AWARE program helps employees with disabilities return to work

The first time Tommie Reese Jr. was told he no longer had a job because of his poor health, he didn’t want to accept it. The second time? The second time, he didn’t have to be told. He voluntarily walked away. In 1995, Reese was forced to leave the Navy after being diagnosed with lupus — a chronic, inflammatory disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. Reese, an aviation administrator, was considered by the Navy’s medical staff to be a danger to others in the field. Later, in March 2010, Reese’s kidneys were failing, and his health was so poor that he had to quit his post as UAB Police shift leader and assistant to the dispatch supervisor. “I told them it was time for me to go,” Reese says. “I had managed to make it 12 years, but my kidneys were done. I had to go to a clinic and have dialysis treatments four hours a day, three days a week. I was just exhausted.” But 18 months later, an alternative dialysis treatment and a push from the Always Working to Advocate, Retain & Employ (AWARE) Program — UAB’s assistance for employees with disabilities — gave Reese another opportunity to live his life on his terms. Reese returned to work Aug. 14, 2011, with a promotion to dispatch supervisor for the UAB Police communication center. He supervises dispatchers on three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department receives more than 150,000 calls a year and responds to all of UAB’s campus. It can be hectic and chaotic at times, and that’s just fine with Reese. “I couldn’t be happier,” Reese says. The diagnosis Reese graduated from Hayes High School in Birmingham in 1987 and began his Navy career two months later. Reese worked his way to aviation maintenance administrator second class (AZ2), where he oversaw the AE6B Prowler aircraft on the U.S.S. Ranger aircraft carrier. “We called it the Danger Ranger,” Reese says, “because it was so old.” Reese, who served during Desert Storm, suddenly began to feel bad and soon was diagnosed with lupus. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many body systems — including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs, and often the pain can be debilitating. After his discharge, Reese — an avid body builder — was unable to exercise regularly. A new profession A fellow motorcyclist suggested a job with UAB’s Police Department as a dispatcher. “I don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted to be a 911 operator,” Reese says. “The man told me he couldn’t guarantee me a job, but he could guarantee me an interview. That was all I needed.” So in 1998, Reese began his job as a dispatcher. He managed for more than a decade with only a health issue or two here and there, but nothing that prevented him from working. That all changed in early 2010 when doctors told him his kidneys were failing. He knew he had to walk away. “I didn’t want to be a body taking up space,” Reese says. The dialysis treatments were brutal: They zapped him of his energy, well-known wit and overall desire. “I was nearly to the point of giving up, really, for a second time,” Reese says. But then he learned about peritoneal dialysis (PD), which can be performed with a machine at home. PD gives a patient more control over treatment, and it didn’t take long for Reese to start feeling better. Suddenly, he wasn’t confined to home. The itch to go back to work soon followed. “I was tired of sitting at home,” he says. “The waiting list for a kidney is five years. I didn’t want to sit around for five years. I contacted Sherri Moultrie with the AWARE Program, and she immediately got the ball rolling.” Benefits of AWARE The AWARE Program, formerly known as the RAVE Program, provides disability management services to UAB, UAB Hospital and UAB Medicine through a partnership with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services and UAB’s Office of Human Resources. “UAB is very fortunate to have a program like AWARE to help those disabilities find employment opportunities,” says Alesia Jones, UAB chief human resources officer. As Moultrie helped Reese navigate his return, she was struck by his drive and determination to work. “Mr. Reese has overcome many challenges, and his successful employment reinforces the fact that individuals with disabilities make significant contributions to organizations and bring welcomed diversity to the workforce,” Moultrie says. Reese also is the departmental liaison between communication, intra/inter departmental units and UAB Police Department. He maintains equipment used by the units and assists in recommendations for directives, policies and procedures for the unit. He manages 14 full-time and two part-time dispatchers, and his abilities and attitude are a tremendous value to the department, says Deputy Chief Marvin Atmore. “Mr. Reese cares for his fellow employees and family,” Atmore says. “He is known for his passion for his work and outgoing personality. He is a hard-working employee who always finds a way to say yes with a smile.” And as long as his health is good, Reese has no intention of leaving his post again any time soon. “It’s awesome to be here again,” Reese says. “This is something I’m good at. I owe much to UAB for giving me another opportunity and to Sherri for working hard to make it happen. The involvement of the AWARE Program made it a very smooth transition back to work. I’m forever grateful.”