For many people, dealing with the inability to work due to a disability is a crushing blow to their confidence. For better or worse one of the primary things people identify with is their careers. Just look at how a typical conversation goes at a cocktail party: introductions, pleasantries and then usually the question, “So, what do you do?”
For a person who is unable to work and is instead receiving Social Security Disability benefits, this question could be off putting. Fair or not, many people who receive SSD benefits, quite frankly, may feel worthless. Of course, this is anything but true, because someone who receives SSD benefits is entitled to those benefits by virtue of their participation in the workforce.
Still, problems remain. However, the good news is that, according to a recent report, more and more disabled people are finding careers that can accommodate their disability – even the most severe of disabilities. The report indicated that 27 percent of individuals who are of working age and suffering from a severe disability are participating in the workforce.
We should applaud those individuals who have the ability and the drive to find a way to overcome their disabilities and remain in the workforce. However, this is simply not possible for millions of Americans. Some of the individuals who receive SSD benefits in America are suffering from disabilities that are so severe that they aren’t expected to live much more than a year. Each individual situation is different, so while we can be happy for those who are able to work despite a disability, we should also be mindful of what those who can’t are going through.
Source: santafenewmexican.com, “Number of disabled workers increase, despite discrimination,” Andy Winnegar, Oct. 5, 2014