This time last year, Mansfield’s Steve Fell faced the prospect of forced retirement at the age of just 45.
The father of three girls was in such excruciating pain from a motorbike accident in 1982 that he could barely walk, let alone fulfill all of the responsibilities required of him as Owner/Manager of his Snap-on Tools franchise.
“I thought I’d have to sell my business, which I love, and which my wife and I have owned for the past nine years,” Steve said.
“My pelvis was shattered in the accident all those years ago and my condition has degenerated to the point that I now need to use a wheelchair to remain mobile.”
However Steve’s “bulldog” instinct – never backing down from a challenge – kicked in, and he decided to find a way of being able to remain a business owner.
After contacting the Spinal Injuries Association’s Employment Options service, which exclusively assists people with a physical disability to find or stay in employment, Steve worked with Employment Consultant Sandy Shearer to apply for, and receive, funding from the Federal Government’s Workplace Modifications Scheme. Robyn Molan who was appointed as the Workplace Modification Assessor was also instrumental obtaining funding approval and ensuring the equipment purchased matched Steve’s specific needs.
“The financial support we will receive from the scheme will allow Steve to purchase a manual wheelchair. It also covered the cost of tradespeople gutting the entire interior of the truck and re-building it so the shelves and bench tops were accessible,” Sandy said.
“An electric ramp was also fitted to the rear of the truck to allow Steve easy entry, and the truck was turned into an automatic vehicle.
“It doesn’t matter which area he is in inside the truck, he can reach up or down to everything that he needs, giving him the independence to remain employed.”
Steve said without the assistance of Employment Options he would be “on the scrap heap, wondering what to do next.”
“Sandy bent over backwards to assist me, and her negotiations between suppliers and fitters enabled the smooth transition of transforming my truck into an accessible vehicle that still allowed me to do my job,” he said.
Spinal Injuries Association CEO Mark Henley said this year Employment Options had secured almost $450,000 in Workplace Modifications funding for clients.
“This is a record for the service and one of the highest amounts in Australia,” he said.
“This funding has made an enormous difference to our clients as it has increased their independence and minimised the impact of pain and fatigue at work.
“Other examples of equipment purchased this year include height-adjustable desks, a forklift, speech recognition software and electric page turners.”
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