Being Wheelchair-Bound Doesn’t Stop This PG&E Coworker

Brad Carr calls himself “sort of a smart ass.”

Ask the person who complained to him about having to sit all day. Brad, a manager of gas pipeline engineering and design, said: “Tell me about it. I’ve been sitting for 23 years.”

Moan about the amount of walking you’ve done. “I tell them I’m jealous,” said Brad.

And about those 23 years he’s spent in a wheelchair, Brad once said, “My chair is old enough to have a drink.”

Brad was paralyzed from the chest down nearly a quarter-century ago when his friend fell asleep while driving. When their car rolled over on its roof, the impact shattered some of Brad’s vertebras.

A life-changing event like this could negatively affect a person. But not Brad. His sense of humor has helped his relationships with fellow coworkers and contractors. “Everyone seems to treat me as they treat anyone else,” he said.   

In the Q&A that follows, the 13-year PG&E coworker reflects on how he manages eight direct reports and 45 design engineers, visits work sites and gets his job done.

What are your job responsibilities?

BC: “I oversee the design engineers who work on various gas transmission projects. My team designs hydrostatic tests to look for flaws in the pipelines. We handle pipe and valve replacements. We also support emergency operations with designs and repairs for events such as the landside that occurred in Novato last year.”

How do you get your job done?

BC: “Much of my time is computer-based meeting on Teams, and I make three site visits a month. I have my own four-wheel drive truck so I can get to job sites and get around in general. It has hand controls and a wheelchair lift. I’m lucky enough to have a power wheelchair with tracks I use on jobsites that are rough or not easy to access. I also use something called Free Wheel, which allows me to roll on gravel. When I had roles that required more driving, PG&E equipped a company vehicle with hand controls for me.”

Is being nimble part of the job?

BC: “Sometimes you have to improvise. In one of my jobs here, I had to respond as the responsible engineer when an outside contractor struck our pipeline. Due to my disability, there was no safe way for me to get into the trench. I had to teach a welder and someone onsite on how to take the measurements I needed of the damage to develop a repair solution. It seems like the crews are surprised to see a wheelchair on job sites, but they embrace it and often do everything they can to accommodate.”

What does October’s Disability Awareness Month mean to you?

BC: “It’s important to realize that because someone may look different or move differently, it doesn’t mean they can’t be a productive part of a project. There’s a need to make allowances so people like me can participate on the job. Like having blue rooms that are wheelchair accessible and having wheelchair ramps on jobsite trailers and not having vehicles parked in front of them.”

What has PG&E done to help you do your job?

BC: “My leadership has fought for me. When I was given a cubicle that didn’t meet ADA requirements, my leadership contacted Corporate Real Estate Strategies and Services and pushed for the changes.”

How do you maintain your sense of humor and a positive attitude?

BC: “When I was in rehab, there was a surfer who came off his board and ended up being paralyzed and unable to move his arms. His wife gave birth to their daughter a few weeks after the accident, and he couldn’t feel holding his daughter. What stood out was that he was so upbeat about life. It was then that I thought, ‘If he doesn’t have anything to complain about, neither do I.’”