A disability is a condition or function judged to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual or their group. The term is often used to refer to individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment or mental health issue. This usage is associated with a medical model of disability. By contrast, a human rights or social model focuses on functioning as an interaction between a person and their environment, highlighting the role of a society in labelling, causing or maintaining disability within that society, including through attitudes or accessibility favoring the majority. Disabilities may come to people during their life or people may be born disabled.

Common usage refers to 'a person with a disability' or a person who is 'disabled' or, more controversially, who is 'handicapped', 'differently abled', 'retarded', 'lame', 'handi-capable' or a 'cripple'. Some prefer to only refer to specific 'disabilities' rather than to a generalized sense of 'disability'.

Quoted from Wikipedia! All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

We've all known the neighbor or ralative who has lived on their disability insurance forever. Usually they claim to have a back problem that keeps them from working. Yet when it comes to doing something that they want to do, they can work circles around you or me!

I knew a guy who started getting disability insurance when he turned of age. He's never had a job in his life! A "head doctor" claimed he had a mental problem that caused a fear of being around other people so he could not perform in a work environment.

Yet this "fear" never prevented him from hanging out in the bars or even getting up on stage on Karaoke night!

These people live better than most of us. They get a monthly government check, rent assistance, free health insurance, food stamps and a trip to the "food bank" once a week.

Their only worry is keeping the doctors fooled.

The fact that "everybody knows everybody" in small towns around the country stops many people with disabilities from using the services offered by the government!

Most of us who have worked for their entire lives have enough pride that we are loathe to go in and ask for needed assistance. The fact that we know the people behind the desk makes it even harder.

For those who "use the system", this doesn't seem to be any problem! It is almost as if beating the system is a game to them and their "pride" is in finding new ways to get free assistance.

More on this later!

Most people who must live on disability insurance are considered as living at the poverty level. As such they are eligable for free food from food banks that are found in most communities. You can find out about food banks in your area by checking at the local Chamber of Commerce.

A food bank is a place where food, both non-perishable goods and perishable goods like fresh produce, frozen items, and baker products, are offered to nonprofit agencies for distribution to people who may not be able to afford food. These agencies are typically non-profit organizations or run as part of a church or community outreach group. A food bank is like the wholesale arm of the food distribution system for those living in poverty. Other agencies are the retail arm and serve people directly.

Most people who live on disability insurance are also eligable for food stamps.

The US Food Stamp Program is a federal assistance program that provides food to low income people living in the United States. Benefits are distributed by the individual states, but the program is administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Most food stamp benefits are now distributed using Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards.

For information about the Food Stamp Program, contact your local food stamp office or click this link. You can find local offices and each State's food stamp application on their national map. Local offices are also listed in the State or local government pages of the telephone book. The office should be listed under "Food Stamps," "Social Services," "Human Services," "Public Assistance," or a similar title. You can also call your State's food stamp information/hotline number. Most are toll-free numbers.

Another benifit that is possible for people on disability insurance is rent supplements.

Rent supplements is government funding to reduce low income tenants rent. This can be done on a percentage of income basis or some other formula. Rent supplements are subsidies paid by the government to private landlords who accept low-income tenants. The supplements make up the difference between rental market price and the amount of rent paid by tenants, for example 30% of the tenants income.

Your local "Social Services," "Human Services," or "Public Assistance," office can help you with rent assistance.

Do you own your home? Is it cold and drafty? If your low income qualifies you for the previous assistance, you're qualified for this one also!

The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was created in 1976 to assist low-income families who lacked resources to invest in energy efficiency. WAP is operated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and works with Native American tribes. The funds provided by Congress are used to improve the energy efficiency of low-income dwellings using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry. The energy conservation resulting from the efforts of state and local agencies helps our country reduce its dependency on foreign oil and decrease the cost of energy for families in need while improving the health and safety of their homes.

Last winter I had my furnace checked and was told that it was inefficient and unsafe. I was really upset because I could not afford to replace it. Someone told me to check on this program because it would help pay for a new furnace.

The Home Weatherization Assistance Program had me get a couple of estimates, then told me to get it done and have a copy of the bill sent to them as they would pay a portion of the cost.

A month after having the new furnace installed, I received a bill for $2000 from the heating contractor who installed the furnace and it was marked "paid in full"!

This program really helps!!

If you've made it to the bottom of this page it must mean that something on this lens has peaked your interest. If there's something else that you would like added to this side please leave a comment and I'll try to get it added.

As I said in my profile, I enjoy collecting and since I retired I've found that building these lenses is a great way to stay busy; And, I hope that I'm helping some of you out by gathering information on your favorite subject and putting it all in one place so you don't have to spend hours searching for it.

I spend part of my time designing t-shirts and buttons to help supplement my social security because, as many of you know, it's pretty difficult to make it on social security. My on-line t-shirt shop is called Dene's Place after my wife.

My "retirement" came a few years earlier than I would have liked because they found that I have an inoperatable tumor about the size of a softball in my right pelvic area. They still don't know what to do about it because for now it has quit growing. One of those "leave it alone and see what happens" type things.

Anyway, if you've made it this far, I'd appreciate it if you would check out Dene's Place to see if there's anything that you might like for yourself or as a gift. It helps me pay the bills!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out my other lenses when you have time.

Much of the information used here has been researched from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.