How do the homeless, jobless, disabled, et.c. conquer meta-ignorance wrt social

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   stanwshuraposted 11 years ago

   How do the homeless, jobless, disabled, et.c. conquer meta-ignorance wrt social services?
   
   In other words how do those in dire need (or anyone, frankly) get to the point of KNOWING what we don't know so we can THEN answer the question FINALLY formed.  What ARE some of the available programs, resources, and housing opportunities for people with cognitive/executive functioning deficits (ha! or breakdown!)?  How do people find out what they  don't know, and whom to contact for answers?

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   Lisa HWposted 11 years ago

   Homeless is one thing.  Jobless is another thing.  Disabled isn't just yet another thing, but it could be many, many, "yet another thing's".  So the three descriptions can't be "all lumped together" if anyone hopes to come up with either the right questions or the right answers.
   
   There is "meta-ignorance" when it comes to the development of programs (or whatever else) aimed to assist people in need of any number of types of assistance.  Often, people designing the policies/laws for such programs do "lump together" anyone who needs assistance.  Worse, they assume that low income or no income equals being ignorant (about any number of things or about everything), uneducated, or irresponsible.  There is ignorance with regard to what is actually a "disability" in the first place.  There's ignorance about the potential of all people - regardless of whether they're mentally/physically able or not.  There is ignorance about what severe financial need can do to mental/emotional healthy (or just ability to keep a clear head and have energy) of those with serious money problems. There's ignorance (gross ignorance) about the ways a lot of policies/programs (or other types of assistance) make matters for worse for individuals and/or screen out the people who are most deserving of help.,  Then, on top of it all, there's lack of holding people (those who design programs and policies and people in the system who mishandle cases, or at least rubber-stamp them without question) accountable.  As a result, while The System looks to see what's wrong with the people who need assistance, the fact is that it The System that often creates that need for assistance and/or dependence on it.
   
   People who need assistance most often don't have trouble finding the phone number for it.  I think more often a lot of people make the call, discover the weaknesses/flaws/even dangers in the kind of assistance being offered; and decide they'll "pass".  The choice can be to allow an ignorant, oppressive, system into one's life and be assured that one will find himself trapped (in any number of ways), or refusing to buckle under to "The System"  in the hopes of being able to find one's way out of his situation without compromising all the must be compromised by asking for/accepting help from "The System".  Those who see the destructive nature of help from the system may take their chances on going it alone, rather than do what they feel will almost guarantee they will never get anywhere - ever.  So, they take their chances with being "left out in the cold" (in one or more ways).  Some manage to survive it all.  Some only sort of manage to sort of survive (mentally/emotionally).  Some don't survive it at all.

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      stanwshuraposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow!  Very knowledgable answer.  I AM one of the new jobless (fired for "overt anxiety" & other unaccomodated disabilities).  I'd be homeless, too, but for a dear friend letting me stay w/ her & sleep on her couch.  I'm also one who'd not fin

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