I'm a 23 yr old that uses a walker and I'm interested in asking a girl out. Thing is, I don't know her very well at all and I don't have the opportunity to see her very often and am a bit embarrassed because I have to rely on my parents for transport. Any advice?

Im going to Xcaret park on january and i would like to get as much tips as i can get, i use 2 canes and suffer from hips pain, im also actively looking for water shoes suited for my afos and so far i believe these are my best shot, any tips?

https://www.merrell.cl/sandalia-hombre-hydro-moc-merrell-j48595-zmi/p?idsku=4563868&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Performance+Max+%7C+Forus+%7C+Merrell+%7C+AON&hsa_acc=6318585950&hsa_cam=16993464131&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA0rW6BhAcEiwAQH28IsqShd9cT8pYI1-PceYge5_4Q76iApP3EUTE9YgstguU47xB5LqT9hoCR-UQAvD_BwE

I work in retail and while I’ve dealt with chronic disabilities most of my life, most of them are invisible. I recently had a medical issue that requires me to do seated because my condition becomes very painful after standing for extended periods of time. My work accommodated me with a rollator (4 wheeled walker with a seat). I look quite young so a lot of people have stared and inquired about my condition including strangers. Honestly, I feel embarrassed using it. I don’t need it to walk but I bring it around with me because sometimes I get caught in situations where I am stuck in one place and I’ve learned the hard way how painful that can be without a seat readily available.

Since I work at the mall and my employer is generously lending out their brand new rollator to me, I realized I could use it during my lunch break and get a couple errands done. It’s Black Friday weekend and I needed a couple things, I had a couple online pickups ready for 2 stores adjacent to mine. I also remembered I have a gift card for a certain candle & bath chain that happened to be right next to those 2 stores. I borrowed my store’s rollator during my lunch break and went to pick up my orders and use up my 5+ year old gift card.

First two pickups were fine (although I would say the second store was definitely not 100% ADA compliant, I had to lift my rollator to move through a “normal” walking space). Third store I first go to check my gift card balance and there’s a woman in a rollator with her dog. She commented on my rollator and we chatted a little while I pet her dog, then I got my gift card balance and picked a couple candles and a bag before getting ready to check out.

There were a couple women blocking the entrance to the line area and I asked if they were in line. They said no and shuffled a little to the side but were still blocking the way. I said excuse me and tried to wiggle my way through while they stayed in place. I was holding two small candles in one hand and a bag in the other (I don’t put items on the seat of the rollator because I’ve learned from work that they’ll just slide right off when I move around). One of the candles slipped from my hand and shattered on the ground. Everyone gasped and stared and I apologized profusely to the worker and she picked up pieces of glass while the ladies commented that she was doing it with her bare hands. I felt so stupid and helpless and like such a nuisance. She picked up the biggest pieces of glass and walked away but there were still little shards that I could see so I stood by the glass to warn people, but she didn’t come back to sweep it up. I was so worried about the woman with the rollator and the dog. I checked out and then went round to the woman (who was still at the register) and warned her to be careful walking on that side of the store because I broke some glass.

Anyway this was a long winded and sort of pointless story but I’m so frustrated. I’ve sobbed over the various ways this current ailment has hindered my daily life and I already feel so abnormal, I hate people staring at me and asking what’s wrong with me and I hate breaking things because of the rollator (I’ve broken parts of the paneling on a counter at work trying to navigate the rollator around tight corners). I can tell some people think I’m milking it or faking it or over exaggerating or it’s all in my head or something. And honestly, the complete lack of empathy or any sort of accommodating behavior from some people pisses me off bc is this really how you treat disabled people? You can’t step aside so I can roll into the line area? You can’t scoot your chair in toward the table so I can get to the microwave without having to walk all the way around the room? You’re gonna ask me to climb a set of stairs to grab your employee purchases when there’s like 5 able-bodied employees right next to us?

I just want to be normal and healthy. It feels so unfair. I already have so many health problems and now this… I feel like I must’ve done something to deserve it all. And I feel like I’m bitching and whining excessively. All my thoughts have been so negative since this medical issue started and I’m so miserable inside. Anyway thanks for reading of you did.

TL;DR: i asked some ladies at a shop if they were in line and they weren’t, they wouldn’t move aside so I could get my rollator(walker) through, I ended up dropping and shattering a product in the store. Feels shit.

I saw a similar thread earlier today, whi h reminded me of one of my own questions on the topic. Icurrently live in Missouri and I know that I can have my partner be paid as my caregiver and have been looking into this as we are struggling a lot financially due to how little I am able to work anymore. The problem is, we are planning to move to Illinois to live with his parents when our lease is up as a way to save money and also for my safety as a trans person given the current political climate. I am trying to find info on how to have him be paid as my caregiver in Illinois but the only info I can find is about a program that is only for seniors (age 60+) and does not include disabled young adults. Is there any similar program in Illinois that I would be able to qualify for?

