Milow Christian, left, and shift supervisor Jason Toole troubleshoot a problem on the packaging line Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, at the East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind Horizon Industries in Tyler. Horizon Industries is the manufacturing arm of the Lighthouse and provides employment to blind and visually impaired East Texans. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph

The giant computer screen and yellow-colored keyboard at Curlie Bailey Jr.’s desk belie the fact that he can’t see.

To watch him type and maneuver around the computer screen is almost awe-inspiring.

Bailey spent about seven months training to learn the keystrokes and the format to process orders sent by customers. A computer program reads what is on his screen to him, so as long as he has his headphones on he can “see.”

He said he has far exceeded the expectations his supervisors had in terms of the number of customers for whom he would be able to input orders. Different customers have different formats for purchase orders so Bailey had to learn each one. His one-day record for most orders processed is 24, he said.

“It’s doable,” he said of the position at Horizon Industries, which no blind person has ever held. “And at the end of the day, that’s what it is about and I want everybody to know that.”

Bailey and fellow employee Milow Christian are The Lighthouse’s 2016 Employees of the Year. Bailey started working at Horizon Industries in 2001 and Christian started in 1995.

Bailey, an order-processing clerk at Horizon, is this year’s Indirect Labor Employee of the Year and Christian, who is a production worker 4, is this year’s Direct Labor Employee of the Year.

Both men are The Lighthouse nominees for national awards related to employees who are blind and/or visually impaired. They will be considered along with nominees from more than 80 other organizations.

Bailey said the recognition means a lot to him because often people put limits on him and others because of their blindness, but he is showing a person can do whatever they set their mind to even with a disability.

The Lighthouse is the umbrella organization over Horizon Industries, which is one of the largest converters of industrial wiping towels and parachute cord for the U.S. government, according to its website.

More than 80 percent of Horizon Industries’ direct labor employees are blind and/or visually impaired.

The money generated from Horizon’s work goes to funding The Lighthouse’s Client Services division, which provides rehabilitation, education, training and employment services to people who are blind and/or visually impaired.

Lee Tillson, vice president of operations at Horizon Industries, said both men have distinguished themselves in their work.

He said Bailey was a no-brainer for the award given all he and others did to make it possible for him to secure his current position, which he moved into last year.

“Everybody knows and everybody was a part of the process of getting Curlie to where he is …” Tillson said. “The training he received throughout the years is what led to this award really.”

Both award recipients lived into their adult years with sight before losing it.

Bailey, 44, was 25 when he lost his vision after being shot in the face in retaliation for beating up a man a few days before.

“When I lost my eyesight, to be honest, my world crashed,” Bailey said.

It was through court-mandated community service for an unrelated situation that Bailey learned about Horizon Industries and what he found there were people who were living a life much more fulfilling than his. And it was something he wanted.

So, in 2000, he reached out to Horizon Industries to see if he could have another opportunity to work there. And he eventually got one. On Sept. 10, 2001, he started working there and has been there ever since.

He said the place has changed his life. The focus on rehabilitation, education and training encourages people to always do better and be better, he said.

“When you have a company pushing behind you to reach your potential, that’s an amazing thing to me,” he said.

Bailey said it’s not just about him, but the people who come after him.

“This organization is providing more opportunities for people and kids,” he said.

Christian, 62, has Stargardt disease, a hereditary disorder of the retina that negatively affects a person’s sharp, straight-ahead vision, according to the National Eye Institute website.

From birth to 30 years old, Christian could see normally. But at the age of 30 the hereditary condition began causing problems.

Christian served in the U.S. Army for 10 years before he was discharged because of his eyesight. Today, he has poor central vision and difficulty seeing certain colors.

When Christian’s eyesight was first affected, he said it was very challenging because he was so used to being independent.

It took him about three years to get over the initial period of depression and shock of how the visual impairment changed his life. But, he said, with the help of his family and children, he overcame the challenge.

Christian worked at Trane for many years after his military service, with stints at Horizon Industries during that time. Eventually, he came back to Horizon.

During his time there, he has shifted positions based on the quality of his vision. As a production worker 4, he oversees an area where three machines pack industrial wiping towels into boxes with the help of employees.

Tillson said Christian takes ownership of his job and possesses a strong work ethic and attention to detail.

He is involved with the work safety committee and is the first to speak up or say something when something is unsafe.

“He goes above and beyond what his responsibilities are …” Tillson said. “He knows what needs to be done without needing to be told.”

Outside of work, Christian enjoys playing music. He was a blues drummer prior to his vision problems, but after that, he started playing the drums for gospel music, he said. He also is the music minister at his church.

He said he is very happy to receive this award and it makes him really proud. He had one message for people who might be facing eyesight issues.

“Don’t give up because (there are) opportunities out there now that can help just about anybody who is visually impaired (or) blind,” he said.

 

Twitter: @TMTEmily

 

Online: To watch a video about The Lighthouse’s Employees of the Year, visit TylerPaper.com.

 

2016 Honorees 

Who: Curlie Bailey Jr.

What: Order-processing clerk 

Where: Horizon Industries in Tyler 

Award: 2016 Indirect Labor Employee of the Year

More: Bailey is The Lighthouse’s nominee for the National Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement Award. That award is presented to someone who demonstrates career advancement at a National Industries of the Blind associated agency or in the private sector. 

 

Who: Milow Christian 

What: Production Worker 4

Where: Horizon Industries in Tyler

Award: 2016 Direct Labor Employee of the Year

More: Christian is The Lighthouse’s nominee for the National Peter J. Salmon Direct Labor Employee of the Year. The Salmon Award was established in 1968 by the National Industries for the Blind board of directors in cooperation with the General Council of Industries for the Blind, now known as the National Association for Employment of People Who Are Blind. 

 

Source: The Lighthouse