Making a Living With LD

Hi,

I struggled throughout school. I worked my ass off to get where I am today. Some days I still feel like giving up (more often than not!). I busted my butt in college, professional school (which I dropped out of) and at all of the jobs I held in the past. I was diagnosed with non-verbal learning disabilites in the 1970’s when I was 7 years old (they didn’t call them that back then - there really wasn’t a name for them). I was in Special-Ed from grade 3 through high school. I struggled with math, writing and social skills. I still do!

My teachers said they did not know what would become of me. I guess they figured I’d be a foot soldier in the broom brigade. My parents pushed me. I pushed myself.

Although I’m currently looking for work (caught up in these layoffs that affect so many), I was in the $55k-$85k pay-grade at my former place of employment. I worked there for over two years. I worked for about two years at the job I held before that one. My manager told me I was way underpaid - he even said he didn’t know why I was hired at such a low salary. I’m 30 years old. Am I going to be a milionaire? I doubt it. Will I be a CEO? I don’t think so. Will I be able to support a family with my salary? Maybe… probably not. Not all men are (LD or otherwise). But I can tell you one thing. I am proud of what I have achived. I’m not where I’d like to be but I’m getting there.

I work hard to make myself valuable wherever I work. Sometimes I do work that other people don’t want to do. Not all the time. Only sometimes. I was a road warrior for many months at my old company. Not many people wanted to travel - I did and I saw a lot of the country. Mind you, this was six months after I finished a years worth of cancer treatment (which left me disabled).

I was flying around all over the place for work. I received two award nominations for that contract.

Don’t get me wrong - I had a lot of ups and BIG DOWNS with that company. Everyone does…

Here’s a song that inspires me… It’s by a band called the Jam.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/lambretta/modernw.htm

I always wanted to be a thoretical physist, but with my disabilty, I’m have trouble just with pre-calculs

HI I 37 CANT SPEEL TO GOOD CANT RIGHT CANT DO MATH CANT PASS TEST TO DRIVE BEEN THE ALL MY LIVE O KIND OF A JOB I CAN DO IS HOUSEKEPING AND YOU DONT GET I LOT OF MONEY YOU 200 DOS A WEEK

HI I 37 CANT SPEEL TO GOOD CANT RIGHT CANT DO MATH CANT PASS TEST TO DRIVE BEEN THE ALL MY LIVE O KIND OF A JOB I CAN DO IS HOUSEKEPING AND YOU DONT GET I LOT OF MONEY YOU 200 DOS A WEEK

A lot of LDers make a living doing criminal stuff. Not the kind of criminal stuff like Bush, Cheney and Martha Stewart do butthe kind that helps them survive. The prisons are full of LDers. Sad but true.

I don’t have LD, but my best friend and co-worker does. He has dyslexia, but was only very recently diagnosed with this disability (he is 41 yrs. old). He has great difficulty reading, writing and spelling even the most simple of words. However, he has developed a system where he keeps a listing of words that he commonly uses on a sheet of paper, and whenever he has to write/spell something, then he refers to this listing.(I thought that this was a very creative way of coping with this disability) I also assist him with spelling and any clerical work he needs. But in spite of all of this, he is phenominal at his job as a Prevention Specialist. He is an excellent speaker, and his personality motivates me to take more of an interest in the youth that we serve. (We work for a substance abuse treatment agency.)

So even though there is alot of struggle ahead for him (actually for both of us) I will continue to encourage him to do whatever it takes to continue to succeed in his career and to strive to reach his educational goals. It just takes hard work, perserverance and (very important) support from someone who cares!

Dell,

from the symptoms you describe your coworker has more than dyslexia. He is fortunate to have a friend like you and such an understanding advocate.

I do disagree with your last statement in part but it does take hard work and perseverance and someone who cares. However, there are alot of us who work hard and perservere but we are still less than successful. This thing called LD is very complex and I doubt if any two sufferers have the exact same symptoms. While I appreciate your compassion and enthusiasm, LD’s waters are very deep and murky and because so little is generally understood about it generalizations happen all too often, even by those with good intentions.

