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May 1, 2013
The 64th annual Mental Health Month observance this May celebrates Pathways to Wellness, the diverse strategies that individuals use to attain better overall health, including emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health.
According to Mental Health America, wellness is “an active process of becoming aware of and making choices towards a more successful existence.” Wellness is a conscious pursuit of health and working towards achieving one’s full potential. The pathway to wellness includes a healthy diet, regular exercise, relaxation and plenty of rest. Overall wellness contributes to your readiness and ability to work, and meaningful work can then also help you continue on the path to wellness.
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May 16, 2013
By Guest Blogger, Anne Tucker
Guest blogger and mother Anne Tucker shares another personal piece from her experiences with her sons with autism. If you missed her first post, be sure to check out The Power of a Broken Heart.
By now, most of us who own a TV and have internet access know that April is Autism Awareness month. Autism Speaks has done an outstanding job over the past decade raising awareness around the condition that 1 in 88 children in the United States live with. For that, I am extraordinarily grateful. Both my sons are on the autism spectrum, and because of this heightened awareness, my family has been met with acceptance, understanding and compassion the vast majority of the time.
With that said, I have noticed that where we are lacking as a collective is appreciating the special gifts, talents and abilities this population has to share with us. My son, Ethan, started using a technique called facilitated communication several months ago. Now that he can type to express his thoughts and ideas I have been literally and figuratively brought to my knees again and again with the depth of understanding he holds.
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May 15, 2013
Ticket to Work for People who have a Mental Illness: Support on Your Journey to Employment
Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 3:00 PM, EDT
If you are a Social Security disability beneficiary and want to make more money through work, Ticket to Work can provide the support you need to transition to financial independence.
The May 22 national WISE webinar will present information about special Social Security programs and rules that may apply to you! We will share a success story of an individual with a mental illness who found employment through Ticket to Work, and you will also learn from experts about:
Register online or call 1-866-968-7842 (V) or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY).
You will receive a registration confirmation message with instructions on how to log in to the webinar. Please be sure to check your spam folder. Registration information will also be available online the day of the webinar.
When you’re ready to find a good job that leads to a good career and a better self-supporting future, attending a WISE webinar is a great way to start. Our next WISE webinar is May 22 at 3:00 p.m. EDT Register online or call 1-866-968-7842 (V) or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY).
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May 13, 2013
Megan Riggs, a Ticket to Work success story, successfully used the Ticket to find employment. We first featured Megan in October 2011, telling the story of how she worked with TransCen, an Employment Network, to find a job as a Document Control Specialist. We recently caught up with her to learn about her progress since then.
Despite some setbacks, Megan is still advancing in her employment journey with the help and support of Ticket to Work and Work Incentives. Watch or read her original success story, and then listen or read the transcript to the Ticket Talk podcast to see how she is doing now!
Megan is proof that the Ticket to Work program and Work Incentives provide continued support and protection even after one has worked enough to reduce or eliminate their cash benefit. Megan is currently using the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) Work Incentive, which provides 36 consecutive months of continued eligibility for Social Security benefits while you work.
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May 13, 2013
Helen Keller once noted that of all her impairments, her lack of speech and hearing was the most unfortunate. In her words “Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.” Since 1927, the month of May has observed the importance of speech, language, and hearing – three major components of communication. This observance provides an opportunity to raise awareness, knowledge, and understanding of these types of communication impairments. According to the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA), one in six people in the United States has a speech, language or hearing impairment that negatively affects their ability to learn or communicate at home, work, or school. If you are one of the millions of Americans who has a speech, language, or hearing impairment, there are resources to help you!
Speech
When a person is unable to produce speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has problems with his or her voice, then he or she has a speech disorder. Difficulties pronouncing sounds, or articulation disorders, and stuttering are examples of speech disorders. There’s a variety of speech treatment options, depending on the type of speech impairment you have. Consult an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). For more information on locating an SLP who may be able to help you, visit http://www.asha.org/findpro/. Read More...
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May 10, 2013
Following our April 24th WISE Webinar, we took to our Facebook page to answer your disability employment-related questions. We addressed a variety of questions about the Ticket to Work program, Work Incentives and the path to financial independence. Thank you to all who participated, and we hope to see the rest of you next time! Follow us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/choosework) to receive announcements of future events! If you are interested in work and would like to discuss your situation now, speak with a Ticket to Work representative at 1-866-968-7842 (V) or 866-833-2967 (TTY) or find a service provider using our Find Help tool.
Check out the transcripts of the April 24th Facebook Q&A below:
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May 8, 2013
By Guest Blogger, Arielle Dorros.
Autism Awareness Month, recognized in April, is an opportunity to continue educating people about Autism and issues within the autism community. It is also a time to celebrate the resources and support services available to people on the spectrum. To coincide with Autism Awareness Month, Autism Speaks introduced the Employment Toolkit, a useful guide that offers adults on the spectrum practical tools and resources to help them find work and advance in the workforce. Seeing it prompted one of those rare moments when I exhale and consider the scaffolding of support in my daughter’s future. It is going up one piece at a time. Last month we connected with another mother who offered to share her story about building her child with autism's future.
It was August of 2004 when my 5-year-old daughter and I took refuge at Starbucks from a 100-degree heat index. While waiting for our drinks, I turned my back for a moment to gather straws and napkins. That’s when I heard an alarmed voice exclaim “Hey! Kid! Stop it. What are you doing?! That’s my drink!!” There she was, sitting next to a gentleman at the counter, taking a satisfied draw from his Frappuccino. Her large brown eyes looked directly into his without a hint of concern. The look she gave him said: “Yes, and…?” I apologized profusely, explaining that Sarah has autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group (or “spectrum”) of neurological disorders that interfere with a person’s ability to process information, communicate, and interact with others. In some cases, it presents with repetitive or involuntary body movements, and behaviors considered to be socially inappropriate. Impulse control is a particular challenge for small children who have autism. Sometimes when we’re out with Sarah it seems like we are living life on Candid Camera.
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May 6, 2013
You may have already filed your taxes, but now is the time to start preparing for next year, especially if you started working or plan
to go back to work this year. Tracking your expenses throughout the year may help you take advantage of the tax credits that are available to you.
One tax credit that you may be able to take advantage of is IRS’ Impairment-Related Work Expenses and deductible medical expenses. If you have a disability and work, you may incur certain expenses for special aids, services, or equipment that allow you to work effectively. You can claim a deduction for those expenses on your federal income tax return. You can also generally include medical expenses you pay for yourself, as well as those you pay for someone who is your spouse or your dependent.
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