History of the Telecommunications Center

In 2000, Dr. Nell C. Carney joined SCCB as the newly appointed commissioner. One of her first actions in this new position was to order an analysis of
the types of jobs in which consumers who were blind or visually impaired were being placed. Based upon the results of that study, she ordered that
work on an industrial training center which had been funded by a one-time grant under the previous administration be halted. A revised plan was
developed and approved to build a Telecommunication Training Center in its place.

SCCB had successfully placed several consumers as reservation agents with ANC Rental Corporation (now Vanguard USA Car Rental), the company which
operates Alamo and National Car Rental. This outstanding success made it possible for Dr. Carney and Ed Bible who was, and still is, Director of
Employment and Training at SCCB, to enter into negotiations which resulted in ANC becoming a partner in the project. The company provided equipment and
technical assistance in building a fully-functional call center on the site of a dilapidated indoor swimming pool on SCCB's Columbia Complex.

SCCB staff received training in ANC's Goose Greek Service Center to become certified instructors. They then trained consumers, in accordance with
standards established by the company, to be reservation agents. ANC demonstrated its commitment to the project with a guarantee that every
consumer who successfully completed the program would be offered a position in one of its reservation centers.

In September of 2001, a grand opening ceremony was held at the Telecommunication Training Center, and the first class of consumers began
the following month. Early in 2002, The Telecommunication Center accepted its first out of state students who had received sponsorship from the
Florida Division of Blind Services for placement in ANC's Boca Raton center.

In 2004, SCCB capitalized upon the success of the Telecommunication Center, along with successful placements with the American Red Cross (ARC), to
expand the program. An agreement with ARC's South Carolina Blood Services region was negotiated and a second center was established to train blood
Telerecruiters. SCCB now trains telerecruiters for ARC throughout the country to use the ARC InTouch software with Assistive technology.

Graduates of the Telecommunication Center, including both programs, are now working in locations from Goose Creek to San Francisco and from Boca Raton
to Minneapolis and all points between. In addition to our partner companies, our graduates are working in the home Mortgage industry, the shipping
industry, and the communications and entertainment industries as customer service agents.

The Partnership

Technological advances and a changing economy forced the South Carolina Commission for the Blind to be creative and develop a different approach to
training and placement for our consumers who are blind. We had successfully placed a number of blind people in Telecommunications with the ANC Rental
Corporation (now Vanguard USA Car Rental), the owners of Alamo and National Car Rentals. These placements were prefaced with individual training and a
lot of experimenting with assistive technology. How could we develop a training program in Telecommunications that trained groups of prospective
employees, and where could we go to get the technical assistance to adapt telecommunications software to the assistive technology essential for our
blind consumers? We concluded it could happen with a partnership with private industry.

ANC Rental Corporation (now Vanguard USA Car Rental) and later the American Red Cross, were willing partners because of their positive experiences with
their blind employees. They brought to the partnership technical assistance, equipment, software and financial participation. With a contractual
relationship, the private sector partner not only provides placement to everyone trained on their programs: but also allows training for other employers with adapted
software.

Preparing For Training

The preparation for training is a multi-step process:

1. The VR Counselor pre-screens consumers who are potential trainees.
2. Referrals are assessed for communication skills and proficiency with assistive technology. Applicants should possess a high school diploma or
equivalent and be able to pass a spelling and vocabulary test administered as part of the screening process. Applicants must also type a minimum of twenty words
per minute with ninety percent accuracy.
3. Some employers prefer to interview candidates for training while other employers rely on the selections made by agency staff.
4. Red Cross applicants are interviewed by personnel from the Red Cross location for which they will be training prior to acceptance into the
program.
5. Trainees must submit to drug screening along with a criminal background check prior to training.
6. Applicants will also need the following before coming for training: I.P.E., an updated medical and eye report with in the past 12 months.

Cafeteria and Transportation

South Carolina residents are provided with rooms and meals at SCCB. Out of state trainees are housed off-campus. Weekday meals are provided in SCCB's
cafeteria for out of state trainees. Trainees are responsible for their own meals on weekends.

Transportation is provided for trainees to and from the training center as well as the airport. Orientation and Mobility services are available for all
trainees.

Training

In a fast paced environment, training programs are presented in phases which consist of classroom training with the manuals of the company for which the
trainee will be working, hands-on role-playing activities with live computers and working with live calls in an intense work setting.

Class training simulates a business environment. Trainees are expected to demonstrate appropriate work behaviors such as strict adherence to schedules
and a business casual dress code. Trainee performance is constantly evaluated, and remedial intervention is offered when skill deficits are
observed.

Training Schedule:
Mondays: 1:00 to 4:00
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 8:30 to 4:00
Friday: 8:30 to 12:00

Consumers will receive two fifteen minute brakes and an hour for lunch per day while in training.

Employment

Employers commit to placement before trainees are accepted into the program. If a trainee does not show potential for successful completion, the training
is terminated. Part-time and full-time entry level salaries range from $15,000 to $26,000 annually, and most have additional earning potential in
the form of performance-based incentive programs. Agency staff assists with relocation, orientation and mobility and technical assistance at time of
entry into employment.

For More Information Contact:

SC Commission for the Blind
Ed Bible, Director of Training & Employment
P O Box 2467
Columbia, SC 29202
Toll Free in SC: 1-800-922-2222
Direct Phone Number: (803) 898-8786
E-Mail: ebible@sccb.sc.gov

For more information on our Alamo/National car rental training program,
contact me at the below information or go to
http://www.sccb.state.sc.us/programs-and-departments/training-and-employment
/index.html
Steve Cook, Telecommunications Instructor/Trainer
SC Commission for the Blind
Phone: (803) 898-8788
Fax: (803) 898-8852
E-Mail: stcook@sccb.sc.gov