How disabled am I?

I have been browsing disaboom for a bit now. I love the idea of a site for those whose lives are impacted by disability. I learned about the site from the disaboom account on Plurk. But it took a plurk that there was a contest going on to get me to blog.

Why? Because I am actively looking for work in the community enviroment. I want to be the community manager or social media expert for a company. And job searches and hidden disabilities don't always go together very well.

My biggest physical problem is my knees. I have had 8 surgeries between the two of them There's a picture of my scars in my photo area here on diaboom.

It's not like I hide my knee problems - I plurk and tweet about them. I have participated actively in knee boards on and off for over a decade. I wear shorts. (I live in Arizona, I have no choice but to wear shorts.) But... there's a difference between doing those things and writing a blog about the day to day life of an almost disabled person.

I still get around fine most of the time. The knees swell and ache regularly, but that can be controlled with ice and pain meds. Most of the time. I am just too stubborn to do the things that would put me on disability, even though I am eligible. Instead, for the last 9 years, I have run my own business and worked when I could, and didn't when I couldn't. I amnow  at a point where I want someone else to have the hassles of running the business and I want to work.

So... Why start the blog here now? Because even though I am looking for work, my knees are a part of my life. They work when they work and they don't when they don't. They already chased me out of one career choice (stand up training more than a couple of days in a row just doesn't happen any more). I am not going to let these knees get in the way of another career.

If the people looking to hire me as a community manager are thrown by my knee problems, then they weren't the right place for me. After all, the weakness in my knees caused the strength of my convictions. My knees aren't me. I am more than they. I can do what needs to be done.

What about you?