Work has done a lot of good for me.
I’ve written about how my current job has made me realize how much I’ve accomplished, and given me plenty of opportunities to get out and enjoy some time to myself. Some added financial independence has been nice as well.
Above all else though, paid employment has helped a lot with my psyche and self-esteem.
My search for work was long and occasionally frustrating. With the exception of a brief volunteer gig at the local hospital one summer, the small, rural town I grew up in offered no opportunities for a physically disabled adult looking for a job. Moving to the city and taking Scriptwriting provided significantly more, and better, prospects, as did a few volunteer opportunities and internships soon after, but regular employment and a paycheck still eluded me. My parents were getting frustrated and I was getting desperate. Worse, I was starting to feel like I was conforming to the stereotype of a “lazy pensioner.”
Things hit rock bottom around the beginning of summer 2017. The employment agency I was with at the time wasn’t getting me anything, and I had ben pretty-well blown off by a couple local politicians after turning to them for help with searching for work and other disability-related services. It came to a head quickly, and I broke down one evening. That, and some encouraging conversations at the Phoenix Joubert conference the following month, were what convinced me to join LiveWorkPlay. Within a year, I had a job!
Work necessitated finally setting up some homecare, which meant more self-advocacy and responsibility on my part and, just as important, less for my parents. All of this led to more freedom, independence, and the sense that I was making a contribution and really doing something.
Above all else though, paid employment has helped a lot with my psyche and self-esteem.
My search for work was long and occasionally frustrating. With the exception of a brief volunteer gig at the local hospital one summer, the small, rural town I grew up in offered no opportunities for a physically disabled adult looking for a job. Moving to the city and taking Scriptwriting provided significantly more, and better, prospects, as did a few volunteer opportunities and internships soon after, but regular employment and a paycheck still eluded me. My parents were getting frustrated and I was getting desperate. Worse, I was starting to feel like I was conforming to the stereotype of a “lazy pensioner.”
Things hit rock bottom around the beginning of summer 2017. The employment agency I was with at the time wasn’t getting me anything, and I had ben pretty-well blown off by a couple local politicians after turning to them for help with searching for work and other disability-related services. It came to a head quickly, and I broke down one evening. That, and some encouraging conversations at the Phoenix Joubert conference the following month, were what convinced me to join LiveWorkPlay. Within a year, I had a job!
Work necessitated finally setting up some homecare, which meant more self-advocacy and responsibility on my part and, just as important, less for my parents. All of this led to more freedom, independence, and the sense that I was making a contribution and really doing something.
Cheers!
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