Does anyone have suggestions for a flexible but sturdy "arm" I could clamp to the headboard of my bed to hold my phone for me? The headboard is about half an inch long, so I think it should be possible.

I have complex PTSD, and I am a nurse in a psychiatric facility. The thing is that when they are short-staffed, which is 2 days out of 3 a week, they make me work a different role where I am on the floor working with a bunch of aggressive individuals. I am having a hard time performing this position. I get anxiety and panic, and I don't feel good when I am doing this role. I was assaulted by a patient last week, on the contrary. When I am a nurse on the floor, I feel fine. I can perform 100%, and I like the job. I was wondering if I could request not to be put in the other role as a job accommodation due to my disability. I appreciate any input.

I’m in the hole, friends. Anyone have any good apps they use to take surveys that pay?

My son who lives with me received in the mail a 3rd party function report from social security disability to fill out. Does anyone know if this is a good sign or bad? The case is in the reconsideration phase and recently assigned to anyone examiner.

It wasn’t on purpose but somehow I’ve ended up only ever being in relationships with other disabled people.

In my experience it has felt like abled people just don’t understand how I live enough to be able to bond with me on that level.

Have you ended up finding yourself being more compatible with other disabled people? If you did end up in a cross abled relationship do you feel like there was at least initially tension from them not understanding disability?

As the title states. I (22F) need a cane to get around, and have a disability placard. My school has one disability parking spot outside of my dorm, and it's right next to a curb on the driver's side. There's no easy way to back into the spot, but there's hashlines on the other side. Can I park partly over the hashlines so I can get out easier? (Especially with the snow and ice) I'm in NY, if that makes a difference, but I couldn't find any information on if that was ok, except for it's not ok to block the area. I'm about a foot and a half over, just enough for me to get out, leaving the sidewalk ramp clear (I also need to use it sometimes). If it's illegal: does anyone have any advice? Should I park in the non handicap spot on the other side so the driver's side is towards the hashed space? Thanks in advance 💜

Edit: I'm gonna leave my car there for now because it's dark and snowing (no one is supposed to park there overnight except with a handicap placard, it's always just me), and tomorrow morning I'm gonna try u/kibonzos method to back into it (it's a really tight parking lot)

Hi Reddit, I need some help.

I'm trying to find a way to make my mom's and my own life easier. She's a wheelchair user and I need some help getting her around the apartment, which has spaces that are too narrow to have her use a wheelchair.

So far, I've been carrying her from bed to bathroom and the living room sofa, kitchen, etc. This is unsustainable because my back is already wrecked from it and I won't be able to carry her around all the time.

Is there a mobility aid that would make it easier for her to move around the house? She cannot use her legs at all, and her arms and torso are weak, so it would need to be something that would keep her stable.

For more context, she's 62, and has been suffering from MS for 30 years now.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

I am on disability and have been since I was 18. Long story short, I was misdiagnosed with Schizoaffective and given psych meds that made things worse. I just got diagnosed with Autism and Narcolepsy type 1, and now life is going well. Unfortunately, it took 10 years to get the right diagnoses and so, I am now 27, with a few months of work history.

I have already contacted vocational rehabilitation back over the summer and thought it would take until the fall of 2025 to be able to start school, so they said to wait. I did meet with them and understand a little bit more of what I needed to do on my side to help them out.

They said I would be eligible for the goal that I have in mind, which is to work up to my PhD in Neuroscience at Chapel Hill. I would start at the local community college first as a transfer student.

My questions are...

I am on Survivors Benefits for a Disabled Adult Child, as my father was a disabled veteran and passed away this year. That may mean I have the option of scholarships and grants through the VA. What is the best way to get information for that? I have tried contacting the VA but I did not learn as much as I wanted as it was rather confusing.

Also, how can I prepare for school next year? I will apply for financial aid, and go to the disability resource center to learn as much as possible and get help. My Autism makes it very, very overwhelming with all the things I need to get done. But I am determined. My VR said that I should be trying to get these things done before they open my case for the Fall, which is what is hard for me.

Any advice is very much appreciated as I am quite nervous. I live in NC, USA.

Hi all -

As the title states, if you work with a disability/chronic illness/chronic pain, how do you do it?/What do you do? I'd love to know. I know none of us are any more inspiring than the average person, but I need some hope.

I'm on SSDI, but it's not sustainable long term. I'd love to be able to work again. I know it will need to be remote (WFH), and I will need a flexible schedule because I go to a lot of appointments, procedures, surgeries, etc. I may need to call out day of because of pain/illness (this isn't as likely as the former). I'm just not sure how to make this work and I'm starting to feel hopeless about where to look.

Thanks.

