Yeah, job hunting. Endless hope is a ridiculous expectation to expect people to hold onto. That’s the funk of a day I’m in. Recently, I wrote about how I don’t stick to only remote jobs because most work I do can be done from home. I have to hope that it gets through to someone […]
Author: Vanessa Smith
Try this time, for me?
I once wrote about the expectation to always be trying. And I stand by what I wrote. But I’d like to go into a more fundamental issue on the topic of “trying”. The people (including disabled organisations, governments who assess us for benefits & supports etc) who don’t understand that A disability cannot […]
- This is my life
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Nothing has changed
I wrote this three years ago, and nothing has changed: There are tons of jobs I’d be a competitive candidate for. I can’t write applications for all of them. I need to write applications for the ones that appear flexible and inclusive. The problem is, everyone has anti discrimination policies, but they don’t […]
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The best rejection
I received a rejection from a job application this week, and I was so relieved. On paper it was a great job. A mix of my two most recent jobs, and genuinely remote. But the screening call person was abrupt to say the least… I just didn’t get a good feeling from them. Ever […]
When they announced cuts to the NDIS
When they announced cuts to the NDIS at the National Press Club, I was live whatever-not-tweeting-but-posting-on-bluesky is called. Sorry, my brain still calls things live tweeting because that was a heyday name/action in my brain. Anyway, I hate how things disappear and are hard to find on social media when you want to relate to […]
Disability supports in Australia make me want to scream
I’ve written about my attempt to get non-NDIS supports. In 2024, in 2025, then the complaint I lodged… I’ve written about how Foundational Supports could be done well if they tried. For even more reading, check out my advocacy page. I’ve also written to disability organisations (not published or shared on my website […]
Where peak bodies fail
Where peak bodies fail: They talk over individual experiences They ignore outliers There’s never anything controversial in their thoughts An example of ignoring outliers can be read in this post – it’s about how ME/CFS research tends to exclude the most severely impacted. Their lack of controversy harms the people in their organisations. […]
Ugh, the trauma + chronic illness types
Yeah, I can’t stand them. The trauma gave you chronic illness types. Look, logically I’m sure there could be a connection between trauma and chronic illness. You can find an connection anywhere with enough funding for research. And after all, these things all happen within your body. It’s not really the possibility of a […]
Can a person be wrong when talking about their disability?
No. But also, kind of yes. Broadly, the way you experience it is the correct way to explain it. However, it is a higher quality explanation when the person has some understanding of things like models of disability, of human rights, and has worked on their internalised ableism. The explanations are […]
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The problem with decision making in workplaces
I was reading an article on NDIS changes when a sidebar article drew my attention. It was titled No, work from home culture is not ‘career suicide’. Obviously, this is of interest to me as a disabled person who is a) looking for work and b) can only work from home. Unusually for most […]