Career Guide for People with disabilities.

As a person with a disability, you may hesitate to look for work. You can be unsure whether or not to make a disability known when applying for employment. However, that shouldn’t be an issue in today's job market. A disability doesn’t prevent you from having the job of your dreams. The job market accommodates people with a wide range of qualifications, passions, talents, and abilities. Here on Helpa platform, we do not just provide disability-friendly jobs but also valuable resources too. Read on to find everything you need to know about navigating the pathway to employment as an individual with a disability.

In this guide you will find:

• Job-Search 101 - All You Need to Know

• Work-from-home opportunities

• Top 9 Job Sites for People With Disabilities

• Job-Search 101 - All You Need to Know 

• Looking for a job as a person with a disability can feel intimidating. Don’t worry! We’re here to help you get a better grasp of the hiring process. 

• These are the steps we’re going to cover in our job search guide:

• How to find the right job

• Should you disclose your disability or not

• What to do during the interview

• Requesting reasonable accommodation 

• How to Find the Right Job

The right job for you will depend on three main factors:

First, the type of disability you have. This shouldn’t mean limiting yourself or your possibilities. Instead, it provides you with insights into the jobs that will best open doors for you. For instance, if you suffer from ADHD, you will do well in careers that offer creativity and independence. 

Second, your qualifications and skills. Do you have time management abilities or analytical skills? Review your background, and focus on what you can do best. 

Third, your interests and passions. You need to figure out what career makes you happy. What do you see yourself doing in the future? What job makes sense for you to pursue? 

After figuring out what you want to do, start your job hunt.

When looking for a job, use all the channels at your disposal. This includes:

Personal contacts. Ask your friends working in the industries you want to get into whether their company is hiring for your role.

Jobs ads. You can find a ton of these on most job boards - Monster.com, Indeed, LinkedIn, etc.

Disability employment services. You can find a bunch of these here.

You can also find a bunch of job boards specifically made for people with disabilities, but we’ll cover those a bit down in the article.

Before we get there, though, you should have a general idea on how to do the job-search process right. You, know, the usuals: writing a great resume, matching it with a  cover letter, and so on.

Should I Disclose My Disability?

You’re not required to answer anything about your disability that makes you feel uncomfortable, but answering appropriate questions may help a potential employer make reasonable adjustments. If you have a hidden disability and adjustments will be necessary, it’s best to bring this up at the interview stage. However during the interview, keep the focus on how great a candidate you are, and all the things you can do.

During the Interview 

Job interviews are tense and nerve-wracking for many people. If you have a disability, the tension often climbs up even more. Although you might be just as qualified and skilled as any other candidate, the fear an employer might not recognize your potential can be discouraging. 

The good news is, with some prior preparation, your potential employer will notice you for you, and not your disability. 

Demonstrate Confidence During the Interview

The first step is demonstrating confidence. This is one of the most important elements of an interview, especially when you have a disability. If you struggle showing confidence naturally, that’s okay. Everyone feels nervous at times, especially about an important interview. However, ensure you enter the interview with as much assurance as possible. A strong handshake and relaxed presence can really appeal to the interviewer. 

Don’t underestimate the power of a professional and well-fitted outfit either. Make sure to dress professionally, with clothes that flatter you. It can go a long way in creating a proper impression. 

To boost true, authentic confidence you should enter the interview fully prepared. 

We already mentioned how important it is to find out as much as possible about the company. It’s also helpful to study commonly asked interview questions, like:

Tell me something about yourself.

How did you hear about this position?

Why did you decide to apply for this position?

What are your biggest strengths?

Why should we hire you?

Want to make sure that you ace that interview?

Prepare answers and practice with a friend through a mock interview so nothing takes you by surprise.

Talking About Your Disability During the Interview

Now that you’re ready and feeling confident, let’s concentrate on your disability. 

Just like we mentioned before, disclosing your disability is a matter of personal choice. During an interview, however, non-disclosure may not be possible in certain situations:

For example, if you are deaf, you may need to request an interpreter for the interview. Or if you’re in a wheelchair, you may need to notify the employer beforehand to ensure they have the right accommodation (wheelchair ramps). 

In short, there are circumstances in which you are obligated to disclose the disability so that the interview accommodates you. 

Having said that, it’s left to your judgment to do whatever feels more comfortable. If you do decide to talk about it, it’s at your discretion how much you declare. 

Whatever you do, avoid connecting a disability with a weakness. 

If you decide to open up about the disability, remember that your rights remain the same as any other candidate. Your interview is not allowed to stop cold or involve discriminating questions. 

How to Request Reasonable Accommodation

Every company has a different procedure for requesting accommodation. The information is usually given by the Human Resources Department, or in the employee handbook. You can choose to speak to your supervisor or administrator about requesting accommodation as well. 

Usually, you only have to let the employer know of work-related issues and the medical condition. You can do it through face-to-face communication, or submit the request in writing. It’s more convenient to have it in writing, in case there’s an argument on whether or not the request happened. There are accommodation request forms you can fill out. 

Be specific about the accommodation you need and why it will help you in doing the job. Provide medical records from your health care professional along with the request. 

