I am someone with autism and Hidradenitis Suppurativa. For those of you unaware of what it is, its an auto immune disorder where my skin develops painful abscesses all the time. I get them in my anal and vaginal areas. Because of this, its very hard for me to work many types of jobs (essentially anything where I sit down for prolong periods of time or sweat is a nogo) especially full time and I had to go on SSI to afford to live and get coverage for my expensive medications.
I finally recently got a job working for 12 hours a week, only earning a few hundred extra dollars a month. I had to quit because even that aggravated my HS at times but most importantly, it wasn't even worth it from a money standpoint because they wanted to take part of my benefits away from earning a paltry amount each month (I'm pretty sure it isn't even $5,000 a year) and after gas, car maint, having to buy extra supplies to treat my HS, and argue with SSI offices it wasn't worth the fight.
It just makes me depressed. I actually do want to work, but the government has set it up that it isn't feasible for anyone who can't work full time and doesn't have family who can cover expenses. Is it really better to have us sit at home and not contribute to society?
I have been studying to become a programmer because its one of the feasible job paths that I could do without spending a bunch of money on school and it would allow me to work in conditions that would adjust for my disability. But if I get a job in the field and it doesn't work out? I'm fucked.