2009 Journalism Contest
2009 South Carolina Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities Journalism Contest winning essay.
“America’s People, America’s Talent…America’s Strength!”
by Brooke Adams
Indian Land High School, Fort Mill, SC
July 30, 1989: Ricky Steele lies on the highway, both legs too damaged to use. His Harley-Davidson motorcycle burns next to him as he waits for help to come.
Minutes before, Steele makes a left turn when a man in a truck, driving under the influence of alcohol, crashes into his side, pinning his left leg between the front bumper and the motorcycle. The driver never lets up, and Steele is dragged 100 feet. When the driver finally hits the brakes, Steele falls to his side on the bike and is run over by two of the truck’s wheels.
When help finally arrives, Steele is taken to the hospital. He is then flown to Carolina Medical Center (CMC) where he has seven different surgeries in five days. His left leg is beyond repair and is removed below the knee. Steele is placed in the trauma unit for six days.
“I made a deal with the doctors and with my family. I told them, ‘If you keep me breathing, I’ll make it,’” Steele says, recounting his accident.
After one month at CMC and one month at its rehab center, Steele is able to return to his home in Fort Lawn in a wheelchair.
In 1990, Steele finally reached a point in his rehab where he was able to start thinking about work again. At 35 years old, Steele wanted to do something with his life. Throughout his life, he had always been active, and he did not want that to end because of his accident.
A friend—whose wife, Rebecca Wilson, worked for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD)—talked to Steele about the programs that he could be a part of in SCVRD. Wilson called Steele a few days later and talked to him about what he was thinking about getting into.
After his talk with Wilson, Steele decided to take an evaluation for SCVRD. SCVRD uses an evaluation to determine, realistically, what its clients are capable of. Steele, a former power lineman, had no idea what he wanted to be now that he could not use his legs.
After his evaluation, a counselor from SCVRD helped Steele sort out his options. Eventually, he decided that he was interested in drafting.
“I may not be able to build anymore, but I want to be able to draw what they’re building,” Steele said.
SCVRD supported Steele in his decision to continue his education and helped him enroll and take classes at York Technical College. SCVRD also paid his tuition, and Steele said that SCVRD even paid for gas and books.
Even though Steele had a disability, he did not let it prevent him from using his talents. During his time at York Tech, Steele got involved and became the president of student government and a member of the Engineers Club. Steele also started a program that raised money for wheelchair-accessible doors at York Tech.
“I saw a guy in a wheelchair sitting in the rain one morning, waiting for someone to come and open the door. Since he was a quadriplegic, unable to open it himself, I rolled over and opened the door for him,” Steele says, remembering the trigger for his starting the program.
Soon after, he created a group, and together they raised the money to install a new door into one of the buildings at York Tech. During fundraising for the second door, the college decided to take over the project and install the doors at its own cost.
Almost four years later, Steele graduated from York Tech, with three degrees in Auto-Cad—Engineering Graphics Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Electromechanical Engineering Technology.
While in college, Steele was part of the 11% of the undergraduate population with disabilities. After graduation, Steele joined the group of people with disabilities who had graduated from college. This group makes up 33% of the entire graduate population.
SCVRD worked hard with Steele after graduation to help him find a job, and in 2000, SCVRD helped him set up an interview with American I.M.C. in Rock Hill. Steele landed the job and started work designing air compressors and parts.
Steele’s work ethic is better than anyone’s I’ve ever met,” Steele’s boss Mike Tucker says. “He’s a good example to others. If he didn’t work here, I probably wouldn’t be working here still.”
Jackie Hicks, a former SCVRD counselor who worked with Steele, says Steele is the perfect example of the talent and strength that people with disabilities offer in America. She describes Steele as determined, genuine and courageous with a strong character.
“Steele has a strong sense of who he is, and he’s not going to let his accident disable him,” Hicks said, “In the workshops, his attitude was positive all the time. He used his talents to make all the clients feel comfortable and the counselors, too.”
In 2007-2008, SCVRD helped 8,520 of its clients find jobs in competitive careers like Steele’s. Of those clients, 334 clients were employed in Steele’s home county, York. Steele is only one of the hundreds of success stories who come out of SCVRD.
In addition to helping clients have better lives, SCVRD is also helpful to other South Carolina citizens. According to 2007 data, clients that SCVRD helped find jobs pay $3.20 in taxes for every $1 used on their vocational rehabilitation. In 5.2 years, the clients repay the cost of their rehabilitation.
In addition to working at what is now the North American headquarters for Atlas Copco in Rock Hill, Steele also works to enjoy life and live it to the fullest.
Steele showed one of his many talents when he and a few friends built a Harley-Davidson to work with hand controls so that he can continue to ride with his motorcycle buddies. Steele rides a trike—a motorcycle with three wheels. The trike even has a rack so that Steele can strap on his wheelchair and take it with him.
When people ask Ricky Steele why he is in a wheelchair, his response is, “Because I’m lucky, lucky to be here!”
His amazing attitude matches his strength and determination, but he knows that without the support of SCVRD, he would not have made it through the first frustrating stages.
“I deal with things that I can do, and not with the things that I know I can’t,” Steele says.
He is happier now and says he takes nothing for granted, always living to the fullest.
“I don’t consider myself handicapped,” Steele says. “I just can’t walk.”
Bibliography
The Bottom Line. South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department. 13 December 2008. Home Page, http://www.scvrd.net/about/bottom_line_07.php.
County Statistics 2007–2008. South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department. 5 January 2009. http://www.scvrd.net/about/demographics_0708.php.
“Facts for Features.” U.S. Census Bureau. 17 November 2008, 16 January 2009. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/010102.html.
Hicks, Jackie. Personal interview. 15 January 2009.
Steele, Ricky. Personal interview. 12 January 2009.
Tucker, Mike. Personal interview. 15 January 2009.