I am disabled myself. I successfully represented myself at the ALJ level, after receiving a partially favorable decision with an inexperienced attorney that was substituted at my first hearing. --I was aware I probably needed to hire a new attorney and don't recommend the pro se process even though it worked well for me. It's generally best to utilize your representative, as well as self advocate.

I continued to learn about the process so that I could potentially help others by reading other websites and attorney's books, the posts of a SS staffer here at NT, and then eventually digging in to the SS source material directly at SSA.gov. After the SS forum at this site slowed down, I began volunteering at SSDFacts and have been a moderator there for a few years. I've been less active here for a year or so, but came back to participate in my impairment related forum after a traumatic health issue arose and stopped back in to this forum as well.

If I was well enough to be dependable physically, I would study and apply to be a non attorney rep myself. I've been actively learning about the process for 15+ years, and active here 7+ years. If I don't know something, I know where to look or who to ask. And while this site isn't as busy, there are a hand full of very knowledgeable posters that would call me out if I was posting nonsense.

I can link to reputable sources for everything I've stated, and the patterns and anecdotal evidence I've noted is not unique. (I have linked to some of those sources in the stickies above.) My daily interactions with other claimants have simply confirmed that there are predictable patterns in many scenarios.