Kevin Gordon – Production Supervisor

“ My vision is getting worse but I know my capabilities and I’ll make sure work that needs to be done, gets done.”

When Kevin Gordon told his managers that he was losing his eyesight, the last thing he expected was to be offered a promotion. Kevin lost the eyesight in his left eye when he was a teenager and when he was diagnosed with angioid streaks in his right eye, a condition which has left Kevin with seriously impaired vision, he knew that he would be unable to continue in his job as a press setter.

Kevin had over 20 years of valuable experience in the manufacturing industry and managers at Makefast Ltd where he works in Newtown, Wales, didn’t want to lose him or his talent. They soon found a solution which met business needs and which also addressed the problem of Kevin’s failing eyesight – a promotion to a supervisory role.

Employer's story

Production engineer and manager Mike Mills has responsibility for human resources at Makefast and is aware that Kevin’s eyesight is deteriorating and will not improve. The company which makes safety equipment for the marine industry, is doing everything it can to retain Kevin as an employee, because of his experience and expertise “He’s a long term employee” says Mike, “and he has years of experience that we don’t want to throw away.”

The decision to promote Kevin made good business sense. It gave the company the opportunity to capitalise on Kevin’s strengths whilst at the same time address the issue of his deteriorating vision. Managers were aware of their own limitations in supporting disabled employees and sought help from organisations such as the Shaw Trust. “These organisations have expertise that we don’t have and helped us to find out more about the type of equipment we needed to buy to support Kevin” says Mike.

Access to Work

Makefast has also used financial support from the Access to Work fund to adapt existing equipment and to purchase equipment for Kevin such as large computer monitors, adapted keyboards and magnifiers. Floors in the factory have also been colour coded to make it easier for Kevin to distinguish between walking and production areas.

Mike admits that the company has incurred costs to make adjustments to retain Kevin as an employee but he believes that the costs as justifiable because of the benefits to the company that an employee with Kevin’s experience can offer.

Employee's story

Angioid streaks is an eye condition that affects the tissue at the back of the eyes and impacts on people in different ways. In Kevin’s case, there is no treatment available to correct his vision. Although he hasn’t lost his vision completely, his reading is limited to being only able to read very large letters. For more than three decades, Kevin worked successfully in different industries in spite of having only one healthy eye. However, with deteriorating vision in both eyes, he knew his work options would be very limited. It was however important to Kevin for his managers to concentrate on what he could do as an employee, rather than what he couldn’t do because of his failing eyesight.

Years of experience

In his role as a supervisor, Kevin uses his knowledge and years of experience to help other employees do their jobs. The company has purchased a range of magnifiers and other equipment to help him do his job. For example he uses Zoomtext software on his computer to enlarge and enhance screen displays and also uses various magnifiers to identify parts and components needed for production. Managers are also considering whether employee uniforms can be coded to make it easier for Kevin to recognise his colleagues.

Kevin has worked at Makefast for about 20 years and enjoys what he calls the ‘continuity’ of working. He likes his work environment and feels supported by managers at the company. Being practical about his disability has helped him adjust to his changing circumstances and to his new role at work. He remains positive in spite of his disability and says: “I just think, if there are problems, somehow they can be overcome. There are always ways to get around things.”

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•