know what a meaningful addition deaf-blind people can be to a workplace.
That's this year's focus for the national Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week, said Joan Blake, deaf-blindness specialist for the state Rehabilitation Services Department. The national celebration ends Saturday in Oklahoma and other participating states.
"With the amount of technology and training available, there's just absolutely nothing deaf-blind people can't do, except drive,” Blake said.
Named for the well-known deaf and blind author and activist, the national awareness week was established by President Reagan in 1984.
The observation is celebrated annually during the week of Keller's June 27 birthday, according to the Helen Keller National Center.
Though the precise number of deaf-blind Oklahomans is not known, Blake has worked with more than 200 people with vision and hearing loss during the past two years, she said.
"And I've barely scratched the surface,” she said. "The number is constantly growing as the population ages.”
Despite federal laws requiring workplaces to accommodate people with disabilities, some problems remain, Blake said. Making appropriate changes isn't expensive, but some companies think it's a gamble when a new employee hasn't proven himself.
"Some people may say, ‘Well, how can we afford to make all these accommodations?' But gee, how can we afford to put them in a nursing home? Allowing them things to help them do for themselves at any age is much more cost-effective and better for their self-concept,” Blake said.
In most cases, workplace accommodations can be made for $500 or less.
For companies needing more expensive equipment, financial assistance is available through the state Rehabilitation Department.
Federal dollars made up nearly 75 percent of the department's $116 million budget this fiscal year, said Jody Harlan, state Rehabilitation Services Department spokeswoman.
Those dollars come from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, which helps subsidize vocational programs and everyday skill training for people with disabilities.
"A hearing loss and vision loss is not the end of your life. You can do the same things you did before; you just have to learn a new way to do them,” Blake said. "It's possible and we're here to help make it happen.”