You were disabled and realize it is not getting better, and no one seems to be able to fix the issue. You’re stuck laying down most of the day, you have enough mobility to function at home, but anything outside of home leaves you in bad shape beyond your control where you are not professionally functional. What do you do to earn a living and survive?
This is not a hypothetical for me.
I’m just coming around to the idea of trying again. My family will only be around for so long. After a 3 year court case against the responsible party, never getting better and instead coming to terms with declining more and more, then having disability fall through; it was all too much. I’ve been totally disenfranchised for far too long, but just fighting to barely survive in near total social isolation is not very motivating. Thanks for sharing.
It might be worth looking for a family practitioner (that’s the American term for a general doctor right?) that advertises experience with mental health. Queer friendly and poor (and the many euphemisms they use) assistance is also a good sign. Talk about how your disability is effecting your mental health, ask if they have recommendations for both.
The reason I recommend this is you’re looking for people with empathy. Bureaucracies are made of people first and foremost, checking the right boxes is second to having someone who will make sure the right box gets checked. People who deal with mental health, queerness and poverty are also far more likely to have the experience to point you in the right direction with government services. They probably wont be the end of your journey but they’ll be a good guide.