Brett Kellerman authors his own disabilities story
July 2024
By Mike Hardman
Brett Kellerman doesn’t give up easily. He has a dream, and although it is difficult at times, he never stops. Instead, he asks for help, seeks out resources, and keeps working at it. You see, the 54-year-old New Hampshire resident wants to be a writer who specializes in fiction and humor.
Before a severe car accident in 2015 left him with head injuries, Brett, who grew up in Littleton, MA, had worked in information technology, but he couldn’t go back to that and had to chart a different course. “I was born blind in my right eye (but) this was a major trauma injury” said Brett.
While he was navigating rehab and the disabilities landscape, Brett was deciding how to move forward in his life.
“I had to figure out what I could stamina-wise,” he said. “Physically, it was very painful.”
After not working for a while, Brett went through the frustrations of not being able to find someone who would give him a chance. He had prior work experience, but it had been a while since his last job.
That’s when he found NTI. Working with NTI’s trainers allowed him to work on the skills he would need to return to the workforce. Soon after completing his training, he was offered a part-time position in a call center with one of NTI’s employer-partners.
“I hadn’t worked more than 20 hours a week,” said Kellerman, “(but) I have done selling before.” He said NTI got him back to work and ended the frustration of dealing with people overlooking him due to limited work experience.
After gaining more experience working with NTI, Brett was able to get closer to his dream job as a writer. Currently he is employed at the Claremont Eagle-Times, selling ads and in the circulation department.
Brett told this to NTI, “I struggle to write. Humorous essays, my novel, whatever I have a 'greater calling' to write about. But I crash and burn much more frequently than I get anything of worth. Most days are spent banging my forehead; I get so stuck.”
Like he has done throughout his disability, Brett reached out for help from a professional writer to get him on track.
“It’s so important that people like Brett to share their stories,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s COO. “His willingness to share makes a difference for other Americans with disabilities. Because of his dedication and hard work, we know he will achieve his dream to be a writer. As a nonprofit organization, our mission is to help people achieve their goals and to get to where they want to be. NTI is rooting for Brett and all the people we have helped and will continue to help along the way. They are the reason we do what we do every day.”
When he isn’t working, Brett likes to go on walks, fly fish, and read books. We have no doubt that one day others will be reading his book.
NTI is a nonprofit disability organization and has been a pioneer in the work-from-home movement since 1995 and the first organization to run a virtual call center for the U.S. government with the IRS. To this day, NTI continues to specialize in work-at-home jobs for Americans with disabilities and their family caregivers. Visit www.nticentral.org to register for services.