Ward Stories

Ward Stories

Organized by Dan Frey, Editor in Chief

Four poets are featured in this Summer 2017 edition of Ward Stories: Ayesha, J. Alfreda, Craig Bayer, and Cecil Williams. Themes of love and renewal abound in these selections that I felt were fitting for the spring and summer seasons. Enjoy!

The Truth a Poem

By Ayesha

I used to feel broken inside.

I believed I’d never heal or get better.

I believed I’d be broken forever.

You see I’m better but that does not mean I am “cured” of schizophrenia.

It means I’m on the potter’s wheel.

All human beings have flaws and shortcomings but some see themselves as masterpieces even royalty.

I’m working “on me” in therapy and by registering to take WRAP again but mental illness unfortunately has no cure and is lifelong.

Any psychiatrist or psychologist would say ‘tis true.

So I am going to keep moving forward and just keep working “on me”.

I’m not perfect, I know that, but I love the person I am and was created to be.

Almighty God created me and when he was finished he said “that was good.”

I’m not average. I’m extra-ordinary. I’m eccentric. I’m crazysexycool.

I have become a person that other people acknowledge and seem to like.

That’s good enough for Me.

I wouldn’t want to be super-skinny or want to become another woman who is beautiful by societal standards.

I just want to be myself.

I have three motorcycle jackets that I wear with my motorcycle hat sometimes and I feel powerful whenever I wear it.

I feel like I am a biker chick even if I am a Sunday School Teacher and a volunteer leading a peer support group.

I love my life and I wouldn’t want to trade places with anyone else who either is more “successful,” more “beautiful,” or whatever.

I see myself as having a good life and I love my SZ life even though it’s not perfect, it’s my life and I am proud of my accomplishments. I’ve come a long way.

I am making a Comeback in my 30s. My 20s were hard and my adolescent years were difficult for me. My 30s so far are amazing! I’ll be 36 years old soon!

Finding Your Way Back to Love

By J. Alfreda

return to forever

is a mind refresh

a quest

becoming one with your Maker

your mind

is Universal property

enhanced it prepares you

for the journey

it will pack your bags

if you let it

the receptacle

is the mind Universal

Love/matter

have you ever seen your brain on Love?

it glows—

like a wave

trying to leave the ocean

you can’t get away from Love

it stalks the soul

and so

it is your essence

you can only be blind to it

like a mother

to her child’s inequities

so a walk to Love

is never a return

but a walk to a mirror

where you like

what you see.

Lovesick
By Craig Bayer
My days have always been painful
But now the pain is intense
I check my emails but you haven’t written
I check my messages-you haven’t called
I visit our hangout, but you aren’t there
Are you avoiding me forever?
Have I struck out again?
I’m not sure, now that I want to see you
Because there may be a negative expression on your lovely face
God, I adore that face
But if you look at me the wrong way, it could crush me
I want to flirt with you
Say or sing that you’re the “Sunshine of My Life”
I want to hold you in my arms
And kiss that face all over
I want to stroke your head
But if you fear or hate me now
All fantasizing and daydreaming becomes terrifyingly meaningless
I’m praying to God
That I haven’t lost you completely
That we can still be friends
That you’ll trust me again
I think I fucked up again, though
I think I may have to move on
And I will move on, if necessary

Pride Parade

By Cecil Williams

My Sunday in June was spent at the blown-in-all-directions Pride Parade

And there was a huge atmosphere of excitement that still does not fade

It appears that everyone was into a rainbow dream and a feeling of pride

No longer were we shallow or unhappy about life, which we call a ride

The future holds dreams and connections to each other that we won't hide

It is a movement similar to Civil Rights and no voter or anyone can be denied

Thank goodness Orlando did not crush the gusto but there were a lot of regrets

Too bad the Massacre brought such vibes of finality we said with cigarettes

And there we were marching and seeing dancers who caused a stir in their dance

And couples wore smiles and offered the waiting universe this brand of romance

Some cried out in joy that legislation about marriage gave us a new chance

And looking around the crowd, such wealth of caring could be taken in a glance

We are the proud and we are fitting together the voices for the fight of the gifted

God shines in sunshine-rays and some of the tribulation has been lifted

Tomorrow, I promise that I will be involved in a less depressing set of rules

For the millions who cheer remind us that we walk the path of different schools

We are united and will dance like hippies, our feet that move to the beat on the street

