“A lot of us cannot subscribe to the hustle culture that has become our society, and it’s not because we’re lazy, it’s because we’re disabled,” says 39-year-old Tiara Simmons. Here's her story. (via CNBCMakeIt)
Tiara Simmons understands — maybe better than most people — that money often equals access.
She was recently sworn-in as an attorney, but isn't doing it for the money — even if it would make parts of her life easier. Rather, she hopes to one day become a public defender helping clients without the means for legal representation. At times, she says, they've been able to sock away a little money as emergency savings, but one way or another, necessities kept coming up. She was saving up to pay for her bar exam, but that money wound up going toward moving costs when she had to move to a more affordable apartment.
The infection turned to gangrene and resulted in the amputation of both Simmons' legs. She received prosthetic legs when she was 4, which allowed her to walk for the first time, and continued to use prosthetics growing up. She switched to using a wheelchair full-time after she finished college. She moved from New York to California in 2010, partly because the milder climate is easier on her wheelchair, but also because the state's earthquakes have led to updated buildings with better accessibility than states with older infrastructure.Life on the West Coast was going well for Simmons.
"People don't tend to hire disabled people and I can't just go work at ABC minimum wage job or whatever," she says. "I was willing, but there wasn't much that I could do considering my type of disability." "I don't have a lot of options due to disability as far as where I can live, where I can go, where I can work," Simmons says. "Even if there was this amazing job opportunity out there for me, I would have to turn it down if it's someplace that I cannot get to on public transportation because taxis and even Ubers, they're not options for me."
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