I hate stairs   In case of a fire, use the elevator. Quickly.

I was doing a decent job of keeping up with my writing schedule (okay, I was a little off) until about two weeks ago, when I got bombarded with school. And I mean bombarded. Due dates and deadlines came at me like linebackers after a quarterback. My email inbox began to overflow. My extra-curricular involvement fizzled. I started missing assignments. I turned in below-average homework. I did kind of bad (I think) on an Accounting exam and then bombed miserably on a Finance exam. On top of all that, I’ve had a sinus infection and some stomach issues. The past two weeks have been some of the worst weeks I can remember having in my college career. I had to regroup. So I came up with a plan.

I was originally taking four classes this semester. Marketing Research is full semester and in-person. Finance 1 and Accounting are intensive, 8-week classes that take place first term (i.e. the first half of the semester). Management of IT and Systems is also an intensive, 8-week online class scheduled for second term. Like this:

Fall 2008 Class Schedule

I decided last semester that online classes would be better for me since I work well using a computer. Unfortunately, I didn’t consider the disadvantages of online classes. The first is that I retain most of the test material during lectures. I don’t retain a lot from reading, especially if I read through entire chapters. If I skim, I tend to miss everything. Well, online classes don’t have much lecturing. Accounting does have some useful video lectures, but Finance is lacking.

The second disadvantage is that exams are usually open-book and open-note. Obviously, distance learners cannot be proctored as well as their in-person counterparts. Most professors assume that students will use the book and or notes. To compensate, professors write more difficult questions. Open book tests are usually a disadvantage to me because it is difficult for me to flip through a book, much less at the same time I’m writing or typing. I hate textbooks. While it is possible to get digital copies, it can take weeks or even months of dealing with large, bureaucratic publishing companies. So I end up not using a book, but still having to answer tough questions.

Combined, these disadvantages (and the fact that some of the classes are intensive) left me taking a Finance midterm for which I was completely unprepared, without my book and notes, having to use a mouse, keyboard, and financial calculator at once. I nibbled on it, realizing I was getting nowhere, then turned it in mostly incomplete. I talked with my advisor today and dropped the class. The unfortunate result is that it is not offered in person next semester (my last). I will be forced to take it online again. But at least Accounting will be done. And now I know what to expect. I will plan out my tests with DSS so I can get some accommodations (writer and extended time).

As you can see, I’ve been busy. But some of the pressure is off now.

I’m nearing my last year of school. This time next year, I hope to be employed. The taxpayers of Mississippi and the nation have helped me with the cost of attendants and the cost of my education. I am grateful, and I am ready to get a job and put back into the system. That’s the problem though. I can’t seem to find a way off of the system.

I’m receiving insurance and healthcare benefits through Medicaid. While there is at least one Medicaid program that would allow me to earn a moderate salary, all Medicaid programs I have found out about share one financially damaging caveat. I can only have $2000 in savings (more accurately, resources, which include savings, property besides home, extra vehicles, etc.). Furthermore, I was told by a Social Security employee that Medicaid’s policies change from year to year, and I could possibly find myself suddenly uneligible. So there I would be, with only $2000 in savings and no health insurance. And if I were to get a raise or promotion, I might be put over the salary cap.

It is possible that if I had a high enough salary, I could pay my attendants out of pocket. And I may be able to get insurance through my job. The problem is that it takes about sixteen hours of attendant care per day if I were to live completely independently (as I do in college). If I stayed at home, I would need four to eight hours a day. The expenses add up. How can I pay an attendant a decent wage when I may be only making a decent wage myself?

The problem is that the same support I need to get through college, I will need when I get a job. But the programs I rely on now either cease after school or will limit my career opportunities. There’s no transition. Not being able to move forward, should I simply stay unemployed and continue living with full Medicaid benefits?

I believe the solution lies in a compromise of transition. A program by which people with disabilities can work without financial caps, giving them full access to any career opportunities. But it could also minimize the cost of benefits the state would provide. Here’s how it would work. Let’s assume I get a job and I am able to get insurance through my employer. I would have a counselor who determines how many hours of assistance I need (a counselor would also be helpful for making sure people don’t abuse the system). Then, the counselor would take my yearly (or monthly) income and run it through a formula that would result in the amount of financial assistance I would get. It would be assumed that I could personally cover the rest. That’s it. Simple.

It’s a win-win. I get to work and take advantage of any career opportunities, and the state will save money. I would be paying taxes and covering some or most of my attendant costs.

If only I could imagine this program into existance.