[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1723-E1724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SALUTE TO VIOLET THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 15, 1998

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Ms. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding citizen of my district and the state of New York, as well 
as an outstanding American: Ms. Violet Thompson. Ms. Thompson will be 
honored on October 20, 1998, in St. Louis, Missouri by the National 
Industries for the Blind as the 1998 Peter J. Salmon National 
Manufacturing Employee of the Year. Ms. Thompson overcame a difficult 
childhood punctuated by repeated stints in foster care to raise a 
family and pursue a career.
  Ms. Thompson's birth-related blindness was not detected until she was 
in the sixth grade. By then, Violet had fallen far behind the other 
students both in her academic work and her sense of self-esteem. 
Through her own perseverance and hard work, the help of an attentive 
teacher, the encouragement of her stepfather, and large print books, 
Violet learned to read and write and graduated from high school at the 
age of 20.
  Ms. Thompson married soon after and settled down to raise a family of 
four daughters and seven grandchildren. Seven years ago, Ms. Thompson 
decided to take on a new challenge and return to work. She learned 
about the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Goodwill 
Industries in Rochester, New York and joined the workforce on the 
production line. Ms. Thompson's dedication and skill allowed her to 
move rapidly through the various manufacturing stations and in time she 
reached her present position of Production Supervisor. In her position, 
Ms. Thompson benefits from a number of assistive technologies, 
including a Visual-Tek closed circuit television as well as hand held 
magnifiers.

[[Page E1724]]

  Violet Thompson is a hard working American who has seized the 
opportunity offered by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act (JWOD) to expand her 
horizons through meaningful employment. For six decades, JWOD has acted 
as an effective and cost-efficient catalyst to open jobs to people who 
are blind, like Violet Thompson. Today, not only is Ms. Thompson 
helping to support herself and her family, she is working in an 
environment that has helped to nurture her sense of self-worth and 
productivity. ``I feel equal at ABVI-Goodwill . . . I've worked [at] 
other places and wasn't treated the same way,'' says Ms. Thompson. ``I 
really, really love my job.''
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in acknowledging and congratulating a 
fine American whose hard work and perseverance are honored by this 
award.

                          ____________________