So, let’s talk about working with a chronic illness.
Since I started blogging, there’s one question I’ve consistently been asked more than any other: how I find my flexible, work from home opportunities. As a self-employed chronically ill writer, I currently split my time between consultancy and content creation in the charity sector, freelance writing and editing, blogging and social media shenanigans, running my social enterprise (Spoonie Survival Kits), and incessantly guzzling tea whilst making extensive to-do lists.
You can find out a bit more about my background here, and read more about my personal career journey so far (including employment and self-employment!) in this post.
This post first came about rather spontaneously, following preparations for a livestream where I was to discuss accessible employment and managing work with a chronic illness. It was whilst doing my prep that it hit me: although there are a fair few of us talking about our personal experiences, there isn’t really a great deal of practical support and signposting to actual resources and opportunities.
So, that’s led me here: to a blog post hastily put together before the livestream, which I’ve since returned to and have been expanding ever since. It’s no secret that there simply aren’t enough flexible opportunities out there for chronically ill people, with many employers yet to realise they’re missing out on a huge wealth of talent, but I’m working on it. And in the meantime, I hope these resources go some way in helping others to kick-start their own careers.