The world of my disability can be a frustrating one. Not for the usual items of wheelchair access, etc. That is the norm, and expected (really).
Instead, it is the oddities of income vs. benefits. I receive SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). You can make only a certain amount of money after my (part-time) minus approved impairment related work expenses (IWRE). I won’t state the amounts, but both are pretty low. So I currently work 18 hours per week, which in base income is higher than allowed but with allowable commuting expenses, prescriptions, wheelchair repairs and so on.
Yet as I contemplate a change in sources of income, I have the conundrum many others have: do I limit my horizons and live on less or dream big.
If my current job ended today, to meet the total compensation (work + SSDI) I currently enjoy (?), I really only need to earn a modest amount. The small sum makes the idea of a move more appealing. Yet, could I use the abilities I have to expand into larger sums that may be possible and forego the SSDI completely?
How much is too much – or not enough? Disabilities force one to dance differently. I should be able to work for myself if a little bit is what I need at a minimum. But to think and dream big requires me to start smaller and work up from there. Right?
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