Anyone declared disabled b/c they have AS?

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I am declared disabled b/c I have AS. That means that I do not have a job for of that reason. My income is SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Anyone else have SSI as there main source of income & because they have AS?

I am in the process of applying.

I wish I had SSI, I'd surely need it soon.

Dunbots, are you in Washington state?

If so, contact DSHS about Disability Lifeline. They'll also help you apply for SSI.

Nope, I'd rather deny the fact I have AS because of the fact it messed up my school life when well and truly, I could have done better for myself.

I'm applying for it(well, my Mom is kind of doing it for me. She handles all of that stuff for me). I got turned down once, but I'm not sure why, because all of my doctors agreed that I'm disabled. Weird. I used to have a part time job before I got fired, and I think I could probably hold another part time job in a less stressful environment, but unless I got super lucky then I don't think I could make nearly enough to live on. Most jobs available for people without degrees are the kind that are really stressful for people with ASD. Of course I'm not even having any luck finding a part time job. I think the vast majority of people with ASD could work if they were able to get a job where they could use their strengths and interests, and stresses were minimal.. The problem is that those jobs aren't usually available to us!

I'm also in WA. Can I ask about how much SSI pays a month? Can you afford to live alone? Have you had to make other financial sacrifices to do it? If you get disability/SSI, are you allowed to return to the workforce later in the future, or does it have to be permanent?

Thanks!

I am, and I don't really have a problem with it. Everybody's got problems, right?

Yes, SSI is about 25% BELOW the federal poverty level, and you are not allowed to have resources above that. You can't save up, even if you could somehow get enough money for it. If you have to apply, do it; but don't think of it as a good life, because it's not. It's just barely enough to keep you inside and fed (possibly with utilities, possibly without them).

I applied and was accepted my first try, no lawyers involved. My diagnosis at the time was Asperger's Disorder, along with PTSD and depression. Currently, which diagnosis I have depends on the doctor and has been at various times either AS, autistic disorder, or PDD-NOS.

However, being on disability doesn't mean you have to give up on working. There are a few programs in place that allow you to try to get skills which let you get a job, such as the various voc rehab offices and the ticket to work program. That's why I can go to school--though they are keeping very high standards of achievement on me. Once I graduate I may be able to work, either part time or full time, and either way I will be able to support myself and no longer need SSI.

Some people with AS, of course, can't work even with useful skills; but I think they are in the minority. Most of us can find a way to work; the biggest obstacles are stereotypes (created by our culture and by us against ourselves) that assume autistic people cannot work.

Sigh...my rent is $925/mo. and I already get food stamps. A $674 limit doesn't seem like enough to live on. Maybe if it also came with Social Security Disability.

In the applying process, I hope I get approved an in a reasonable amount of time......otherwise I don't know what I'll do.