new horizons 2006 volume 45-3 fall

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Fall 2006Volume 45, Number 3 N E W

H RIZONSH RIZONS

Fall 2006Volume 45, Number 3 N E W

SOUTH CAROLINA VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION DEPARTMENTS OUTH CAROL INA VOCATI ONAL REHABIL IT AT ION DEP ARTMENT

Commissioner cited for leadershipA commonly heard saying among organizations usingthe Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is thatquality is a journey, not a destination.

While that may be true, there are noteworthymilestones in that journey, and SCVRD CommissionerLarry Bryant recently experienced one of those.

The South Carolina Quality Forum presented Bryantwith the Milliken Medal of Quality during its annualconference in Columbia on Oct. 17.

TheawardrecognizesSouthCaroliniansofvisionwhohavedemonstratedleadership,innovationandoutstandingachievementintheimplementationofqualitysystemsintheirorganizations.ItisnamedforRogerMilliken,chairmanofMilliken&Company,awinneroftheMalcolmBaldrigeNationalQualityAward.

Bryant became commissioner in 2002, having already

been instrumental in the agencys customer-focusedreengineering efforts. He has established demandingperformance measures that balance productivity,compliance assurance and quality customer service.Bryant has emphasized the strengthening of businesspartnerships and relationships with other agencies tomaximize employment opportunities for clients.

It is a great honor to be recognized with theMilliken Medal of Quality, Bryant said. It reflects thecommitment to quality our agencys staff demonstrates

I N S I D EDisability Mentoring Day

a hit with Columbia-area students...................2Tragedy turned board member to VR..................3Iraq war veteran brings compassion to VR........4-5Williamsburg training center set to open.............6DDS honors 2006 PRIDE winners......................7DDS fiscal team overcomes

payment issue................................................8

Lt. Gov. Andr Bauer, left, and Craig Long, right, directorof quality for Milliken & Company, present the MillikenMedal of Quality to Larry Bryant.

every day to help South Carolinians with disabilitiesbecome successfully employed.

The citizens of our state deserve a vocationalrehabilitation program that is effective and accountable,and we have found that the Baldrige Criteria formsa great basis for our performance measurement andcontinuous improvement initiatives.

TheBaldrigeCriteriaforPerformanceExcellenceisusedgloballybybusinessesandorganizationstoassesseffectivenessinleadership;strategicplanning;customerfocus;measurement,analysisand

knowledge

management;

human

resource

focus;

processmanagementandbusinessresults.SCVRDwasrecognizedasaGoldAchieverin2004andSilverAchieverin2001bytheforumintheGovernorsQualityAwardsprogram,thestate-levelBaldrigeawards.

Mr. Bryant has provided outstanding leadership,said agency board chairman Derle Lowder Sr. in amessage to all personnel. While he is always quickto credit staff members for the agencys achievements,this individual recognition is greatly deserved andsomething we can all be proud of.

Visit our Web site at www.scvrd.net


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Disability Mentoring Day a hitwith Columbia-area studentsNew Horizons is published by the South CarolinaVocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD),1410 Boston Ave., P.O. Box 15, West Columbia,SC 29171-0015.

The Public Information Office provides allnews and information. News materials may bereproduced with credit to New Horizons.

SCVRD distributes New Horizons free bymail. Subscription requests or changes of addressmay be sent to the Public Information Office atthe above address, telephone (803) 896-6833 ore-mail [email protected]

In accordance with federal and state laws,SCVRD does not discriminate against any race,color, sex, national origin, age or disability inemployment or in provision of services.

Agency:Derle A. Lowder Sr., chairman, SumterLarry C. Bryant, secretary, Columbia

H. Lucius Laffitte, M.D., at-large, AllendaleDr. Roxzanne Breland, Greenville

Timothy W. Evatt, PendletonRhonda J. Presha, Elgin

Alease G. Samuels, WalterboroJoseph A. Thomas, Conway

SCVRD:CommissionerLarry C. Bryant

EditorSharon H. KellyArea Offices:

Aiken: 855 York St. N.E.(803) 641-7630 (Voice/TDD)Anderson: 3001 Mall Road

(864) 224-6391 (Voice/TDD)Beaufort: 747 Robert Smalls Parkway

(843) 522-1010 (Voice/TDD)Berkeley-Dorchester: 2954 S. Live Oak Drive

Moncks Corner(843) 761-6036 (Voice/TDD)(843) 577-9057 (Voice/TDD)

