Barrier Buster

Pick the barriers that fit your life. Each one maps to concrete strategies with exit ramps. These are suggestions, never prescriptions. Medical, legal, and benefits questions are handoffs to a person, not answers from this page.

The seven barriers, with examples

Getting to work

Bus routes, ride shares, distance, winter schedules. Example strategies: backup ride list, shift start negotiation, travel practice runs.

Schedule conflicts

Family care, classes, second jobs. Example strategies: visible weekly calendar, swap request scripts, availability cards for managers.

Sharing disability information

Whether, when, and how to disclose. Example strategies: two sentence disclosure draft, timing map review, practice with a counselor first.

Tools and technology

Screen readers, magnifiers, speech input, seating. Example strategies: one assistive technology trial at a time, setup checklist, IT contact saved.

Benefits and earnings worry

SSI questions, hours limits, pay timing. Example strategies: sketch numbers on the SSI page, list questions for a benefits counselor, never guess alone.

Stamina and rest

Energy across shifts, break needs, recovery. Example strategies: break signal agreed with supervisor, energy budget plan, shorter trial shifts first.

Childcare and family care

Coverage gaps, pickup times, backup care. Example strategies: backup caregiver list, pickup time window in writing, emergency contact chain.

Build your shortlist in five steps

Circle the two barriers that disrupt your week most often. Start there and ignore the rest for now.
Write one recent example for each: what happened, when it happened, and what it cost you.
Choose one strategy per barrier that you would genuinely try, plus one backup if the first fails.
Date the trial. A strategy without a start date stays a wish, so put it on a calendar.
Review the shortlist with a counselor. Confirm referrals for benefits, medical, or legal questions, then print or save the page.

The fastest way to prepare is playing Barrier Run, the four scene practice game where commute, shift swap, disclosure, and tool failure stories each map to the same barriers above. Players arrive at this page already knowing which stories felt familiar.

Common mistakes to avoid

The biggest mistake is checking every barrier and finishing with a vague list nobody can act on. A short, honest shortlist beats a long unchecked one every time. The second mistake is copying strategies you would never use, like a 5 a.m. bus you cannot catch or software your workplace does not allow. Choose tactics that fit your actual routes, hours, budget, and equipment. The third mistake is treating a failed strategy as personal failure. Note what broke down, whether timing, cost, coverage, or communication, and switch to the backup. That note becomes valuable evidence for your counselor instead of a dead end.

Frequently asked questions

Should I list every barrier that applies?

Start with the two most frequent barriers so energy goes toward workable trials. Add more once the first strategies show results. A focused shortlist helps counselors arrange transportation help, schedule adjustments, or technology trials faster than a broad survey with no priorities marked.

What if a strategy stops working?

Record the date, the breakdown point, and the backup you switched to. Bring those notes to your next session or revisit the goals checker to confirm the job target still fits. Plans that document reality earn better supports than plans that pretend everything worked.

Where does this shortlist go next?

It feeds the IPE builder draft, the course lessons on supports, and counselor conversations about accommodations. Keep a printed copy with your exported data so every meeting starts from the same page.