What CAN someone with mental disabilities do?

First off, don't knock the Christmas time bell ringers. They're standing out in the cold, for no pay, trying to help, smile and be polite when most people walking by treat them like a street beggar and don't even want to make eye contact. Ditto on the soup kitchen workers. Someone has to help feed the homeless. Why not you? Everything counts, and it's all important. Both of those jobs directly help people in need. To act like it doesn't denigrates the volunteer service of all who do.

To answer your question......most private non-profit or charitable organizations ain't gonna care a lick about your diagnosis. If you've got no criminal record, can conduct yourself professionally and want to help - they want you. Most aren't even legally allowed to ask about your medical history (government emergency responder jobs are the exception, as you know). Whether it's helping purify water in Africa or delivery emergency supplies to Haiti or other areas stricken by disaster, if you want to help, someone wants you. You're not going to get rich off that of course, but if the idea is to serve, there are tons of opportunities out there.

I wanted to enlist as well, however my Ankylosing spondylitis was an instant disqualification. I ended joining the CAP for a while. I did get to fly a plane on some orientation flights, and I learned a lot about aviation and search and rescue. It was very rewarding, I also received a fair amount of flight training and could've gotten a license to fly general/utility fixed wing single engine light aircraft had a I stuck around a bit longer. But unfortunately I got a well-paying, but very demanding (time-wise) job that precluded me from staying on board with the CAP. But perhaps you can do something similar. Also it's voluntary.

A 155 IQ is very high, I'm curious, what test did you take, and when did you take it?

What you want in life and what you actually get in life are often very different things, the sooner you come to terms with that, the better off you'll be.

Aspergers and Tourettes aside, I have all of the disabilities that you have. So, I understand fully what you are dealing with. I have 4 children and I understand the hardship this can cause.

The first thing I would consider is filing for some type of disability, which you may already have done. Hear me out, I know this will not solve your need to be involved and help people. With my disabilites, thinking makes me feel better, e.g., school. I love going to school. So I can understand how being involved and helping people is something you need. We all have a "vice" and we need it to feel good..This is like writing a book for me, because I have been there. But there are so many options.

Second, apply for grants for college to further your educaitonl. Go to school, you could be a counselor for disturbed children or you could work for child services or something like that. That would enable you to give back to the community. Please don't ever feel that you are trapped and have no future. You obviously are brilliant. I don't know your financial status and don't need to know, but I DO know that if willing, you can get assistance to go to school. You can get pell, then unsubsidized loans and subsidized loans through the government. Don't think about the fact that you will one day have to pay them back, think NOW and think YOU and your family, the payments are totally minimal and affordable once you begin working. And you don't have to pay them back until you have begun work and established income. Sometimes when in financial hardships, they even work with you. Also, if you applied for disability or SSI you would probably get it and then getting funding for school would be even more attainable. Also, I know you mentioned that you have an infant, there are also programs to help with daycare for those who want to further education. I know you have a degree, but a masters in psychology would be an option if you wanted to help others. There are so many children now that need help and feel more comfortable talking with counselors than anyone else.

Another option (which pays nothing) would be volunteer at a school. I know people who have volunteered for so long that when a position did finally open, they were a definite candidate because the school staff knew their credentials.

I hope this has helped (my ADHD/ADD makes me ramble!!) but I saw your post and felt the need to respond. Also, if you have any more input or questions I will be glad to comment further and answer any questions I can. I raised 4 children alone, I have been in a lot of situations with my disabilities BUT have managed to raise 4 wonderful boys, who have been in no trouble and all are either still in grade school or college...so success is possible!! I know you can do anything you put your mind to....you can :O)

I can't be a professional football player, Miss America, a priest, the President of the United States...are we really supposed to list everything we can't be? I kind of got over not being able to do anything of those things before I became disabled though. Disability merely added to the list. But it's not like you found out things you couldn't do today, right? So move on.

If you want to help people then find an organization that helps people that you can volunteer for? If it works out - you like it and they like you - ask for a job. Truthfully, I've done a lot of volunteer work and a lot more got-paid work for lots of organizations. I didn't cover 10% of the types of places out there that need help, but I'll give you the list so you can start seeing places that need you.

- Drug rehab counselor (went through it first and stayed, but I must admit, I dod get hired to teach in high schools, because I had a degree, so that might be iffy without one, but I wasn't paid for the counseling part.)

- Counselor at a runaway/throwaway shelter for kids. (Got that job, because of the previous one, but half the staff were college kids, so degree wasn't necessary.)

- Group home parent for troubled teen boys. (Again, I have a degree, but this was a couple's gig. Hubby and I worked together and his previous work was a HVAC mechanic. He merely volunteered at a kids camp, as a youth minister for a church and some other kid related volunteer work.)

- Prisons ministry (Not paid. Didn't much like it either. Rather a dumb idea for a girl who was raped to go talk to rapists. Hubby was agood at it though.)

- Help ministry (also unpaid work, but I was the go-to woman in the very small church. A lady had complications in her pregancy and was supposed to stay in bed for the rest of it, but she had three other kids - 9-11. You're a dad. You know that's not going to happen, so I helped clean her house so she wouldn't have to. Or I brought my friend to church by pushing her wheelchair for her - a mile walk, so it's tough on her hands, and I found tough to push on city streets too, but we sure did have fun laughing about it. Or newlyweds with a 6 month old baby with cholic and not enough money to go out for dinner AND pay a babysitter, so we babysat. Ack! That's when I learned I didn't want to have kids, because what if they had colic a babies? Oy vey! lol)

- The entire newsletter staff for the presbytery. Well, I wrote the monthly newspapers, but the other guys came up with the ideas on what to write about. I also folded and mailed them for a list of 2000 addresses.

There are lots of things you can do to help without being a cop. There are lots of ways you can keep giving to your community. I can see you working at a PAls (Police Athelic League) or with military brats someway. What are your hobbies (besides taking care of a nine month old? That's not a hobby, that's a full time job with nonstop overtime and no paycheck. lol) I've gone fishing with troubled kids, gone to Phillies games with ex-drug addicts (and some that weren't so "ex" as it usually turns out in drug rehab.) Surely you already have the experience to do something. That's often enough. And if you're worried about the Tourettes, eh. That might surprise people the first time, but you're ex-military. (ROTC IS ex-military. It's an attitude you've developed not the career you expected.) There aren't that many people stupid enough to mock you about it. (My hubby is 6'2", over 300 pounds and has something like Tourettes. Only idiots mock him. He's disabled in many other noticeable ways, but I have yet to see him not be able to make the JDs - juvenile delinquents - regret that decision anyway, and he never touches them.)

You know what you can and can't do. You know what you might be interested in helping. You'll never know if you can unless you try.

I don't have an answer to your question, but I read the police officer thing. I know about 4 officers that have TS, ASD and ADD. I know plenty of officers with depression as well.

you can do anything you want. with what level of DIFFICULTY may vary, but with enough effort, anyone, regardless of affliction, can attain an ambition.

the odds of you doing things which require great precision (or tact) may be slim, but if you fervently work toward them, you can only improve your chances of doing them, and your self-esteem, in turn.

find something that you REALLY WANT TO DO more than anything, and find out what it takes to DO this thing. then, work with yourself (or with some help) to improve your trouble spots, and make yourself more appropriate for that position.

it may take some time, and likely won't come about for years, but you must start somewhere, and sitting around sulking about your situation will improve nothing.

best of luck!

From what I've heard, there are people on the autistic spectrum (Asperger's) that drive. People are always hiring truckers.