And I, for one, am enchanted and enraptured what Pride Day brought we could meet

Writing about a future goal will uphold the magic of the body, mind, and soul

And let's be hallelujah-grateful that such a lesbian tale can be told

A Day of Advocacy and Demonstrations

A Day of Advocacy and Demonstrations
By Carla Rabinowitz, Advocacy Coordinator, Community Access, & Board Member, NYAPRS
NYAPRS Legislative Day 2017

February 28, 2017 was probably my favorite NYAPRS Legislative Day ever. New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services is a 35-year-old organization that brings together mental health recipients and recipient-friendly service providers.
Mental health advocacy has come a long way. We are finally getting the respect we deserve.
The folks in attendance heard from Senator Robert Ortt, Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, a representative from Governor Cuomo’s office, and a representative from the Office of Mental Health. We also gave out awards, including an award to Senator Jeffrion Aubry for his work on criminal justice issues.
New York City folks accounted for about 360 of the 700 people in Albany that day.
NYAPRS statewide folks filled a large auditorium called The Egg, which is shaped like an egg.
We not only heard from leaders in New York State government, we heard from NYAPRS’ Executive Director Harvey Rosenthal. Harvey went over the issues he hoped the attendees would talk about that day, including:
Funding to shore-up existing housing; Funding for new supportive housing and affordable housing; Raising the age for adult criminal responsibility to 18 years of age; Ending solitary confinement, the SHU, once and for all; More funding for comprehensive 36-hour police training around mental health called CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training; and Opposition to Forced Treatment.
I was so excited this year because I got an old-style physical banner created, which read “Supportive housing saves lives, sign the MOU.” The MOU, memorandum of understanding, is a simple contract that the leaders of the NYS Senate, Assembly, and Government must all sign together. If they sign the MOU, $1.9 billion in housing funding gets released, creating 6,000 apartments. If they don’t sign the MOU, the money cannot be released for housing providers and new apartments will be much more difficult to build.
I held up the banner with a friend’s help when the elected officials were speaking in the auditorium and shouted, “Sign the MOU!”
I had some NYAPRS helpers hold up the banner when I spoke about housing on stage, and I carried the banner all around the NYS Capitol. I got some thumbs up signs from elected officials’ staffers, and a few snarls from NYS Security officers.
After listening to Harvey talk about the issues and hearing from some officials, some people went to a rally on the Capitol steps outside. Those attendees carried signs they made at home that read with slogans like “Ban the Box,” and, “There is no health care without housing,” etc.
Other attendees went into the Capitol and Legislative Office Building to visit with key elected officials.
I lead a team to visit some elected officials. My group spoke elegantly about all issues, but focused on housing and opposition to forced treatment. My group of attendees blew me away with how well they spoke. They were some of the most impressive advocates I’ve ever had the pleasure to help coordinate.
Now I am getting ready for the NYC Mental Health Film Festival. We are meeting as a group and screening films to see if the films are worth showing at our film fest.
If you want to join us, contact me, Carla Rabinowitz, crabinowitz@communityaccess.org or 212-780-1400 x7726.

