Exploring the challenges of securing a career when you’re unable to obtain a college degree as a disabled person.

I have dedicated the last 10+ years of my life and time to learning the legal and administrative sides of disability advocacy. I’ve personally lived and existed within the systems that disabled people are forced to navigate. 

Yet, I do not qualify for the disability rights and advocacy related jobs I’ve looked into. They all require a college degree. A bachelor’s degree in disability policy or communications. A juris doctorate and passing of the state bar exam. Barriers and hurdles that I couldn’t dream of being able to jump over because of the systems that actively work against disabled people. 

Recently, out of curiosity, I made a search inquiry for, “free college for disabled adults.” Programs do exist, but many of them have an age cutoff of 22-25 years old. They don’t expect us to live long enough to put the degree to good use. Several of these programs are also disability-specific; meaning, you have to fit neatly inside a box in order to qualify for the assistance. Then there’s the issue of the government gutting or cutting programs altogether; so the funding doesn’t exist anymore, even if the program is still listed. 

And what of disabled people who cannot work because they missed out on obtaining a degree and were forced to apply for benefits? What if you want to go back to school to try and get the credentials that would give you the opportunity to get a job that might support the financial demands that being disabled comes with? Those who are receiving disability benefits often have to make the painful choice between education and survival. The SSA typically sees being able to take a few classes as equivalent to substantial gainful activity (SGA), and will almost assuredly cut off benefits necessary for survival. It’s a loss of access to funds that grants and loans cannot replace or supplement. 

I was a college student at one point in my life, but was forced to drop out (with a 4.2 GPA, no less) because of my disabilities and the severe lack of access to accommodations. Going back is practically impossible. I have the knowledge and experience that would make me the perfect candidate for most of the positions I’ve looked at, sans degree. 

For example, I’ve helped thousands of disabled people across the country -and even internationally- navigate disability rights, file formal complaints, and resolve discrimination in housing, public access, all levels of education, and the workplace. I have a 98% success rate in achieving positive resolutions. I’ve been lauded by attorneys, ADA Coordinators, mediators, information hotline employees, and government investigators as, “extremely knowledgeable,” and have even been begged to apply for their own positions to help with the workload. 

But those government jobs by and large do not exist at this point in time due to funding cuts. I can’t be a paralegal or an attorney without a law degree. I can’t work most “traditional” jobs or positions because I’m severely chronically ill and lack the reliability that employers require to hold a position. 

I’d love to be a patient advocate and help disabled people with coordinating their care needs. Lord knows I have the experience and have been told countless times by licensed medical professionals that I, “know way more about x, y, z condition(s) [than they do].” But without a medical degree and license of my own, it’s extremely unlikely I’d legally be able to do so. How does one get those credentials without going to college? You can’t. 

The aforementioned issues are precisely why I started A Link to the Spoons (ALTTS). It’s a way for me to share my own experiences as a disabled person navigating the medical, legal, and social services systems that so many others are also forced to exist within. I want to spread my knowledge to help others be able to self-advocate and support fellow Community members in their own journeys. 

Knowledge is power, yes. But half the battle is learning how to utilize that power within systems that would rather see disabled people powerless. I’ve got some big plans actively in the works on how to do just that, but I’ll need your support to carry them out. Stay tuned for more— you’re gonna want to see what comes next.