When do we forego benefit programs offered to us who are blind or otherwise physically disabled? It’s a question worth considering. After all, in an environment where 85 percent of people with various physical or cognitive disabilities remain unemployed, affording things like internet access, TV streaming, and even a home computer become harder to achieve.
And we’ve all heard the advise to budget better, work in the system, and shoot for the most inexpensive options possible. Add to that, many of us who have a physical or cognitive disability do not want to wear the badge of being needy.
On the other side of the argument is the aedvise not to look a gift horse in the mouth and reject the benefit. Recently when the FCC has come up with a plan for getting more people with disabilities online, they have worked out a system and funding to give us an opportunity to compete for work, hear the news, and improve our quality of life through the medddia and technology at our fingertips.
Enter in the Affordable Connnnectivity Program. As the following link explains, those who qualify, can get help paying for home internet access, funds to buy a personal computer, and other similar benefits. On the one hand, who wouldn’t want having such accommodations? If you live far away from a major city and your reception is poor using a connection whose bill is pennies on the dollar, you would greatly be helped by a government program designed for you to have faster internet, a Windows Operating System that is up-to-date, and higher speed when filling out forms online.
On the other hand, if you live nearer conections and routing stations, your internet provision may be satisfactory. You may prefer something quicker or a computer that has a bit more memory than your current terminal. You meet your budget every month and are sustaining yourself and perhaps a family on the SSDI or moderately paying job you just obtained.
I remember being in the second scenario and foregoing the benefits that the local HUD office held out to me. Why? Not only was I working but I had the potential to make more and gain upgrades on the technology I possessed. My news came primarily through the radio and internet. Paying for TV access would’ve been a waste of my money and time. When it came to choosing a housing voucher or turning the opportunity down, I weighed the fact I had gotten myself into a position I’d striven to have for a long time. My parents believed in paying in full for the things you bought; I inherited that ethic, knowing that the next person over who may not be so fortunate could use the funds that the local HUD had better than I could.
There may be other reasons for accepting or rejecting government help of various types that goes beyond the necessity of having enough to make ends meet each month. With that said, it’s always good to be educated on what is available in case you know someone who may need them while you may not. Here’s a link to the Affordable Connectivity Program through the Federal Communications Commission. Weigh the value of subscribing to it versus your own financial state of being. Perhaps, in time, with access to a computer and internet capability, you will get a job or service by which you can afford more of life’s necessities.
https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/acp-flyer-i_0.pdf
Boldly Blind 