Note- Image of new digital audio book player from Library of Congress.
You probably didn’t know but there are some perks for being blind. The first has to do with the IRS. I get an extra exemption for being blind when filing a return. I can also earn more money than someone who is not blind and still keep my Social Security DisabilityInsurance payment. If I am self-employed I can earn even more without my SSDI being affected. This is probably to offset the absurdly-high cost of self-employment tax I would have to pay.
Another benefit is free education through Vocational Rehabilitation. Actually its not free since you and your grandchildren will be paying for it, so thanks. However I did take advantage of this and earned a BS in Speech Communication from the University of Utah. Just like SSDI, if yu are blind, you get better benefits than those with another disability. Everything for my degree was covered. I even tried to get my Rehab counselor to buy me a pistol for a marksmanship class. That didn’t fly. I am grateful for my education, and I have put it to good use. But Voc Rehab is a colossal waste of tax-payer dollars. But that’s another story for a different blog.
The other advantage for being blind is access to audio books from the Library of Congress. (Its ironic that a person who loves reading as much as I do, can’t read like I want too.) The LOC provides qualified individuals with audio books on tape or in a new, digital format. All narrators are professional readers and if the book has been translated into English, the narrator must be fluent in English and the book’s original language. So when I listened to Les Miserables, (Victor Hugo’s classic) I heard all the French phrases and names pronounced in perfect French. The new digital format allows me to accelerate the reading rate with almost no audio distortion. This means I can listen to a book with a nine-hour reading time in less than six hours!
I love listening to books on tape when I travel. I think I even have better retention when I am listening rather than reading.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is absolutely insane the amount of taxes you have to pay when you are self employed. Cassie and Michelle did catering as sub-contractors and even though they made next to zero for the year, their taxes were through the roof!