As Perrin Nicolson was riding to the airport to go home for Christmas in 2017, the car he was in hit black ice and crashed. After being rushed to the ICU, he was diagnosed with a T8 Asia A complete spinal cord injury (SCI) and was uncertain what his future held as a husband, father and welder.
Three years later, after completing Craig Hospital's inpatient spinal cord injury rehabilitation program, Perrin just celebrated the Christmas holiday with his wife and 4-year-old daughter, and he's been back full-time at work for over two years.
Returning to work after a spinal cord injury can be intimidating, but Perrin knew that he was ready and that he had strong support from his boss. Ever since his accident, Perrin's supervisor at a Colorado Springs, Colo., welding company said that he wanted him back at work, whatever that looked like. Starting with two half days a week at the welding bench, Perrin steadily worked his way back to full-time after five months.
To make it possible for Perrin to return to work, just a few modifications were necessary. First of all, a shorter table was created for him that was more accessible from a wheelchair. A smaller table meant that he initially focused on the smaller elements of a welding project, but after a few years of practicing his craft from his chair, he now has a bigger table and can take on larger projects.
Because of the nature of Perrin's work, he also has a "beater" wheelchair for his workplace that can withstand a few bumps and bruises. Navigating a busy industrial workspace is challenging for anyone, but doing it in a wheelchair takes even more concentration and care. Perrin credits the wheelchair skills classes that he had at Craig for preparing him for getting around his workplace with ease. He had the skills and the confidence he needed to constantly roll over things, or, as Perrin describes it, to be "off-roading while still inside."
Outside of work, Perrin is many things, including a father, a husband and an advocate. "I'm really back to a fairly normal life," says Perrin. "Just from a seated position." And while Perrin sent his daughter to her first day of preschool in 2020 and he's back to his beloved hobbies of hunting and fishing, he's still not allowed to do the laundry. ("But that was true even before my accident," Perrin shares with a wink.)
Perrin's advocacy for people with disabilities stems from his desire to share his SCI education and the real-life "hacks" he's learned to help him be independent in the community. He was surprised at how little some people in SCI online chat groups knew about activities of daily living (ADL) with spinal cord injury because "learning how to live from a wheelchair is what Craig teaches." His eyes were opened to how valuable this knowledge is for someone's longterm stability and happiness, and happiness is one of Perrin's biggest priorities. His own Facebook page is called the "Positive Wheelchair Guy" where he encourages people to see the humorous side of life by turning awkward or difficult situations into jokes so that people can deal with challenges by laughing instead of crying.
In addition to a sense of humor, Perrin is an advocate for outdoor accessibility for people with disabilities. He volunteers with a veterans mental health support group, and he plans on organizing local outdoor adventure trips for people with mobility issues. Perrin has already helped people discover the accessible parks, trails, lakes and more that are in their communities.
Sometimes, as Perrin says he learned during his time at Craig, all you have to do is ask for help. Perrin is determined to be the guy who people can turn to for help and advice in the SCI community. By sharing his own life experiences, he hopes that others with spinal cord injuries can see the wealth of possibilities out there for themselves.