I have been waiting 2 1/2 years for survivors benefits as a disabled child under my late father. I have multiple disabilities and mental health issues that are well documented. They’ve already denied me twice and now I’m waiting after a hearing I had back in October.

I’m so tired of struggling financially. My financial troubles fatigue me during the day and keep me up at night. I’m so tired of stressing and worrying about money all the time.

Is it bad that I want to give up my SSI to work full time? I’m drooling at the thought of earning more than $20,000 a year to live on, and I would be able to keep my car which is major because I have chronic sciatica. Plus I’m sick of surviving on less than $1,000 a month.

I’m just so tired of waiting for Social Security to give a sh*t about me. I’m so tired and scared and I don’t k ow what to do anymore.

Listen. I’m as guilty as anybody when it comes to posting on like ask docs or diagnose me, but can ppl stop posting that stuff here?

I swear I see diagnose me style posts every few days. And I’m not talking about disabled people asking “any advice on this conditions my doctor said I may have” or like I even posted here before about how I have had 60 genes tested and the doctors have no idea what it could be, but I wasn’t seeking a diagnosis rather than a “has anyone else been here”.

Recently saw a do I have pots post, and some others. And it just feels weird. Not saying these people aren’t disabled, but just because you have a condition it doesn’t mean that you have a disability. And just because you want to know whether or not you have a certain disorder, it doesn’t mean that a community of disabled individuals without medical degrees can diagnose you just bc we’re also sick. Those posts feel off putting sometimes.

It’s weird to go to a group of disabled individuals basically saying I’m scared to be one of you, now tell me what I have.

And also bc it’s people actively saying that they don’t want to see a doctor and would rather ask us as if our opinions have any weight. We also carry biases towards our own conditions. If someone comes on here and says their joints hurt, someone who’s life was taken over with arthritis will say arthritis and another with EDS will say yep it’s EDS and another with another joint syndrome will be compelled to say it’s that.

It’s just weird when subs that are meant for disability support become a place taken over by people who refuse to see doctors. I get it, trusting docs is hard, but like if u refuse to see a doctor wtf can we do for you? Give you a label you can use? No. I don’t support that. Idk I hate these posts. This may be messy and I may not be popular for this opinion. But if u refuse to see doctors bc u can’t trust them, and then put all of ur trust into a diagnosis made by strangers online with biases towards their own disorders, you’re not helping yourself. It’s a dangerous road to go down. And I hate seeing it here.

It also rubs me the wrong way. Someone will come on here and ask questions about vague or non disabling symptoms and not even claim to be disabled, and basically group disability and ill as if it’s one singular thing and it just feels wrong.

We’re not doctors, we don’t know anything about you and can’t give u a physical exam. And you actively don’t wanna see doctors, it feels so off putting, most of us have no choice to see a doctor or not.

Hello everybody! I hope you're having a somewhat good day. I'm putting my faith in reddit because I can't trust anybody else (not even doctors), but I hope that someone can help me figure out whether I might have POTS. Ever since early September I've had some symptoms come out of the blue, such as wooziness, dizziness, nausea, feeling faint, brain fog and being off balance. I went to the doctor and got blood work which came back normal, fast forward to about 2 weeks ago where I have a complete out of body experience. I had bad light sensitivity, extreme nausea, dizziness, fainting, static from head to toe, increased heart rate, and the inability to talk correctly. I've had 4 episodes at the time of this post, and it's not getting better. My school diagnosed it as a blood-sugar low but the doctor thinks otherwise, I've gotten bloodwork and seen multiple doctors with no answers. My parents are really concerned but I'm scared how they'll act or say if I tell them anything. Some of my friends think that this is some sort of chronic illness but nobody knows. Any suggestions, help or answers would be extremely appreciated.

I’ve had a “visible” disability for 8 years caused by a car accident and many many years before, invisible disabilities due to illness. For the last 8 years I have found myself explaining to people what is going on with me and why I use a cane. I don’t mind if people ask a curious question respectfully. I will answer. What I hate is the unsolicited advice and me feeling I have to explain my situation which I do not have to do. I have noticed a lot of people on the platform feel the pressure to explain and the guilt and complication caused by feeling this need to explain to others.

So I was wondering if we (as a community) could make a pledge to ourselves to not explain to anyone for just one day. BTW, I found myself explaining again yesterday (to some random, unimportant person in my life that I was doing exercises in the pool because I get to feel a bit weightless) when I know that’s not what I wanted to do. So later that day, I thought I don’t want to explain anymore, so I’m not going to.

I might just stare at them until the go away I might ignore their question/comment. I might say, “I don’t explain my situation unless I’m speaking to doctors who are paid to listen and give me advice.” Etc…………

Then the next day comes, and I see how that goes. Can I keep it up until there is a week of “not explaining” to look back on? Anybody want to join the pledge? And what would you say?

