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Iron Mountain – where miners once dug deep for limestone – is now home to a team of contractors who dig deep within themselves while overcoming their disabilities to make an important impact on the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Personnel Security Mission.
The Keystone Vocational Services contractors, who have disabilities ranging from blindness and low vision to being deaf or hard of hearing to learning and other disabilities, work underground surrounded by cavernous limestone walls at the mailroom in Boyers, Pennsylvania, via an AbilityOne contract to accomplish a vital mission.
The team - utilizing assistive technologies and creativity to innovate technologies and improvise methods to get the job done - is accomplishing an important Federal Investigative Records Enterprise (FIRE) mission in support of national security.
In all, there are 40 Keystone employees with disabilities, mostly general and mail clerks as well as managers, collaborating with the government team at Boyers to fulfill contract requirements impacting FIRE – a component in the Background Investigations mission. FIRE is responsible for the processing, automation, and management of government-wide investigative records collection and analysis, and end-to-end case processing functions.
The Keystone AbilityOne team’s mission – process approximately 6.6 million pieces of mail annually while achieving mailroom goals and responsibilities. This includes processing incoming and outgoing vouchers and inquiries that are sent to and received from law enforcement, universities and employers across the nation in the course of DCSA background investigations.
The mailroom – officially known as the Document Processing Operations Center – is a beehive of activity as the contractors sort background investigation forms while securely processing thousands of documents via U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express, United Parcel Service, DHL and other carriers. They make it happen while using assistive technologies coupled with typical mailroom equipment such as envelope conveyers, mail scanners, folder inserters, label printers and the postage meter.
“It's a critical piece of our overall investigation process,” said Mary Price, DCSA FIRE branch chief, regarding mail processed by the Keystone contractors. “When we have hardcopy mail such as fingerprints, our Keystone team manifests [lists the contents] that mail, so we can track it throughout the system. They also manifest outgoing material. So, if a package is inadvertently lost during shipment- we know exactly what's in that package.”
“I'm helping with national security, but the job is helping me because it’s full-time meaningful employment that actually allowed me to get off of Social Security disability benefits,” said David Miller, a Keystone employee working at the Boyers mailroom for more than five years as a general clerk. “This job enabled me to become more self-sufficient and earn my way in the world.”
After a life changing event caused Miller to lose 100% of his eyesight without light perception, he spent 16 weeks training at a school for the blind, learning daily living skills, mobility with a cane, and adaptive software computer skills. At that point, he worked on an associate degree in applied science and business management, graduating summa cum laude.
When people in any organization approach their work as a family, the impact on their mission and personal lives is greater, according to Miller and his Keystone co-workers.
“There's no judgement here – it’s all teamwork in a family atmosphere,” said Tammy Currie, a mail clerk who commutes by van and bus in her three-hour round trip to Boyers because “I love my job.”
Initially, the commute and work location in the Iron Mountain mine was a daunting experience for Currie who has severe claustrophobia and cried when she began her position two years ago. “I had a lot of disabilities throughout my life, but I like challenges,” she recounted. “At first, I was intimidated, but I considered it a challenge. I’m proud of myself and feel important doing what my job requires me to do for our country. Our national security is at stake and if I can do this, I can do anything.”
What’s more, Currie faced her fear of heights by joining several of her Boyers co-workers and her daughter, an Army National Guard soldier, on a skydiving expedition that began with a flight in a small plane. “All of our co-workers cheered us on,” she recalled with a smile. “I try to be a good role model for my daughter and my co-workers. It’s teamwork – we’re always encouraging each other.”
The Keystone team’s encouragement includes checking with each other to see if a colleague needs advice, a helping hand or a head start and if so – rendering the assistance needed in any given situation.
“They're quite surprising around here. They will really surprise you when it comes to teamwork,” said Keystone mail clerk Dale Harris while explaining how the Background Investigation outgoing vouchers and inquiries are processed and expedited at the mail room. “At times, I’ve been ready to begin my next task after completing releases and would be taken by surprise,” Harris said. “The labels for addresses are already typed in advance and packed; investigative materials are mailed out that day; or another task started. It’s a great responsibility that we’re dealing with, and this team spirit is essential to our success.”
Keystone general clerk Lacey Rasely, legally blind as a result of bilateral optic nerve hypoplasia, describes her cubicle as a spaceship with five computer screens, including three low vision monitors to enlarge the text and casework content. Rasely began working on the mailroom’s folder team in 2017, recycling folders for copies of cases filed at Boyers. When the task became paperless, she transitioned to manifesting materials and is now engaged in auditing, quality control and special assignments.
