Here to Help: Third-Generation Logger Finds Partner in Wisconsin DVR

FOREST COUNTY – Ask Steve Mihalko how he became a logger and his answer is straight to the point: "It`s all I`ve ever known. Sawdust is in our blood."

But when the dangers of logging became a stark reality for Steve, the path to stay in the profession was hard to see.

"I know lots of other people who`ve been hurt in the woods, and I`ve seen a couple of people who`ve been paralyzed," said Steve. "None of them went back to work. You just find something else to do."

Steve is among the roughly 18,000 Wisconsin workers with disabilities receiving services from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development`s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) at any given time. DVR provides services ranging from training, internships, assistive technology, interviewing assistance, and on-the-job support across 38 locations statewide, and strives to help people like Steve find a job, keep a job, or get a better job....