Not being able to work due to a disability can be quite frustrating, especially if you need to work to provide for your family in Florida. When the reason for your disability is blindness, you are likely going through many other changes in your life, which only compounds the stress of the situation. However, there is help. The government offers you benefits that can replace your lost income.
The Social Security Administration explains that you can get benefits through the Social Security Disability program. This program provides you with benefits that you earned from working. It is not a handout but a way for you to reap the benefits you rightfully earned from all those years of working.
Because you qualify for SSDI due to blindness, you also qualify for special rules that allow you to maximize your benefit amount. You can still work while receiving benefits. For all other disabilities, the amount you can earn is rather low, but you get a higher amount you may earn. This allows you to make up for not being able to work the job or the hours you did prior to losing your vision.
The SSA also handles self-employment differently, allowing you to earn more than someone who is not blind and collecting SSDI. Plus, once you reach the age of 55, the rules are different in that the SSA will not terminate your benefits if you earn too much, Instead, it will suspend them so that if you should earn below the allowable amount in a month, you will receive your benefits for that month.
Do note that blindness under the SSA definition does not mean a complete lack of vision. The SSA explains blindness means vision not correctable to better than 20/200 or a visual field of 20 degrees or less that lasts at least 12 months based on vision in your better eye. This information is for education and is not legal advice.