Persian Gulf Vet Soldiers On with RSC’s Help
As an Air Force search-and-recovery specialist during the
1990-91 Persian Gulf War, Tom Oaks went on dangerous missions
and “picked up the pieces” of shattered aircraft and bodies in
hostile environments. Two decades later those wartime
experiences, a hobby, and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services
Commission helped Oaks put back the pieces of his life.
After
retiring from the Air Force, Oaks settled with his wife in her
hometown, Cardington, Ohio, and worked as a fork lift driver at
GENCO, a giant distribution center for Whirlpool products in
Marion. In October 2004 Oaks was diagnosed with neuroretinitis,
which cut his eyesight to 20 percent effectiveness and ended his
driving job at GENCO. With two youngsters in college, Oaks was
determined to stay employed. He refused to let the pathology of
his eyesight changed the path of his life. Unpaid disability was
not an option.
Fortunately, Oaks’ ophthalmologist referred him to a counselor
in the Ohio Rehabilitation Service Commission, Bureau of
Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI) office in Mansfield.
Working with GENCO, the BSVI counselor helped Oaks retain a job
in the warehouse, though not operating machinery. However, the
counselor and GENCO realized that Oaks’ longtime hobby as a
computer programmer and technician would be his vocational path.
With minor work accommodations (a larger computer screen with
magnified resolution) and help from GENCO’s information
technology assistant, Oaks developed a productivity monitoring
database that will improve warehouse distribution and production
efficiency.
Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) support for Oaks
became a win-win situation for him and GENCO. Oaks’ sheer
determination, backed by assistance from RSC and his employer,
enables this veteran to soldier on today.
