Songbird76
Well-Known Member
Oh wow...that is so....WRONG! What do they expect? It's his CHOICE not to drive? And how exactly would they expect him to be a barback if he can't see to maneuver around people/tables/obstacles. Like..."Oh hey, see that guy there in the blue shirt with the levis logo on it? Oh, wait....no, you can't see. Just bring this over there to the left and try not to trip." What an unempathetic hag!So...disability...
Denied, as expected.
Treated rudely, humiliated, berated - not expected. These people were obnoxious!
From the lady who called last night to confirm we would be there at 8am sharp, to the security guard who not only would not let us on the elevator before 8am sharp, but when Brian began to protest that he thought we were supposed to be upstairs by 8am, he yelled at him and said, "IF I HAVE TO TELL YOU ONE MORE TIME, SIR..." Seriously? What is this - an episode of COPS?
They asked if we had received a CD in the mail. We had not. We'd remember that. They gave us one, it had medical records supplied by ?? from various doctors going back to 2013. (Important records such as his back surgery were missing.) We had about 4 minutes to look it over when he was called in to see the judge because the person scheduled first didn't show. They asked if we had an attorney; we did not. They did not allow me to go in with him. (Oh, I can be pretty attorney-ish. LOL.)
And they freaking grilled him. "I don't know why you're here." "Look at your income for 2018, clearly you can work." Everything he said was met with, "You can work." "You can get a job as a ticket-taker." (What? That came from some recently out of college woman over the phone - a "vocational expert." She said he could also get a job as a barback. Seriously?) The judge asked if he was driving. He said not for the last two months. She said, "Well, that's your choice."
Yes, it's his choice not to potentially cause harm to others since he can't read signs, has no depth perception, and is legally blind in one eye and the other is recovering from surgery.
What. The. Ever. Loving. F?
I would not get in a car with him right now if he was driving.
"You can read. You can read 12 point font!" (accusingly!) Yes, if he holds the paper right up to his left eye, he can figure out what it says. It works best on his phone because of the bright backlight (and increased font size) but is more difficult on a computer for some reason. "Why can't you use a computer? You can get a job doing xyz on a computer!" (Like getting any old job is just as good as what he's been doing for 30 years. And like you can snap your fingers and get a job.)
She wouldn't let him speak except to directly answer the questions until the very end when she asked if there's anything he'd like to add.
He said, "Ma'am, I don't want to be a burden on anybody; I'd rather work. But I'm getting scared because I can't see!"
Maybe it's a good thing I wasn't in the room.
There is no need to be disrespectful and treat someone like they're trying to get away with something. Hopefully, everything will just be back to our version of normal functionality after he is fully recovered from the surgery, and we won't have to worry about this for several years.Chalk this up as a learning experience, and next time get an attorney, even though they will take a cut. (She was pressing the issue a lot about why he didn't have an attorney, and explaining that she and the attorney could have come to some kind of agreement. It sounded very backroom deal-ish, and like she was annoyed he came in by himself sincerely expecting to just answer questions honestly.) He came out of there rattled. Somebody needs a job change.
Is there a limit or restriction on how many times or how often you can apply for disability? Not everyone can AFFORD a lawyer, and especially people who can't WORK! How do they expect someone who can't work to be able to pay for a lawyer? Lawyers are for when you've been involved in a crime, whether as the pertetrator or as the victim....you shouldn't be treated like a criminal because you are disabled. You shouldn't NEED a lawyer! I'm so sorry this was your experience. Hopefully his vision clears up fast and he can get back to doing what he loves and doesn't need to deal with these same people if he needs disability in the future.
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