This page is an excerpt from our book, Sailing Farther Than the Eye Can See.
Our writers reflect on what inspires them to work.
Emma Rolph says:
- Work can be a source of enjoyment. It can put you in touch with people you like, admire, and enjoy.
- Work can teach you about people and open your eyes to different ways of life.
- Work gives you a chance to help other people.
- Work can develop our leadership abilities and our ability to communicate.
- Work can be very inspiring and give rise to fresh artistry.
Juan Figueroa says:
- Work is pride, dignity, and the chance to achieve something in your life instead of being stagnant,
- Work gives you direction. Work gives you something to do with your time.
- Work gives you a chance to gain opportunities; you can become anything.
- When you work, you are free, you stretch your wings, you help others, and you are able to participate in meetings, discussions, and friendships.
- The most important thing for me about work is freedom. There are some people that want to depend on others – not trying, not growing, being complacent; that slowly destroys the self through the loss of chances to socialize, to develop ideas and to develop your strengths.
- A life of working offers enjoyment, passion, vocation, and a chance to study and learn.
- Working and seeking work offers the chance to develop wisdom, stubbornness, resilience, perseverance, knowledge, backbone, and courage, as well as the ability to communicate, to advocate, and to be diplomatic.
Erin Williams says:
- It’s important to show sighted people that people with visual impairment/visual disabilities can make a difference if we have the support we need
- I want to get out in the community and meet more people and that’s a way of doing it
- I want to show my talents and abilities and to demonstrate my confidence that I can be at the same speed as everyone else
- I want to earn money to have independence and choices
Emily Poole says:
- Work helps you to be busy and motivated
- Work makes it possible to earn money to pay my bills
- Work gives us choices
- Work allows me to show my talents as a disabled person
- Through work I can make the world a fairer and more just place
Ashley Fraccalossi says:
- Work gives you a feeling of purpose and fulfillment in ways other aspects of life can’t.
- Work allows you to develop interpersonal skills that other types of social atmospheres can’t.
- Work can expose you to diverse networks of people that can lead to other opportunities outside of the workplace.
- Some types of work can afford the opportunity to explore other parts of the community, country, and even world that can benefit us personally and professionally.
- Work allows us the opportunity for financial independence that can lead to a much-desired autonomy for many aspects of our lives.
- Work allows us the chance to develop our self-advocacy skills as persons with disabilities.
- Work allows us to explore our passions and expand on areas of interest.
- Work gives us an opportunity to show the abled community how the disabled community is just as valuable to any workplace.
- Work allows us to continue to learn and grow alongside others that are often willing to share with us what they’ve learned and how they’ve grown in their careers.
- Work connects you with new people and develops diverse friendships with people we may otherwise not have met!
- Work is an opportunity to collaborate and learn the art of effective communication.