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It's not a great deal when employers still have the ability to discriminate and stay hush about it.
While I do agree that discrimination for disability certainly happens, as I can attest to, I second Snakes question. What, exactly, is your disability? If we may ask.
No one persecuted the truly disabled. If you find someone that does, they are not worth even getting angry about. Our seniors and disabled should be taken care of.
That said, I know what it's like to want to work and not have a job and have a super hard time finding one. Unfortunately, right now there are so many people out of work and employers can well afford to pick and choose.
I agree with the poster that suggests volunteering. You make a lot of great contacts that way. As we all have learned, it's not what you know but who you know.
You know, in this employment market, it's not just people with disabilities having a tough time finding a job.
Sure, it's going to be even tougher when you come with restrictions but, in the current situation a disability is not the only factor.
If the overall climate in the job market doesn't change, this may not make an iota of difference for you but may cause some change in attitude ......which may improve your ability to think outside the box of "disabled' and consider what other avenues are open.
I take it you have worked with social services in your state. I have an adult son with Down syndrome that works in a workshop and while that would not be anything you would be doing, since he gets SSI, KS sends us, at least yearly, a survey about whether or not our son would be able to work and what he would need to be able to do that. He, of course, would love to work. Isn't that sad? So many just enjoy SSI and are able to work. In your place, I would contact my state government officials, your house representatives and senators, sending them what you wrote in your original post. They would be in a position to ask questions and hold agencies accountable. In fighting for services for my son all these years, I have rattled a lot of cages and I am SO tired of forcing agencies/people to just do the job they are supposed to do and give people the services and help that they are entitled to by law. Try your state government officials and if you don't hear from them, keep trying and poking at them. And, good luck and be proud that you want to work, despite your situation, it is good to read a post like yours, someone that wants to work and I'm betting their is help but you just got to shake it loose!
I take it you have worked with social services in your state. I have an adult son with Down syndrome that works in a workshop and while that would not be anything you would be doing, since he gets SSI, KS sends us, at least yearly, a survey about whether or not our son would be able to work and what he would need to be able to do that. He, of course, would love to work. Isn't that sad? So many just enjoy SSI and are able to work. In your place, I would contact my state government officials, your house representatives and senators, sending them what you wrote in your original post. They would be in a position to ask questions and hold agencies accountable. In fighting for services for my son all these years, I have rattled a lot of cages and I am SO tired of forcing agencies/people to just do the job they are supposed to do and give people the services and help that they are entitled to by law. Try your state government officials and if you don't hear from them, keep trying and poking at them. And, good luck and be proud that you want to work, despite your situation, it is good to read a post like yours, someone that wants to work and I'm betting their is help but you just got to shake it loose!
True what is said about continually checking out the govt positions. Years ago i kept stopping by the county job office (a 30 mile round trip)eventually the job's guy got to know my face and in the hall way he would hold his hand out to block me out as he walked by. In about 5 trips i got a job. This just shows persistence pays off.
I take it you have worked with social services in your state. I have an adult son with Down syndrome that works in a workshop and while that would not be anything you would be doing, since he gets SSI, KS sends us, at least yearly, a survey about whether or not our son would be able to work and what he would need to be able to do that. He, of course, would love to work. Isn't that sad? So many just enjoy SSI and are able to work. In your place, I would contact my state government officials, your house representatives and senators, sending them what you wrote in your original post. They would be in a position to ask questions and hold agencies accountable. In fighting for services for my son all these years, I have rattled a lot of cages and I am SO tired of forcing agencies/people to just do the job they are supposed to do and give people the services and help that they are entitled to by law. Try your state government officials and if you don't hear from them, keep trying and poking at them. And, good luck and be proud that you want to work, despite your situation, it is good to read a post like yours, someone that wants to work and I'm betting their is help but you just got to shake it loose!
I've done and currently still doing just that <bold>. As I've said my son is an "Aspie" as am I for that matter and when he started Voc Rehab the first response we got was "he may not qualify" which went to "he qualifies but we've got a limited budget so who know when he'll get services" to "he's designated group 1 disabled so is now in the top group that gets services when funds become available".
Then we got the letter that he's cleared to start services. We went all over the country to find a college that had programs for Aspergers students and surprisingly there are several. Then came deciding on a program of study that would lead to a job and be reasonably possible for him to complete. After all of this we got his VR counselor on board though he was skeptical. We're now finishing the 3rd year, he's doing ok and VR is covering all costs above grants that were given. They even pay for his dorm room even though we live about 14 miles away as part of his education in learning how to live/deal with others on his own.
You can get it done, I'd start with going to see the supervisor at VR and explain what you want but again, have a plan in your mind before you do that. Don't rely on what they want to put you in as most times it's a short,cheap plan to save their budget. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that most things they come up with are just going to be something to get you on and off services quickly.
You want it? Fight for it. Be persistent but polite and concise.
