More Independence by Sarah Evans

A few years ago, I applied to a program called Direct Funding. The program gives consumers like myself the funds to manage my own attendant care. I had put my application in and was put on a waiting list.

For the most part, this had gone to the back of my mind until last week, when I received a letter saying that my application had come up. In addition to submitting an updated application, I had to book a time to go in for an interview.

In preparation for this, I was directed to a website with a study guide. As I will be the employer, I will have to understand pay cheques, deductions, vacation, employment standards and the like.

I have mixed feelings about this important opportunity. I'm excited because if I get accepted I would have more control over my attendant services, such as where I receive them and what I ask them to do. I am also kind of nervous about having to handle the payroll and other administration tasks. However, I have heard that it is not that difficult once you get a system in place and there are many supporters available. 

Gail Vaz-Oxlade is well known for her matter of fact way of helping people manage their money. She has great resources on her website, including instructions for making your own budget sheet. This is her website if you feel you need to learn a little more about managing money and developing systems to help you keep track of expenses. 

Future Planning by Sarah Evans

I recently started thinking about the future, especially in terms of finances. It started a few weeks ago when a relative who helps manage my affairs advised me to start thinking about putting together a will. I never even considered that I needed a will since I'm on ODSP. I always thought of my finances as simple and straightforward, yet thinking about it, I realized that I do have some assets.

Things got even stranger when I thought about who I would leave my assets to. I obviously don't have children and I don't plan on having them. I would leave money to the children of my brothers and sisters, but they don't have children yet either and I'm not sure whether or not they will. Thinking about this has been really strange. I know that preparing a will is the responsible thing to do, but it feels like I'm dealing with so many unknowns.

Food for Thought: Self-Disclosure as a Boundary by Sarah Evans

How much information do you share with others? What boundaries do you set around self-disclosure? A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about boundaries. There are many kinds of boundaries that get crossed,  especially when you have a disability. Nevertheless, we must be aware of what is appropriate and inappropriate and not be afraid to set boundaries for others; physical or otherwise.

To me, self-disclosure is about what you tell about yourself to whom. Sometimes it can be difficult to know who's safe to tell what to. Sometimes people tell too much information about themselves, such as their finances and their personal life, to people they don't really know that well (maybe acquaintances or people they meet and are talking to in a store).

Personally, sometimes I'm too trusting of people and I just want to be friendly. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about keeping yourself safe. I think that we gain wisdom by just going out there and having experiences and dealing with people. This is one of the reasons why it is important that we all, including people with disabilities, are part of our communities and have social opportunities. Loneliness and isolation sometimes makes us vulnerable. Even though it is sometimes difficult to get out and about, we need to look for opportunities to be around others; if for no other reason, to help us gain street smarts.

Mixed Feelings About ODSP by Sarah Evans

For the most part, I am grateful to be on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). It enables me to be financially independent and pay for things like groceries and rent for my apartment. But it is a double sided coin. The other side is that people who are on the program are only allowed to make $200 a month extra before the government takes money away. Some people on ODSP would be able to work, but the rules are a disincentive to do so.

Even though I don't think I would be able to work full-time, I would probably be able to do something. At one point last year, I thought about starting my own consulting business. I spoke to my ODSP worker and she said that I could start a business but I would have to report all of my earnings and the government would take half of my earnings away after the initial $200. Now I want to be an author and I have to wonder how selling my stories or even publishing a book would affect my ODSP.

I am not sure what an ideal solution would be. Maybe it is raising the $200 limit. I know that it does pay off to work because you can make more money in the end, but it seems so difficult to figure out all the reporting rules and the like. I know that these programs have rules for a reason (and a good reason at that) but it feels sort of like they need to take into account individual situations and be more supportive of people who want to be part of the workforce. But on the other hand, not having to go to work gives me a lot of time to work on my writing. So maybe in the end it is a trade off.