Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ABLEnow.
When my son was diagnosed with Autism, it wasn’t as quite a shock.
You see, we had some inkling. We also had to wait 3 months to see the doctor to finally diagnose him. The doctor’s office had us fill out several pages about our son. The forms also had a section for his teacher to fill out as well. For our appointment, the doctor really didn’t observe him, she went based solely on the forms we filled out to diagnose him.
As a parent to a child with autism, I quickly embraced our new normal.
There is an easy way to help individuals with disabilities save money!
Looking back, I disliked the area that we were living in at the time of his diagnosis. The doctor’s office was 2 hours away and they didn’t offer any referrals or resources to turn to. There was no support or information offered. The same day my son was diagnosed, I applied for SSI.
I really didn’t know of any other resources except Autism Speaks. I did a lot of internet searching for autism resources. After enrolling him in the local school district, it was a great way for him to be around other children. We eventually got him into speech and occupational therapy as well.
But we could not save money for his future without jeopardizing his benefits. Back then, I wish we had the option to open an ABLEnow account. Before the ABLE Act, people with disabilities (like my family) could not save without affecting their benefits. My son used to receive SSI. Now that we have the option to open an ABLEnow account, we can still save for him without affecting his SSI. ABLEnow is a new solution to this problem.
Parents, self-advocates and disability organizations such as Autism Speaks advocated to change the law. Thanks to their hard work, today we have a tool to help our loved ones achieve financial independence.
What is it? How does it help individuals with disabilities save money?
ABLEnow accounts help individuals with disabilities save money to pay for qualified expenses, without being taxed on the earnings – and in most cases, without losing eligibility for certain means-tested benefit programs.
Get Started
It’s easy to get started! Open and manage your ABLEnow account online. ABLEnow accounts can pay for a variety of qualified disability expenses related to maintaining health, independence and quality of life of the account owner (housing and living expenses).
Benefits Of ABLEnow
Empowers people with disabilities to discover independence, greater financial security and a better quality of life.
Eligible individuals can save and invest in a simple, affordable and tax-advantaged ABLEnow account without interfering with Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
As a single parent and caregiver of my son, an ABLEnow account allows us to save for his care and expenses. I always worry about his future. The ABLEnow account offers me peace of mind.
The ABLEnow program is a game-changer for me. Being a parent is hard. Being a single parent is even harder. I had no idea it would be this challenging. I am a single mom raising a child with Autism.
The ABLEnow program helps individuals with disabilities save money.
How raising a child with Autism can be different:
- Limited childcare options
- Meltdowns can happen at any time
- Speech is limited. We use signs and words to help communicate with each other.
- High energy. Our son is a runner. We have to watch him at all times. We have to hold his hand whenever we are in public.
It’s not easy. He can be a handful. Anything can upset him. It’s stressful. Being my son’s mom is the only way I know how to parent.
The ABLEnow program help individuals with disabilities save money!
My son is the sweetest boy you will ever meet. He made me a mom! I am so lucky to be his mom. He has taught me so much. I am a better person because of him. If you are a parent, relative, caregiver to a person with a disability, consider the ABLEnow program to help save money!
Watch this introductory video and learn more about how you or someone you love can benefit from an ABLEnow account:
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of ABLEnow.
Thanks for sharing about this program! I hadn’t heard of it until I read this.
This children are so special. They need love
Sounds like a great way to help save money. Great article.
What a great way to help people with disabilities!
Ablenow sounds like a critical resource for families with a child with a disability.
I’ve never heard of Ablenow until now. Seems like it would really help out. Best wishes.
I can pass this page on to a lot of people where I live that can use this to get some help!!
I’m so happy they have found a solution! Thank you for this info. I know a few parents to pass it along to.
Thank you for this information. This is my first time of hearing about this.
<3 a subject everyone should learn about…..
Thank your for this article. I am a teacher and this article was wonderful for me. It was nice to see it through a parents/family eyes. Keep positive and keep spreading wisdom because the more we can understamd, the more we can help them.
Thanks for the article and all the helpful information.
I was lucky to have two very healthy children and knock on would God has bless me with very healthy Grandchildren. I am on disability and have to find many ways to provide nice things for my kids and grandkids and I have lived that way all my life. Even when I made good money I practiced my frugal ways to be able to give my kids what they needed.
My grandchildren are going through issues, possible diagnosis of ADHD and other problems. This has been informative.
Thank you for this article. I’m disabled, and don’t receive much money. It gets real hard sometimes to keep up. I’m going to look into Ablenow. I’ve never heard of it until now.
Thank you for the information. I teach special education and I can pass this on to some of my families.
I had never heard of the ABLEnow program before, and I’m kind of surprised by this. Moreover, I’m a little angry that I and (I imagine) so many others are not familiar with it. Thank you for this post.
~~Sending my gratitude and best wishes.
I didn’t know about this program thank you for sharing this.
This will be a great article to share on my Facebook! Thank you
Great article
ABLENow sounds absolutely amazing! My son is 7 years old and we still do not have a diagnosis, I believe high functioning ASD. As you noted, the doctors we’ve seen just go off of the paperwork and never really looked at or interacted with our son. Doctors are also afraid to diagnose at it’s then a label that sticks with them. I just want a diagnosis so I can get him the help he needs. It’s so crazy going through the process, but it’s good to know that you can now save while on disability.
You are a wonderful mom, I imagine that the day to day battles that need fighting for your child can be overwhelming. It is good your son has the foresight to plan for his future too.
Thank you so much! Your son is adorable!
Ablenow sounds like a blessing
Thank you for sharing this with us.
There are a lot of parents that don’t realize that their child qualifies for SSI.
Thank you for sharing. This sounds like a very good program.
never heard of this program, so glad it is available for all those parents that need it
Wonderful program thanks for sharing.
This is great I would definitely pass this on to my friend who could really use this helpful information.
ABLEnow sounds wonderful – what a great program! I’m glad they’re stepping in to help fill a much needed niche.
Thank you for the great information. I will let friends know about the wonderful program.
So much great information, thanks.
So awesome
I have a few friends with autistic children. They’ll love this!
I am so glad for programs like these that allow autistic people to enjoy a bit of financial control as well
Its hard to make it toappointments when the doctors office is hours away. Which also makes your health worse.
Love this article. I learned a lot from it!
Great post, thanks for sharing.