Through the Eyes of a Disabled Coworker: PG&E’s 100 Score on the Disability Equality Index

For the tenth consecutive year, PG&E posted a score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index, which was developed by Disability:IN, a leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide.

Companies are scored on their performance in five categories: culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement and supplier diversity. Nearly 500 companies participated in the United States edition of the index.

Rich Lajara, a system operator in the Electric Distribution Control Center in Rocklin, is a member of the Access Network Employee Resource Group. The ERG’s purpose is to advance a positive, supportive and inclusive workplace for coworkers with disabilities and to increase disability awareness. Rich shares his thoughts about the meaning behind PG&E’s score.

In 2011, five years after I was hired at PG&E, I broke my back, which left me as a paraplegic. I was hiking in a narrow canyon when I lost my footing, fell off a ledge onto some rocks and into a river. I was losing a lot of blood and certain I had met my end. While I was lying on the rocks, I was trying to soak in all of my friends’ faces to take as memories with me.

I was waiting for a helicopter rescue, but there was no guarantee they’d come because I was in a high-risk area.

“I don’t think I’m going to make it,” I said to a friend who was with me.

“You just survived the worst part,” he said. “You’ve got this.”

At that moment, I started to mentally fight for my life. I fought for about 90 minutes when I finally heard the wonderful sound of a helicopter echoing through the canyon. Eventually, I was diagnosed with a broken dislocated back, leaving me paralyzed from the waist down. That’s when I knew I was starting a new chapter in my life.

When I started back at work in 2012, I had the support of a return-to-work coordinator who was very attentive to my needs. My office building was retrofitted with hands-free devices to open common doors.

In 2019, I took another position within the company and before I went to my new office, all common doors received a retrofit. The main entrance cement ramp was repaved to create two smaller ramps to make it more wheelchair friendly. I also worked with an ergonomic specialist to make sure my workspace was accommodating.

PG&E has also made facilities accessible to the public. The most transformative accommodation, in my opinion, is making entrances and bathrooms accessible. There’s nothing worse than arriving to a public building and needing assistance to carry on with normal business.

Hands-free devices for doors are a win-win and should be installed in all high-traffic facilities. When COVID-19 initially hit, my department was required to report to the office during its peak since we were classified as essential workers. Hands-free doors were helpful not only for my situation, but all coworkers used them to minimize the spread of COVID-19 by limiting surface contact.

PG&E’s Stand that it is enjoyable to work with and for the company is reflected in the ways it supports individuals with disabilities. The Access Network ERG has been tenacious in championing our needs, and I have found an inclusive support system as I’ve navigated this new chapter in my life.