After a Derailed Dream, Working Her Way Up.

INOA, Norma M.; DEVELOPMENTAL disabilities; SOCIAL security; BRAIN diseases; PREGNANCY

Epilepsy and pregnancy eclipsed Norma M. Inoa's dream of becoming a New York police detective; until 2010 she was living on Social Security disability payments. Last summer, she completed a training program run by Fedcap, an agency that develops employment opportunities for the disadvantaged and the disabled. In September, at 24, she got her first-ever job in the Fedcap mailroom; two promotions later, she is an accounting clerk. Now 25, she lives on the Grand Concourse, in the Bronx, with her boyfriend, who is a deliveryman for LaserShip, and her 5-year-old son. Immigration blues: I was born in the Dominican Republican and moved to the Bronx when I was 7. It was February, there was snow and it was cold. I wanted to go back to the Dominican Republic. I didn't speak English, so school was difficult. But then I got into a bilingual class. My mom has a job as a payroll clerk at a supermarket. My dad worked in a factory, but now he drives a cab in the Bronx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of New York Times is the property of New York Times and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)