{"id":27812,"date":"2014-06-25T03:00:19","date_gmt":"2014-06-25T08:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=27812"},"modified":"2014-06-25T03:00:19","modified_gmt":"2014-06-25T08:00:19","slug":"deaf-blind-man-finds-success-at-warehouse-job-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/06\/25\/deaf-blind-man-finds-success-at-warehouse-job-oklahoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Deaf-blind man finds success at warehouse job – Oklahoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"oklahoma<\/a>Deaf-blind man finds success at warehouse job<\/strong><\/p>\n

by<\/span><\/span> Brianna Bailey<\/p>\n

June 24, 2014<\/p>\n

Standing next to an open loading bay with sunlight streaming in at the Cintas Corp. warehouse<\/span><\/span> in northeast Oklahoma City where<\/span><\/span> he works, Norman resident Peter Broussard, Jr. says<\/span><\/span> he can only see the blurry outlines of shapes in front of him.<\/p>\n

He has lost most of his vision as a result of Usher Syndrome, a genetic disorder that is one of the leading causes of deaf-blindness. Broussard inherited the condition from his grandfather, who also was deaf and blind.<\/p>\n

Speaking with sign language through an interpreter, Broussard said he is able to see blurry figures, light and dark, but his peripheral vision is almost completely gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m looking through a tunnel,\u201d Broussard said. \u201cI can tell there is a light to the side of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broussard, 27, was born completely deaf and is legally blind, but has been able to find work with Cintas<\/span><\/span> cleaning floor<\/span><\/span> mats with the with the help of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. The job helps him support his wife and two sons, ages four and six months. A smile spreads across his face when he talks about his job.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Broussard is originally from Crowley, La., but moved to Oklahoma with his wife a three years ago. He knew he wanted to work to support his family, but applying for jobs on his own proved challenging.<\/p>\n

\u201cFilling out applications, it was hard explaining my disability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He turned to Joan Blake, a specialist on deaf-blindness with the Department of Rehabilitation Services, to help find work. Blake helps deaf-blind clients throughout the state find jobs. It\u2019s a challenging job with a low success rate, she said.<\/p>\n

Her current caseload includes about 30 deaf-blind clients statewide. She\u2019s lucky if she is able to help two or three people find jobs each year.<\/p>\n

By the time deaf-blind people turn to the Department of Rehabilitation Services for help, they typically are feeling discouraged and frustrated, Blake said.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/newsok.com\/deaf-blind-man-finds-success-at-warehouse-job\/article\/4952636<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deaf-blind man finds success at warehouse job by Brianna Bailey June 24, 2014 Standing next to an open loading bay with sunlight streaming in at the Cintas Corp. warehouse in northeast Oklahoma City where he works, Norman resident Peter Broussard,…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[4621,21890,21889,68,494,19150,31,17997,440,1609,10621,21891,18178],"class_list":["post-27812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-article","tag-brianna-bailey","tag-cintas-corporation","tag-deaf-blind","tag-deafblind","tag-department-of-rehabilitation-services","tag-job","tag-norman","tag-oklahoma","tag-oklahoma-city","tag-oklahoma-department-of-rehabilitation-services","tag-peter-broussard-jr","tag-usher-syndrome"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-7eA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29435,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/12\/06\/normans-peter-j-broussard-jr-honored-with-oklahoma-governors-disability-employment-awards-of-excellence\/","url_meta":{"origin":27812,"position":0},"title":"Norman’s Peter J. Broussard Jr. Honored with Oklahoma ‘Governor’s Disability Employment Awards of Excellence’","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"December 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Norman's Peter J. Broussard Jr. Honored with Oklahoma 'Governor's Disability Employment Awards of Excellence' Targeted News Service OKLAHOMA CITY October 29, 2014 -- The Oklahoma Department of Human Services issued the following news release: Sixteen individuals from across the state, five employers and two prominent media outlets were honored during\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25691,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/01\/01\/former-principal-at-deaf-school-named-to-dept-of-rehabilitation-services-governing-board\/","url_meta":{"origin":27812,"position":1},"title":"Former principal at deaf school named to Dept. of Rehabilitation Services’ governing board","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Former principal at deaf school named to Dept. of Rehabilitation Services' governing board THE ASSOCIATED PRESS \u00a0 December 27, 2013 OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 A retired principal at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf has been appointed to the Commission for Rehabilitation Services. Jack Tucker was appointed to the commission by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25702,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/01\/01\/icanconnect-helps-hearing-vision-impaired-oklahoma\/","url_meta":{"origin":27812,"position":2},"title":"iCanConnect helps hearing, vision impaired -Oklahoma","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"iCanConnect helps hearing, vision impaired December 11, 2013 By Phyllis Zorn, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle Oklahomans with combined vision and hearing loss can get the latest communications technology, including iPads and smart phones, free of charge through a program called iCanConnect. Also known as the National Deaf-Blind Equipment\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20554,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/11\/02\/oklahoma-organization-helps-deaf-and-blind-people-achieve-their-potential\/","url_meta":{"origin":27812,"position":3},"title":"Oklahoma organization helps deaf and blind people achieve their potential","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"November 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Oklahoma organization helps deaf and blind people achieve their potential Cassandra Oakes founded the Sight-Hearing Encouragement Program to ensure that people who were deaf and blind would have an organization in Oklahoma focused on helping them achieve their potential. A conference is scheduled for this weekend in Midwest City. 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