Are you self-supporting, on disability, or what?

Post Reply New Topic

This is a poll for those of you with Asperger's or HFA only (for more accurate results)....

I have either HFA or Asperger's and I'm having a hell of a difficult time of life. I have no idea how to support myself. Every job I've ever attempted has been miserable & unsustainable, and/or a total disaster socially, emotionally and mentally.

It's a miracle I'm even still alive really, but I don't know how much longer I'll be here. I'm so sick and tired of being a loser, and can't live with that forever. Suicide is a real danger for me (already attempted once, while on antidepressants - I'll never take those drugs again!).

How are you guys supporting yourselves? Please answer the poll, and please provide specifics if you choose 'Other'.

Thank you.

Between jobs at the moment. I've been alternately supported by family and self-supporting. Hope to remain self-supporting. For now, I have unemployment and a decent severance package.

I've been supported by my mother my entire life and I'm in my 30s.

I'm supported by myself and others. For myself, I teach private bass and guitar lessons, which does not make me much money. I also play in several bands that do paid shows, but those also do not make me much money. They pretty much just give me a little financial independence. However food and housing, means for transportation, and pretty much all support is provided by my mother and sister. The amount of money I make does not pay for much - it just gives me a little financial freedom.

I really wish I could get SSI but I feel that would be very difficult and stressful. It's a shame, because other disabilities, with lower levels of unemployment, can pretty much automatically get SSI with little to no effort. (take note, I have nothing against anybody with one of these disabilities, I am not criticizing them at all, but rather the system).

For example, let's take a disability with a more comparable rate of unemployment to ours - blindness - blind people have about 70% unemployment, which is considerably less than that of people with autism, which is at 90%, and that applies for high functioning individuals as well (something like 88% or so for AS, if I am not mistaken?). Yet blind people can very easily get SSI - a blind friend of mine, just a few years younger than me, gets the maximum SSI payment, and he did not have to go through much trouble at all to get it. But someone with autism or AS or any type of autistic disorder, which has an unemployment rate about 20% higher, has to go through a lot of trouble to get SSI, particularly if they are not low functioning.

I think the system is quite flawed, when people with a disability that has a 90% unemployment rate have a much more difficult time getting SSI than people with a disability with a 70% unemployment rate.

I'm on SSDI and have been for about 10 years. But the basis for it is cognitive disorder and dysautonomia, not ASD.

I don't even know if I could fake it at all. I had two jobs in my life. One was a paper route for 2 weeks and the other was a part time cleaning job for 5 weeks. I was so relieved when I quit them. They were hard enough and I didn't even have to have contact with people for those. I don't think I could even do a job where I had contact with lots of people.

On disability benefits at the moment.

Disability

AS/HFA

A question to those on disability: what does one have to do to get disability benefits as someone with autism? What sort of things do you need in order before going in? I've had my diagnosis since I was very young.

Nope, not in the slightest. Got denied for SSI and disability despite me actually needing it. I'm not black and white enough for them to diagnose I guess. All my occupational skills are self taught, highly developed, and not recorded on a fancy piece of paper (you would think society would reward things like this).

I've never had to work a day in my life till my family split up, then I failed at getting any sort of job many times now, my nearest burger king manager laughed in my face (while I tried not to puke in his). So now I just sit at home, hang my head in shame, get told how much of a loser I am for not being able to do anything with my life, and truck along typing to people who don't give 2 s**ts on this forum.

What does this poll/topic accomplish anyway?

I am on SSI and not just for the Autism. I have Muscular Dystrophy and seizures. I am in a power wheelchair full time.

I work and support myself (and my cats). This isn't meant to come off as being offensive, but I felt that I don't need disability; that money should go to those who really need it. With so many dipping into the pot who aren't even disabled (or severely disabled for that matter(those who cannot work at all; having a "bum leg" doesn't count)). This economy is definitely a problem for those with disabilities as well, so I am of the frame of mind that this poll can come off as inappropriate to some. It was tough landing the position I got, but certain skills helped in the end.