Motorcycle accident can’t stop employee from returning to work
John Sharp worked as a truck driver for King County’s Solid Waste Division since 1990, something that he loved doing. But in 1999, he lost an arm in a motorcycle accident. Even with his disability, John wanted to get back to driving grapples, packers and other heavy machinery. So with the help of King County’s Disability Services Program, he was equipped with specially-designed accommodations that allowed him to operate heavy machinery at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and get back to work. Watch this short KCTV video on John’s story.
KCIT employee gets some help from technology and four-legged friend
Next time you contact KCIT for email or SharePoint help, you may be talking to an employee who has a four-legged friend helping him in his work day. Dan Johnson, a Systems Engineer with King County’s Department of Information Technology, has been with the County since 1997, initially in the KCIT Help Desk, and now supporting a range of Exchange email, SharePoint and cloud-based services for employees. “My work focus has expanded far beyond Exchange email to include unified communications, the Office 365 suite, and distributed administration and security,” Dan said. “I used… Read More
Five Questions with Roxanne Vierra, Disability Compliance Specialist, Office of Civil Rights & Open Government
1. What was your first role at King County? I’d previously worked 10 years at the U.W. Disabled Student Services office, then 10 years at the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, where my position included primarily fair housing investigations and a bit of public disability access. When I was offered this job with King County 16 years ago, I was excited because it allowed me to use my Disability Specialist experience in a more active way. While I still handle fair housing enforcement and outreach, my role as Disability Compliance Specialist enables… Read More
Former Marine finds new way to serve community
After two Iraq tours in the Marine Corps, Gavriel Jacobs’ plan was to pursue a career in law enforcement. “I wanted to come back from Iraq and the Middle East to go from serving my country to serving my community and really planned on joining the Seattle Police or Washington State Patrol,” Jacobs said. But when he lost his leg below the knee in combat and spent a year in the hospital, he had to rethink his career goals.
Join us in celebrating Disability Awareness Month
October is Disability Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to raise awareness and learn more about the work that King County does to provide opportunities for all individuals to participate, contribute and thrive in our communities. Attend a lunch and learn event Invisible Voices: What Do You Think of When You Hear the Word Disability? (video + discussion) | Thursday, October 16, noon – 2 p.m. Chinook Building, Room 121, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle | Presenter: Roxanne Vierra, Disability Compliance Specialist, King County Office of Civil Rights & Open Government | Contact Roxanne.Vierra@kingcounty.gov to… Read More
Employees learn about ethnic and disability media
On Monday, July 28, King County staff spent a valuable morning learning more about the richness of ethnic and disability media in King County. The event included a panel of ethnic and disability media journalists, a networking session, and a Q&A session with Executive Constantine. The event provided various opportunities for King County employees and the Executive to interact with the ethnic and disability media. Panelists shared great advice about working with ethnic and disability media to serve the growing diversification of people living in King County. “We encourage you to contact… Read More
Helping young adults with disabilities make school-to-work transition
The transition from high school to adulthood can be scary for anyone, but particularly for someone who has a developmental or intellectual disability. “You start to become an adult when you leave high school. Whether you’re an 18 or 21 year old like the people we serve, it’s just a pivotal time. Everyone wants to know, ‘Well what are you going to do?,’” Richard Wilson said. Wilson is the program manager who heads up the Developmental Disabilities Division’s School to Work Program. The program works with school districts in King County to… Read More
Employee News 