Disabled Child: You can do it! Adult: You can't do anything!

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Oh, and it is true that the couple's getting the most help are the ones with children, obviously, but mental health tells me not to have children, but women with similar dx who have children are doing a lot better. I've been told I should have children for the help it brings!

I spent about 10 years on SSI & did finally find work I could do that pays better than minimum wage. It's not enough to get rich on but we do own a mobile home & a 2014 car that I'm still paying on.

Totally agree, as a support worker for the last 7 years I have come into contact with a lot of these people, at all different levels of the professional hierarchy. Makes me sick.

I think people tend to see so much hope and possibility in children, then when you're an adult they think it's too late for you. Children and youths and being young and youthful are worshipped. It's so overrated if you ask me. So many people think the older you get the crappier life gets (maybe it does for many people but it doesn't have to be that way). Anyway don't let other people's misguided opinions decide what you can and can't do.

I wish more people had this advice.

You can work and get any income for i think it is 8 months and still get SSI. Then you can work and get full SSI benefits if you get less then around 1,000 in earnable income. So try gradually getting up to that level. Since you're having trouble getting a full time job get some small part time jobs. They might not seem like much but you can ad them to your resume and have better future job prospects.
Also it sounds like you and your husband have money issues I hope you are informed about food stamps and the lifeline program they aren't big but can save you a little money.

My husband uses the lifeline program, you can only have 1 phone, so I pay 35 a month for a smartphone because I use it like a computer, right now I am using it. We get quite a bit in food stamps, if we didn't we would be in huge trouble.

Don't ever work at goodwill, they take advantage sooo much.

(Pardon me. CAPTCHA problems, again.)

It doesn't mean they're making an assumption about your intelligence.

Maybe, something more pragmatic is happening, such as, they have a job to do. Their options are limited. They are using whatever is at their disposal, for anyone who asks.

I think NT's have applied for the job at the zoo (which was reserved for special-needs people) and wondered why they couldn't get that work.

I am wondering, in terms of seeking help, who is empowered to do what.

Who is physically capable of giving you what you want.

As for what they think of me, you and other people...

I feel that you're dealing with doorkeepers and not stakeholders, if that makes sense.

I think you should go for your dreams. Do what's right for you and not what people tell you to do.

I was told by my caseworker someone from Goodwill was going to find me a job in the community.

My caseworker told me they place people into "lawn care, fast food and factories" ugh, perfect places for someone with a Bachelor's!

Angnix, it seems to me you can't afford to be that picky. I have more than a bachelors, I have a masters, and yet I'm working in customer service which requires "a high school diploma." I think of my job as "a job, not a career."

Once you have established a track record of employment, you can look for ways to put your degree to use. But for the time being, I would take anything you can get, except those jobs that don't even pay minimum wage. You may also just choose a part-time job, so you don't jeopardize your benefits too much.

It might also help you to stop demonizing the people who are supposed to be helping you. At worst, they are useless. It's not like they have a grand scheme to make you miserable. At best, you might get some value out of the program.

I believe your self-worth is fragile right now, so you feel if you have a job beneath your education, it will mean you are a nobody, a failure. That attitude is understandable, and yet self-defeating. Try thinking of it as "a job, not a career," until you are situated to move to a more appropriate opening.

It's like anything - rescuing and rehousing cute little puppies may be great, but saving abused or old dogs who may have complex health needs or behaviour problems just isn't glamorous anymore.
There is also a lot of acclaim in helping disabled kids. People will think you a saint for doing that. But adults with disabilities are just depressing or disgusting to most people, who think they should have "got over" this already. There may also be a bit of fear there, like that saying, "there but for the grace of god go I." In other circumstances this could have been them and they don't want to think about it.
Maybe they just don't understand - I just had someone from the employment services tell me that because I cannot do jobs that stipulate "fast paced work environment," I also could not deal with violent people. Which I can.

Why not? You may start and learn you love lawn work. Just because it' basic doesn't automatically follow that it's going to be awful. Is there any truth in their accusations that you are unwilling to take on humble jobs? I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that position if such be the case, but it may be helpful to keep this in mind, and perhaps sacrifice pay for the sake of getting your proverbial foot in the door of more prestigious jobs - doing unpaid internship work in the field of our degree for example.
I agree with BeaArthur - taking on something basic just temporarily to build up our work history may be best.
However, there is a difference in my opinion between taking on jobs that may not be ideal but that you can do just to get yourself out there, and in taking on jobs that are unsuitable for you just because they were there. As said, I have has to start saying I cannot do "fast paced environment" jobs because I know it won't work out for me and I'm honest about that upfront. I will fall behind, get lost, get stressed and flustered which will make my verbal skills suffer, others will become hostile toward me because they can do it and I can't, etc. I won't be able to sustain this. If your autism impacts on what jobs you can do, I advocate respecting that and yourself.
Then again, I did speak up about this and was advised by the employment services to lie to the employer anyway. Some people just don't understand.

Ohh ... most people will not hire you if they know you worked at goodwill. Its a reference and all and thats good but everyone knows GW mostly takes people with special needs. To most jobs taking a disabled person is a liability, so I don't even think they would take the person who's trying to get you a job seriously.

I work for myself. I have a master's degree in acupuncture. You have a degree in accounting. You could totally take on a few private clients. Small business people need affordable accounting help. Sometimes middle class families could use help, too. Or you could look at working with the elderly and other disabled people. You wouldn't be able to charge them a lot, but you could get something out of it - build you confidence, make some trades for something you would like. I pay someone like you to do some work with my books. You could even look for part-time home-based work in book keeping from a larger business that would take you on as an independent contractor. That way, it won't matter where you work. You can work from anywhere. If you would like some advice on starting your own business, I'd be happy to lend it. There are organizations that specifically help women with low incomes start businesses that have classes in marketing and stuff. But you can start small and grow as you are ready. You can even get most people to pay you cash. Doing so has...benefits.

Its also true that disability programs have a component where they will pay you to go back to school. Its a federal thing, so I think you should be able to access this in Maryland. This might be a good time to think about doing that.

Medical transcription is another area where you might find success. You work from home. You get paid per assignment completed and you can take as much or as little work as you can handle.

I already know I can't do fast food because I have tried it. I have had internships and jobs in zoology, but there is a gap that is hard to explain.

I feel like I'm setting myself up for a let down, because I fell in love with a potential job so much... I can't even bring myself to apply to other jobs because of that one.