Career-Changing Calls: Twice in One Lifetime

This article is part of NTI@Home’s #WorkforceWednesday series, celebrating 30 years of the ADA by showcasing employment opportunities available for the 1 in 4 Americans with disabilities.

Twice when Larry Taylor has checked his phone, his career has gone in a new direction.

The first call happened in 1995, when the now 66-year-old Greenwich, Conn. native saw an unfamiliar number on his phone. He called it back and it led to a wild job working for the late socialite Leona Helmsley.

Taylor started out as her husband Harry’s physical therapist and ended up managing the estate after he died. For three years it was a 24/7 demanding position, traveling all over the world in private planes, living at various estates and apartments in Florida, Arizona, Connecticut, and New York City. It turned out this jetsetter life was more than just fun, but a strategy to avoid establishing residency and having to pay taxes in all those places. Helmsley served a well-publicized 18-month prison sentence for federal tax evasion in the 1990s.

“At times, it was very interesting,” said Taylor with a laugh. “Other times it was a living nightmare. I think she was a very troubled person. The only happiness she had in her life was with Harry. She would really never admit to it, but he had dementia and Alzheimer’s. She kept him alive as long as she could.”

As her husband was dying, Taylor saw the softer side of Helmsley. While Harry’s condition worsened, Leona was in and out of the hospital fighting pneumonia herself. On the day Harry died, Taylor and Leona were in the intensive care unit, and they heard Mr. Helmsley was having a heart attack.

“The doctor just explained to her very gently that they could keep him alive for a bit longer, but his organs were basically shutting down,” said Taylor. “She went in with him by herself and I could see on the monitor in the nursing station. When she was speaking to him, I could see his heart rate slow down and stabilize, and eventually, very quietly, he passed away.”

Helmsley later told Taylor she was telling her husband it was OK for him to go.

Taylor ran the estate for nearly two years after Mr. Helmsely’s death, but his job had become much more difficult as Leona became “less and less in touch with reality, and thought everyone was against her.”

“It was like being in prison. It was a beautiful estate, but you couldn’t leave, and I wanted my life back. I had written a couple letters of registration that she didn’t accept. Finally, it came to a head and we said our goodbyes.”

Taylor never did find why he got the phone call to work for the Helmsleys, only that it would give him a set of experiences he’d never forget.

The Second Call

Taylor went on to manage two health food stores before he became disabled a few years ago. One day, he received a call from the National Telecommuting Institute, a nonprofit that recruits, trains, and places disabled people in remote jobs. He decided to apply to a work-at-home-call center position and ended up with a steady job at Mejier, a Midwest-based supermarket chain.

“We have so many people like Larry, who come from interesting backgrounds and decide that they’re not done. NTI can help them get back into the workforce,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s chief operating officer. “We appreciate the professionalism and enthusiasm for the job that Larry brings to his position at Meijer.”

“They took me by the hand and got me back into the job market,” Taylor said. “Without NTI, I don’t know what I would be doing now. When we are 63 or 64 and disabled, trying to find a job, it isn’t easy. There are a lot of people out there trying to fleece you.”

As someone who started his career as a trainer and physical therapist, Taylor appreciated the nonprofit’s training platform, NTI University, and their coaching model that helped him through the entire process.

“NTI does everything they can help you get a job. This experience has given me a feeling of self-worth to be able to do something again and be able to help people. That is something I enjoy.”

Learn more about remote job opportunities available to the 1 in 4 Americans with visible and invisible disabilities by visiting https://www.ntiathome.org/.