Working with a Disability

How do you plan to observe National Disability Employment Awareness month? Unless you're in a wheelchair or know someone who is, you probably weren't planning to observe the month at all. But people like Bob Burns, Jason Brumley, Myron Rosner and Alan Brown wish you would.

They are among the growing number of workers with disabilities in America who have overcome incredible obstacles to not only succeed but to excel in the workplace. According to the Social Security Administration, since 2000, the number of workers with disabilities in America has increased by 35 percent. The latest prediction is that almost 3 in 10 workers entering the workforce today will become disabled before retiring.

In Bob Burns' case, Post Polio Syndrome robbed him of the use of his limbs, but he still manages to make a difference everyday through his job as a social services supervisor in Northbridge, Mass. Jason Brumley uses what he's learned from his personal struggle with spina bifida to help companies in the Houston area make their businesses more accessible for people with disabilities. Myron Rosner, who ended up in a wheelchair after a construction accident, has become one of the founding principals of a now multi-million dollar general contracting company in Miami, Fla. Alan Brown, who became a quadriplegic after a swimming accident, runs a successful public relations firm.

None of these men have ever met, but they share a lot in common. They all have the desire to remain a part of society, to earn an income and to do as many of the things they used to do before ending up in a wheelchair as possible. Not to mention they are all the proud owners of an INDEPENDENCE iBOT 4000 Mobility System.

The iBOT Mobility System is a sophisticated wheelchair that uses multiple computers to help its users live as normal a life as possible. The chair enables people with disabilities to climb curbs and stairs, to move over different types of terrain, like sand, gravel and grass and to elevate themselves until they are eye-to-eye with the people around them.

"Engaging another person on an eye-to-eye level is something you take for granted until you don't have it. Then you realize how important it is," says Burns.  

"In the past, I would miss things because I felt uncomfortable putting people in a position to help move me around. Now I feel like I'm part of the world again. I can shoot baskets with my son, go to the beach, and while I'm working with clients, talk face-to-face with them," says Brown.

When he goes to a job site, Rosner uses the chair's 4-Wheel Function to circle the property, and to inspect plumbing and electrical trenches. "With my iBOT Mobility System, I can do almost everything I want to and things no one would ever expect I could."

"Now the past obstacles I faced in a regular wheelchair don't exist," adds Brumley.

To find out if the iBOT Mobility System can improve your quality of life, or to help someone you know, log on to the INDEPENDENCE iBOT 4000 Mobility System Web site, www.ibotnow.com and fill out the quick online form. A customer service representative will follow up with you in the manner you request -- by phone, email or by sending an informational packet through the U.S. Mail.

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