Example of an accommodation request form:

Name: Steven J Creekmore 

Date: 14th of January 2020

Email: steven1987@gmail.com

Position: Finance Manager

Department: Accounting

Supervisor/Department Head: Brenda C Harden

1) Please identify and describe the nature of the disability that limits your ability to do the job. 

My disability is amputation of the leg due to a physical injury. I use a wheelchair in order to maintain mobility and functionality.

2) Describe the accommodation(s) that you are requesting. 

I am requesting a raised or height-adjustable desk. 

3) Describe how the requested reasonable accommodation will facilitate you to carry out the job. 

The standard seated desk I currently have in my office makes it hard for me to work on. A height-adjustable desk will help me adjust the space requirements of the wheelchair. I will no longer struggle with reaching and working on the desk. 

Can an Employer Ask for Medical Examinations or About the Disability?

As previously mentioned, no. An employer can’t ask if you’re disabled, or for any other details. 

The only situation where the employer has the right to ask is if your disability completely stops you from performing well at the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Reasonable Accommodation

Reasonable Accommodation is a change made to the work environment to accommodate a person with a disability. It helps you perform and progress in the job.

You can ask for it at any time, during the hiring process or when they are employed. Generally, you should request this accommodation when there is an obstacle in the workplace, due to a disability that prevents you from doing the job. 

Some examples of reasonable accommodation may be:

• Providing or adjusting equipment

• Flexible work schedule (part-time or time off work)

• Accessible and usable environment for people with disabilities

• Assignment to an unoccupied environment

• Keep in mind that reasonable accommodation is a legal obligation. 

There is, however, one rare exception in which the employer doesn’t have to provide a reasonable accommodation: 

If the accommodation is a undue hardship, which means costly or difficult to provide, the employer is not required by law to provide it. An employer should have objective evidence that providing reasonable accommodation is unreasonable, unjustified, excessive, improper, or extreme.

AMAZING JOB OPPORTUNITIES YOU CAN ACCESS RIGHT FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME.

1. Become a Freelancer

Freelancing is the best way to make a living from home, especially for the disabled and people with chronic illnesses. I’m now working full-time as a freelance writer and providing for my entire family without even leaving my home.

There aren’t many easy careers for people with disabilities and freelancing is one of the few.

To become a freelancer, you’ll need to find a marketable skill. You use this skill to create a service that you sell to your clients.Most of you may not have a marketable skill that you could use to create a service at the moment. That’s OK. There are ways you can learn skills online. Thanks to websites like Skillshare, Udemy, and EDx.org, you can now easily learn new skills from the comfort of your home.

2. Find Transcription Jobs

Transcription jobs are one of the easiest jobs you can do. These jobs involve listening to audio or video content and then converting everything spoken in the audio into text format.

This is quite a popular and in-demand job, especially thanks to the boom in podcasting. Many podcasters hire transcriptionists to convert their podcast episodes into text format so that they can publish them on their blogs.

3. Write For A Blog

There are blogs that actually pay you to write articles for them.

If you’re skilled at writing and have a way with words, you can write online. Even if you haven’t written any content before, you can start writing for blogs without past experience.

Once you’re confident about writing, try pitching to these blogs and start writing:

Listverse, Travel Writer’s Life, Cracked, Metro Planet; Tuts+, SitePoint

Top 9 Job Sites for People With Disabilities

Not sure where to start your job hunt? Check out these sites:

Ability Jobs

In Ability Jobs, you can seek employment by posting your resume or simply by searching for a job. The site guarantees you will be judged solely on your skills and qualifications. The process is straight-forward, easy and free. All you have to do is create an account and upload your resume. You also have the option to add a job alert for the profession or browse open positions. 

Disability Job Exchange 

This site does not require you to create an account, although it is free if you want to do so. Disability Job Exchange provides a search tool by keyword and location which helps you look for relevant jobs. The site also offers lots of tips and advice on job-hunting.

AbilityLinks

Ability Links is targeted at people with disabilities aged 7 to 64 and the families of the disabled. The site’s mission is to provide a “disability employment community”. In the site, you can find a job board, resume bank, online job fairs, and more.

Disabled Person

Disabled Person is well-organized, efficient and simple to use. In Disabled Person, you can apply to work for a company that is committed to hiring people with disabilities. You can search by category, state, city. There are also plenty of reliable articles to help people with disabilities nail their job-search. 

Getting Hired 

Getting Hired is similar to Ability Jobs. It’s easy to use, neat, and useful. It features job board options like keyword search, industry, and company categories. The home page has a special feature where you can check out currently trending jobs. To navigate, you need to create an account. 

Land a job

This site focuses on helping the disabled claim their benefits while also job searching for that perfect position. Land a Job also offers counselors, and online courses on employment, all for free. 

Recruit Disability 

In Recruit Disability you can search for a job by keyword and location. To access the full features, you need to create an account. These include job alerts, a resume-building tool, a salary comparison tool and more. 

USA Jobs

USA Jobs is not exclusively made for the disabled, but it does have a section dedicated to them. This site mainly posts government jobs, which might be more difficult to get but provide more benefits. 

Equal Opportunity Publications 

EOP is a diverse site with an online job board as well as Career Expos for women, minority groups, and people with disabilities.

Conclusion

The job-hunting process is scary, especially when you have a disability.

Hopefully, our article answered most of your questions and cleared up some common misconceptions and confusion.