Our #1 has always straddled the borderline between (legal) disability and non-college employment. Much as he has been on the borderline between participating in conventional sports (rec hockey, adult hockey) and assisted sports (special hockey).
That trend continues. During a work rotation through the first year of his ‘transition program’ he was offered part-time (50%) conventional employment doing warehouse work. Not enough to live on, but perhaps a problem for qualifying for disability, supplemental needs trusts, 529 ABLE plans, housing support, medicaid and more.
He is, of course, quite excited. We have, of course, mixed feelings. We haven’t focused on managed savings, budget training, debit cards and the like. That seemed years away, and likely to involve only trace amounts of money. What happens now to his transition program? Do we now get him his (deferred during transition program as is the peculiar norm) high school diploma? Do we divert his income into “room and board” that we can in turn invest in an S&P index fund for him?
What about transportation? He hasn’t completed transit training and it’s a difficult 1 hr bus ride to his job site. We are fortunate he is a strong cyclist, the weather is decent, and there’s a safe 30 minute route to work.
I suspect he will tire of employment once the novelty wears off. That has been a common pattern with other activities on the far side of disability. He is older though, and we see signs of more executive function. Flexible we remain…
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