Keith Peterson : Be All You Can Be Part 3 of 4

By the age of 19, Keith Peterson had survived a childhood bout with spinal meningitis and learned to deal with the blindness it left behind, but he still had a great deal to learn. Other physical and mental disabilities resulting from the illness precluded him from learning even basic, household tasks in a mainstream environment.

After two years at the William A. Proctor Center in Cincinnati, and with the assistants of organizations like Equal People in Springfield, Ohio, Keith has learned to take care of himself and manage his day. As he got older, it eventually became clear that the need to learn job skills would be essential if he were ever to achieve any level of independence.

One of the most important things in life is to feel purposeful and productive, which can be difficult enough for the average person. For someone in Keith's situation, finding a job is not only frustrating but nearly impossible. Since he would not get the opportunity to join the United States Armed Forces, as he had always wished to do, Keith needed assistance in securing some other kind of work.

In addition to providing resources to Keith and his family for supported living, case managers with the Greene County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disability (MRDD) work with other agencies to evaluate, train and place those individuals who are potentially eligible for employment. "MRDD has helped Keith become a more independent person in the community," said Keith's sister, Angela Curfman. "They [MRDD] have provided him a place to go throughout the week and learn some work skills."

For more than 15 years Keith, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, has been employed by Greene, Inc., an organization which is, according to their website, "the Adult Services affiliate of the Greene County Board of MRDD." A non-profit corporation, Greene, Inc. specializes in vocational training, rehabilitation, employment and social services for individuals with disabilities or economically disadvantaged. The agency also noted on their website," Services are consumer driven and based upon personal choice and preferences."

Greene, Inc. is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), the State Department of Mental Retardation and Development Disabilities Accreditation, and Bureau of Worker's Compensation Ten Step Safety Program.

Since the facility accepts subcontracting work from many areas of manufacturing, from plastic injection molders to printing companies, employees have the opportunity to learn a variety of skills including assembly processes and packaging. Keith works at Greene, Inc. for up to six hours per day, Monday through Friday, and has done many different kinds of jobs.

"Keith's latest job that he was learning was packing fire starters that are sold throughout the community at stores like Groceryland," said Curfman . The product Curfman referred to is a packaged fire starter type used to ignite back yard or camp ground fire.

Besides manufacturing support, Greene, Inc. also offers customers laundry and janitorial service, secure document handling, community employment and various day programs. Diversification of the services provided to customers helps the agency to provide more opportunity for work within the restrictions of an individual's disabilities.

Unfortunately, specialty service providers like Greene, Inc. are not immune to the effects of a faltering economy. When manufacturing slows down, so does the need for labor. As a result, Keith is experiencing changes at his job, which does not set well for someone who depends on structure and consistency. "They cut back work in the workshop," Keith complained in a somewhat frustrated tone. "They're not giving me enough of a paycheck anymore."

As with any American worker today, Keith is concerned about the state of the economy and works hard to manage his money wisely. "He budgets his money out," his sister commented. "He keeps it separated so that he knows how much he has to spend and what it will be used for."

Fortunately for Keith, he does not have to worry about spending it on gasoline. His diminished eyesight and other mental and physical challenges keep him from driving on his own but he does have reliable transportation.

The Greene County Transit Board, more commonly known as Greene CATS, provides Keith with a daily round-trip ride from his home in Cedarville to work Xenia and back. Greene CATS provides public transportation seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the area for anyone who requests the service. Occasionally, however, Keith does not have to worry about getting a lift to work.

In addition to his work at Greene Inc., Keith also has a home office. From there he can help the Equal People staff with various tasks like faxing and practices his computer skills. "I do a lot of copying," Keith said, sitting in front of the computer on his desk which has been outfitted to tell him verbally which keys he is typing.

Thanks to his family, Greene County MRDD and Greene, Inc., it seems that Keith Peterson has his work cut out for him, hopefully for some time to come. To learn more about services available from Greene, Inc. or other agencies mentioned in this article, go online to www.greenemrdd.org or call Greene County MRDD (937) 562-5600.

Don't miss the final installment of Keith Peterson: Be all you can be, next week. Watch for Part IV: Others Will Follow.