Oh, I agree with you 100 per cent, Jenn.  I am proud of what I've done in my
life and the fact that I've never had to ask for public assistance.  That is
not to say I've never received help from Voc. Rehab or from other agencies,
but that after I started working a full time job with benefits, I had no need
of help from VR.  I don't see it as boasting so much as letting others know it
can be done. And others such as Bobby, Kyle, Deri, Ken, and you show it
perfectly.

Other disabled people especially those in the Third World, are far less
fortunate than we, and my heart goes out to them.

Kat

On Fri, 2 Aug 2002 12:31:51 -0700 "J. McCarthy" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I wasn't going to add to the fray, but....
>
> A few months after getting my Bachelor's, my
> SSI
> stopped when my odd jobs put me above the
> income max.
> I was able to keep medicaid for a few more
> years,
> which was great because it allowed me time to
> find a
> full-time position with health insurance
> benefits.  So
> since about 1997, I have been employed
> full-time (40+
> hours/week).  In 2001, I gave up a $15/hr job
> to be
> happy. (long story)  I now work at a state
> university
> making about $10/hr and loving my job. I grew
> up in a
> lousy 2 bedroom duplex in a slummy part of town
> with
> my brother and single mom for about 15 years
> (most
> funds came from my SSI and other public
> assistance).
> When I married, my husband and I moved into a
> not-so-great 1 bedroom appartment.  Then when
> my
> husband found a job in town, we rented a nice
> 2bd/2ba
> apartment.  Now we own a nice 3bd/2ba house
> with pool
> in a nice neighborhood.
>
> I'm not gloating or looking for praise.  I am
> but
> showing others that "You can do it!" and become
> a
> productive member of society - despite having a
> disability.  I've known a few severely disabled
> folks
> who work at home doing Internet stuff.  Some
> may not
> make enough to come off SSI, but that's not the
> point.
>  The point is to become a "giver" (or at least
> "contributor") instead of a "taker" in this
> world.
>
> Getting off soapbox now,
> Jennifer  (who works with a stroke victim who's
> similarly disabled)
>
> P.S.  You may be offended by the meaning of
> what I say
> (or not agree with it), but please don't be so
> sensitive as to take offense to the exact words
> I use.
> There's too much in this world to get upset
> about to
> let simple symantics and word choices bother
> you. IMHO
>
>
> --- "Cleveland, Kyle E."
> wrote:
> > Lot's of head-scratching going on right now
> from the
> > powers-that-be.  This
> > gives me a little time to come out from my
> "bumker",
> > dial-in and respond to
> > some emails:
> >
> > I've done a lttle research on the topic,
> though my
> > "sources" are not handy
> > right now.  Anyway, the vast majority of
> CPers are
> > either hemis or
> > diplegics, with "mild" CP.  This also
> translates to
> > most CPers working
> > full-time in either mainstream jobs, or jobs
> > associated with disabiliies
> > (for example:  all of the office workers at
> my
> > physiatrist's university
> > clinic are disabled with some sort of motor
> > disorder, or they are amputees.
> >
>
> =====
> TTYL,
> Jennifer
>
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