Partnerships Moving into the Future
Dairyman Tim Lang from Marietta faced many challenges in running his farm after he lost his right arm in a machinery accident. Lang needed to be able to operate and maintain his farm vehicles and equipment, including a bulk milk cooling tank.
RSC worked with Lang and two rehabilitation technologists to create a special aluminum platform and ladder that can be used when Lang cleans the milk tank.
RSC helped Lang obtain spinner knobs and accessible gear shifts on his farm vehicles, including the dump truck and milk truck. The hydraulic switches on two of the farm trucks were also transferred from one side of the steering column to the other so that he could handily activate them.
With RSC’s assistance, Lang has been able to get back to work and keep his farm moving into the future.
“RSC helped me get the equipment and the know-how to get back to doing what I love.”
Empowering Individuals Through Employment
Doug Armstrong went to Wake Forest University School of Law and practiced as a legal aid lawyer in North Carolina. In 1998, he moved to Cincinnati and used RSC local resources to find employment. His background impressed the Cincinnati Business Advisory Committee, which was founded by RSC in 1984 to network local businesses with RSC consumers. Armstrong partnered with the committee to find employment.
Armstrong worked for the Legal Aid Society before venturing out as a solo practitioner resolving employment, housing and contract issues. His community service career has included Victory Neighborhood Services and chairing the board of Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (1999-2007), an $11 million job training agency and Braille publisher.
Unlimited Potential. Unlimited ABILITY.
RSC Assists Consumer in Getting Back to Business
Thomas Taylor of Newcomerstown makes and shapes steel, aluminum and plastic into parts for heavy industry. It’s a job requiring precision and heavy lifting. Taylor does his heavy-metal machining in a shop that was tailor-made for him with the assistance of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC).
Taylor was paralyzed from the waist down after a 1998 mowing accident crushed his spinal cord. He had worked as a machinist, but wanted to start his own business.
Clever shop design and a variety of accommodations allow Taylor to work comfortably and conveniently. “For starters, everything is set up low,” said Taylor, giving him easy access to equipment from a unique wheelchair that RSC helped him obtain. The motorized ‘standing’ wheelchair can lift and tilt Taylor, enabling him to easily and comfortably access his machinery. RSC helped Taylor to get other essential work tools as well, such as a digital meter for his drill so that he can exactly measure the drilled pieces.
“I believe that I am supposed to be doing this work and I am very thankful for the support of RSC and my community.”