The inability to find a woman to have a permanent relationship with is what
bothers me the most. Beyond a friendship level, People don't seem to care
how moral and good a person you are. If you don't have an income, you're
nobody. If you haven't somehow acquired work experience nobody wants to give
you a chance to obtain, you're worthless. My BA degree in English taught me
how to handle a work load, manage my time, and think critically. However,
economically speaking, it hasn't done me a bit of good. Now that I've
finally gotten into affordable housing, I feel like I'd be an idiot to do
anything which might screw that up even if I felt I actually had a chance in
hell of getting hired. Socially, I still have some faint hope of success but
that could very well just be youthful optimism. There are people who can
look past a white cane and lack of employment out there. Finding them is
rare though.
Michael Feir
Author of Personal Power:
How Accessible Computers Can Enhance Personal Life For Blind People
2006-2008
www.blind-planet.com/content/personal-power
A Life of Word and Sound
2003-2007
http://www.blind-planet.com/content/life-word-and-sound
Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine
1996-2004
Check out my blog at:
www.michaelfeir.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cindy S-C" <cin...@yahoo.ca>
To: "ODSP Fireside" <odspfi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 11:47 AM
Subject: [odspfireside: 29090 ] Re: Meeting people "so what do you do for a
living?"
>
>
some times (for some people, what their condition is, they may understand).
Everone on this list has their reason and I'm not to judge. We all
need it in one way or another.
such as, I'm luck to have survived a (fill in your answer). Or else
I wouldn't be here today....
It left me with.... ,but I'm breathing am I now....aren't
I.... That's an extent, but it doesn't take an operation to get on ODSP.
But then there are some people out their with no life that would be
down right rude and say something negative about it like..... I'll
let you fill it in.
No one is perfect.
Think of it like OHIP. It's a public government service for those
with disabilities and such.
If you were accepted, why would you need to feel guilty or such?
Don't live with self pity or anything like that.
You don't need to say you are on ODSP. Just say you are on a pension
due to injuries or what ever it is you are on ODSP for.
I have found when you tell people you are out-right on ODSP, you get labelled.
Telling them you are on a pension, who's not to say you are on WSIB
or what ever they call it, from an injury.
Unless they are your friend, that's when you can open the door and
tell them you are on ODSP.
At 12:22 PM 6/8/2010, you wrote:
> Hi, it used to bother me But now I just tell everyone who asks that
> "I'm retired on a small government pension"
VERY small.
I'm 42 but I have started to refer to myself as "retired" although I'll take
paid work if someone were to hire me.
> It left me with.... ,but I'm breathing am I now....aren't I.... That's an
> extent, but it doesn't take an operation to get on ODSP.
>
> But then there are some people out their with no life that would be down
> right rude and say something negative about it like..... I'll let you
> fill it in.
>
> No one is perfect.
Then again, I've had dozens of operations. Practically all are hidden by my
shirt or hair so still I've had the attitude of "well you LOOK normal.
What's the matter with you?"
True the closest I've had to an out of body experience is a severe case of
vertigo, but but I've had my share of genuine near-death experiences and
until one of those hot shots can say the same --- they can bite their
tongue.
Sometimes the less you tell someone, the better.
Some body might think you wasted $ and don't know how to live.
>--
Melanie
> Does this cause anxiety for the rest
> of you?
<SNIP>
Hi,
No, it doesn't. If someone asks, "What do you do for a living?" I say, I don't, I'm on a disability pension, I'm not afraid to say it, it's a fact of life. I'm disabled, the fact that I'm not in a wheelchair notwithstanding. You don't have to be in a wheelchair to be disabled. I present myself straight up, if people can't accept that, then I'm sorry. I will not pretend just to make someone happy. That's who I am, take it or leave it.
Bonnie
> eegads! I just had this happen at a
> BBQ! I have the same anxiety over
> this as you do! And it's particularly difficult in a
> government town
> where most are educated and moneyed.
<SNIP>
Hi Nathalie,
I'd like to add something to my previous reply to this question. I also say that between my activism, my rehearsals and gigs with the samba band I'm in, my work with my party, my writing, and, now with my coalition, I don't have time for a job, I'm too busy to work at a regular job. I am working, I'm just not getting paid for it.
