Supply technician claims AMC employee of year award

By Tony MediciDecember 17, 2008

Supply technician claims AMC employee of year award
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. Aca,!" For 26 years, Laura Dumback has worked around, over and under a wall of silence.

Her perseverance here has earned the profoundly deaf employee two promotions, and now the Army Materiel CommandAca,!a,,cs 2008 Outstanding Disabled Employee of the Year award.

Prior to being named, she was also named the Tobyhanna Army Depot and CECOM Life Cycle Management Command 2008 Outstanding Disabled Employee of the Year.

Col. Stephen Christian, Fort Monmouth Garrison commander, presented the CECOMAca,!"level award to Dumback on Nov. 13 at Fort Monmouth, N.J., on behalf of Maj. Gen. Dennis L. Via, CECOM commander.

DumbackAca,!a,,cs supervisor, Yvette Pollack, said her determination and initiative have allowed her to perform well in a job that depends on communications skills. Dumback works in the Requisitioning Branch of the Production Management DirectorateAca,!a,,cs Materiel Management Division. She is the wife of Chris Dumback, a deaf employee who works in the Systems Integration and Support Directorate. They have four children and one grandchild, all hearing.

Aca,!A"Laura requisitions large amounts of equipment, which is quickly shipped to forward support locations such as Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan,Aca,!A? Pollack said. Aca,!A"Also, she has expedited test equipment for our engineering personnel and consistently exceeds credit card program standards.Aca,!A?

Pollack emphasized that Dumback must be effective in communicating technical information with people from different organizations, most of whom are not deaf.

Aca,!A"It is noteworthy that these employees have little, if any, knowledge of sign language,Aca,!A? she said. Aca,!A"Laura uses writing, faxing and e-mail to get around this. However, her language is American Sign Language, which is a visual language and is not equivalent to English grammar. She has become so adept at applying the basic concepts of English grammar that she communicates effectively with her co-workers using those methods.Aca,!A?

Pollack noted that she has also helped some deaf employees understand written English since American Sign Language is the primary language of the deaf community.

Dumback said her job involves research to find the best price to save the depot money, and that e-mails work the best for her.

Aca,!A"We write back and forth to each other and they will answer my questions in this way. If I have a problem, I will call Tamara and she will help me to straighten it out, including talking to them directly if necessary,Aca,!A? Dumback said.

Tamara Marinaro is the depotAca,!a,,cs interpreter for the deaf and works in the EEO Office.

As a result of her outstanding work performance throughout her entire career, Dumback has received numerous awards, including an Army commendation for service and support provided to the presidential inauguration of George W. Bush in 1989.

She has also earned On The Spot and Time Off awards. Dumback earned an exceptional performance rating in 2007.

Dumback also participates in special projects that help people with disabilities, such as Telecommunication Device for the Deaf inventory controller for the depot.

Aca,!A"She spent considerable effort tracking down the location of all TDDs at Tobyhanna, and who uses them,Aca,!A? Pollack said. Aca,!A"She set up a spreadsheet with this information that she provided to the EEO Office so the depot would have better control of that property.Aca,!A?

Additionally, she was a key part in the depotAca,!a,,cs examination of whether it would be possible to provide two-way pagers for the depotAca,!a,,cs deaf population.

John Sutkowsky, chief of the depotAca,!a,,cs EEO Office, said that DumbackAca,!a,,cs need to help and motivate deaf children is demonstrated in her work with her former high school, the Scranton State School for the Deaf.

As a member of the Board of Directors at Scranton State School for the Deaf Alumni Association, she participated in fund raising events that resulted in purchasing computers, paying for basketball tournaments, and arranging for speakers to discuss with SSSD students how to prepare for college and how to prepare for job interviews, Sutkowsky said.

Aca,!A"Also, for the past three years, Laura has participated in the Tobyhanna SSSD Shadow Program,Aca,!A? Sutkowsky added. Aca,!A"This program allows SSSD students to spend time with her at work to observe first-hand what a job with the federal government is like, and how what a student learns at school is applied at work. Laura has been very successful at explaining her jobAca,!a,,cs duties and responsibilities so students can get a basic understanding of what skills are needed to enter the workforce.Aca,!A?

DumbackAca,!a,,cs assistance to the SSSD has included volunteering her time there to help deaf students with their homework.

In addition to working with SSSD, Dumback is a 20 year, active member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf.

One of this organizationAca,!a,,cs projects includes educating the public about the importance of communication access for the deaf community.

Sutkowsky said that this project resulted in the installation of many TDDs in public locations such as airports, hospitals and schools.

Dumback says she likes working at Tobyhanna and plans to spend her entire career here. She noted that co-workers throughout her career have always joked, gossiped and teased her as if she were not deaf, which she appreciates.

Aca,!A"Laura and I have been co-workers in different areas for many years,Aca,!A? said Cheryl Clark, supply technician. Aca,!A"She taught me some sign language so we could have a much better work relationship.

Aca,!A"Since my signing is limited, she is very helpful to me whenever we talk about our families, the weather and other things. When I asked if she would help my daughter learn to sign a song for a school concert, she didnAca,!a,,ct hesitate. All went well and my daughter was happy that she signed successfully. Laura is a good worker who is always willing to help others whether it is work-related or not.Aca,!A?

Aca,!A"Laura and I have occasionally worked together since 1983,Aca,!A? said Jeanenne Rowland, a supply systems analyst. Aca,!A"I think she is a good worker and I enjoy the regular Aca,!EoechatsAca,!a,,c we have about news and other subjects. She made it a point to teach me some sign language, so that we could understand each other a lot better. It was a major help on some of the projects we were both involved in.Aca,!A?

Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs very nice that some of them have learned, or at least tried to learn, sign language to communicate with me,Aca,!A? Dumback said. Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs hard for people with disabilities to find work and it can be frustrating working in an environment where most people can hear. But here, thatAca,!a,,cs not so. I enjoy working here, so IAca,!a,,cm not afraid to try new things.Aca,!A?

Tobyhanna Army Depot is the largest full-service Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance maintenance and logistics support facility in the Department of Defense. Employees repair, overhaul and fabricate electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network.

TobyhannaAca,!a,,cs missions support all branches of the Armed Forces. The depot is the Army Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for Communications-Electronics, Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control Systems and the Air Force Technology Repair Center for ground communications and electronics.

About 5,700 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., the commandAca,!a,,cs mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control, computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.

Related Links:

Tobyhanna Army Depot Web site