If you follow my blog at all then you know that I am all about advocacy, regardless of the topic. A while ago, I interviewed a certain someone who wished to remain Anonymous. I purposely waited to publish this interview to protect this person's Anonynimity. This is going to be the new purpose of this blog: To give you the information you need, especially if you were disabled in CHILDHOOD, but want to live, and be able to afford all the enormous out-of-pocket expenses the goverment DOES NOT cover, all while on a fixed income.
As per my Attorney's advice, I must give the foloing disclaimer: WHAT YOU READ HERE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MEANS/MODE/OPPORTUNITY/MOTIVE/or INTENT TO DEFRAUD OR DEFUND THE GOVERNMENT IN ANY WAY. If you are really and truly disabled and you KNOW in PROVABLE AND PROFESIONALLY DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE that you will NEVER get better before your death, read on. If not, please stop reading NOW.
I cannot thank you enough for your willingness to participate. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself and I will be happy to answer any and all questions.
Many of you may not know this but under our current POTUS, disability numbers have more than doubled, and if your are disabled between the ages of 18 and 49, you're *uqued (pardon my slang). Basically, governments work on lying to you so they can try and keep all the money AND the power. There's a little known rule that I did NOT include in my book for this very reason.
I keep this secret to keep you and me honest. I know there are people out there who will abuse the system. The system is also corrupt. We are, right now, esentially a Bannana Republic, and as such, the rich get richer and the poor get screwed.
With my exposure to the legal system, I know just enough to get me into and out of a lot of trouble. I wanted to become a lawyer myself, but got too sick before I had a chance to attend school and pass the bar. This isn't me whining. I'm probably much happier as a result. In fact, I'm sure of it. But I want to continue working when I can, volunteering as much as I can, and all the rest, so that I can improve my life and my level of fitness as I age and my rare disease gets worse. I want to help YOU do the same.
1. What is the nature of this business and how long have you been in this type of business?
I mostly sell gifts and design products. Almost everything I make and assemble myself, and all my crystal jewellery is sourced from high quality mines around the world. I started in April this year, officially, although the ball started rolling just before around the end of March!
2. Have you always had an interest in this area? Or was this something you created out of necessity?
A bit of both. I was in my last year finishing my degree and I didn't want to move back home, but of course, would have rent and bills to pay! At the same time, I was very unwell through a lot of my degree and feel lucky I made it through, so I had a lot to think about. In the end, as I always loved being creative, I decided I really wanted to create my OWN job selling the things that make me happy!
3. What type of illness do you have and how long have you had it?
When I was 12, I first developed depression and anxiety. My high school were very concerned throughout my entire attendance there, and I eventually got taken to a doctor when I was 15 and bumped as a priority to a mental health centre for children and adolescents. Although I received CBT and medication, I still had regular relapses. When I was 17, I had my first major suicide attempt not long after leaving child and adolescent services and was rushed to hospital for poison control. Since then, I've attempted suicide five more times and had several relapses. At 22 years on though, I'm still here! More recently I'm getting treatment for an eating disorder and have had to be really open about pain issues with my GP, but I'm making sure I stop covering it up and access the care I need.
4. How are you able to balance work and “sick days?
Fairly well actually! A slight cheat really, my partner is really supportive and helps me do the deliveries because my anxiety can make it stressful doing the daily post office run and sometimes just getting out of bed can be enough on my worst days! I do the bulk of the work but she helps picks up the odds and ends. Without her, it would be harder, but not impossible. Luckily most customers are very understanding and I actually have very quick postal times, so it wouldn't hurt if they got delayed by a day or do!
5. Everyone dreams of having a full-time, work-from-home job. What is something you would like to share with both "normal" people and people with disabilities... Some secret that you don't mind sharing that you think people REALLY need to know before attempting to make money while disabled?
Working from home definitely requires discipline and isn't an 'easy' route by all means, but when working in full time or even part time employment with set shift hours and expectations is unrealistic, it gives you the chance to keep busy and gain a sense of accomplishment and independence. Being disabled doesn't necessarily equate to a complete inability to work under any circumstances, often with a little extra support and adjustment of the traditional work structure are all that's needed. I firmly believe with the increase in technology, there is definitely an increase in opportunity for home work for anyone who needs that extra flexibility and freedom.
Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me and my audience.
Absolutely, this was fun! Cheers!