Easter Seals Disability Services

Clarance

As a young boy, Clarence longed to be like the other kids who could run and play sports — things Clarence only dreamt of doing because no matter how hard he worked, his left arm and leg were weaker than his right.

When Clarence was 10, doctors discovered a spinal cord tumor was causing the weakness on his left side, which would eventually lead to paralysis of everything but his right arm.  

In 2001, doctors in Cincinnati and New York removed the tumor through a series of surgeries. With physical therapy and much determination, Clarence regained use of everything but his left arm and hand.  

A junior at Wayne High School, Clarence knew he wanted to find a job, but with no prior work experience and a disability, finding a job, like a lot of other things for Clarence, wouldn’t come easy. To assist him and prepare him for his job search, Clarence was referred to the Goodwill Easter Seals youth program by Keiya Myles with the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Cheryl Jones, supervisor of the youth program at Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley, initially met and worked with Clarence at Wayne High School. She stated, “Clarence had a great outlook on life despite his physical limitations.” 

After months of searching and interviewing, Clarence’s employment specialist informed him of an opening through the Goodwill Easter Seals contract at the WPAFB Commissary for a shelf stocker.

“I wanted to hire him, but I couldn’t imagine how he was going to stock shelves with just one hand,” said Beth Dawson, employment and operations support manager for Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley. “Clarence assured me he could do the job.” 

An open door was all Clarence needed to show what he was capable of doing. It wasn’t long before Clarence was stocking shelves with 80 percent efficiency, without any assistive devices.

Landing a good job was just one part of the journey for Clarence. He’s now in his second semester at Sinclair College where he is studying for a degree in sports management.  

Now Clarence is confident. “I can do anything everybody else can do.”