WORK I HAVE MORE T LD I CANT DO NOING RAIGHT CANT SPEEL CANT WRIGHT OR DO MATH OR PASS TEST TO DRIVE Y DID GOD PUT

ME HRER I DONT NO TOBEE LIKE THE I GET MADE FUN OF IDO WORK AT HILLTON I HAVE TO DO ALL THE T NO1 WENTTO DO SO IT BAD WEN YOU HAVE LD

PRAD HI IHAVE LD YOU ARE DOING GOOD I CANT SPEEL WHEART OR DO MATH CANT PASS TEST TO DRIVE MY LIFE IS Hard i cant do noing right y did god put us here like thes i dont no so you are doing way betre t me

Ball,

I was told that LD people can have a good chance at 3 hots and a cot. I hate hearing this kind of thing since I already worry 24/7 for my son’s future.

Regards

Sometimes hard work and persevereance aren’t enough to get what you want. Still you will get something better than if you didn’t apply the hard work and perseverance.
I have met people with good jobs where I know there was a lot of luck involved, that they could be just another person without a job or with a job way under their abilities. And they still have problems but then everybody does. The ones who seem to have things totally under control, they are sometimes the o nes with the wildest tales of their past and present.

Marion,

The sad fact is many inmates indentify themselves as LD and when tested it usually turns out to be the case. America not being kind or gentle sees prison as a solution to all of our social woes. We seem to make a big deal out of children but we throw away adults like trash. I have raised the point on the Parent of LD Children thread of what happens to precious little Johnny when he becomes an adult. If you think dealing with uncooperative schools and bullies is a nightmare wait until little Johnny become an adult and has a very frustrating and unfuffilling life to look forward to. Maybe he will join the military and be used as cannon fodder in one of Bush’s ill concieved wars. Or maybe he will spend his days sweeping floors in the very school that tormented him so much. If he’s lucky maybe he will win the lottery.

The 10th class reunion is the worst. I felt too embarresed to attend mine. I fantasized about pulling up in a Mercedes Benz with a beautiful woman on my arm. Sweet revenge to all the punk/cowards who snickered behind my back. Actually my classmates were OK for the most part. That could be because I beat the crap out of a few of them. No cool car. The hot babe divorced me.
I keep buying Lottery tickets and hoping. Seems that damnation is poisoned with hope no matter how slight it is.

One advantage I have over Donald Trump is this. When the grim reaper comes a calling I’ll by waiting with open arms.

I can relate to the frustration I read in the letters above. I was just let go from a job I had for only two weeks. And I left I job I had for that one and now I have no job. I work as a cook and the first job I recieved was working for a temp agency. So I did not recieve work all the time and there was no benifits. Then I find about a job that was full time with benfits and was hired right away. So I said goodbye to the temp agency and started waorking on the full time job. Little did I know how demanding it was. I tried to do the best job I could but that wasn’t good enough for the boss or the coworkers. I came in on Monday and find out I was replaced. Now I’m back where I started. No job and looking for work all over again. I’m also a struggling artist. I haven’t been able to make a living with that skill either. It’s very compatitive and that’s why I’m switching careers all the time. Never being able to succeed in one field because of my slow adaption to new tasks. As soon as employers see that your out the door with the garbage. And tried many times to seek help from ld organizations but they’ve only given me the run around. You feel like nothing and that nobody cares. But you can’t give up. As frustrating it is yoou have to keep on trying.

slow adaption to new tasks.
that is an interesting way to look at things. but how can we turn that around to be a positive statement.
I am working on resumes and am looking through thesauruses of information and language so as to best adapt what i have and make it understandable to those that call me for interviews.

For example: slow adaption to new tasks
careful focus and concious attention to detail

Ish

Productivity is what employers want and require. I’m slow as a turtle and that just don’t cut the mustard in the real world. I have lost a lot of jobs because of it. Combine that with my memory sucking and I have real problems.

