I often hear people ask "Why don’t people with disabilities want to work?" Good question, and I shall explain why some of my friends aren’t currently working. Frequently for these individuals, if they get a job, they lose Medicare. If they lose Medicare, they will lose the medical support they desperately need and their personal-care attendants will vanish in the wind.

With these vital government assistance programs, once you have a full-time job, you are no longer disabled in the eyes of Social Security. So, what do you do if you have to get to work, only you don’t have a PCA anymore, or you get sick and you can’t afford the hospital bills because of your new job? How do you hire a PCA out of your own pocket so you can get to your job?

Many of us feel like if you're going to be employed, you had better make a fortune, because the first time you land back in the hospital, you’re in big financial trouble. Declaring bankruptcy is brutal and tedious. Not to mention, it’s expensive finding affordable accessible housing if you are even lucky enough to find it.

If you drive, you have to keep your car running, or have money for the bus alongside food and medication, because you no longer have insurance. Oh but wait, you can’t work, because you don’t have your pain medication or other necessary pharmaceuticals, and you can’t get a bath or get in or out of bed without help.

Guess there'll be no work for you today.

Many of my friends have been disabled all their lives, and have tried to get jobs. Mave been rejected, and some were hired, but couldn’t afford to have a job after they paid for everything else. Losing insurance is a big concern for everyone, and that is the main reason for so many individuals with disabilities not getting a full-time job.

If you don’t need a personal care assistance life is a little easier, and it’s a lot easier to find a job, but for many with chronic pain and other medical issues, it’s a huge problem. These folks have a work program and with this particular program, you have a year to prove yourself. After that year, you still have all these previously mentioned issues to deal with.

I find that people who were born with disabilites have more issues surrounding employment than even someone who has had an accident. The latter group seems to fair slightly better, because they already had a job prior to their injury, and some can go back to work.