Charleston: 4360 Dorchester Road, North Charleston (843) 740-1600 (Voice/TDD)Conway: 3009 Fourth Avenue(843) 248-2235 (Voice/TDD)

Florence: 1947 West Darlington Street(843) 662-8114 (Voice/TDD)

Greenville: 105 Parkins Mill Road(864) 297-3066 (Voice/TDD)

Laurens-Greenwood:22861Highway76East,Clinton(864) 833-4121 (Voice/TDD)

Lexington: 1330 Boston Ave., West Columbia(803) 896-6333 (Voice/TDD)

Marlboro: 1029 Highway 9 W., Bennettsville(843) 479-8318 (Voice/TDD)

Oconee-Pickens: 1951 Wells Highway, Seneca(864) 882-6669 (Voice/TDD)

Orangeburg: 1661 Joe S. Jeffords Hwy S.E.(803) 534-4939 (Voice/TDD)

Richland: 516 Percival Road, Columbia(803) 782-4239 (Voice/TDD)Rock Hill: 1020 Heckle Blvd.(803) 327-7106 (Voice/TDD)

Spartanburg: 353 S. Church St.(864) 585-3693 (Voice/TDD)

Sumter: 1760 N. Main St.(803) 469-2960 (Voice/TDD)

Walterboro: 919 Thunderbolt Drive(843) 538-3116 (Voice/TDD)

Enabling eligible South Carolinians withDisabilities to prepare for, achieve and

maintain competitive employment

Almost 40 Columbia-area students

with disabilities participated inDisability Mentoring Day on Oct.18.

Sponsored in South Carolina bythe S.C. Vocational RehabilitationDepartment, the nationwideevent provides the students withan opportunity to experience atypical workday in a career fieldthey are interested in. The studentsare matched with workplace

Disability Mentoring DayClockwise from above, Luke Snellgrove ofSwansea High spent the day with RangerFran Rametta at Congaree National Park;Kassie Player, also of Swansea, shadowedCedric Nicholes at Salon 2000; WillDantzler, front, of Spring Valley High andDarryl Izzard, director of the BenedictCollege Gospel Choir, made music; WillHall of Richland Northeast High hungout with Glen Garrett at WCOS Radio;and Geraldine Clark of Swansea wentto Sunset Animal Clinic where she metRocky, a moustache parakeet.

mentors and employers gain an

increased awareness of the talentpool represented by people withdisabilities.

The Columbia-area studentscame from Swansea High School,Spring Valley High School, RichlandNortheast High School, BlythewoodHigh School, the University ofSouth Carolina and SCVRDsInformation Technology TrainingCenter.

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Tragedy turned board member to VRWhen Dr. Roxzanne Breland joined at the College of Charlestonthe S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation because it offered extra tutoring

Departments board four years ago, and a reduced class load. But heshe brought a lot of lessons learned wanted to be an accountant andwith her. transferred to the University of

A doctor of chiropractic and the Alabama.mother of four, she was appointed Along the way, Breland had metto the S.C. State Agency of Dr. Sheldon Herring at Roger C.Vocational Rehabilitation in 2002 Peace Rehabilitation in Greenvilleby then-Gov. Jim Hodges. and he told her about vocational

I like the fact that the agency rehabilitation.helps people get their lives

deal with them.Dr. Roxzanne Breland relaxes at her Greer office.

together and then go to

work, she said.

She got some first-handexperience with that about10 years ago when heroldest son, Breece, then afreshman in high school,was in a car accident. Hesustained a brain injuryand was in a coma for fourdays.

While he was in the

hospital, she was in themedical library researchingbrain injuries and how to

She went into chiropracticbecause its health-related care

and she didnt want to treat peopleafter they were sick. And, she said,With four children, I had to beable to set my own hours.

Breland has been married to herhusband Harvey for 32 years. He isan attorney and they share a love ofthe outdoors, especially hiking andrafting in the mountains.

WithofficesinGreer,SimpsonvilleandGreenville,Brelandstaysonthemove.Butwhenshesnottreatingpatients,sheadmitsshestheconsummatejunkstore

junkiethejunkierthebetter.Ive been to every hole in the

wall in the mountains, she said.I like finding nice things at reallygood prices, adding that she oncefound a Picasso print at a SalvationArmy store.

