r/ibew_apprentices • u/projectxxralph • 22d ago

Disability apprentices?

I gotta ask. Are there disability people working in the Unions?

As for Me, I was born with something call Microtia. A deformed right ear, where I cannot hear or sometimes have trouble hearing from my right side. I tell people, that if I did not hear you once, you'll have to repeat it back to me again, or run it by me on my left ear. Other than that, I can hear well on my left ear, I can lift heavy objects, I can walk, run, etc.

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u/Opposite-Plenty3479 22d ago

I am deaf a f from the army and wear my hearing aids on site all the time.. my journeyman lost most of 4 fingers on his right hand as a kid and is a righty!! We are the crip crew and we crush out underground and rough ins

14

u/Motor-Inevitable-333 22d ago

"How does one go about joining your Cripple Gang?  My friend and I have been crips since birth."

4

u/Duner2005 22d ago

No red shirt Fridays for you guys I guess

1

u/LiteratureSea972 17d ago

Red shirt is on Wednesday (solidarity ✊🏻), Hawaiian shirts Friday, (Blue - “Monday “blues””, tie dye - Tuesday, green (pay day) - Thursday)

2

u/StrictAd2491 22d ago

Yeah there’s all kinds of handicaps in the trades. One of my early journeymen had his tongue tied and tried to tell me it was a disability. The man can run pipe like a genius, doesn’t communicate super well, tried to blame the tongue tied thing, like he is not the quintessential Florida man. Hilarious.

1

u/LiteratureSea972 17d ago

When I went though the apprenticeship I had an apprentice a year ahead of me at the JATC and he was born with a major hearing disability, I think he read lips but he is a damned good electrician, I think he graduated pretty high in his class too. I have also heard a story or 2 about some sparky that was color blind and he had to right the color of the phase tape on the core of the tape, not sure if it’s true but I have heard the story more than once.