WORKING WORLD |
By Tamar Asedo Sherman
I can’t imagine not working. It’s who I am. For years I was a journalist, a reporter and editor for a daily newspaper in Ithaca, a small town in upstate New York. When I moved to Long Island, NY, I became a freelance writer and editor, working at home while my children were young. I took a full-time job as a public relations specialist for Stony Brook University for a couple of years before being downsized and deciding to be my own boss. I created and managed a science toy store in the charming village of Roslyn until Multiple Sclerosis made it too physically challenging for me to get to and from the store, unpack shipments and stock the shelves.
I did another stint as a freelance writer and editor at home. Sure it was easier, conducting business over the phone and going out to interview people or visit locations I was writing about on my own schedule, but after being in a workplace, interacting with other people, I felt isolated at home. Running a support group for others with MS became my social outlet, and when I discovered I had a knack for encouraging and inspiring others, I thought maybe I should get some training and get paid to do what I was doing naturally.
I went back to school for a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling at Hofstra University with support from VESID, my state’s vocational rehabilitation department, and began working as an employment specialist. I evaluate the interests and capabilities of people with acquired disabilities to help them get back to work. It is the personal satisfaction that I get from my job that keeps me working. I am having a positive impact on people’s lives, and enjoy the look of delight once people realize they can still be productive, regardless of the injury or health condition that has befallen them.
My identity has certainly changed over the years. Yes, I am a wife, mother of four and now also grandmother of four, but who I am has always depended on what work I was doing in addition to caring for my family. And these days, when people meet me for the first time and see me sitting in a wheelchair, they assume I do not work. They can clearly see that I have a disability and therefore mistakenly conclude that I must be disabled. They politely don’t even ask if I “do” anything.
If and when the opportunity presents itself, I tell them that I drive my own van, and I exercise at the Y, swimming laps and lifting weights, and oh, yes, I also go to work. Some people look a little sheepish when they realize they had underestimated me and made assumptions based on outdated concepts. Others readily admit to their surprise (and ignorance) that someone who has a disability such as mine could be so active.
At my job, when I greet people who have been referred for a career assessment, they frequently appear surprised that someone using a wheelchair is the professional who is going to help them. Once they adjust to the idea, however, they seem to like it. Whatever their disability is, if I can work, surely they can too.
That’s why I feel it is incumbent on those of us with obvious disabilities to get out there and show people that just because we can’t walk, it doesn’t mean we can’t talk or think or work or participate in society. We have to educate people that we are capable, we have skills and abilities. We are more than our disability.
Going to work for even a few hours per week provides a great boost in self-esteem. It gives you a reason to get up in the morning, get dressed in nice clothes instead of your sweats or favorite jeans, put on some makeup, and greet the world. Work is where most people socialize, where they make friends and meet lifetime mates. Studies show that people who work are in better health, but whether they work because they are in good health or whether their health improves because they go to work has not been determined.
And, of course, people who work have more money. So, if you’re thinking of going back to work, look for the area Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) office near you. Advisors can help you figure out what will happen to your benefits if you do. Check out www.ssa.gov/work.
Tamar Asedo Sherman is an employment specialist. She can be reached at tsherman@unitedspinal.org.