My husband hates it, but its

fun, she said.She makes jewelry and potteryand has an extensive collectionof pottery from most of the majorpotters. She plans to donatethe collection to the GreenvilleMuseum before she retires.

Shes the first female president ofthe S.C. Chiropractic Association,president of the S.C. RadiationQuality Standards Association and a

bit of a legislative activist.When one of my clients turns

18, they get a voter registrationform, she said.

Her tenure on the SCVRD boardhas been very rewarding, she said.

Its a state agency that workslike it should, she said. It helpseverybody and provides a return tothe taxpayers.

I discovered he neededphysical and occupational as well Breece got involved with theas vocational therapy to make the Alabama vocational rehabilitationconnections regrow, she said. program while he was a junior at

She said she went to the university.rehabilitation centers and realized Now 24, hes an auditor with anthe children there were only doing Atlanta accounting firm.things at the center, not at home. Breland said he has two boxers,

I wondered, how do they get on which she calls learner childrenwith their lives when they want to because they let you see you cando something else? she said. keep something else alive before

Breland worked with Breece you have real children.every day for two years. Her other children are Jessie, 22;

Id do his class work with him Sabrie, 19; and Rollins, 16.and then wed talk about it, she They all went to work with me,said. she said. I always had a baby room

When he was ready, he enrolled and a sitter.

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IraqwarveteranbringscompassiontoVRReprinted from The (Sumter) Item.By JOE PERRYItem Staff Writer

When people talk about rebuildingIraq, they are also talking aboutGreg Elmores pastefforts.Elmore, 40,a Florencenative, hasbeen a businessdevelopmentspecialist with thestate Vocational

Rehabilitation Elmore

Department sinceJuly.

Although he is based in Sumter,his territory includes Williamsburg,Clarendon, Sumter, Lee, Kershawand Fairfield counties.

His job is to form partnershipswith businesses and industrywith the goal of assisting disabledindividuals to achieve and maintaincompetitive employment.

At the end of the day, if Ivehelped people learn work skills, Ivedone my job, he said.

Elmore served in the Air Forcefor two decades before retiringas a senior master sergeant, andat the end of his career, he wasworking at the Air Forces recruitingheadquarters in San Antonio.In January 2004, he was given onefinal mission.

I was tasked to deploy toBaghdad, Iraq, to help set up thefirst five recruiting stations for thenew Iraqi army, he said. And theother part of that mission was tohelp dissolve and integrate militiasinto the new Iraqi army.

Hisgoal,hesaid,wastogettherightmixofSunnis,Shias,andKurds.

Sixteen hours in-country, weget hit with a roadside bomb just

outside of Ramadi no injuries they missed the kill zone probablyby a second, he said.

He had been traveling in anunarmored Humvee, heading fora possible recruiting station inRamadi.

It hit just before we got there.They just missed us. Thats when Irealized, you know what, were ina real combat zone here, he said.It kinda opened my eyes to what Iwas doing over there.

About a month later, Elmore

was at a Baghdad recruiting station

and a few civilian contractors. So Iwas able, luckily, to move, but therewere 47 people killed and probably

more than that died later.Elmore was taken back to the

heavily fortified Green Zone fortreatment.

He suffered a lot of superficialcuts on my body lost a good bitof my hearing, but I could still hear it was like being underwater fora good while. When I was there,I was actually in Saddams privatehospital which is interesting, he

said.with an AirForce captain,a Marine majorand three civiliancontractors and100 Iraqis.

We weregoing to sendsome Iraqis wedalready recruitedto train and

that morning a carbomber pulledup and detonatedabout 500 poundsof explosives andended up killing47 Iraqis, he said.My translator

Elmore, left, with a friend along an Iraqi roadside.

was killed, who was about 10 yardsin front of me, and I was injured.The blast blew me back about 10yards.

His injuries, though non-lifethreatening, were extensive.

My eardrums were blown out I still have nerve damage in leftear to this day shrapnel hit onmy right shoulder, broken ribs, andhit on my lower left hip, with debrisand shrapnel but I could get up,walk, take a defensive (position) there were only three GIs on site,

I remember walking out andsaw a soldier who had been hitwith a RPG (rocket propelledgrenade) and it appeared he lost alimb, and that kind of stuck to me.Went back, finished healing andactually continued my mission overthere till June.

