- Featuring Donald E. Pierce -

Donald Pierce

A Labor of Love

By Clive Soden

Donald E. Pierce is not in it for the money.  His paycheck comes in the form of gratitude from his clients.  And Donald is way ahead of his competition.  In fact, he doesn’t have much competition because his clients are not the type most organizations seek to improve their bottom line. 

Donald is the founder and president of A Handicapped Help Line, a non-profit, 24/7 organization that gives free information to people with disabilities – many of them homeless and poverty-stricken.  “I’m doing it for the poor people who don’t know where their next meals are coming from,” Donald said.  His organization helps people across the U.S. and also in Canada. 

One of Donald’s clients is a 70-year old lady with diabetes who needed a wheelchair because hers was broken.  Donald gave her three phone numbers.  Later, the lady called back and said, “I’m sitting in my new wheelchair right now; God bless your organization.”  This is how Donald gets paid.  “It brought tears to my eyes,” Donald recalled. 

Donald’s strategy is to give a caller three phone numbers.  Then he tells the caller, if a phone call doesn’t give results, ask the person on the phone for three more numbers.  This strategy has apparently paid off because, for the 10,000 or so calls he’s logged, he’s received no complaints. 

But Donald does more than just give out phone numbers.  He shows a genuine interest in his clients and lets them know that someone cares.  “I listen with care and give them hope so that they feel better when they get off the phone,” Donald said.  For instance, over a period of three weeks, Donald and his assistant Tina talked to a 35-year old lady who was suffering from agoraphobia - a fear of being out in public.  “We finally managed to make her realize that there was much to be enjoyed outside those four walls,” Donald said. 

Helping people help others is also something Donald’s organization does.  On one occasion, a 78-year old lady made calls over a five day period regarding a homeless man in a wheelchair with multiple sclerosis.  The lady would feed the man when she saw him in her neighborhood.  “We were able to help her by giving her names and phone numbers of different social service agencies in her area,” Donald said. 

Donald, who is now 50, is able to give guidance to his clients and to “listen with care” because he himself is disabled.  An automobile accident in 1978 caused traumatic brain injury and left Donald partially paralyzed on his right side.  “My right arm is just hanging around,” Donald said.  His speech is slow but he can still get his message across.  “I have to think about what to say and then try to say it,” he said. 

Like his clients, Donald also has trouble making ends meet.  His income is from Social Security Disability and an occasional donation.  Over half of his income goes into keeping his business running. “Cash donations are always needed and welcomed,” Donald said.  He has four phone lines that support his Help Line: 1-888-820-HELP (4357).  In addition, the Web site address for A Handicapped Help Line is www.ahandicappedhelpline.org.

One of Donald’s goals is to help remove barriers.  He feels there is discrimination towards people with disabilities, and a lot of people avoid dealing with them and turn the other way.  “They shut down when they hear ‘handicapped’ and my goal is to help break them out of the closet,” Donald said. 

There are others who have goals similar to Donald.  One is Keith Landry, President of EnabledOnline.com.  He started his Web site to give people with disabilities a place to share their stories and to get useful information.  “People with disabilities just want a level playing field,” Keith said.  He believes they are not asking too much when they request accommodations to work and access to public transportation and public buildings.  The address for Keith’s Web site is www.enabledonline.com.  

Another supporter for people with disabilities is Louis Novak.  Donald gives a lot of credit for his Web site’s publicity to him.  “Louis is like an angel,” Donald said, “he just came out of nowhere.”  Louis has made donations to Donald in the form of time and space on his well-established Access Travel Center Web site, which has thousands of links providing free information on accessibility and travel.  The address for Access Travel Center is www.accesstravelcenter.com.

For Donald, it’s reassuring to know that there are others who also care.  But his job satisfaction may be something special.  “I go to sleep every night feeling darn good,” Donald said, “and I’m in it because I’ve been there.” 

Clive Soden is a writer and Web developer.  His Web site is at: www.clivesoden.com.