Let My People Go! A Call to Action

Let My People Go! A Call to Action
By Suzanne Gruer, Former Resident of an Adult Home
The Warehousing of Our Peers Must End
Almost five years ago, I was fortunate to leave the Garden of Eden adult home in which I resided for close to that long. My move from that adult home to the supported housing apartment in which I now reside was a one-time occurrence. Thousands of adult home residents today are less fortunate. They desperately want out. Yet few residents are escaping.
Current adult home residents are desperate to move for the same reasons I was: unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, theft, rancid food, compulsory program attendance, forced and unnecessary medical procedures, punitive hospitalizations, and suffering of all of the above in coerced silence. The owner of Garden of Eden was known for ordering residents to perform tasks for his benefit. Indeed, he once called me to his office to demand that I throw out the remains of his gourmet meal after he dined. Fearing he would hospitalize me if I refused, I complied.
Shortly thereafter, a social worker from the mental health day treatment program I was coerced to attend, in cahoots with a psychiatrist friend, completed an HRA 2010E application for supported housing on my behalf. In less than two months I moved into my airy, sunlit apartment. One month later the social worker lost her job.
Most residents were not as fortunate as I. They had no way out. Adult home owners conspire with day treatment and mental health providers to portray their residents as victims incapable of caring for themselves in a supported apartment milieu. I entered Garden of Eden ready to work so I could move out and rent my own place. Instead of working, I was forced to attend a day treatment program. I sat in that program for close to five years of my life. I now view those years as five wasted years, time I can never get back. Shortly after I moved I obtained employment, proving that I could have worked long before I moved into my apartment.
Frustration has been mounting over the inhumane warehousing of people with mental illness and other disabling conditions for many years. This frustration led to the 1999 Supreme Court decision, Olmstead v. L.C., in which the Court ruled that under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities are entitled to live in communities of their choosing, rather than in institutions, so they can become integrated, fully participating members of their communities.
In 2003, Disability Rights New York (then Disability Advocates Inc. or DAI), the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the Urban Justice Center’s Mental Health Project, MFY Legal Services, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and pro bono counsel Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the adult home industry’s illegal warehousing of approximately 4,000 individuals with serious mental illness in New York City. In 2009, they prevailed in a five-week federal court trial. In 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated that ruling on the grounds that the class representative, DAI, did not have standing to represent the class. In other words, the Court stated the class needed to be represented by actual residents living in adult homes.
The case was refiled as O'Toole vs. Cuomo. In 2013, a settlement was reached that required New York State to provide a multi-step, five-year process to transfer potentially over 4,000 adults with mental illness to supported apartments from adult homes. 
The first step in this process is “in-reach,” during which housing contractors send representatives into adult homes to ask residents if they want to be assessed. Only about half of the 4,000 class members have expressed a desire to be assessed, largely because of poor “in-reach” and adult home practices that inhibit free discussion, such as lack of privacy to speak with in-reach workers. 
Assessment is the second step. Although there are delays at each step, and the State of New York is performing poorly throughout the process, the most significant and alarming delay is at assessment. Because the State has neglected to enforce its contract with Transitional Services for New York, Inc. (TSI), a backlog of over 800 people waiting for assessment has persisted for more than a year. Of the 2,200 adult home residents who have expressed interest in moving to supported housing, approximately 500 residents have actually moved to community apartments over the past three years. A large part of the delay seems to be due to the insufficient staffing of the evaluation team. TSI employs only four people to conduct evaluations of adult home residents who wish to move into apartments in the community.
Both the assessment of a resident and a resident’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) approval (the third step) expire after twelve months. For some residents, there are issues that are never resolved such as assessment discrepancies resulting in either the assessment or the HRA approval timing out. This forces the resident to re-initiate the transition process after they have been expecting to move for at least a year.
The last steps in the transition process are housing contractor referrals and interviews, apartment viewing, apartment selection, moving to an apartment, and coordinating the appropriate services to help each resident to succeed in the community. These steps are conducted poorly as well, with residents often lacking services when they move.
The multistep process is bad. Yet bad has become worse. Over the past two years, more than 1,000 people with serious mental illness have been newly admitted into the impacted adult homes, contrary to the State’s unenforced regulations prohibiting such admissions. 
In February 2017, a complex legal situation arose when the State colluded with the adult home industry to challenge the regulations for, and ultimately undo, the settlement.
On March 22nd, the Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled (CIAD) spoke out in Albany against all this. This group of residents and allies works to advocate for the 5,000 residents trapped in adult homes. Simultaneously, plaintiffs’ counsel took legal action seeking to uphold the settlement. 
Recently, in the comfort of my supported apartment, on my own couch, I watched a newsflash about NYC schoolchildren being fed rancid school lunches and the ensuing outrage. For years as an adult home resident I had no couch on which to sit and had to eat the rancid food served. Last night I cooked myself fresh chicken soup because I felt like it, all the while wondering: Where is the outrage concerning how adult home residents are made to suffer; about how I was made to suffer? Adult home residents, for the most part, are not viewed as the people we are; rather, adult home owners see us as objects that are mere conduits for profit. Most others don’t see us at all.
Note: To find the best way to get involved, please contact Geoff Lieberman of CIAD, at (212) 481-7572, or glieberman@ciadny.org 