At first Vocrehab seemed to be like anything else, I went to alot of appointments for no reason. Then it took me 2 months to get my drivers license. I remember having very long talks with them about how difficult employers have made it to find a job and some of the things I've been through to find a job. It's been a long journey. It's funny because there are people all over this country I've talked to who know what I'm talking about but government employees look at you like you are crazy. After a long WHILE of failed job leads, which consisted of emails offering "advice" I could have picked up on any mainstream job website and mysterious job listings where they wouldn't even tell me the name of the company. I'm going to work for a company I don't even know the name to? Sounds exciting. They wanted me to find a job on my own and I told them why do you think I got this license for.....to stare at? I'm not qualified for much except unskilled stuff. Unfortunately it's a brick wall to get hired. I've said this millions and millions of times on this forum. They told me about the college stuff but I'm not going to burn up any more time on things that lead nowhere then where I already am. I've seen some people say that when they went to Vocrehab they got job in no time because the managers were in cahoots with the agency. Why doesn't that exist out here? You see government employees trying to get people on the dole, but no interest in helping people who want to work get jobs. They closed my case 2 months ago. They expected me to do what I always was doing, which was fruitless. They wanted me to get a car after finding a job. I told them I need the car in the first place in order to obtain a job because without putting on the applications that I can work ANYTIME.....it's going right to the shredder. Public transit is not an option. They were more in a rush I think, while I've heard some people were involved with voc rehab for 1-3 years. All I know is they didn't really want to follow my best interests.
As far as going public, I'd need someone to help me do anything like that. I'd like to see justice against employers who waste peoples time in their hiring processes. It seems very odd to me that employers would still discriminate and play games against people with disabilities (and people in general) when we should be more supporting to those who want to work. The last thing we need is to keep expanding the welfare state to unsustainable levels, which is what we are doing now.
Is this what taxpayers and employers want? More people on welfare programs? People with impairments like myself on the dole when I am perfectly willing to work but not getting the fair shake? Maybe I have more of a conscience then other people but I don't see anything good about having to live off taxpayer funds for the rest of my life. I'm not getting the fair shake though. I've done everything possible to get a simple JOB and not one has hired me yet. I can't take it year after year. I don't know what's going on. People in positions of power and authority and even the average joe schmoe have went dog eat dog. We all encourage each other that wanting to work is a bad thing and living off others is a good thing. We put each other in these situations. Time to get the game rolling again but the people with the keys aren't budging.
The very people who critic the welfare system 24/7 are the ones who are perpetuating it by not hiring folks like myself. My sorry excuse of a life slips away every day and I have no social life or people to talk to. Plenty of people on the internet who find it more amusing to attack me instead of offering to help. Well next time you complain about too many people being on disability remember the ones who want to work.
Very few people in this country understand my situation and it feels very bad.
At first Vocrehab seemed to be like anything else, I went to alot of appointments for no reason. Then it took me 2 months to get my drivers license. I remember having very long talks with them about how difficult employers have made it to find a job and some of the things I've been through to find a job. It's been a long journey. It's funny because there are people all over this country I've talked to who know what I'm talking about but government employees look at you like you are crazy. After a long WHILE of failed job leads, which consisted of emails offering "advice" I could have picked up on any mainstream job website and mysterious job listings where they wouldn't even tell me the name of the company. I'm going to work for a company I don't even know the name to? Sounds exciting. They wanted me to find a job on my own and I told them why do you think I got this license for.....to stare at? I'm not qualified for much except unskilled stuff. Unfortunately it's a brick wall to get hired. I've said this millions and millions of times on this forum. They told me about the college stuff but I'm not going to burn up any more time on things that lead nowhere then where I already am. I've seen some people say that when they went to Vocrehab they got job in no time because the managers were in cahoots with the agency. Why doesn't that exist out here? You see government employees trying to get people on the dole, but no interest in helping people who want to work get jobs. They closed my case 2 months ago. They expected me to do what I always was doing, which was fruitless. They wanted me to get a car after finding a job. I told them I need the car in the first place in order to obtain a job because without putting on the applications that I can work ANYTIME.....it's going right to the shredder. Public transit is not an option. They were more in a rush I think, while I've heard some people were involved with voc rehab for 1-3 years. All I know is they didn't really want to follow my best interests.
As far as going public, I'd need someone to help me do anything like that. I'd like to see justice against employers who waste peoples time in their hiring processes. It seems very odd to me that employers would still discriminate and play games against people with disabilities (and people in general) when we should be more supporting to those who want to work. The last thing we need is to keep expanding the welfare state to unsustainable levels, which is what we are doing now.
Is this what taxpayers and employers want? More people on welfare programs? People with impairments like myself on the dole when I am perfectly willing to work but not getting the fair shake? Maybe I have more of a conscience then other people but I don't see anything good about having to live off taxpayer funds for the rest of my life. I'm not getting the fair shake though. I've done everything possible to get a simple JOB and not one has hired me yet. I can't take it year after year. I don't know what's going on. People in positions of power and authority and even the average joe schmoe have went dog eat dog. We all encourage each other that wanting to work is a bad thing and living off others is a good thing. We put each other in these situations. Time to get the game rolling again but the people with the keys aren't budging.
The very people who critic the welfare system 24/7 are the ones who are perpetuating it by not hiring folks like myself. My sorry excuse of a life slips away every day and I have no social life or people to talk to. Plenty of people on the internet who find it more amusing to attack me instead of offering to help. Well next time you complain about too many people being on disability remember the ones who want to work.
Very few people in this country understand my situation and it feels very bad.
I think you need some professional counseling for depression.
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