USU Student and Employee Receives National Award

Quintin Williams, Utah Conservation Corps (UCC) crew leader, has been selected by The Corps Network for a 2009 Corpsmember of the Year award. The Corps Network honored Quintin during an awards ceremony the morning of Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill. The UCC is an AmeriCorps program based out of Utah State University’s Division of Student Services. 

 

Williams served as a UCC crew member during the summer of 2008 and returned to serve as a crew leader in 2009. Although Williams is completely blind, he is extremely independent and does not consider his blindness a disability. Williams’s crew was comprised of corpsmembers with and without physical disabilities. The crew leader for this crew must not only have strong leadership and organizational skills, but also have the ability to bring together a diverse group with varying strengths and abilities to create an efficient working team. Williams’s crew had great respect for him as a leader and also felt comfortable communicating with him openly about their individual needs and concerns. Williams was not only a leader, but a mentor and example to his crew.   

 

The inclusive crew primarily worked on accessibility surveys and transition plans for the U.S. Forest Service. The crew surveyed campgrounds and trails according to the Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines (FSORAG) which provide guidance for maximizing accessibility of outdoor recreation areas in the National Forest System, while protecting the unique characteristics of their natural setting. After completing surveys on the ground, the crew entered data into a national database and developed reports that identified physical barriers and described methods to make areas more accessible. The Forest Service can use this information in the development of transition plans.

 

Williams worked closely with the U.S. Forest Service database developers to insure that data entry could be completed by someone who uses a screen reader. Many people with disabilities, such as blindness and mobility impairments, rely on screen readers to use their computer.  

 

Through his UCC service, Williams was able to point out the inherent challenges associated with wilderness environments for people who are blind. He has been an important part of many discussions with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service about making outdoor recreation areas accessible to people with disabilities.

 

Williams was selected by a committee of corps directors from The Corps Network because of his outstanding accomplishments. The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 113 service and conservation corps operating in 41 states and enrolling more than 23,000 young men and women who contribute 13 million hours of service every year. 

 

For more information about this and other UCC programs, contact Sean Damitz or Kate Stephens at (435) 797-0964, or visit www.usu.edu/ucc.