Report Finds Barriers to Justice for Individuals in New York City Courts

Report Finds Barriers to Justice for Individuals in New York City Courts
By Nahid Sorooshyari, Senior Staff Attorney, MFY Legal Services, Inc.
We Examine the ADA Liaison Program
People with disabilities should have equal access to justice. Disability rights laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), require courts to make their programs and services accessible to people with disabilities. The New York Unified Court System (UCS) has a program for helping people with disabilities, called the ADA Liaison program. However, a recent report by MFY Legal Services found that the program needs to be improved.
The ADA requires courts to be accessible to people with physical disabilities. Courts must also make reasonable accommodations to their rules, policies, and procedures so that people with all types of disabilities—including psychiatric and invisible disabilities—can participate in the court’s services, programs, and activities to the same extent as people without disabilities. UCS has assigned at least one “ADA Liaison” to each courthouse. ADA Liaisons are court employees who should know about the ADA and how to work with people with disabilities. People with disabilities can contact their local ADA Liaison to request a reasonable accommodation or get information about their rights and are encouraged to do so before they come to court. The program could be a great help, but it has serious flaws.
Many people who need the program do not even know it exists. UCS is supposed to advertise information about the ADA and the ADA Liaison program. It uses an “Accessibility Information Webpage” to do so, but this webpage is not always highlighted on individual court websites or on other parts of the UCS website. UCS is also supposed to advertise the program in courthouses. UCS has posters to do so, but the posters are poorly designed. For example, they include four symbols—a person in a wheelchair, two hands symbolizing sign-language interpreting, an ear with a bar over it indicating services for the deaf, and a person with a cane. These symbols do not make it clear that people with psychiatric disabilities may also get accommodations.
Someone who finds out about the program faces another problem—reaching an ADA Liaison. UCS’s webpage provides a directory of ADA Liaisons. People are told to use the directory to contact their local ADA Liaison at the listed phone number. In May 2016, MFY tried to confirm the contact information of all forty-nine civil court ADA Liaisons listed for the five boroughs. MFY had a problem contacting the listed ADA Liaison more than 65% of the time. For example, 24% of the names and numbers listed were either for retired or former staff, or someone who stated they were not the ADA Liaison and 18% of the phone numbers simply did not work. Either the number was not in service or the call was sent to voicemail, but the caller could not leave a message. When we could leave a message, 24% of the voicemails were not returned within eight business days.
During the phone survey, MFY spoke to court staff who did not know about the program, or said that there was no ADA Liaison at that court. One person stated that she was given the position, but was never trained. In 2012, MFY requested all training materials provided to ADA Liaisons and documents stating which ADA Liaisons receive training and how often. The Office of Court Administration provided only a two-page pamphlet titled “Communicating with People with Disabilities,” and stated that there were no records about which ADA Liaisons received training or how often.
Probably due to poor training, ADA Liaisons often get the law wrong. For example, an MFY client requested to appear in court by telephone because a medical condition made her incontinent. The ADA Liaison incorrectly said that this was impossible because the client “lived in New York City.”  Also, ADA Liaisons too often suggest guardians ad litem (“GALs”)—people appointed to advocate for those who are unable to advocate for themselves. Though some people with disabilities may need a GAL, most can advocate for themselves with a reasonable accommodation. For example, someone with agoraphobia should be allowed to appear by telephone, not be assigned a GAL.
MFY’s report recommends ways to improve the ADA Liaison program. Since the report’s publication, MFY has met with court officials and community groups to try to implement these solutions and make justice for all a reality. If you would like to read MFY’s report, please visit our website at www.mfy.org. 

City Voices author is interviewed for The Half Hour Intern Podcast

http://www.halfhourintern.com/hobbies/schizophrenic-with-will-jiang 

Our very own William Jiang, MLS erstwhile City Voices author is interviewed for The Half Hour Intern Podcast. 

Will keeps fighting stigma and shining a bright light on some of the figurative dark corners of his mind as well as showing us some of his well-tended gardens of mind. Will started his 17 year campaign of educating people about mental illness and advocacy with City Voices in 2000, under current Editor in Chief and friend Dan Frey, later becoming a Columbia University Medical Library Chief, and now author of 63 books and counting.  

From The Half Hour Intern show description: “Schizophrenia is not a death sentence. I’ve had a long prosperous life in a lot of ways. I’ve gotten a bachelor and masters from competitive programs. I’ve written 63 books. Maybe you have schizophrenia or somebody you love has schizophrenia, but it’s not a death sentence, you can have a normal life."

Being just fine, in perfectly normal health, is such an incredible blessing that we all too frequently take for granted.  It is only when we go through aches and pains, viruses and diseases that we really really consider how lucky we usually are.  Yet, even with aches and pains there is one area of our health that is still taken for granted, and that is our mental health.  Many of us have the fortune of going through our lives and dealing with a little bit of anxiety here, some depression there, but all in all our brains are wired for normal mental health.  Today’s guest, Will Jiang, is not so lucky.  While going to college he suffered a psychotic break that later got him diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.  Will will tell us all about what it is like inside the mind of someone with schizophrenia, and how he was eventually able to to thrive in spite of his condition.

