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Tristram Bone's eyesight has always
been poor. But he managed to finish school near his home in
the United Kingdom with six different education certificates
prior to beginning his business career as a personnel and
IT specialist. Then, at the age of 24, his eyesight took a
turn for the worse, and Tristram was declared legally blind.
Despite his blindness, he was determined to to continue working,
and he proceeded to apply to companies near his home. However,
prospective employers saw only his disability - not his talent
or determination.
"I don't see myself as disabled, but
I was getting nowhere," said Tristram. "I never
got beyond the application forms, although I was qualified
for the jobs I went for." Fortunately, Manpower saw a
lot of potential in Tristram. In fact, we believed Tristram
was ideally suited for a position with one of our largest
clients, the United Kingdom's BT.
Manpower works closely with BT's Able to Work initiative,
a program designed to find opportunities for the disabled
within the telecommunications giant. Once we interviewed Tristram,
we were certain he would excel in one of the company's call
center positions.
"A meeting was arranged for me to talk about the vacancies
and to listen in on dozens of customer-service calls,"
said Tristram. "Next thing I knew, I had a job."
Tristram has already taken the next step in developing his
career and has applied for BT's Platinum Service Development
and Site Support Program - a path into management. His story
is a prime example of the work our company and BT have undertaken
to establish a culture and mindset that supports disability
in the workplace.
"At last I can make a plan," noted Tristram. "Having
full-time employment has given me my life back, given me peace
of mind and financial security."
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