Wade Costley, an adult with CP, shares his story about a career in telecommunications which took him on a journey around the world
As someone who has had a diverse career in telecommunications as a Systems Architect for 30 years, and as a person with cerebral palsy, Wade has gained unique insights from a breadth of experience in his world-wide travels.
“In my career, I conceived and designed large-scale computer systems for telcos around the world—overall it was at 25 different companies in 13 countries across four continents,” Wade said.
“The experience of visiting a lot of different countries showed me that disability is a very culturally relative thing. Disability can be perceived very differently and that’s been interesting to see.”
The experience of visiting a lot of different countries showed me that disability is a very culturally relative thing. Disability can be perceived very differently and that’s been interesting to see.
Wade was raised in the United States and spent his 20s there before moving to Brazil at age 30. He then spent a number of years working throughout Latin America before briefly returning to the U.S., then finally settled in Australia to work in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Even in developing countries where sometimes the infrastructure didn’t necessarily accommodate people with physical disabilities, often people were still very hospitable and willing to offer assistance,” Wade said.
As an international consultant, Wade often needed to travel at short notice for urgent work, and sometimes without knowing how long his skills would be needed overseas.
The biggest factor influencing attitudes in different cultures is their exposure to people with disabilities in everyday life, because this challenges any negative preconceptions about it. People are generally more accepting in cultures where people with disabilities are better integrated into society.
“It could be a really hectic schedule. For example, the boss might message on Friday saying ‘get to Kuala Lumpur by Monday’, and you would end up staying there for six weeks,” Wade said.
“I flew over 80,000 miles every year for nearly a decade. It was a huge amount of travel, and although it was a lot of work, it was a lot of fun and produced great memories too.”
For more information about topics relating to jobs and careers, My CP Guide has information resources for people of all age groups with cerebral palsy. Visit the Work section of the site to browse a variety of resources. You can also download the Employment Journey guide developed in partnership with CPSN.