In Which I Ponder My Children's Futures

In addition to being dyslexia awareness month, ADHD awareness month, Down Syndrome Awareness month, and probably a bunch of other things I'm unaware of (somewhat ironically) awareness month, I recently learned that October is disability employment awareness month.

Most of us have seen the feel good stories about businesses that exist to employ people with autism, Down Syndrome, or other disabilities. There are also people with those disabilities working in "normal" jobs, though it's not highlighted on the news so often. Unfortunately, when you have a visible disability like Down Syndrome that everyone knows includes some level of intellectual impairment, it can be hard to get people to take you seriously as an adult and employ you, even if you're perfectly capable of doing the job competently.

When you have an invisible disability, the struggle is different. You need to decide whether you should even reveal your disability to your potential employer and what effect it might have if you do. Barring a cure or an amazing new treatment that allows her to ignore her diabetes, this question will be most applicable to Kittygirl when she enters the workforce. Diabetics struggle every day with this question. If they reveal their condition to a potential employer during the interview it might be a strike against them. Even though they can't legally be discriminated against due to diabetes, it does happen. However, if they don't reveal it in the interview process, they need to decide when or if to make the big reveal after starting on the job. If they reveal their diabetes they might face prejudice, but, if they don't, they might be in a dangerous or even deadly health situation if their blood sugar drops very low and their coworkers think their odd behavior indicates drunkenness or illegal drug use.

Those with an invisible disability like dyslexia or ADHD won't be at risk of dying if no one knows about their condition. The question they face is more along the lines of whether they want to risk facing prejudice if they reveal a condition that is part of what makes them who they are. This is particularly true for adults who take medication to treat ADHD. Most people are okay with kids being on medication for ADHD, but the presumption is that the kids will eventually outgrow the need. Since the stimulants used for ADHD are sold and used illegally, adults who take such medications for legitimate reasons can come under scrutiny.

Both of my kids, as I've mentioned before, will need to have good health insurance if they need to continue on the medications they're currently taking into adulthood. For Kittygirl, of course, insulin will remain a necessity unless there is a cure or an alternate medication that treats type 1 (in which case that medication would become a necessity). Squirrelboy, on the other hand, MIGHT outgrow his need for the help that his medication gives him as he matures and learns more strategies to deal with his chaotic brain. He also might not.

Unless the U.S. wises up and approves a program that provides free or cheap healthcare for all paid for by our taxes, my kids and many others will need to consider what kind of benefits are offered or how they will pay for them independently as they consider future careers.

Squirrelboy's current dream is to be a filmmaker or YouTuber. Since those aren't exactly careers that offer guaranteed steady work, it will be interesting to see how he tackles that issue as he moves into adulthood. Insurance wouldn't be the only issue. Running your own business also requires organizational skills that Squirrelboy doesn't have and that would be very difficult for him. In his defense, not many 14 year olds would be ready to run their own business and he has time to learn. As long as he's committed to learning the extra skills that he'll need to master because of the way his brain works, I think he has a bright future ahead of him.