Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon state employee. (Salem, Oregon.) 1944-195? | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1945)
6 Rehabilitation—A Constant Factor By ELIZABETH D OTSON During the week of June 2, Voca tional Reha bil. tatiqn agencies in each of the 48 states, the D istrict of Colum bia, Hawaii and Puerto Rico celebrated their 25 th anniversary. "W ith the close of this first 25 years,” stated Mr. C. L. Feike, Acting Director of Vocational Rehabilitation in Oregon, "this public service passes from an experimental stage into an era in which we can now ; say definitely what we can offer.” Mr. Feike made this statement in his talk at the July meeting of the Library Build ing Chapter of the OSEA. Quoting a national publication, he continued, "The Nation loses a war within its own bord ers each year w ith a staggering toll of 800,000 persons seriously injured— 100,000 of them so severely disabled as to require special services to render them employable.” The Oregon Vocational Rehabilita tion agency through its offices in Sa lem, Portland and Eugene, in coopera tion with a part-tim e medical consult ant and with other departments and agencies, is helping to conserve our greatest asset— working usefulness. Like other public services, vocational rehab ilitation is not only a humanitarian mea sure; it is also good business to help the disabled to help themselves. Mr. Feike estimated the individual case cost in Oregon for last year at $264, a nonre curring, expenditure which compares favorably with the $300 to $500 re quired each year to support a dependent person at public expense. Once trained and employed, the rehabilitated person is an independent wage earner. A t present the Oregon department has persons in 71 fields of training. Once-disabled men and women are now shoe and watch repairmen, barbers, auto mechanics, doctors, lawyers, secretaries, florists, rug weavers, artists and em ployees in a m ultitude of other positions. Mr. Feike exhibited several posters displaying pictures of persons now do- ing new jobs. One young man was shown speaking into a microphone— he had learned radio announcing. A World W ar II veteran worked at his drawing board— he has just received a contract to illustrate a new book. A young woman with a broken back was doing secretarial work. Two tubercul osis patients, who learned their new work while still in the sanitorium, were shown in a laboratory as technicians. Two elderly gentlemen who had not been defeated by handicaps were pic tured using their new skills; one, after a brush-up course in bookkeeping, is. employed as timekeeper, the other does book binding in his own shop. Two young men were busy grinding optical lenses. The Rok Crystal Company in Port land, which serves the entire northwest with lenses for all types of instrumentSj is staffed 100 percent by disabled per sons who have been rehabilitated by the state agency. Thoroughly satisfied with these employees, the manager wishes to have more when such persons need em ployment. The department aims to make early location of persons in need of assistance. To do this they have wisely made use of established agencies which supple ment rather than duplicate vocational rehabilitation activities. All 40 degree cases, those awarded $1,000 in benefits, are referred automatically from the State Industrial Accident Commission. The Oregon Tuberculosis Association gives notice of cases and helps finan cially through its assistance fund. Se lective Service sends in the names of disabled veterans, who, once returned to civiilan life, have the choice of seeking aid from a veterans’ agency or from (Continued on Page 16)
