Disability Caucus 8/6/16: How the 'Gig Economy' and At-Will Employment Have Totally Screwed People with Disabilities
Finding a job was hard enough for people with disabilities even before our current economic cluster. Now, with more and more jobs requiring drivers' licenses and the ability to travel to multiple locations, it's damn near impossible to find any employment whatsoever. Even OJTs through disability services like Voc Rehab or their vendors won't guarantee permanent employment (Actually, it's always temporary no matter what they tell you.) And sometimes, after you work your shift, you might have to do a workshop where they make you feel like an idiot in addition to looking for jobs. That was one of my experiences with one such OJT and because of my lack of work history, I could never get hired.
So, because we're left with so few options these days, many of us are working from home to supplement fixed incomes, if we even have those given that Social Security is a nightmare to navigate. As I said before, I was switched to survivors from childhood benefits at the age of 12 and have been in a rut since. Even going to college didn't really get me out of it at all because, as I keep saying again and again, not a single employer is willing to hire. In most cases where I apply for jobs, the position is filled either by a transfer or other status that takes priority over most external applicants. Or that's what my mother-in-law said to me with regard to positions at the County School Board and other County positions.
Over the past 4 years, I've held a few temp and volunteer knowledge work gigs (All with the County), but apparently I have to have 10 years experience, a doctoral degree and a drivers' license before I'll ever be taken seriously.
So I have to wonder, can we change this? And how? From what I can tell it seems like no one local or otherwise is willing to listen. Suggestions are welcome.
See ya around,
Aspie
Comments
I read your posts and usually do not comment
because I just do not have experiences like yours.
So, I want to rectify that.
I want to tell you that from what I have experienced in third world countries, you are a little monthly check from being like the disabled persons there.
My parents were both disabled. My late husband was paralyzed and in a wheelchair when I married him.
Having an office full of temps is a boon to employers.
How employers even ask for your credit history is a shame.
If employers received some government benefit, such as a tax break, for hiring a disabled person, you would have a job tomorrow.
And the general public would get relief.
And the employer would get a quality employee.
We are a little payment away from 3rd world.
People without disabilities are treated like stray dogs. My current paralegal worked for WalMart in order to get health insurance. She has more degrees than I do. And MS.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Last time I job searched I treated the search like a fulltime
job and it still took months to find anything; and that is as an independent contractor (i.e., if there is no work, I don't work, a gig in other words). I wonder if it's just the state of the economy as a whole, if it's not all that different disabled or not?
As far as what to do about it, just keep looking and try not to get discouraged. I'm sure I applied for more than 100 jobs before I found one. But once you find that one, you don't mind the work on the 99 that didn't pay off. It's like sales, it's a numbers game, you have to keep plugging along. If the acceptance rate is 1% then apply for 100 jobs. If it's 0.1% then apply for 1000 jobs.
I keep a jobs folder on my computer and keep notes of contact info and where I am in the process and title the document beginning with the next date I need to do something on that job, so I can just open the docs that I need to act upon today. I then rename for the next date. Everyone gets followup thank you letters and other regular contacts.
I try not to get my hopes up so that I am not disappointed. I just keep plugging along, looking for something better. I keep putting in about 20 hours per week on job hunting.
If you've done all this, my apologies for stating the obvious. Maybe it'll help someone else still working on the process.
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You're probably right.
Yeah, the economy is a cluster and too many people are too quick to justify and make excuses for the fact that it's almost impossible for most people in this country to make a decent living anymore. In fact, even trying to discuss it anywhere at anytime gets you labeled as a 'Socialist who wants free stuff'. The ironic part? Many of the people spewing that rhetoric are on disability or SSI themselves.
But yeah, even before I had to jump through hoops for six straight months for my part of the SNAP benefits, I was doing everything you suggested. And as for thank you letters or emails, most of the jobs I applied to had automated responses so I just didn't see the point. That goes double for on-site follow-ups. The only response I ever got was 'we do everything online so you'll get an email when a decision is reached'.
So I made a decision that if my wife and her mother don't give a damn whether or not I'm working, why should I?
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
I would tell those people either it's all free stuff or it's
none of it free stuff. It's deciding as a society where to put our tax dollars. We paid the money in, we have the right to decide how to spend it. Either we spend it on a strong social safety net or on unnecessary wars or subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, etc. Why should the military get "free stuff" that they then blow up? Why should the oil and gas companies get "free stuff" that worsens climate change? Personally, I would rather spend it on a strong social safety net. And considering that 76% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck without even a few hundred bucks set aside, one medical emergency away from bankruptcy, you should want a strong social safety net too.
Sure, not much you can do about automated responses. If you have a contact person and it's been a week or two, you can say, "I hope I'm not bothering you, but I haven't received an email from you and I want to make sure that if you sent one, it didn't get lost. I am still very interested in the job, if you have not reached a decision yet. It seems like a perfect fit for me because my computer skills can help you accomplish your goal of improving functionality for your Web site. Thank you for your consideration." Something like that. If they respond you can try to get a timeline for their decision. If no timeline, try again in another week or two, "I still have not heard regarding the computer position, so I wanted to check back and see where we are in that process and make sure no emails have been lost. From the advertisement for the position, my computer skills match exactly what you are looking for. Please let me know if you need any more details. I look forward to hearing from you soon." Etc.
As far as your situation, yes absolutely, you are in a position where you are supported, so don't worry about paid work, just find things that you enjoy that allow you to feel useful. Which may be as simple as keeping your wife company. And/or blogging. And/or caring for pets.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
How do we change the system for disabled people?
I think it's going to take a miracle for the people in our government to see us as real people not only living in a life of pain, but on such low income that we can barely survive on what we receive.
To make our lives better, they need to raise the amount of money we receive, but that's where the miracle comes in.
Instead of giving the elites and the corporations tax breaks and subsidies, tax them at at least the rate that they were paying before Reagan started lowering their taxes.
Take that money and put it back in social programs.
I mentioned previously that when Clinton passed the crime bill, he took the money out of the food stamps program along with the funds for public housing.
I recently received a voucher for section 8 housing, but because of my income, I could only quality for a place where the rent was $550.
I'm sure you can imagine what type of places were available for that rent.
The nicer ones wouldn't accept pets. I could have one companion animal, but if I wanted to take those places I would have to give Abby away.
The heartbreak for her, Charlie and me was unimaginable and there's no way in hell I'd do that.
I'm sorry about what you are going through, but remember that you aren't alone and many people are supporting you. I know that doesn't help your situation, but for me it offers comfort.
Keep writing about this and good luck.
If I hear of any decent work at home opportunities I'll let you know.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.
~Hannah Arendt
Money is owed to SS and Medicare anyway because...
They've been looted so many times to pay for the very tax breaks and other shit that was used to enrich our 'betters' and their friends. Somebody actually said that 'The Rich know how to get better value for their money. That's why they're rich.' What they're really saying is: 'The rich manipulate the system in every way they can possibly find, often at our expense. That's why they're rich.'
The other thing that people who defend the absurdly wealthy often leave out is that the infrastructure that keeps them rich is almost always inherited. Elements know assholes like David Koch and Donald Trump would be flipping burgers or in jail if they hadn't inherited their dads' infrastructure along with the money that came with it.
That's why you hear about so many lotto winners who blow their money after a few years.
And I understand this completely:
My wife and I are a 'blended' family. She had 2 cats and I brought my cat along when we moved in together nearly a decade ago. I think it's safe to say we'd die first before we would ever think of giving them up.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.