Elmore was awarded a PurpleHeart in August 2004, but he stillhad residual guilt, he said, fromhaving gone through somethinghorrific and surviving.

One of the interesting things

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One of Saddams former palaces along the Euphrates River.

this, he said.When he was reflecting on his

experience in Iraq, and how itties into his new calling, Elmorelooked around the training centerat Voc Rehab and made a simple

statement.Its something I believe in,he said. I was maybe 10 feetaway from becoming physicallydisabled.

He got an e-mail last June onFathers Day from an Iraqi womanwho served as his war-zonetranslator.

She said let your children knowtheir father is a hero and a greatAmerican, he said. But, he said, hewas just doing his duty.

I was there because ImAmerican, he said. It wasnt GregElmore it was Americans doing

you always felt a little bit guiltythat I survived and all these guysaround me got killed. And guyswere maimed Iraqis had lostlimbs, and I remember that soldierwho had lost a limb there was

some guilt that I walked away fromthe battle, he said.He went home, hugged his two

sons Brian, 15 and Taylor, 14, andtook a walk with his wife Belinda.A year later, he retired from the AirForce and went to work with Kraftfood in Pennsylvania. Soon he wasready to trade Pennsylvania for thePalmetto state.

Im from South Carolina. This ismy home. I was ready to get back

home, to be near family, he said.South Carolina was pulling me alittle bit.

One night while doing someInternet searching, he said he hadhis Aha moment, when he cameacross a job working with VocRehab.

And I was thinking whata great opportunity to work with

great things. Im just proud to bepeople that had disabilities. Maybe American.soldiers, Marines, airmen coming

The only thing I really want people toback from the war. I would have

know is Im fortunate to be workingthat opportunity to work with them for an agency like the SCVRD. This isagain because it was something another example of being an accident it was important to me. To me, or a few feet away from having a it would be therapeutic to come qualifying disability. home and work with an agency like Greg Elmore

Elmore, far left, meets with Kurdish tribesmen in northern Iraq.

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Williamsburg training center set to openPeople with disabilities in theWilliamsburg County area willsoon have access to job trainingopportunities that until now havebeen beyond their reach.

TheS.C.VocationalRehabilitationDepartmentsnewWilliamsburgWorkTrainingCenterisslatedtoopeninJanuary,fillingalong-standingneedinthatarea,saidPrestonColeman,whohasbeenoverseeingtheprojectwithSCVRDAreaDevelopmentDirectorPatGreen.

This area has one of the highestunemployment rates in the state,Coleman said. Theres a real needfor services.

SCVRD has had an office inKingstree for many years, butclients have limited access to worktraining center services because oftransportation issues, Green said.The nearest centers are in Conway,Florence or Sumter.

The 16,000-square-footWilliamsburg center, located ina former Kingstree sewing plant,is the most important thing the

Hilton McGill at his Kingstree office.

Renovations are under way to turn the former sewing plant into an SCVRD worktraining center.agency can do for that populationto help them build good work skillsand habits, Coleman said.

He said the center should serveabout 30 to 40 clients a day.

Williamsburg Countydevelopment officials see the newcenter as one more resource to help

a struggling workforce.Williamsburg is one of

South Carolinas largestcounties, but its economyis traditionally agriculturaland its distance frominterstate highways hasbeen a disadvantage.

Your organization

locating in WilliamsburgCounty is going to reacha sector that wevebeen unable to help sofar, said Hilton McGill,executive director of theWilliamsburg CountyDevelopment Board.Were truly excited aboutthis opportunity.

In recent years, county officialshave forged partnerships andoffered incentives to attractindustries to the area. Nanya,Firestone, Palmetto Synthetics,

Milliken, Tupperware and 3-DMetal Works all have openedfacilities in the county, where theunemployment rate has droppedfrom 22 percent to 8.5 percent.

Atlanta-based CPT Medical willopen a new facility soon in thecountys industrial park outsideKingstree. CPT Medical, whichmakes tray packs for surgery, iscommitted to hiring people withdisabilities.

Its a tremendous opportunityfor the company itself, McGill said,in that they will be able to utilizeyour people, your training and yourfacilities to get started while theyrefinishing their building in Kingstree.

