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Accountability Journal / Need $100 Before Friday
3 years ago
hOI!!!!!
Spring 2024 will be a good time for me. Not only is Spring my favorite season, for many reasons I’m sure you all know, but it is also when I no longer have to pay for my past.
What has caused me financial instability is, first of all, being unable to find a job. There are lots-and-lots of opportunities for people to work in America, but these opportunities drop to almost nothing when you have a disability. In my case, being totally blind.
Despite needing quarterly visits to Glaucoma, Cornea, and Retina doctors who specialize in profound cases of ocular degeneration, I did manage to hold a handful of jobs. These were all lost as a result of the employers growing tired of my disability, or business software ‘updating’ to where my adaptive tools became incompatible towards meeting my job responsibilities. I was ‘forced’ out of all these jobs with the exception of one. The kindness of being ‘laid off’ allowed me to collect unemployment compensation (UC). The downside is there was no intention of bringing me, or my visually-impaired colleagues, back when government software became compatible with active city, state, or federal initiatives.
There was a time I was without debt. It was at the start of 2016. The start of 2016 was also when I started on the final series of surgeries, appointments, and medications to save what eyesight I had left while preventing my dying eye from becoming toxic.
The efforts to save my eyesight ended on December 15th, 2016. More than $10,000 in debt had been accrued on my credit card with additional debt piling up to keep my family afloat.
The final nail in the proverbial coffin came when my wife left me in June 2018. We were not able to make much more than minimal payments on our credit card debt and subsequent loan. This resulted in a total debt of over $60,000!
The divorce was finalized in 2019, but I still had to ‘share the burden’ of $35,000 of the family debt. Thankfully, I found an agency to work with me to negotiate the debt without interest. The only thing I needed to do was pay $660 per month until Spring 2024 and, just like that, I’d be debt free!
$660 was great to get away from an unending, crippling debt. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) made a mistake by paying me monetary benefits that I was not entitled to. There is really no arguing with the SSA, due to how they keep losing submitted and resubmitted paperwork, and I soon found $265 per month taken out from my monthly monetary benefits. This, coupled with the $110 for Medicare, brought my monthly loss of income to over $1,100!
I spent January thru August of 2022 trying to find a new job. I was hired for one that, upon learning they had forgotten I had a Seeing Eye Dog, said they needed to look into health and safety requirements before not calling me back and going on to return none of my calls, or e-mails.
The second job I was hired for turned out to have software that was not compatible with my accessible technology to work as a person without physical eyesight. Efforts were made to evaluate other ways I could keep the job, but all resulted in me never working a single day for the public entity. (There was talk about helping me find another position, but this was forgotten by July when the HR Rep told me to “…continue to look for job postings to apply for.”. Given I went through two interviews, a background check, and had a physical presence on three separate occasions in the actual workplace, I fail to understand why I’d have to start from the very beginning to find a job.).
2022 was also full of attempts at applying for Civil Service / Government jobs. I had a phone interview for one, but never heard back after it had been successfully completed. I also can proudly share that, in over five jobs I applied for, I scored a perfect 100% on the eligibility tests to have managed only one phone interview.
Given the declining accessibility of gainful employment for those with visual disabilities, I’ve had to stop looking and switch to writing story commissions. The strain on my mental health had become too great after fifteen years of having my disability used against me towards being a productive member of society. However, I am far from popular enough to get paid and asked for story commissions that offset my monthly loss of over $1,100.
This is why, if anyone can help, I need $100 to pay our mortgage that is due by this Friday, September 30th. If it is possible to do so, you can go to www.paypal.com and send what you feel is fair to palumbo.ms[at]gmail.com
I would not mind adding you to my commission queue for the donations. Stories are all $40 each and I’m currently working an average turnaround time of one to three weeks.
Lucca and I are really hoping to get news soon on him getting paid to help me live as independently as possible as a blind, dino-duckling. This ‘should’ start sometime in October. Unfortunately, when it comes to me, I will not be free of the SSA debt until April 2023 and my share of the family debt does not resolve until Spring 2024.
I always prided myself on being ‘responsible’ with all parts of my life. It is just that I get frustrated with how so much effort still puts me in a place where I feel like a complete failure in life. I know that I’m not a failure, but it really hurts knowing you have the talent and ability to make more of your life and can’t do anything with it as a result of society’s ignorance towards the disabled population.
Thanks for reading. This is more of a vent journal brought on by months of frustration.
I hope you may have learned some things about just how The American’s With Disabilities Act (ADA) and public welfare services fail to empower those of us who are genuinely willing and able to earn an honest living. Should you have questions, as I know many of us feel trapped by ‘red tape’ to go beyond just being able to hang in there, please feel free to ask. I’d rather not allow my 15+ years of disability advocacy go to waste when it just may be able to help you, or someone you know.
Your Pal,
---Yosh E. O’Ducky ;)😉
Spring 2024 will be a good time for me. Not only is Spring my favorite season, for many reasons I’m sure you all know, but it is also when I no longer have to pay for my past.
What has caused me financial instability is, first of all, being unable to find a job. There are lots-and-lots of opportunities for people to work in America, but these opportunities drop to almost nothing when you have a disability. In my case, being totally blind.
