Hey! So, I'm 26 years old and will be moving to a new city. I desperately am going to need a job. Nothing too demanding because I have some severe physical limitations, but something I could do with relative ease in an office setting.
I graduated in 2013 from UCLA and have a degree in Human Cultural Geography.
I have not worked since graduation because I had been too ill to do so, is it better to tell my potential employer that the reason I haven't worked is because of my health or should I say something else? Unless something random and drastic happens, there should be no issues with me missing work for illness or anything of that sort. I am finally healthy enough to work so I can't imagine someone rejecting me based on my past medical history, although I do not doubt they could.
My illness is hard to hide. I eat through a feeding tube. Which ultimately causes it's own set of issues. I've been considering doing a document series on my feeding tube and what it is like to live like this through youtube and possibly work towards being a motivational speaker seeing as I've been through some huge adversities. I feel my experience could help others find meaning in his or her own life. I don't know....
Anyway, these are just a bunch of rough draft thoughts that I've been putting together. Any help or insight would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Links you may find worth a read (though I know how frustrating it can be for people to point to links like this and say, see, there are jobs for you, like it's easy): http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/11/04/the-best-jobs-for-people-with-disabilities/ http://www.rileyguide.com/abled.html http://nod.org/disability_resources/employment_resources Also, for instance, in my city there is an organization, with a building you can visit, that has a wide variety of career services and help for people with disabilities, including severe ones. The counselor I saw for help finding a job was in a wheelchair and breathing through a tube attached to a mobile oxygen tank, which was awesome to see. It might take a bit of work to find one in your area, but it's worth looking for. I just googled "center disabled advocacy" looking for centers like the one I described, and here's one: http://www.advocacyla.org/index.php/get-help.html If the center you find on google isn't in your area, but it looks to be a good one, they'll probably be okay with you contacting them, asking if they know of any resources in your city. Oh, also, search meetup.com or similar for meetups in your area for people with disabilities in general, or disabilities somewhat similar to your own. Even if they're just social, adult support groups, it's a good resource to talk about difficulties finding work, networking, and so forth.
I am no work advisor so I can't really comment on that one. What I can comment on is that you should do what will make you happy and/or what helps people. Someone in your position with an education stands to teach the world a lot about things that wouldn't understand. If you feel you are up to the task I say go for it!!!
Again, not something I can give professional insight on. However, there are numerous others who speak on YouTube about these things and by relating to your viewers and being related to you can probably achieve your goals. It's definitely worth a shot and may help you find the professional connections you need to make this a reality. Edit: spelling. Stupid swipe text
Here are some decent youtube videos in which people with various disabilities talk about what it's like living with that disability: MY EXPERIENCE WITH OCD | AYYDUBS Neil Hilborn - "OCD" (Rustbelt 2013) How A.D.H.D. Feels What it's Like Having Epilepsy Carly's Café - Experience Autism Through Carly's Eyes Luke and Jan talk about their lives with autism Living and overcoming life with a disability Man With Cerebral Palsy Recalls First Experience At Gay Bar Showing my tics (CONTAINS SOME SWEARING) | Tourettes What it's like/how Tourettes work life in a wheelchair
and for the last video, here's a feel good one: Drew Lynch: Stuttering Comedian Wins Crowd Over - America's Got Talent 2015