disability?

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Hang in there and don't feel bad about asking the almighty, freaking disability question. For some, like myself, it's very real.

Yeah thats true. I have some connections as well and when the time comes hopefully it will help

I don't know what's going on with you Shawn but if you have a job it means you can get a job and keep a job. I am not on any kind of SSDI but I have heard about it from other people who are on it and you are far better off just working than going through all that hassle and plus it pays very little anyway. Just do your best and toughen up you will appreciate it in the long run. From what people tell me you need a lawyer to get SSDI and an extensive medical verification (history of medical issues) and since you already have a job now that doesn't work in your favor.

I'm on disability, and my official diagnosis is Aspergers. (Personally I would have gone with HFA.) But it's not supposed to make any difference. The label (AS, HFA, PDD-NOS) isn't supposed to have anything to do with severity - you can be severely disabled with any of those labels. But bureaucracies don't always get that, do they?

I guess you must be in the US, since you haven't said otherwise, so I can't tell you anything about US and disability.

I have written a book while on disability, and right now it's been in a slush pile for over a year. It will sell, and it will do well (sometimes you just know), but fame and fortune do not happen overnight, so I'm going through some tough times along the way.

From what I have seen the more severe the disability the better able the individual copes with being on SSDI. I knew a few people in a grey area, disabled somewhat, enough to get a lawyer to convince a judge and SSA they qualified for disability. They were not physically disabled just psychologically so and they were sooooo unhappy and miserable on SSDI never having enough money to do what they wanted to, running out of money way before the end of the month, isolated, not enough social contact to maintain emotional balance. SSDI can make people even more depressed, depending on the person and what they are experiencing.
In my opinion, there are too few understanding people and waaaaaaay too few jobs for individuals in this grey area. I think I am in the grey area too but I am not disabled enough to qualify for SSDI. Also, I have problems getting and keeping jobs. There aren't enough opportunities for people like me:( I wish this would change.

I don't qualify for SSDI either but I don't care. I want to be independent.

I'm on disability. I've got lots of sensory stuff that stops me doing most entry level jobs... I've tried repeatedly only to be too stressed out to eat dinner after getting home, or having public meltdowns, or being too disorganized to start or end work at the right time, or just plain being fired by a prejudiced boss... needless to say the jobs didn't last long, all 8 of them... so I'm going to college so I can find a job away from noise, smells, and craziness. They are making me jump through a lot of hoops to get through college, though, they still haven't helped me and I've had to take out lots of loans... by my calculations I will be repaying the loans until I am about 140 years old. Thankfully loans don't pass to one's children. If they do help me get through college (this would be the BVR, which is supposed to train people with disabilities to get jobs), may only have to pay them back until I'm 80. Heh. I do know I have to be financially secure and independent within about 15 years, because my mom is deathly scared of going to an institution when she gets older. She is Aspie too and has worked at nursing homes, so she knows what she's talking about.

Well... where's the alternative? I could stop trying to get through college, tell the loan companies that I am "permanently and totally disabled", and live my life without using the talents I have. That's a ridiculous thought to me. I don't like the idea of living off people's tax money if I don't have to, and if I can get through college, I probably won't have to. And how are you supposed to keep your mom out of a nursing home she's terrified of, if you can't stay off disability payments yourself? It's a matter of reaching my potential, taking care of my family... I can't imagine just sitting around; I might take longer to take care of myself, but it never takes up all or even most of my time. I'd probably find things to do to occupy myself; but they'd be less than I could do, and I'd feel like I was cheating myself, and maybe cheating the other people who I could help if I got that degree and actually got a job designing adaptive technology...

My closest friend pays nearly $40,000 dollars a year to the government for taxes. Aside from this, given what the government does with "other peoples' tax money", I don't feel super bad being as I only get a small fraction of this amount. My day will come anyway when the government takes a rediculous cut from my income as well, so whatever! It will all be paid back in a matter of a few years so they can take it to manipulate, bomb and dominate other countries rather than ever do any real good anywhere, including here at home. The politicians alone eat up the peoples' tax money to an astounding rate, and if that isn't a misuse of government funds I don't know what it.

My mom has tried to get me on disability but it was denied. It can sometimes take years to finally get disability.