Despite needing quarterly visits to Glaucoma, Cornea, and Retina doctors who specialize in profound cases of ocular degeneration, I did manage to hold a handful of jobs. These were all lost as a result of the employers growing tired of my disability, or business software ‘updating’ to where my adaptive tools became incompatible towards meeting my job responsibilities. I was ‘forced’ out of all these jobs with the exception of one. The kindness of being ‘laid off’ allowed me to collect unemployment compensation (UC). The downside is there was no intention of bringing me, or my visually-impaired colleagues, back when government software became compatible with active city, state, or federal initiatives.
There was a time I was without debt. It was at the start of 2016. The start of 2016 was also when I started on the final series of surgeries, appointments, and medications to save what eyesight I had left while preventing my dying eye from becoming toxic.
The efforts to save my eyesight ended on December 15th, 2016. More than $10,000 in debt had been accrued on my credit card with additional debt piling up to keep my family afloat.
The final nail in the proverbial coffin came when my wife left me in June 2018. We were not able to make much more than minimal payments on our credit card debt and subsequent loan. This resulted in a total debt of over $60,000!
The divorce was finalized in 2019, but I still had to ‘share the burden’ of $35,000 of the family debt. Thankfully, I found an agency to work with me to negotiate the debt without interest. The only thing I needed to do was pay $660 per month until Spring 2024 and, just like that, I’d be debt free!
$660 was great to get away from an unending, crippling debt. However, the Social Security Administration (SSA) made a mistake by paying me monetary benefits that I was not entitled to. There is really no arguing with the SSA, due to how they keep losing submitted and resubmitted paperwork, and I soon found $265 per month taken out from my monthly monetary benefits. This, coupled with the $110 for Medicare, brought my monthly loss of income to over $1,100!
I spent January thru August of 2022 trying to find a new job. I was hired for one that, upon learning they had forgotten I had a Seeing Eye Dog, said they needed to look into health and safety requirements before not calling me back and going on to return none of my calls, or e-mails.
The second job I was hired for turned out to have software that was not compatible with my accessible technology to work as a person without physical eyesight. Efforts were made to evaluate other ways I could keep the job, but all resulted in me never working a single day for the public entity. (There was talk about helping me find another position, but this was forgotten by July when the HR Rep told me to “…continue to look for job postings to apply for.”. Given I went through two interviews, a background check, and had a physical presence on three separate occasions in the actual workplace, I fail to understand why I’d have to start from the very beginning to find a job.).
2022 was also full of attempts at applying for Civil Service / Government jobs. I had a phone interview for one, but never heard back after it had been successfully completed. I also can proudly share that, in over five jobs I applied for, I scored a perfect 100% on the eligibility tests to have managed only one phone interview.
Given the declining accessibility of gainful employment for those with visual disabilities, I’ve had to stop looking and switch to writing story commissions. The strain on my mental health had become too great after fifteen years of having my disability used against me towards being a productive member of society. However, I am far from popular enough to get paid and asked for story commissions that offset my monthly loss of over $1,100.
This is why, if anyone can help, I need $100 to pay our mortgage that is due by this Friday, September 30th. If it is possible to do so, you can go to www.paypal.com and send what you feel is fair to palumbo.ms[at]gmail.com
I would not mind adding you to my commission queue for the donations. Stories are all $40 each and I’m currently working an average turnaround time of one to three weeks.
Lucca and I are really hoping to get news soon on him getting paid to help me live as independently as possible as a blind, dino-duckling. This ‘should’ start sometime in October. Unfortunately, when it comes to me, I will not be free of the SSA debt until April 2023 and my share of the family debt does not resolve until Spring 2024.
I always prided myself on being ‘responsible’ with all parts of my life. It is just that I get frustrated with how so much effort still puts me in a place where I feel like a complete failure in life. I know that I’m not a failure, but it really hurts knowing you have the talent and ability to make more of your life and can’t do anything with it as a result of society’s ignorance towards the disabled population.
Thanks for reading. This is more of a vent journal brought on by months of frustration.
I hope you may have learned some things about just how The American’s With Disabilities Act (ADA) and public welfare services fail to empower those of us who are genuinely willing and able to earn an honest living. Should you have questions, as I know many of us feel trapped by ‘red tape’ to go beyond just being able to hang in there, please feel free to ask. I’d rather not allow my 15+ years of disability advocacy go to waste when it just may be able to help you, or someone you know.
Your Pal,
---Yosh E. O’Ducky ;)😉
***
When I saw how the financial struggle was just about resolved, my mind started to think of how I have missed out on all the content you have shared on Fur Affinity for nearly two months! (I value our creative discussions and feel extremely sad when I find I have allowed myself to become distracted from one of my closest friends.).
This said, I am aspiring to start enjoying the submissions you and all my friends have made while I have been so distracted. It is much needed self-soothing to enjoy what you and our friends put into each submission you share.
***
Thank you for not giving up on me and our friendship, Sweetie. It is friends, like yourself, who remind me of what is most important in life. Friendship truly is magic. :)
***
Everything looks to be resolved by tomorrow. If there's one thing being in-and-out of surgery, in-and-out of employment, etc. has taught me is to how to continuously improve upon a budget until it fits just right. :)
***
It's amazing how the current state of the economy of the USA have put such a profound pinch on those of us who struggle to find a job and have to live off of what government aid we can get. The biggest burden, as of late, was how the electric company got away with a 23% rate hike in June. That was brutal.
Though, like everyone else, all you can do is update your budget, try to sell things, find what work you can, and continue to learn how to live off less until everything balances itself out. :)