I saw my pdoc today. I told her about my failed attempts at employment. She told me when I’m ready to try again, I can use the county mental health’s (where I get all my psych services and see her) supported employment services.
She said it’s way easier to find understanding employees and help that way. I’m considering it.
The downfall is it’s federally legal to pay disabled people as low as 50% of minimum wage because they may not be able to do the work the same as non-disabled people. Crazy, right?!
I’m nervous I would only get offers below minimum wage that way. I’m also nervous about my employer knowing my disability and telling coworkers etc
I tried a TEP it stands for transitional employment placement, it didn’t last long, i tried twice but i got really stressed/anxious it was cleaning offices. very short hours.
If that was me I would still work for less pay. Because it would still give me something to do……and the money would add up over time. Having something to do is good for your mental health. If your boss tells your co workers, then if you don’t have a relationship with them then it won’t bother you. Even if your co workers tell other people it won’t matter because they don’t know you.
I can’t work unless I cut my risperidone dose in half or less. When I used to work I felt those disability employments a scam, I left them and ended up getting a job on my own on Indeed
I was thinking why work if you’re getting half of minimum wage? Minimum wage itself doesn’t really help.
My son will be making $10.10 an hour when he starts working and my daughter is making $11 an hour. However, this is their first job and the goal I set for them was to be able to pay for gas now that they’re driving.
You would be trying to support yourself with your income. That’s a big difference.
I hope you end up with a job that pays enough to make a difference for your family.
Yea that’s so stupid idk why they’d allow less than minimum wage. The government should just give companies who are equal opportunity employers or employ disabled workers tax breaks.
It’s against the law to not hire someone just because they have a disability as long as they’re able to do it. Yet companies do it all the time though they’d never admit it or cite it being a reason.
Government needs to level the playing field. Half minimum wage?
Most companies are kind enough to pay the full minimum wage. It’s just that some don’t. I think that’s wrong but life isn’t fair.
Jake, yes, I think working could give me a sense of purpose. I’m just concerned about not being properly rewarded for my hard work via fair pay.
What I like is that they’ll understand I might learn slow or not think clearly. My new meds make thinking feel like I’m trying to walk while waist high in mud.
I have considered volunteering but my husband prefers if I’m spending gas money, that I be earning money to cover it and any other costs.
I checked for from home volunteer positions but didn’t find any ones I thought I could do. The ones I felt confident about were only for veterans and I’m not a veteran
Maybe it’s different in your country, but in my country such employment is indeed not payed regularly, but then employers also do not expect the same of you as they do of their regular employees either. I had one such placement some years ago. They basically let me do what I wanted, decide my own hours more or less, not put any deadlines or other expectations on me. If that’s the employer’s expectations, and you share those, then I suppose there’s something to say for that: expect less value pay less value. Coming from unmeployment it’s still a good position to transition into regular work with regular payment, it’s something to add to your resume. And in my country these kind of positions are typically in the big corporations trying to score some corporate social responsibility credits. You may feel too good to be pitied in that way, but it can benefit your resume. If you’re on benefits that may complicate things I suppose.
I went through supported employmet. The pay was just the same as what I got in unemployment benefit at the time. I don’t think that’s exploitive though. I had received benefits for 4 years. In my mind it was pleasing for me to be able to give something back.
The workplace didn’t really require much of me. It was almost like I was totally redundant in the start, which was good because I had a hard time working because of the AP side effects and out of shape from doing nothing for 4 years.
The workprogramme allowed me to gradually obtain valuable work experience and getting confident in dealing with people in a work setting.
I’m volunteering for a local cat rescue society. I help them manage their social media and update their Website. I also take better pictures of their cats to make them more adoptable. The social media and Web site updating you can do from home for perhaps a local charity?