I have a question for everybody and I think I accidentally posted this on the wrong subreddit earlier. I am 58 and I'm 6 months into my disability payments from Social security. My work history is not great and I know that my retirement money would be pretty small. I was curious as to how people are moved from disability to retirement and whether or not they have a choice in the matter? Is there an age where I would be forced to give up my disability payments and be switched on to Social security retirement? My diagnosis is pretty severe so most of this are none of this will probably happen to me but if I do make it another decade I'm wondering how it would go for me?

My name is Will and I am 39 years old living in Boise Idaho. I lived in Idaho my entire life and I rely on a waiver through the Department of health and welfare called self direction which gives me control of my 24 seven staffing needs, like I am able to hire whoever I want while still living in my own apartment.

I am feeling like Idaho is no longer the place for me and so I am looking at moving to either California or Washington and looking for some insight from someone who has moved States while using services and how you handled the transition.

Like my main concern is how do I handle the move while still maintaining my level of care during the transition of services from one state to the other.

I have took vocational rehab at the end semester of my senior year of high school, and my VR worker is being passive. I'm in a damned if you do damned if you don't situation.

She called TWO MONTHS AGO to "discuss plans" I told her I'm looking for a big job, but want to start off in retail so I can actually save. All was cordial, and as I suspected, no call back.

I only get 300 a month, most expenses are paid for by my dad, and I have NO friends or car. I need a job but Appalachia being the way it is, the nearest place is a 40 minute walk. I can't do that everyday. I can't call my grandpa everyday either, he's getting old. I know I can save but it'll take forever just to even save for a scooter.

My situation is a bit of being somewhat immature and unprepared, and I wanna change that. But I have no idea how, because the only thing I have to my name is a state ID, insurance, and debit card. It feels like at some points I just wanna leave from this place because no one understands, only wanting to criticize instead of hearing me out.

TLDR: I am completely unprepared for life and still mentally a teenager, running in circles because I don't know what to do.

Hi All, I have a question regarding social security disability. I was informed that my case has now been assigned to anyone disability examiner at the reconsideration phase. My son who was listed as a point of contact received a letter regarding my case. I have not seen the letter as of yet. Just as background information I'm 60, do not have a college degree but I have ulcerative colitis and a below 40 percent heart function on my left side. Thanks for any comments

I am lucky to be receiving SSDI benefits which keep me living like an invalid King, especially in the state with the second highest cost of living. My benefits don't even come close to adding up to half of the average annual cost of living here.
It was great to learn about the caregiver compensation allowance and that I would totally qualify except that caregiver cannot be a spouse. Has to be somebody living under the same roof over the age of 18. The combined age of my kids is not even close to 18, and I can't exactly invite a family member to move in and share a room with my kids so that we can get a $1,500 check.
WTF does the spouse not qualify?

I have a mediation scheduled with my former employer. They, of course, have general counsel on staff. Will I need a lawyer? I’m not looking for money but for them to tighten up their ADA training and procedures. What do the EEOC actually do in these situations? Any sharing is welcome.

Hey guys, I have epilepsy & a traumatic brain injury. I’m thinking about applying for disability, due to barely ever feeling good or being able to show up for my scheduled days. has anyone been through the process with these conditions? is it hard to get it for these disabilities?

I have accommodations at college for my disability, most of the time I’m late to class -and it says that on my accommodation I may be late occasionally to class or be absent due to illness, it also states I still have to do my work and I do. My professor told me that I might not get participation points because I come to class late daily..and that she has worked in special education even when I bring up I have an accommodation about the things I tell her about, I feel completely disregarded about this. I’m afraid to say something because this feels wrong?? I also need to be in a distraction free environment during testing and I’m stuck in the classroom during quizzes and it’s end of the semester I feel like it’s pointless..

i’m autistic and if you don’t see it as a disability, don’t talk to me about it. i struggle immensely due to autism, the struggle the affects me most is work. i get burned out incredibly easily so i need to call out often and don’t think i’ll ever be able to handle full time. despite never trying to be rude i have poor tone control i always say nice things but they come off as fake and rude(tried to fix this for like fucking years and i can’t), i have been told off multiple times for not making eye contact (in fact i wasn’t hired at mcdonald’s for it),i suck at interviewing despite trying and wearing all the right clothes. i’m always being told even by people on disability benefits to just “get a job” which makes me so upset cause i thought they’d understand my pain. i can get a job after months of trying yes, but i can’t keep a job. it’s about 6 months max to me and those 6 months are often me at my worst. my burn outs makes me suicidal, i end up hurting my self, i sleep for hours, i get migraines and my chronic pain issues flare up. burn out is genuine torture for anyone who’s never been through it. i know no one here can fix the issue, i also know you guys can’t tell me everything will be ok. but at least i can know you guys understand and that’s i’m not a lazy stupid piece of shit because i can’t work. if i could find a job that would accommodate me i would