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Visionary Voices: Tom Delmastro Ch 4

Chapter Transcript

Chapter 4: Working at Pennhurst

20:49:35:16 - 20:50:25:01

Lisa: So you were talking about some of the jobs you did at Pennhurst and you did a lot of them. When were you given your first job? Do you remember?

Tom: The first job I had was in a crib ward like changing other residents then I moved up and I did all the crib wards then I did maintenance then I did recreation then I did running around the offices like a mail carrier; giving this, giving that. Like if somebody says if I give you mail, then that way it will be in your office or Paul's office.

20:50:27:18 - 20:50:43:15

Lisa: What other kind of work did you do there?

Tom: Then I did housekeeping like mopping floors and stuff like that.

20:50:43:23 - 20:50:46:25

Lisa: Did you ever help the medical staff with their work?

Tom: Yeah.

20:50:47:12 - 20:51:28:14

Lisa: How did you help them?

Tom: Like, if I go on the ? and I carried the [North] key or the R13 key for the fire box and I would get on it and say, "There's a fire in D building; D4 there's a fire." And they would come out and bring the trucks from Spring City, Pottstown, Limerick, Royersford and their trucks would come out and go to that fire setup.

20:51:30:04 - 20:51:46:05

Lisa: And did you help with any of the residents? Help them with their medication?

Tom: Yes, and I helped them get out of the building when there was a fire and stuff like that.

20:51:46:26 - 20:52:10:02

Lisa: Can you tell me about how you helped patients, I'm sorry, residents with medications?

Tom: If the nurse had it on the tray and they tell me the name I would go with the nurse to give it out to make sure that they get the right dosage, the right time, the right med and stuff like that and they would write it down.

20:52:11:20 - 20:52:14:11

Lisa: So that was a lot of responsibility.

Tom: Yeah.

20:52:15:25 - 20:53:06:03

Lisa: Were you paid for your work at Pennhurst?

Tom: No. The only time I got paid if I was working in the workshop at Pennhurst. Then when I got out I started in OVR. Then I went to Course Training Center. I graduated Course Training Center. Then I went to Bernie's workshop. Then after Bernie's workshop I went and a few years down I went to the Morning Call. I delivered papers. Then a few years - I didn't have a job for eight years. Then I'm now working with the Eastern Express.

20:53:07:04 - 20:53:12:12

Lisa: When you worked at the workshop at Pennhurst were you well paid for the work you did?

Tom: Yeah.

20:53:14:16 - 20:53:20:20

Lisa: Can you tell me how much you would be paid for your work?

Tom: I should have brought a number. I forgot.

20:53:22:15 - 20:53:40:12

Lisa: No worries. Tom, all the time that you were in Pennhurst growing up there, working there, were you ever able to see your family?

Tom: No.

Lisa: Did you miss not seeing a family?

Tom: I don't think so because I never saw them.

20:53:42:04 - 20:53:50:06

Lisa: Did you ever try to contact them?

Tom: No. I tried to but no one knows where they're at and I don't know where they're at.

20:53:51:05 - 20:53:58:14

Lisa: Were their times when that made you feel particularly lonely at Pennhurst?

Tom: A little but I got over it.

More Interview Chapters

  1. Tom's Childhood
  2. Tom's Experience at Pennhurst; Buildings, Residents, Staff
  3. Mistreatment at Pennhurst
  4. YOU ARE HERE: Working at Pennhurst
  5. Conditions at Pennhurst Exposed in the Media, Talk of Closure
  6. Tom Moves to the Community, Faces Challenges, Moves Temporarily to Allentown State Hospital
  7. Tom Returns to Community, Finds Employment, Becomes Active Volunteer, Presents on Pennhurst at Meetings and Conferences
  8. Tom Reflects on Life

About Tom Delmastro

Born: 1950
Advocate, Newspaper Delivery, Volunteer Work

Keywords

Employment, Home and Community, Institutions, Pennhurst, Volunteer

The Disability and Change Symposium is available as a free online learning module.

Combating Implicit Bias: Employment

Disability and Change 2020 logo

Go to the learning module

About this year's theme

Employment statistics for persons with disabilities continue to be disappointing, ~19% compared to ~66% of peers without disabilities. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). We ask ourselves, "is there something beyond overt discrimination and access that perhaps we need to address? Are there silent barriers such as those created by implicit bias?"

Most of us believe that we are fair and equitable, and evaluate others based on objective facts. However, all of us, even the most egalitarian, have implicit biases – triggered automatically, in about a tenth of a second, without our conscious awareness or intention, and cause us to have attitudes about and preferences for people based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. These implicit biases often do not reflect or align with our conscious, declared beliefs. (American Bar Association, Commission on Disability Rights, "Implicit Bias Guide," 2019)

This year's theme challenges us to each ask ourselves "What implicit bias(es) do we have and encounter, and how do we recognize them and move beyond them to create opportunities, welcome, and full participation for all?"

As always, this Symposium privileges first-person voices and experiences.

About the Disability and Change Symposium

The stated goal of the annual Symposium is "to create conversation that transcends any one-dimensional depiction of people with disabilities, and foregrounds the multidimensional lives of our speakers - as writers, educators, performers, and advocates."

The Disability and Change Symposium is a one-day, interdisciplinary conference focusing on cultural equity and disability. The event is free, accessible and open to the public.

Acknowledgments

Organized by the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, the Symposium is an outcome of collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disability whose mission is "to foster collaboration across Temple University on disability-related projects including research, teaching, programming, publication, and grant-seeking. By connecting with one another, Council members help build community among the growing number of people at Temple whose work engages with disability."

Core funding for the Disability and Change Symposium is through a grant from the Center for the Humanities at Temple University (CHAT)

We extend our appreciation to Disability Resources and Services for providing Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and American Sign Language services for the day.

The Institute on Disabilities, Temple University College of Education is pleased to recognize some of our 2020 Symposium Partners/Sponsors from Temple University:

This year we also want to recognize the contributions of students (Associate Professor Deb Blair, STHM 2114 - Leisure & Tourism in a Diverse Society), who contributed to shaping and supporting this symposium:

  • Madeline Culbert, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management; Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
  • Jair Guardia, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management. (est. 08/2021)
  • Hallie Ingrim, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management
  • Thomas Leonard, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
  • Bryan McCurdy, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 05/2022)

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