Employers should not be expected or required to deal with people with my type of deficets. The inteligent solution for people like me would be if the government were to pick up the slack for employers who are consciecious enough to hire the truly vocationally disabled but that makes too much sense and would take money away from the pigs that work for the state VR agencies. I apologize for that last statement. Comparing state VR workers to pigs is unfair to pigs and allother porcine creatures.

< careful focus and concious attention to detail>>

Ish,

I like the way you think. My only concern would be if an employer saw careful focus and concious attention to detail as one of your strengths, would he/she expect you to be able to do that real quickly if you didn’t clarify that?

Ball- I agree employers are not obligated to hire anybody with or without a disability if they can’t do the job. But I have been in situations where I could do the job and it was just a matter of employers not wanting to change the way they have done something for a million years even though the accomodation I needed would have benefitted everyone and didn’t cost a cent.

PT

Wayne,

Would it help to write things down to speed up your adaptation to new tasks? I have been able to get away with not disclosing my LD on temp assignments. Instead, I simply say that I want to the job right the first time and that’s why I like to write things down so I don’t forget.

I know what you mean about LD organizations giving you the run around. I am so sick of adults being treated as afterthoughts but unfortunately, I have the feeling in a year, I will be saying the same thing.

PT

PT,

Some employers are numb skulls and they should be sued if not ADA compliamnt bu in most cases when you get lawyers involved the only thing that gets served is greed.

PT,

Some employers are numb skulls and they should be sued if not ADA compliamnt bu in most cases when you get lawyers involved the only thing that gets served is greed.

i dont get it 3 hos and colt ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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Men and Women, everyone has a disability. How you choose to embrace your particular ability is of your own choice. Yes its hard and yes we get fired at a new job before we beginbut heck it could to happen to anyone. If you have a realistic dream then you need to focous on making it happen. Not everyone can take tests, read or spell. We wouldnt be human if we were perfect. Overcoming some obstacls in our life make us stronger. We are here for a reason.
My son has LD. he will be graduating from college in Dec. He is so scared. He is but he isn’t confident in himself and his accomplishments. He has only had summer jobs. He will be moving back home. As a Mother who has been a teacher, and a guide a person who has learned patience through her son this homecoming will be a challange we will face together as we always have. We all need a helping hand and this is what I plan to give

If you know of any good vocational programs in South Carolina- Please e mail me i am trying to help some. Thank You.

Hi Michelle,

With all due respect, I disagree with you that everyone has LD or a disability. I am sure that wasn’t your intention but that type of remark comes across as minimizing the difficulties that people on this board have.

You’re right, overcoming obstacles does make a person stronger. But when it takes you 10 times greater the amount of effort to complete regular tasks on a regular basis, after awhile, you get tired of these constant tests. By the way, that statistic comes out of the book by Sally Smith, owner of the lab school, so that’s not just my opinion.

By the way, it is very hard for me as a person with LD to have a realistic dream or to know what is realistic because my deficiencies in the visual/spatial area affect being able to visualize things. Again, that is not just an off the cuff remark as that comes out of Sue Thompson’s book, “I shouldn’t have to tell you.”

I have come up with some alternative plans for finding that out but it took every last drop of blood I could muster to come to this point. Simply embracing my disability would not have worked if I couldn’t figure out how to get what I need.

See, I don’t feel sorry for myself and I am constantly proactive and am always trying to find solutions. I even have told various professionals the help I need and they look at me like I am from outer space. I am sorry but embracing your disability only goes so far when you need assistance in tasks that there is no help for.

Finally, I wanted to respond to your comment that not everyone can read. Through a fluke, I discovered that using a ruler helps me focus on the printed page and has turned reading from torture into extreme pleasure.

