How do I gain more independence?

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I'm 20 and I do not have a job and I do not go to school. I feel really behind other people my age. I also have no friends.

My siblings are more independent than I am. My younger brother has a job and my younger sister had one. I feel like I'm lazy.

I want a job one day. I just do not know if I would do well in a job interview. I have processing issues. I also have learning disabilities which means I learn differently and it takes me a while to learn things. I had some issues at a summer job because of my learning disabilities.

I also have Schizophrenia. I want to manage my own medications and appointments but it just feels too overwhelming. My parents call the pharmacy for me and help me with my appointments. I really do not like talking to people. I feel like people do not like me. People think I'm weird. I have been told that I am "crazy" and a "spaz" by people.

I also feel embarrassed because I find it really hard to order food at restaurants. People I am with usually order for me. Also I sometimes go to the liquor store and I ask other people to buy me stuff so that I can avoid feeling criticized or awkward.

You can either find ways to get things done without dealing directly with people, or practice until you can deal with them. Whatever people do for you now, learn to do for yourself. Your problem may be that it is quicker to do something for you than to teach you to do it, so you have not yet learned how to learn.

First of all. At least in the US, and I assume Canada is similar, mainstream culture views your value as a person as equal to your economic worth. This is not true. We're all human and you're not lesser because you are unemployed. Also, one thing my therapist taught me to stop doing is comparing myself with others. You can never be someone else, but you can be a better you than you were yesterday. All that said, getting a job is obviously a way to make money, and you need money to get by.

The way I get through interviews, and any other work related social situation, is to treat it like a game with a set of rules. Interviewers generally want a certain attitude and are looking for certain answers. Fake a smile, be direct, be polite. Read over the company's job posting and look for what they want, try and pick out specific keywords or phrases. These will help both in sending resumes and the interview. Relate things back to the company's mission statement etc. It's all gibberish, but employers want to hear you say it and you have to play the game. Don't think of it as a true social situation, it is a game, set your goals, learn the rules and tricks so you can win (get the job.) And hey, if you haven't worked before, the jobs that you are applying for will likely be entry level, minimum wage jobs, like the ones I do. There are plenty of these jobs out there, don't stress about any one interview or application.

Frankly, the whole thing about treating job interviews as a game is useful in life period. I get the sense that my social issues aren't as bad as yours, but I had a period where I couldn't look at anyone in the eye and would sweat nervously just going to the store. I felt like everyone was watching and judging me. Again, I learned to make social interactions impersonal. If you observe them, they all have rules and a certain flow. I made it a game, figuring out how to do the best performance. Even now I follow a kind of internal script when I talk to people. This is masking and takes work, but you can drop the mask around people as you get to know them. And remember, the world is a big place. If you're talking to the cashier at the 7/11, he sees hundreds of customers, he will not remember or care about you, so don't worry about what they think of you.

Do you know what things you do best at? To find the right work for you, you can take skills tests online or at an employment agency, or perhaps you can get tested through an agency or social worker referrals if you are working with those.
If not, perhaps contacting any work support groups ( most states in the united states have employment departments of one way or another to help folks find work).
After you know your best skills, you can take lessons, become an apprentice or get a mentor, or you might get another sort of advisor to point out skills you would need. Sometimes people can work from home creating things or providing services to others, too. Knowing your best strengths and weaknesses will help you decide what needs more work.
I have retired after a life of hard work for over 50 years. I often had 2 or 3 part time jobs. I learned what I could do and where there was a demand, and it worked out.

If you need skills to live on your own, you can try to learn those too. I was missing a lot of skills when I moved out on my own.
I wished I knew how to make a budget and balance a checkbook. I wished I knew how to plan simple cheap meals and to shop at the grocery, I wished somebody had taught me how to take care of my house (lights, fuses, plumbing, heating, etc) and what to do when problems came up. I wished I had learned how to use trains and bus transport. And so on. All things I was not even aware I needed until I moved out on my own (over 50 years ago).

One little step at a time, build on the things you know now and add to your skills.
It is a normal part of living. Best wishes.

I used to have similiar problems, but now I somewhat have a hang of them due to practice... my mom used to handle my meds and doctor's appointments, but then I turned 18 and it wasn't legally possible for her to take care of them since I was an adult; here only adults who are officially considered too sick or disabled to handle those things can have someone else handle them, so I kind of had to learn. What helps is handling things online and going through in my head exactly what do I want to say before I make a call.
I used to be very nervous about ordering in a restaurant, including fast food ones, and still am if I'm not familiar with the place/chain and it's menu. One thing that really helps me is checking a restaurant's menu beforehand online and confirming that they actually have something I can eat since I have bad sensory issues. That's another thing that makes me anxious about going to new restaurants; not all of them have a menu online, so I can't always know for sure if they even have anything I want to order.

Do you have unpaid job training programs in Canada? That's how I started out before I had any work experience, plus in both of my actual jobs that I get paid for, I was an unpaid trainee at first. That way I already knew the basics when I started getting money for what I did, so I wasn't as nervous. Maybe you could look in to that kind of stuff too?

"How can I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, baby, practice!"

Your first efforts will be less than ideal, and might be scorned, but that's a normal stage, just being gone through later. Maybe you will have to invent your own ways to get things to happen. Keep exploring to find out what you can do, and trade that for help with what you can't.

Are there any VR or DD offices in your area?

If yes, make an appointment.

There are numerous areas of life in which one could be more independent. For instance, managing your meds, holding a job, developing a social life, handling money. I recommend you focus on one area at a time, until you master it. Maybe it makes sense to have your parents handle your medications and doctor appointments but meanwhile you work a part-time job at an unskilled level, until you master things like being on time every time and not giving back-talk to your employer. (I don't know you so I don't know if these would be problems for you; if not, don't be offended by my mentioning them.)

Then once you have mastered an area, you can move on to the next area. Good luck!