By Ronda Del Boccio

I can only imagine what my parents went through when they discovered that I was a “special needs child.”  They realized that my eyes didn’t seem to track the way they should, so they took me to the doctor, to an ophthalmologist, and even into the hospital for a procedure to figure out what was wrong with my eyes.

My name is Ronda Del Boccio, and I am legally blind.  I am not here to talk about me, but I know that if I tell you a little of my story and of the story of my parents, you will get to know me a bit better.  I really love talking with parents of children with disabilities, and with the children too, because I want you to understand that with the right help, life can be made a little easier and can be as normal as possible.

That’s what we’re doing for Petey by coming together to get him an accessible van.  Having a van will mean freedom to him and joy to his family and caregivers like Jason who want him to have a life like any teenager.

School was tough because I was different.  My parents had very limited means and did the very best they could for me.  I feel blessed and grateful for this.  Now I am able to work from home with the aid of assistive technology as an author and business mentor.

I’ve worked as a daily living skills instructor, disability rights advocate, marketing director for a training program for blind people, an aid for disabled adults, and now I am doing something completely different.  Now I am known as the Story Lady of Storyation.com and am the co-author of an inspirational book called I’ll Push You Steer.

No, I don’t know what it is like to be the parent of a child with disabilities, but I have a good idea what they went through when I was a child, back before the internet.  Even though it may seem at first glance that it SHOULD be easier to find benefits and services for children with disabilities, the harsh reality is that even with the internet, it can still be a horrendous maze.

What I share with you here is only the start, and I invite you to comment below to tell me what type of guidance you need so that I know what to write about next.

So let’s get started with government benefits.

A great place to start your search for resources for yourself or anyone with a disability is to visit the Disability Info site that the US Government offers at the following link.
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=500

This is a comprehensive listing of government resources available in the following topic areas:  employment, housing, technology, education, transportation, health, benefits, community life, and civil rights.

You can search for specific resources in your state from this website.  You can also put in search terms to make it easy to find what you are looking for in a box on the right just below the banner.  There is a box where you can subscribe to their newsletter.

If you are a parent of a child with a disability, you can get a booklet called Benefits for Children with Disabilities at http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html and you may call 1-800-772-1213 from 7 AM- 7 PM Eastern Time and speak to a live human being, or you can get automated answers to the most common questions anytime.

Supplemental Security Income or SSI is available for people with low income or limited resources who are senior citizens or who are blind or disabled.  Consult the booklet or the website (which is the booklet online) for the specific guidelines before applying.

You can also get information from the Social Security Administration about various government and legislative resources at http://www.makoa.org/gov.htm

My next guest blog will be about support for parents of children with disabilities.  If you know about a service you highly recommend, please email Profitable Author at gmail dot com (no spaces, the at sign, and the period where it says dot)..

Warmly
Ronda Del Boccio is the award-winning co-author of the inspirational bestseller I’ll Push You Steer: The Definitive Guide to Stumbling through Life with Blinders On. Get a sneak peek of the book at  http://IpushUSteer.com  She also teaches you to tell powerful stories that change the world with free gifts at http://Storyation.com

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