Summer 2005

Lighthouse-made aluminum clipboards are sold to U.S. federal agencies worldwide	Production worker Terri Curnutt takes some time off from making clipboards to relax at the Lighthouse Deaf-Blind retreat

Product Spotlight: The Durable Aluminum Clipboard

At government agencies, military bases and hospitals around the world, you will find quality aluminum clipboards manufactured here at the Seattle Lighthouse. “You see them everywhere in the [military] field -- in jeeps and when people are out on maneuvers you see them strapped to backpacks” says Paul Fletcher, product development manager. “They have a rain-proof cover and that also protects privacy.”

“There’s a good, hard writing surface,” adds Don Helsel, director of quality and process improvement. The three parts of the clipboard include a metal plate that serves as a writing surface, a hinge to hold paper in place, and a metal cover for the paper. The metal components of the clipboard are anodized to prevent oxidation.

Clipboard production and assembly are performed entirely by Lighthouse employees with visual disabilities. “A lot of Lighthouse labor goes into clipboards,” Don says. “At any one time, you will find five to seven people working on it.”

One of the people currently working on the clipboards is longtime Lighthouse employee Terri Curnutt, who is Deaf and legally blind. At different times, Terri has worked on each part of assembling the clipboards. Terri works a punch press to bend the metal and also a machine that inserts rods into the clipboards’ seams.

“The punch press and putting rods into seams are good jobs,” Terri says. “That’s not the only job I’ve done. I’ve worked in lots of departments. I think I like making the clipboards the best -- working on the machines, the active parts.”

As a member of the production team at the Seattle Lighthouse, Terri participates in regular meetings that help employees get information about what’s happening in their jobs and around the Lighthouse. These meetings include shop meetings and special Performance Information Evaluation (PIE) meetings designed specifically for Deaf-Blind employees.

“I enjoy the meetings we have here at the Lighthouse -- knowing what’s going on,” Terri says. “I like PIE meetings where we have presentations about the Lighthouse and the Deaf-Blind program. I like that there are different people I know and work with doing the presentations.”

“Terri is involved with all phases of the clipboard production. From deburring the front and back part of the finished binder to final assembly,” says Jerry Kopp, production supervisor. “Terri likes assembling the clipboards and her quality shows that. I can be assured she is doing the best job she can each and every time when working on binder operations.”

Interpreter’s Note: Terri’s comments were translated from American Sign Language (ASL) to English by certified interpreters skilled in interpreting for Deaf-Blind people

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