Taller Estratégico para el Desarrollo de Carrera de Pares de Salud Mental

Por Elizabeth Breier, MA, Directora de Administración de los Centros de Bienestar, En conjunto con los Programas de Soporte de Nueva Jersey y Jessica Wolf, Ph.D., Director de Decisión de Soluciones  y Profesor de asistencia Clínica en el Departamento de Psiquiatría de la Universidad de Yale.

Hablando de la décima conferencia anual de la ciudad de Nueva York con compañeros especialistas, el objetivo del taller era aumentar el conocimiento de los especialistas en el progreso de sus carreras. La mitad de los 20 participantes eran certificados como especialistas Pares; los otros colegas que aún no estaban certificados, participaron como supervisores y personal no Pares. Los co-presentadores describen el estado actual de la formación de Pares y la certificación en la ciudad de Nueva York, a nivel del Estado y nación, así como la variedad de funciones y configuraciones en las que los colegas Pares puedan trabajar.

Se describen las acciones individuales y organizacionales específicas que se necesitan para apoyar y promover el desarrollo profesional de pares. Estos incluyen: estrategias proactivas de recursos humanos; Credencial de Certificaciòn Profesional en Rehabilitación Psiquiátrica (CPRP, por sus siglas en inglès); créditos académicos por experiencia vivida; créditos académicos para la formación de Pares; opciones de grado de la comunidad Universitaria; opciones sin crédito para educación continuada; entrenamiento en servicio; y programas de formación tales como RCPe, ZAS (Whole Health Activation Management), el WRAP (Plan de Acción para la Recuperación del Bienestar), IPS (Intenciòn de Soporte entre Pares), Rol de los pares  Veteranos, etc.

También se veían cambios y beneficios de pasar a puestos de no Pares , el impacto en la cultura organizacional del movimiento profesional entre Pares, opciones más altas a nivel profesional y de carrera, y la creación de redes en curso.

Un ejemplo de éxito: Una persona con experiencia que tenía título de licenciatura en un cierto campo (Director Deportivo), obtuvo un certificado de salud mental de 27 créditos de un colegio, se puso a trabajar en un club psicosocial y también un centro de salud mental como Par trabajador. Entonces esta persona estudió para un grado en RSU y se graduó con honores. Después de eso, el nuevo RSU emprendió el número de horas para obtener la licencia como un LCSW (trabajador social clínico con licencia). Esto finalmente condujo a un aumento en la compensación para una serie de empleos como trabajador social.

Otro ejemplo de éxito: Una estudiante con experiencia había tomado algunos cursos en la comunidad universitaria que nunca terminó, aunque obtuvo el certificado de salud mental de 27 créditos. Ella llegó a obtener una licenciatura en trabajo social y ha estado trabajando para una agencia de salud mental desde entonces.

Seguido de un animado intercambio en carreras públicas y privadas; las razones por las que los pares trabajan en el campo; Desafíos para mantener la “igualdad”, mientras adquieren credenciales educativas adicionales y avanzan en una carrera par; entrando en posiciones no iguales; problemas de equidad salarial; evitando “coacción, cooptación, el cumplimiento” y tokenism; el logro de una masa crítica de trabajadores de agencias de pares; y herramientas de divulgación acerca de  los roles de pares y no pares.

Un folleto proporciona información sobre las opciones específicas que los Pares pueden llevar a cabo, así como posibles nuevas credenciales y modificaciones a los planes de estudio que pueden estar disponibles en el futuro.

Las Duras experiencias en el trabajo con problemas mentales

Por Anne Percy

Soy bipolar. Esto parece amenazar a algunas personas. En realidad yo soy una de las personas más amables y  de buen corazón que puedas conocer, alguien que nunca ha hecho daño a nadie. He tenido una variedad de diagnósticos en el pasado, incluyendo TOC, depresión grave y trastorno esquizoafectivo, hasta que fui diagnosticada con  trastorno bipolar I.

He sido tratada con una larga lista de medicamentos psiquiátricos para controlar mis síntomas, algunas con efectos secundarios terribles y otros que han empeorado mis síntomas. Estable con mi medicaciòn actual, la mayoría de las veces, me doy cuenta que no es una cura, ni estoy libre de síntomas. Asisto semanalmente a la terapia de grupo, pero la terapia individual ayudaría más. Desafortunadamente, en este momento, está más allá de mis recursos financieros.

