Disabled. Now what? | Fairygodboss

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Anonymous

12/01/20 at 10:22PM UTC

Career

Disabled. Now what?

After losing my job to illness, I had to vacate my safe home into a new one where I have more support. Unfortunately, the physical home environment is making me very ill on a daily basis. And due to the complexity of my illness, some harmful substances used in the home are making me ill and my housemates are not at that stage of awareness to afford me accommodations. Behavioral change takes time. Yesterday, I spent 6 hours in a car while it snowed to avoid a flare up while indoors. It's been difficult. I've interviewed for jobs (a job offer will mean moving out on my own) but my illness and daily triggers have impacted my interview performance. Hotels, I've learned introduced harsh COVID disinfecting protocols which are sure to make me ill. This has been a challenge to say the least. Contacts are encouraging me to explore filing for disability, but I am not ready. What's been your disability journey? What path did you take?

1 Comment

Anonymous

12/01/20 at 9:12PM UTC

There are a lot of questions involved in making a decision like this. For example, what's the likely progression of your illness, according to your doctor(s)? Are there different treatments you can pursue (i.e., are things likely to change or stay the same)? Are there jobs you could do that would be a better fit given your condition? What's the likelihood of your housing situation improving? It has to be really overwhelming, I know. I haven't personally filed for disability, but friends of mine have been in the process for months (one for 2 years), so it can't hurt to explore what's involved in applying.