Bonnie
Annie,
You wrote a very good post, and it showed on the
moderation screen, I wish it would appear on the
list for others to read, as I did want to reply to it.
SOME of your messages were showing ...
Annie,
You wrote a very good post, and it showed on the
moderation screen, I wish it would appear on the
list for others to read,
Angela
A Life of Word and Sound
2003-2007
http://www.blind-planet.com/content/life-word-and-sound
Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine
1996-2004
Check out my blog at:
www.michaelfeir.blogspot.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andreas Novotny" <a.no...@gmail.com>
To: <odspfi...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: [odspfireside: 29149 ] Re: Meeting people "so what do you do
for a living?"
> I've always said someone who is well off (however they define it for
> themselves) can't understand poverty until they've been poor twice. The
> first time they may not get it because they may have only hit a bad patch
> that they were able to move beyond when they got their next job. At that
> point they're left thinking that anyone can get themselves out of poverty
> if they tried hard enough (like themselves.) The second time they're poor
> (or less well off) is when they finally understand it isn't what they have
> or have not done as an individual but what society has or has not done.
>
> Andreas
>
>
> At 2:47 AM -0400 6/10/10, Annie posted:
I recently found out that the CNIB won't help you unless you have
less than 20% vision in BOTH eyes.
I looked into getting a transit bus pass card from the CNIB because
one of many issues of mine is vision loss caused by only one of the
reasons I am on ODSP. Something else medically caused my optic nerve
to be cut in surgery, which was known to happen ahead of time before
my operation, that kept me alive, which I have the right to keep to
myself. There was no mal practice or anything... It was necessary to
do what had to be done... Hey, I'm living... !!!
Just think positive and don't live with self pity and you will feel a
lot more healthier, mentally.....
If you can manage to volunteer, it used to be two hours a month, you
get a metropass, but things keep changing. I am pretty sure you still
can get one if it's two hours still, that I am not sure.
I didn't know metamucil was covered by my basic ODSP drug card until
two days ago when my pharmacist told me, I'm never sure what is going
on, don't people with disabilities already have enough to deal with
without trying to figure it all out? It's sad. It's barely enough
money to live on to begin with. It's not like we wanted to be
disabled and unable to work, or work regularly.
Best Wishes to all
It seems that where i live in Niagara, our city is in mental Welfare
mode and has no entrepreneurial-ism or initiative to do anything....
There were some other places, but it was something like, yeah, you
can volunteer. Just stand there and say hello as everyone passes.
It makes being a 'fresh-air inspector' look good. You don't get the
ugly looks as they pass you.
And you're thinking... what is a 'fresh air inspector'? It's
someone that has all the time in the world to walk around town doing
nothing, without a job, though I work in the wee hours, and have the
days off to do anything, which porably give the impression I don't
have a job.
I thought it would be great to maybe push food carts from the kitchen
to the wards in a hospital, but noooooo.... you're taking away
someone else's job who gets PAID for that within their own job....
I, years ago used to wish I had a visable disability, as a young
adult, I just felt that people wouldn't call me lazy if they could see
something.
Michael Feir
Author of Personal Power:
How Accessible Computers Can Enhance Personal Life For Blind People
2006-2008
www.blind-planet.com/content/personal-power
A Life of Word and Sound
2003-2007
http://www.blind-planet.com/content/life-word-and-sound
Creator and former editor of Audyssey Magazine
1996-2004
Check out my blog at:
www.michaelfeir.blogspot.com
On Jun 9, 2:51 am, Fibrofog <sari_g...@rogers.com> wrote:
> This is a great topic! You know it sounds really strange but up until
> recently I never thought about the labels or what people might think
> when I say disability. I am just such an open person that even being
> out on a job (henna business) I've been open with clients. Now I am
> starting to rethink that, I will say that I am lucky in that I have my
> business so I can fall back on that but I think the answer of
> "pension" is another one I am going to use. I guess I just don't get
> why people are so judgemental of those of us on ODSP when one wrong
> move and they could be on it too. Money is just temporary our hearts
> and souls are what lasts, but nowadays people are blind to what is
> really important. I would also say not to feel guilt about our
> positions in life but I'd be a hypocrite because I feel guilty about
> it all the time.
--
We really need to laugh more no matter what our situation ...
and it doesn't cost anything
Nothing can be deducted from that...lol
ma
>