February 11,
2003
Ohio
Rehabilitation Services Commission
400 E. Campus
View Blvd.
Columbus, Ohio
43235
Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to my termination from my
position as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with the Ohio Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) on
February 6, 2003.
My termination was based on “inability to
perform the duties of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor” which stemmed
from a series of unfortunate incidents involving behaviors that I exhibited
between my start date on April 15 and mid October 2002.
These behaviors are in part a result of difficulties in obtaining
crucial training and accommodations for my visual impairment in a timely
manner.
I also have diagnosed Sensory Integration Dysfunction
and have recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition
that is controlled by medication regimes and cognitive and neurological
therapies.
Though my supervisor, expressed that the
behaviors I demonstrated during the first six months of my job stemmed from
a neurological condition, I believe that he and the chain of command in the
this region of BVR made the unwarranted assumption that I was unable to
perform my duties instead of working with me to explore treatment options
and improve my performance. It
is my understanding that the current performance management system at RSC,
Partnerships for Success, was devised to address concerns regarding
counselor effectiveness, not weed out new staff who do not fit a
preconceived blueprint for how he /she should develop within the agency.
While RSC has considered my behavior and performance as
grounds for termination, I would like to point out the actions of my
supervisor and other staff in that office that I believe are worth noting.
Though we are instructed in agency new counselor training not to use
terms that are disrespectful toward people with disabilities and ethnic
groups, I heard my supervisor and senior staff use such terms routinely.
I once heard him use the term “hillbilly” to describe a potential
candidate for a VRC position. I
have also observed him and another staff member describe incoming consumers
with mental health conditions and developmental disabilities as “nuts”,
and “retarded.” Finally, my supervisor made comments about my gait; the
tone and timbre of my voice, and my grasp of my partner’s hand during CPR
training in our office that I believe were inappropriate and unbecoming of a
professional counselor and vocational rehabilitation supervisor.
After I was given a specific account of my
behaviors, I began receiving coaching to develop my stress management
skills. I also began taking
Paxil and craniosacral massage treatments for anxiety.
This allowed me to achieve four successful rehabs out of an annual
goal of ten for Fiscal Year 2003. I
also received praise from several consumers regarding my services to them as
well as feedback from my supervisor and others that my interpersonal
interactions were more appropriate and my general demeanor was more relaxed.
I believe that an agency whose mission is to serve
Ohioans with Disabilities must fully consider what all of its new employees
can bring to the table and use its mandatory probationary period to resolve
concerns as they occur. Instead, I was terminated when my supervisor
perceived my needs as atypical of the employees of the organization and
deemed me unsuited to the job because of my disability and background.
On the whole, I enjoyed my ten months as an employee
with BVR and hope you will find this letter a statement about your treatment
of some of your employees with disabilities.
Sincerely,
A.Z., MSW