05.30.06

Veteran RRTC training associate receives state award for disabilities work

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education
May 30, 2006

Great moments in Edmond Turner’s life include moving into his first apartment, getting his first competitive-paying job, and being accepted as an equal by his coworkers at the VCU School of Education’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.

Turner, who was born with cerebral palsy, celebrated another great moment October 6th when he received the first “Jackie Crews Award For Excellence in Leadership.”

“I have had many great moments in my life,” said Turner. “This award probably tops them all.”

Edmond Turner, a training associate at the School of Education’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, is the first recipient of the “Jackie Crews Award For Excellence in Leadership.”

Established by the Virginia Board for Persons with Disabilities in memory of Jackie Crews, the award and $1,000 prize honors a person who has performed outstanding work on behalf of people with disabilities.

Crews, a champion of inclusion for people with disabilities, was a participant in Partners in Policymaking – a program sponsored by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities that trains adults with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities in advocacy techniques, systems change, and disability issues. She had Spinal Muscular Atrophy and died in 2004 after a brief illness.

A statement from the board said Turner exemplifies and advances the four goals of the Jackie Crews Award: independence, productivity, inclusion, and self-determination.

Turner is a training associate at the RRTC, where he has worked for more than 12 years.

He was nominated for the award by RRTC director Paul Wehman, Ph.D. for his work in helping people with disabilities understand their rights as employees and helping businesses accommodate their needs in the workplace.

"Ed Turner has been a beacon of light for all of us with his tenacity and courage in the advocacy for all persons with disabilities and their right to competitive employment," said Wehman.

Currently, Turner is developing a Web course on how to use personal assistants in the workplace. Turner has used a personal assistant to help him type on his computer and other office tasks for more than 18 years.

“I use my skills to help other people with disabilities,” Turner said. “The more confidence you have in your abilities, the more successful you can be.”

For more information about the award visit www.vaboard.org/awards.htm#jcla.

 

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