Estoy actualmente desempleada, debido a los efectos del trastorno bipolar. Un asesor de rehabilitación profesional me ha estado ayudando en la búsqueda de un empleo adecuado desde abril de 2013, cuando perdí un trabajo como procesadora de reclamaciones de seguros de salud, que mantuve durante siete meses. Mi despido se debió a la falta de concentración y atención a detalles, dando como resultado demasiados errores financieros. Creo que más alojamientos se podrían haber hecho en mi nombre, ya que solo había completado seis meses de entrenamiento cuando me despidieron.

Antes de ese trabajo, había estado desempleada durante casi dos años después de mi renuncia a un cargo anterior en el que estuve por casi 11 años. ¿La razón? Un ambiente de trabajo hostil creado por los compañeros de trabajo malintencionados. Eran conscientes de que tenía problemas de salud mental, y, en un esfuerzo por hacer que me despidieran, trataron de provocar en mí un colapso mental. A pesar de que no había hecho nada, se convencieron de que yo era un peligro para ellos debido a mi enfermedad mental. Con el tiempo, se convirtió en un ambiente tan tóxico, que mi empleador estuvo dispuesto a intervenir, y yo no tuve más remedio que renunciar por mi voluntad.

Me dijeron que había sido considerada la difamación y el acoso, pero debido a mi enfermedad mental, fui tolerada y aparentemente aceptada. Irónicamente, mi empresa en ese momento era una compañía de seguros de salud que se jactaba de velar por la salud de sus clientes y reclamó para promover la diversidad en el lugar de trabajo. Al parecer, eso no se aplica a los que sufren de enfermedades mentales. Pasaron meses antes de que pudiera dejar esta experiencia atras. Todavía me pregunto qué tipo de ambiente encontrare en un nuevo lugar de trabajo. Hice lo que era mejor mental y emocionalmente para mí , pero a expensas de mis finanzas y  empleo. En términos de encontrar trabajo con los beneficios financieros relacionados con mi oficio del que renuncie, nunca lo he recuperado.

Cuando solicito empleo ahora, me han aconsejado no revelar que tengo una enfermedad mental, lo que explica lo que ocurrió en mis dos últimos difíciles trabajos. Yo preferiría ser honesta y admitir que tengo una enfermedad, con el fin de que cuando los inevitables síntomas aparezcan mo sea una sorpresa para mi empleador y compañeros de trabajo. También sería más fácil pedir alojamiento, siempre y cuando lo necesite, si se conoce mi condición.

Me pone triste pensar que si se tratara de una enfermedad física, no habría ningún problema en admitirlo. Además, me preocupa atravesar las misma situación con los nuevos compañeros de trabajo, si encontrara un nuevo empleo.

En su desesperación, por no haber recibido ningún ingreso o seguro de salud desde abril de 2013, que se aplica para la Seguridad Social por Discapacidad. Mi abogado testificò en audiencia en junio de 2014, pero  no se ha recibido respuesta. La solicitud de discapacidad fue el último recurso. Volvería a trabajar, pero nadie me va a contratar. Incluso a la espera de una audiencia, aun aplico para trabajos, con la esperanza de que alguien estè interesado en mí y mis habilidades.

Yo no era elegible para un subsidio de ayuda para pagar el seguro de salud debido a que no contaba con ingresos, y en el estado en que resido no atiende Medicaid, así que el seguro y los gastos médicos los pago de mi bolsillo. Esto limita mis opciones de cuidado. Afortunadamente, los medicamentos que tomo actualmente no son tan costosos como algunos que utilicé anteriormente, èsto ayuda.

No estoy segura de lo que me depara el futuro. No puedo seguir indefinidamente sin ingresos. No estoy buscando una ganancia financiera, sólo un medio para alcanzar la estabilidad financiera. Además, no hay garantía de que me mantendré estable mentalmente. Ya sé que no estoy en capacidad de ejercer  puestos de trabajo que he realizado en el pasado. De lo que estoy segura  es lo que sería exactamente adecuado para incluso mi  rehabilitación profesional. No me opongo a la educación superior, pero necesitaría asistencia financiera para pagar por ello, y dado que ya tengo un título universitario, esto parece poco probable. Siendo realistas, varias puertas están cerradas para mí cuando se trata de empleo.

Espero que leer sobre mi experiencia ayude a otros que sufren la misma situaciòn  y que se den cuenta que no están solos en esto.