I had to call in sick today because of my disability acting up, I was in so much pain it was hard to think and speak. If I take more medication than I currently am, then I'd be bedbound. Since I'm not bedbound, I'm not qualified for full disability. Like everyone else, I'm in too deep of debt to survive on disability anyways.
So I work to live. Yet getting hired for a job with a schedule I can survive (4-10, 12 hour rotating, schedules with enough days off for rest and physical therapy) is so fucking hard, especially when jobs won't give you full time/employment benefits until 3-6 months into it, and they can fire you for any or no reason.
So I need to work to live. But if my disability ever actually disables me, I get “points” – and people see that it's not a cold, my body is just like this, and always will be. And I will get more points than an abled person.
Being disabled and working is possible in theory, but in practice…
I'm driven, competent, qualified, educated, well-spoken etc etc etc. and I'm barely keeping my head above water.
So many people are drowning.