LIVING WITH SPINAL CORD INJURY: MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF WORK
Work is the backbone of many people’s lives. It provides some definition of who we are. Work will probably be a key issue as you reenter the “real world.”You may have no difficulty reentering your old profession. If you are an accountant, an English teacher, an editor, or a computer specialist, job modifications may be minor. If you are a dancer, a window installer, or a professional soccer player, you’ll have to think about switching careers. However, before deciding on a change, stop and consider: if you love your line of work, look for a creative way to continue. If you were a professional baseball player, what about coaching or managing a team? And dance companies need choreographers and managers, whose work can be done primarily on computer. You may need additional training to stay in your chosen career in a new, creative way.Jerome Lee’s story is an interesting example of creativity in combining an old career with new limitations and new skills. Jerome worked in construction for twenty-two years before a random shooting injury caused his paraplegia. During rehabilitation, his positive attitude helped motivate and encourage many younger patients. When he left the rehabilitation hospital for a vocational training program, it seemed logical to work in human services. Jerome earned certification as a human services assistant, but although he liked helping people, he hated to throw away all those years of experience and all that he knew and loved about construction work.After many consultations with the business opportunities division of his vocational training program, Jerome worked out a way to combine his old skills in construction and site management with his new skills in human services and motivation. He became the manager of the painting crew for the large outpatient center that housed the vocational training program, recruiting many workers with disabilities. “I bid on jobs, organize the workload, order supplies, assemble the work teams, supervise the jobs – and do a lot of the plastering and painting myself … I teach my crew members a trade they can really use . . . We sometimes surprise people who don’t expect to see individuals with disabilities doing this kind of work. To me, we are proof that no one should be denied the chance to work because he or she has a disability.”
*141/156/5*
