“I’m not good at anything else.”
That’s what I told my husband one night, after the Teacher’s Retirement Board classified me as a disabled worker and revoked my license. I was a veteran educator with three master’s degrees—and a new, debilitating medical condition that left me paralyzed. The world I had built my identity around disappeared almost overnight.
The SSA later confirmed I could no longer work in education. But when they denied my Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim, they said I still had “residual functional capacity.” Their determination? I might be eligible to do some work—just not the one career I had trained for my entire life.
But what work? What career allows you to rest when your body demands it? Where do people with disabilities fit in when they’re still capable in many ways, but no longer able to meet the demands of traditional full-time work activity?
I didn’t have answers. All I knew was:
“I’m not good at anything else.”
It was a lie I believed—until entrepreneurship showed me otherwise.
Your Impairment Doesn’t Define Your Capability
When a chronic illness, injury, or long-term health condition takes away the career you’ve built, it can feel like your entire identity disappears with it. Too many people—especially mid-career professionals—are left in a gray area where they don’t qualify for disability benefits through the SSA, but can’t sustain the demands of their past work either.
If that’s you, you’re not alone.
What society often misses is that people with disabilities still have vast potential. A medical condition might affect your daily activities, but it doesn’t erase your skills. In fact, navigating life with a disability often builds:
- Problem-solving skills
- Empathy and communication
- Discipline and time management
- Adaptability that others never had to develop
These are not just soft skills—they’re marketable, valuable, and essential in self-employment.
Reclaiming Strength Through Self-Employment
After SSA denied my disability claim, I asked what training programs existed for disabled people who still wanted to work. The response? Crickets. There were no clear pathways, no tailored support, no roadmap for someone like me—someone with education, work experience, and a disability-related need to work differently.
So I created my own.
I started doing freelance copywriting. Slowly. At home. Between IVIG infusions, physical therapy, and managing my health care. It wasn’t easy—but it was possible. Because self-employment gave me:
- Autonomy over my schedule
- The ability to honor my impairments and medical needs
- A way to earn income without losing access to necessary care
- The freedom to reclaim my economic well-being
Today, I run a business that employs others and supports my family more than my teaching job ever did..
How You Can Identify Your Skills Post-Disability
Even if you feel like your impairments have taken everything from you, I promise: your skills didn’t disappear. They just need to be reframed.
Try this quick exercise:
- List all your past work experience, paid or unpaid.
- Write out your daily tasks in those roles.
- Identify what you could still do from home—with accommodations if needed.
- Highlight anything that gave you joy, confidence, or a sense of mastery.
- Ask a trusted family member or friend what you’re great at. They see strengths you might miss.
This simple method helps redefine your residual functional capacity in a way that actually empowers you, instead of limiting your eligibility for benefits or services.
You Deserve a Life That Works for You
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to protect your civil rights. But the ADA doesn’t guarantee that employers will accommodate your fluctuating health, or that you’ll qualify for SSDI or SSI. Many disabled people are left with no safety net—just a desire to work, and no pathway to do it.
That’s why we built Journey 2 Success.
Our program helps disabled people:
- Discover and refine business ideas
- Learn how to build service-based businesses from home
- Get access to financial support for certifications, software, and courses
- Receive mentorship and technical assistance
- Connect with a community that gets it
We specialize in supporting people with disabilities—especially those mid-career who don’t qualify for SSA, but still want to thrive.
Start Your Journey
Disability-related setbacks don’t have to be the end of your story. They can be the start of a new chapter.
If you’re looking to build your own future through self-employment—whether you’re receiving disability benefits or not—we’re here to help. You are more than your disability claim, your past work, or a medical definition of your capacity.
You are capable.
Download our free accessible business plan template here
Have questions? Email us @ journey2successnp@gmail.com
You don’t need to wait for the system to say “yes” to your eligibility.
You can say yes to yourself—today.