The statement that not everyone can read would have been a hollow one as I didn’t have an outlet for my intellectual curiousity but even worse, was missing out on so much information. It also would have made my college courses alot more difficult and I need the training so I don’t stay stuck in clerical work. Listening to an audiobook wasn’t any easier because of my auditory processing problems.

I know your intentions are quite good, Michelle, but I needed to tell you why I had a problem with your post. What would be helpful is if you could heed Carol Blatt’s plea to join the effort to think of organizations that would help adults with LD with independent living and vocational skills who haven’t received the assistance they need. As she wonderfully pointed out, the LD organizations are a joke in this area. Only by getting the help that is needed, can individuals truly begin to accept the LD in the way they need to.

PT

PT,

What do you think of this?
From a vocational piont of view I would have to say that most LDers are disadvantaged. If you have read any of my posts you will know that I believe the state VR system is worse than worthless. Being that the bottom line for an employer is employee productivity and in most cases the LDer will fall short in that area, I think the best solution to get LDers gainfully employed and happier than they are now is instead of feedin money to the VR agencies and their parasite agencies like RCIL, I say compensate the employers for the percentage of lower productivity that will be achieved by the LD employee.

You may know that state VR has been and continues to be a dismal failure.

Your post was bright and insightful so I am very interested in your thoughts on this subject.

Ball,

Thank you for your kind words.

Several issues you raised. Your assuming that all employees with LD wouldn’t be as productive as regular workers and that just isn’t necessarily the case. Alot of accomodations are not costly and just take a change in attitude on the employer. They have been doing something in a certain way for a million years and just don’t want to change.

I agree with you on Voc Rehab although I think your language in describing them is awfully strong. Frankly, I don’t think that is just an LD issue as I haven’t met anyone with a disability who has been happy with them. But then I read other reports that seem to indicate they are effective. Who knows?

Actually, my counselor has tried very hard to be helpful with me. But they have zillions of cases and that lack of understanding of what LD is truly about.

As far as compensating companies for unproductive employees with LD, I don’t think it would work to just do it for one disability as you would have to include all disabilities. If I remember correctly, companies can get a tax credit when they purchase accomodations so you would think it wouldn’t be too hard to work out something like what you are proposing. But unfortunately, I just don’t see it happening in this political climate and anything that suggests government involvement is not going to see the light of day.

Frankly, I would like to attack the problem from the other end which means thinking about ways to provide productive vocational counseling to people with LD so when they do enter jobs, they are close to being as productive as their NT co-workers. Maybe I am missing something but I just find it hard to believe that folks with LD can’t be as productive as other people if they find the right position. Ironically, I am always on other people for looking at things through rose colored glasses and perhaps that is what I am doing right now.

Sorry, I not sure how much my response helps you.

PT

The key words are “vocationally disabled” . A smart employer will hire a guy in a wheel chair if that guy can make him money. He would be a fool not to but I was trained to fix refrigeration equipment and I will never be as productive as a non LD person. It is not the responsibility alone for an employer to hire and accomodate me and keep me when threr are ten other guys who can do the job better.

My screwed up brain handicaps me and there is not much that can be done about it. I also have some physical limitations. Those I can deal with. Outside help makes the most sens to me. I don’t think it is fair for anyone to ask an employer to shoulder all the burden of accomodation. I don’t think they should even be required. At the risk of sounding Republican I think business has too much burden imposed on them by the government. I don’t wanna work for someone who is giving me charity. I will never be an equal. It is the gov’s responsibilty and seeing as what the gov does best is tax and spend they probably won’t screw this up too badly.

Ball,

Is there something else you have the ability to do that you would enjoy where you could be as productive as a non LD employee with accomodations? In your current work, are there environments you could work in where an emphasis is placed more on quality and not production?

By the way, I am not convinced that this emphasis on production is all that helpful to companies as twice I had to have a wireless telephone manager resolve a billing issue, one of which was ridiculous. That couldn’t have saved them money.

