One of the most frustrating things in life is to discover that you are not only trying to earn money, but living and working with a disability. I did alright in college and assumed that I would have no problem in the workforce. As someone with a neurological disability, I looked and acted like most people. I had strong intellectual abilities. What I didn’t know about was how competitive the marketplace would be when I entered the workforce. I didn’t think of my epilepsy as a disability because most of the time, I had the medication keeping the seizures at bay. Boy, was I in for a big surprise when I got fired from my first job, and then my second and third. Yikes!
When you are diagnosed with a disability, it is very important to understand your strengths and weaknesses. It is also important to know how your performance compares with your peers and where you can improve. Working with a disability can be very difficult if you have a neurological condition. Employers may not know how to accommodate your disability especially if you don’t even know how to accommodate for your disability.
Often making accommodations for employees with disabilities is not profitable to employers. When they have a high amount of applicants for jobs, they will often chose the employee without a disability, which leaves those with a disability often unemployed. But there are many ways to earn money with a disability. You just need to get a bit more creative. You need to become more in tune with your talents and abilities. Once you identify what you are good at, you can start looking for work. Unfortunately for me, I thought I was good at things that I actually wasn’t! It wasn’t until I had a neuropsychological evaluation that I realized why I was struggling so much with my career.
One of the things that I excelled at in school was writing. Not only did I enjoy writing, but I crafted complete sentences with ease that made sense to other people. This apparently is a skill that not everyone possesses! However, I started with jobs that were entry level that also required a lot of phone work. Taking down information over the phone proved to be more challenging for me that I ever imagined. As it turns out, on my neuropsych evaluation, they discovered an auditory processing disorder. I was missing key information as I would process written information slower. My phone communication was poor.
I tried my hand at several telesales positions because they were jobs that I could flexibly do from home. There are a plethora of telesales positions that you can excel at if you have a disability and need the flexibility of working from home. All you have to do is check out the classified advertisements. Craigslist has a lot of them.
When you work with a disability, it is important to understand how your disability is impacting your work and your performance. Some people have migranes that wipe them out for hours or days at a time. They can typically function normally on other days, but may need a more flexible schedule. Some disabilities require work station adjustments. These can be very costly to an employer, so be mindful that and make the modifications that you can on your own. For example, raising the height of the screen can help people who have neck and back strain. Simply improving your posture can improve your ability to think. For individuals in wheelchairs, it is appropriate to ask that your workspace be wheelchair accesible.
Sometimes, it is worthwhile for people with disabilities to learn to earn an income from their home, so when the symptoms of their disability flair up and prevent a normal 9-5 day, they still are capable of earning money. This is where freelance work, affiliate marketing and online jobs are so very helpful. As I mentioned earlier, I tried a few online jobs where I called people. It wasn’t for me, but I do know some people who have excelled at it.
I have discovered that writing and affiliate marketing are my best combination for earning income online. It matches my creative spirit and provides me with the opportunity to earn money. I have written and published books on Amazon and learned Search Engine Optimization. A great way for people who are working with a disability to get started with affiliate marketing is to join wealthy affiliate and go through their step by step course. Writing about a topic you love and sharing your website with other people can earn you a nice income! Wealthy Affiliate has a starter membership that is free and allows you to upgrade if you decide affiliate marketing is right for you!
Freelance work is also plentiful online if you know where to look. Fiverr and upwork are two freelance sites that I have used to hire people for online jobs and to get some freelance writing jobs.
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