On 2/9/05 1:20 PM, "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
This post is mainly directed at the quadriplegics here on the Quad List. Everybody that is going to school to better themselves and to try to make a living and be productive in the community my hat goes off to you.
I myself have been giving it a lot of thought to go back to school to learn, actually, to refresh myself with architectural drawing and drawing by using AutoCAD. I'm a union sheet metal worker by trade and if I was able to do this efficiently I would be making union scale at over $30 per hour plus all my benefits. However, doing the drawings is the easy part. The hard part is dealing with all the paperwork such as, blueprints, copiers, plotters etc.. I even went as far as going to the Mayo Clinic for an evaluation for tendon transfers. They can do tendon transfers on one arm but there is no guarantee how much more use I would get out of the tendon transfers. They might not even work at all and I would lose what I have. If I was to lose the movement that I have now, I would not be able to do the work that I am doing now part-time. I'm fortunate enough to work for the same company that I did before my injury and most of the employees are my friends for many years. Right now, the job that I am doing consists of putting purchase orders, paying invoices and receivables into our computer system for billing. Each person that gives me this work puts everything in order and stacks the paper on top of each other so all I have to do is slide off each piece when I'm done with it. When some of the paper is stapled together or paperclip that is when I really struggle. There is no way I could handle blueprints in my condition. Even though I have the knowledge and the desire and willpower to do the job I am not physically able to. That is the reality of our conditions that we must face every day.
I'm very fortunate to have a job but in reality I do not think I would be working and have what I have if my employer would not have told me I would have a job when I was ready to come back. They knew my character and my work ethic so they knew exactly what they were getting. I would like nothing more than to get off the system and fend for myself but in reality that would be a big mistake because of my disability. I already jumped through all the hoops the once and I guess I'm not willing to do it again because of the consequences if something was to happen to where I was unable to work again.
I have even given it a lot of thought about going back to school for architecture so I could go into business specializing in designing handicapped homes and buildings. But I'm not sure that I want to commit to all that.
My point is. You not only have to do what is best for you but if you are going to go out into the work force you have to be realistic with what you are physically able to do and put yourself into your potential employer shoes. After all, they are in business to make money.
Jim
