Reinvention

Chris’ passion for writing began with a mid-life crisis. An unexpected trauma followed by a healthy amount of desperation transformed a promising engineering career into a surprising love for storytelling.

By day, he writes grants for nonprofits, farms and Indigenous communities, hoping to create a more resilient and equitable food system. At night, he works on personal stories, mostly about the extraordinary individuals he finds in everyday encounters.

He has written one memoir with two other nonfiction projects begging for time. He is a member of the MBM Writers and the Qualifiers Writing Group. When he’s not writing, Chris hones fledgling culinary skills, coaches youth basketball, and fosters the occasional stray cat. He lives in Massachusetts.

Chris Richards

Chris Richards

Writer

Lying Down on the Job

An Easterseals Success Story

In 2018, Easterseals Massachusetts featured a success story about Chris Richards and his return to meaningful employment with the help of the Easterseals Assistive Technology (AT) Resource Center. Chris, who struggles with chronic pain remembers, “I had heard of Easterseals, but always associated them with children’s services…I was amazed when I realized they had a whole department dedicated to helping people in my situation.” Within a few months of contacting Easterseals, Chris was exposed to a variety of hands-free assistive software, furnished with adaptive equipment, and fully trained in the context of a redesigned home office.

In 2019, Easterseals Massachusetts followed up with Chris and learned that he has not only maintained part-time meaningful employment but had become an advocate for disability employment, professionally and socially.

In 2022, Easterseals MA teamed with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commision (MRC) to install an Altwork Workstation in Chris’ home that allowed him to work in a reclined position for a full-time role for a small nonprofit organization. His story is featured in the 2022 Easterseals Annual Report.