Elizabeth Kumar Peer Mentor
Teaching and helping children “develop into little people” had been Elizabeth Kumar’s lifelong passion, but when central nervous system lupus left her paralyzed from the waist down in her mid-20s, necessary medications affected her ability to work full time in a classroom. For several years she tutored part time before embarking on a new career as a peer mentor at the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, or ECNV. In this role, she still uses her teaching talents, but in a slightly different manner— working with adults and helping them with life skills. When Kumar became paralyzed, she was discharged from the hospital without learning many of the skills she needed to live independently. She credits her husband (then fiancée), who also uses a wheelchair, with being her role model and mentor; he encouraged her to gain those skills and reengage in work and the community.
B Help businesses and individuals with disabilities navigate the complexities of benefits.
Note: The federal Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, or WIPA, grants provide states with resources that enable people with disabilities to know their options for maintaining SSI and SSDI benefits while working. The Social Security Administration has awarded 95 cooperative agreements throughout every state, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Things Kumar regrettably had to learn the hard way, such as how to apply for disability benefits, or how to transfer into a wheelchair, is what she now teaches others. “Working as a peer mentor has been the best job I’ve had, because I am able to share what I know,” she says. “Many of my consumers are dealing with the things I dealt with years ago.” Shortly after Kumar was hired by ECNV, she had surgery for a pressure ulcer. Both before and after the surgery, ECNV let her work from home as an accommodation. While recuperating, Kumar called in to meetings, which allowed her to remain part of the team and, more importantly, helped her keep a positive mindset while hospitalized. In fact, much of Kumar’s job at ECNV can be done remotely, and she finds that she often gets more accomplished from home. “A lot of my job,” explains Kumar, “is doing research on the computer and helping people apply for different jobs or benefits, helping with resumes or interview skills, and peer counseling, which I can do over the phone.”
EXAMPLES IN ACTION Some states, including Arizona, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin, provide a state funding source to expand benefits and counseling to include individuals who currently are not on the SSI or SSDI rolls but are considering whether to apply for benefits or receive employment-related services and supports and choose to work.
National Task Force on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities
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