Working in Construction – By Tyler C.

I’m an electrician and have been for many years, before and after my amputation.  While looking for a new job (first one after my accident) when I moved to Denver, I wasn’t really sure if it was a good idea to go back into the construction trade or not.  I wasn’t even sure if anyone would hire a guy missing a limb.  I knew of the safety hazards and concerns, but also knew I could adapt like I had in many other areas of my life. Being a realist, I knew not everyone might realize that.

So I decided not to mention it when I went in for an interview with the electrical company I had sought after.  After I got the job, it took about two or three months before someone actually noticed and that was after my pant leg was raised to reveal my “lack of an ankle.”  I’ve been with the same company for well over three years now and there are still people that I’ve worked with that don’t know I’m an amputee.  I look back at being worried if I would get hired or not if they knew about it and just laugh.  The only real down side to working in the construction trade is that when some people find out about my leg, they tend to treat me a little different, from giving me easier tasks (which really ticks me off) to checking up on me entirely too often.  But, it is always fun to prove people wrong even if they are just ignorant.  The biggest difference from people with all four limbs and amputees and people with limb difference is that we just have to find different ways to do certain tasks.

. . . And who doesn’t like a challenge!?

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Learn more about Tyler here.