Hmm, it sounds like what you want the government to do is totally contrary to your statement that business already has too much burdened on it imposed by government. I am sure you realize if the government were to compensate businesses for hiring folks with disabilities, there would be massive regulations that companies would have to comply with. They might not feel it is worth their while.

Don’t mean to take this thread off topic and I don’t want to get into a political discussion as much as I would love to. But I wanted to point out to you the contradictions in your position. Of course, I am always perfectly consistent:))

PT

I think we should have a social welfare system set up like European countries. I had a German person say that Enron or Worldcom would have never happened in Germany because, the people and government would have never stood for it. The social safety net is much better there than here. I wonder even the non-LD’s would they given the chance still be loyal to the company after the coMpany cleaned out the 401k’s ? Or woild they turn on them and sell corporate know how to Ukraine or China or the highest bidder ? If we had a good social safety net like Germany I think the trama of losing a job for LD folks would not be as traumatic as now. Garunteed Health and unemployment monies what do you think ?

Hi Herman,

I definitely think that having a single health insurance payer system would help folks with LD tremendously along with non LD Folks. Unfortunately, because of the political situation, it will never happen and that’s all I will say even though I would love to discuss the situation further. But as I said to Ball, I don’t want to take the discussion off topic.

Excuse my ignorance on the unemployment system that Germany has. Can you tell me more about that?

Speaking of that, mine is about to run out and I have had the customer service experiences from h– with these folks. Voc rehab offices are mild compared to what I have dealt with.

Finally, this is somewhat off topic but I wanted to address your point about people not standing for things. Folks in the US have become quite apathetic and I am guilty too. Gosh, even in the 80’s, people were vocal as the deaf students at Gallaudet University were extremely militant until they got what they wanted, including a college president, who was deaf. That’s how the ADA was passed also.

I think the problem is also that people have no backbone and that includes politicians from both sides of the aisle. All they care about is who is funding their reelection campaign.

One of the saddest things for me about Paul Wellstone being killed in a plane crash (In case you didn’t know, he had LD) besides his politics, was he had the guts to take a position on an issue even if he was the lone wolf. I also admire that about Republican Politicians like John McCain.

What can we do Herman to make progress on adult LD issues so we’re not writing these same posts a year later?

PT,

when ever there is money involved politics are sure to follow. It’s kinda like maggots and a dung heap. If a person has a vocational disability it would be cheaper for the government to take up the slack in a disabled persons production than to pay them a monthly SSDI check.

As LD the reality is this most of us can run a broom vocationally without much of a problem. Most other thing present a problem. Bussiness is smarter, wiser, more honest and kinder than the government because they have to be. The goverment is very good at picking our pockets and spending it. I think my plan would have built in acountability. The gov would not have to direcly pay it out. They could do it in the form of tax breaks. that way nobody could steal.

TO BALL YOU KEPE SIEND ME SAME E MAIL PS WENT TO VR ON TUEDAY AND TOLD ME I HAVE QURT MY JOB TO GET SEVFSBall wrote:> > A lot of LDers make a living doing criminal stuff. Not> the kind of criminal stuff like Bush, Cheney and Martha> Stewart do butthe kind that helps them survive. The prisons> are full of LDers. Sad but true.

Get involved ! Vote on a candidate based on an issue like ADA enforcement. I f the candidate does not think it is a priority, then you vote against him/her. Otherwise, run for office yourself under the Socialist LD Reich Party or make up one and take up the banner of ADA.

You’re not the only one- I’m still trying to get myself out of redneck central- ya know in the middle of that disgusting Bible Belt….Kansas…land of the cowards and educated idiots, and general failures…yeah, there…Still trying to figure out how to get the $$ for a one way to either LA or London…EEh Gads- anything’s got to be better than Kansas!!!!!!!!!! I’ve had more than enough, and want out!(Anyway far enough away that my Sunday mornings aren’t ruined with the sounds of the “Singing Bedwetters Gospel Hour on the radio” and No More KFDI!!!!!!!!!!- and well away from my birth mother would be perfect!
Nita