“I’m honored that they let us do the things we do despite our disability,” she said. “I really find satisfaction, especially when things come out well. I just love being a part of our contribution to national security while learning new things and helping DCSA accomplish what they need to do.”
Keystone general clerk Heather Presnar – diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a juvenile macular degeneration when she was nine years old – did not let her vision stop her from playing sports or anything else in her life and career.
“It's nice that we have every type of equipment and resources imaginable so if I need a hand magnifier, there’s one here. If I need a CCTV [closed-circuit television], there's one here,” said Presnar. “So, every type of assistive technology is right at my fingertips, which is really nice. I don’t think of myself as being really disabled, but it does help me perform the job. It makes a difference doing your work so you're not struggling trying to see different things.”
Prior to her current position with Keystone, Presnar worked in social services and the medical field. “It was definitely a huge change for me, but it’s been a great opportunity,” she said. “Everyone is out to help each other. I may be able to do one task for someone else who can't, so I'll help them, or vice versa. Our management is always willing to try new things to help us in any way. We are a great team and I mean everyone's there to put in that extra effort. There are also a lot of perks. The family atmosphere is like no other place. I like that – family.”
The team’s extra effort began in early 2017 when Keystone was awarded the AbilityOne contract. Since then Keystone managers and supervisors adapted former mail processing workflows to incorporate and support a process for employees with blindness, low vision and other disabilities to assume the day-to-day workflows.
“It's the collaborative relationship with the government and utilization of our assistive technology that we bring to the table that truly empowers, engages and enables our individuals to be successful,” said Brett Hedglin, Keystone program manager. “We have a tremendous amount of assistive technology at our disposal that we apply through grants and other means that some of our individuals rely on to do their job. Some of that is technological. Some of it is manipulative. We are applying different forms of assistance for our employees to utilize on the devices in government spaces as we work with the government team.”
The assistance includes assistive technology solutions and innovations developed by Keystone supervisors and managers to enable their employees to successfully complete required tasks, projects and requirements.
“This contract with DCSA gives us all a sense of purpose and a reason to be proud of my government,” said Keystone supervisor, Lonny Lemke, who examined the agency’s mailroom processes to develop solutions that enable employees with disabilities to complete tasks independently. His innovations include safeguards on the envelope insertion machine; scanning boxes used to process government forms for attachments; templates for training on various government forms for manifesting purposes; and a light arch that allows people with limited vision to operate at a higher rate because of the reduced glare, shadows and adjustable brightness. Lemke also innovated jigs for mail packaging. A jig is a type of custom-made tool or template that allows for the control or motion of a process or another tool in order to enhance usability, safety, quality, accuracy and speed.
“The individual impact shines through everything in this contract from our employees to our leaders and collaborators on the government side,” said Craig Felix, Keystone facility security officer and information technology manager. “The relationship that we have with the government team, our work and how we do it, as well as the location are important to each individual member of our team. The betterment of our employees is also very important to us and because of that, we are attracting individuals that are focused on the betterment of the processes.”
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U.S. AbilityOne Commission
The U.S. AbilityOne Commission is the independent Federal agency that oversees the AbilityOne Program, whose mission is to tap America's underutilized workforce of individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities to deliver high quality, mission-essential products and services to Federal agencies in quality employment opportunities.
AbilityOne is one of the largest sources of jobs in the country for people who are blind or have significant disabilities, an underserved population that has historically experienced the lowest employment rate of any segment of U.S. society. Approximately 40,000 AbilityOne employees, including over 2,500 veterans, work at approximately 450 nonprofit agencies from Guam to Maine.
The Commission administers the Program with the assistance of two central nonprofit agencies – National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and SourceAmerica – in accordance with the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act. The U.S. AbilityOne Commission is the operating name for the agency, whose statutory name is the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled.
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AbilityOne Program
AbilityOne provides employment opportunities to approximately 40,000 people who are blind or have significant disabilities, including more than 2,500 veterans, the AbilityOne Program is among the nation’s largest providers of jobs for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. The AbilityOne Program uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating, community-based nonprofit agencies nationwide, dedicated to training and employing individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities. Through the AbilityOne Program, people who are blind or have significant disabilities enjoy full participation in their community and can market their AbilityOne-learned skills into other public and private sector jobs.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2023 17:08 |
| Story ID: | 440679 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 1,296 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, DCSA AbilityOne Contractors Work as Family to Impact National Security, by John Joyce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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