Its probably as good arelationship as you could everfind, he said. Its a match made inheaven.

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DDS honors its 2006 PRIDE winners

Honorees at the PRIDE celebration included, from left, front row, Dr. Donna Stroud, Melanie Wall, Anne Mayo, RhondaHamilton, Dr. Manhal Wieland, Cyndi Crolley, Dr. William Crosby, SCVRD Commissioner Larry Bryant and Rodney Taylor,Social Security Administration area director for South Carolina. On the back row, from left, are Paul Kelly, Janet Holliday,

Melisa Goeringer, DDS Director Tom Paige, Bob Hammond, Dr. Tom Fitts and Blake Monson.Sixteen Disability DeterminationServices staffers were recognizedfor exemplary achievement at theannual PRIDE celebration Oct. 19.

They were Cyndi Crolley,Columbia, Support Person of theYear; Melanie Wall, Greenville,Rookie Examiner of the Year; MelisaGoeringer, Greenville, Examiner ofthe Year; Blake Monson, Greenville,

Case Processing Supervisor of theYear; Dr. Tom Fitts, Charleston,Medical Consultant of the Year;

Janet Holliday, Greenville, StaffSupervisor of the Year; BobHammond, Charleston, StaffPerson of the Year; and PaulKelly, Greenville, Carl FullbrightExemplary Service Award.

Also,AnnGolden,Dr.DonnaStroudandDr.WilliamCrosbyIII,

allofGreenville,wererecognizedforSpecialActofService;Dr.ManhalWielandofColumbiawontheCreativeAchievementAward;andRhondaHamiltonofLexingtonreceivedtheStateClaimsExcellenceAward.

Crolley, Wieland, Crosby andKelly went on to win recognitionat the Atlanta Regional PRIDE

celebration.

Edie Wilson and Chris Porter cut quite therug as they illustrate how theyll look afterreturning from their retirement travels in 20

years.Fall 2006


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DDS fiscal teamFrom left, seated, Mae Morant, KenNorris and Marjorie Daniels. Second

row, Lesa Matthews, Shirley Anderson,Rene Walker, Beverly Sutton, AnitaMonts, Gloria Gooden and Sharon

Peterson. Back row, Antonio Osborne,Christy Jackson, Rosalind Tucker,Joyce Small and Angela Perlotte.

DDSfiscalteamovercomespaymentissueVery often, a change in procedures

turns up flaws in the system.Thats what happened to theDisability Determination Servicesfiscal team with the switch toelectronic folder procedures inSeptember 2005. To their horror,they discovered about 68,000unprocessed bills that had beenundetected due to problems in thethree DDS regional offices.

This created considerable publicrelations issues, not to mention a

serious decline in agency customerservice, said Ken Norris, DDSadministrative services manager.

SCVRD Commissioner Larry

Bryant, DDS Director TomPaige and the Social SecurityAdministration authorized overtimefor the fiscal staff, but by the timethe fiscal team supervisor retiredin June, there were still 40,000electronic and printed bills pending.

WithbillpaymentnowcentralizedattheWestColumbiaofficeandanewsupervisoronboard,theresolutionoftheherculeantaskbecameateameffort.BythecloseofthefederalfiscalyearonSept.30,therecordswereuptodate.

The DDS regional office

cooperation and the perseverance

of the fiscal team representeda remarkable labor to the DDS,SCVRD and to the citizens of SouthCarolina, Norris said.

TeammemberswereNorris;SharonPeterson,accountant;ShirleyAnderson,fiscalteamsupervisor;BeverlySutton,teamcoordinator;AntonioOsborn,staffassistant;andbillpaymentspecialistsMarjorieDaniels,TeresaDorman,GloriaGooden,ChristieJackson,LesaMatthews,AnitaMonts,MaeMorant,AngelaPerlotte,JoyceSmall,RosalindTuckerandReneWalker.

The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department reports that it printed 5,300 copies of this newsletter at a cost of$1,188, or about $.22 a copy.

N E W

H RIZONSSouth Carolina VocationalRehabilitation Department1410 Boston AvenuePost Office Box 15West Collumbia, SC 29271-0015Return Service Requested

Non-profitUS Postage

PAIDWest Columbia, SC

Permit No. 255

new horizons 2006 volume 45-3 fall

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