Re:having sma and working

[Guest guest]

I have SMA and been in a wheelchair since I was 11, I'm now 56. I worked

from the ages of 18-41. I did office work. In those days, I typed on a

typewriter, as we didn't use computers. As the years went on and my condition

progressed, I lost lots of upper body strength, so I had to give up typing and

did

receptionist work. Eventually, I had to give up working altogether. By the way,

I found working part-time was easier for me, because I tire easily and as I

got older--bathroom needs.

Now I'm on the computer a lot. I did write a book about my life (and had it

published) using my computer and met a man here and got married. So, there is

still life after working. There have been times, though, I did wonder if

there was some kind of work I could do on my computer.

Hey, I'm open to ideas.

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[Guest guest]

When I was getting close to graduating from college, I spent much time

really considering my current weakness, possible future weakness and

stamina decline, attendant responsibilities, etc. in deciding what I was

going to do next once I was no longer a student.

I decided to start my own business doing braille transcribing from

home. It is done on the computer and then I emboss (print) the braille

work and have PCAs or others help me to tear the pages apart and get it

put together as a book for my clients. I can take on or decline work as

I need to, plus I can set my own hours. My guesstimate is that I can do

this work as long as I can work on a computer, even using alternative

input methods.

To get certified as a braille transcriber, you can look at this website.

http://www.loc.gov/nls/bds.html

Things have changed somewhat since I completed certification, but when I

did it the course/training was free of charge.

HTH,

Lori SMA II