Disability Caucus Open Thread 6/6/2016: Forced Entrepreneurship from Lack of Opportunity
I'm sure many disabled folks besides myself can attest to this, but many of us often do side jobs from home because of the lack of opportunity afforded us due to various conditions we deal with. In my case at least, it's not something I make much money with, if at all. You don't see too many people chomping at the bit to have boxes and boxes of pictures scanned, VHS videos or old audio cassettes digitized. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. In any case, when I do get customers at least I get something that keeps me busy for a little while.
I keep my services strictly local, and for good reason. Truthfully I don't have the cash to do otherwise. I'm also still working on acquiring an MTA certification to see if that'll open anything up, though my father-in-law saying I wouldn't be happy working for anyone still sticks in my head. I'm also still dealing with SNAP bullshit. You know, 80 hours of job-searching and 'education' on alison.com. Worthless.
So that's where I am work wise. I'm sure many folks also have interesting stories to tell.
See ya around,
Aspis
Comments
Advertise
Are there any free magazines or newspapers where you could put an ad? I think their are a lot more people than you realize who need things scanned. Facebook can come in handy. You can show some examples of things you scanned and have friends who know people in your area recommend you. I'm on Facebook and if you want to send me some information I could try getting the word out for you.
BTW my grandson is an Aspie so I know what you are going through and I'm cheering you on because I know you can make it. If you want someone to talk to message me.
Michele
A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. Oscar Wilde
I noticed somebody had a link to their website in their footer
... you could create a free website with your location, services offered, and a contact form.
(You should at least list your location here - you could be next door to me and I wouldn't know it)
or as Michele also advises, build your network (word of mouth still does wonders, especially in this info age)
Well, I'm one.
But I don't think I'm the only one.
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I worked my way through college as a medical transcriptionist
so that I would always have an option to work at home, and it has been a lifesaver. I had to get out of the hospital where I worked after I developed allergies to all the cleaning chemicals they used and they would not switch to organic unscented - even after I found them a deal that would provide them with free cleaners if they would just put a brand label on the side of the cleaning carts! So yes, the inflexibility of employers forces a lot of us to work at home.
Where are you, Aspie? I have a lot of old media I'd like to transfer to digital.
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I'm in Florida.
Melbourne area, very shop and restaurant heavy where I am.
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.
Shops
When I lived near Berkeley there was an area that was very shop heavy. A lot of them have bulletin boards that you could put fliers up on. You might want to check into making a flier to advertise your services and see if someone could help you put them up.
A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. Oscar Wilde
Ah, too far away. How do you convert VHS tapes?
I don't collect many things. Wouldn't you know I decided to collect favorite movies on VHS! Next time I'll collect something completely non-technological.
Well, I still collect books, so there's that. They're probably about as worthless as all those VHS tapes. Thanks, Kindle.
Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.
I've got a conversion device that goes from...
a professional grade VCR to my computer via component cables. Then I can watch VHS or DVD through a software program that came with the device. Both the capture device and the S-VHS player were pretty cheap so I didn't spend much on either, but they both work very well.
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 am in flooded Bradenton.
I will have house guest tonight because half the city is with out power. I still have mine but for how long I don't know.
I hope you get lots of work on the side.
Yes, I've noticed this, too.
Collecting scrap and other "as needed" work they can find: accounting, office work, grant writing, editing, sewing, cleaning, walking dogs, etc. It's hard to find a job even when you don't have the added pressures of ongoing health or mobility challenges. As a country, we are not in a good place right now.
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." Stephen Hawking
NEW: http://www.twitter.com/trueblueinwdc
Health challenges make
Health challenges make working a real challenge here too. I was disabled with a spinal cord injury and some days am fairly mobile, some days barely at all, but as a lifetime artist have been able to drum up a little income doing graphic design and selling some of my own artwork.
I've signed up with a company called Nextdoor.com that provides a local community network where services, goods etc. can be advertised for free. Nextdoor is nationwide, you might give that a try? I was leery of it at first, but haven't had any bad experience or been spammed after signing up there and
https://nextdoor.com/about_us/
"So it goes."
Kurt Vonnegut