Job Tips for People with Disabilities
Marilyn Albert
What would you do if the unemployment rate reached 15.9% If you are one of the 11.8 million in the U.S. [or the 175,700 people in the state of Wisconsin] who have some type of disability and not working but actively looking for work then this statistic is a reality. The rate of unemployment for people with disabilities is higher than the national rate. The current national unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 15.9%. For people without disabilities the unemployment rate is 8.4%
Who are the disabled?
People who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. These may or not be obvious to others.
Three Main Issues for Disabled Job Seekers:
Disclosure:
When should you tell a prospective employer of your disability?
The number one issue for job seekers with disabilities is deciding when to tell a perspective employer about a disability.
The rule of thumb is:
a) If the disability is obvious, then disclosure about how to make accommodations should be discussed during the interview. Federal law prohibits employers to ask this question of a candidate even if the disability is obvious. Volunteering how you would be able to do the job with specific accommodation recommendations is perfectly okay and helps the employer to see the candidate in the job working successfully.
Example: A candidate in a wheel chair may mention they need a higher desk or more open space for their work area.
b) If the disability is not obvious, it not necessary to disclose this information in the interview process—actually, not even recommended.
Example: a person may be diabetic and need frequent breaks to check for blood sugar levels.
Accommodations
Have list of accommodations ready for the employer to review. Employers are more nervous about this than the candidates. They tend to polarize the disability and start to worry about the extreme types of disabilities how much it will cost them. In actuality, with the broad range of how disabilities are classified into day’s world, most of the time the accommodations required can be minimal such as: the height of chairs, brightness and size of computer screens, the location of workstation, or adjusting the time of the work schedule. If more elaborate accommodations are required there are Federal funds available to assist employers. However, if the accommodation creates a hardship for the employer, there is such a thing as a “conditional offer of employment.” If your skills and experience are what the employer is looking for, they may do a trial run with what accommodations they can afford at the time.
The Interview
Focus on the skills needed for the job. Carefully, read the job description and only talk about how you would accomplish the tasks required of the job. Prepare for the job interview as if you already have the job. Go in with ideas of what you could do in the position as well providing several examples of things you have done in the past. It’s a good idea to take in a list of 3-5 things you would like to accomplish within the first 90 days on the job. Employers are impressed with candidates that come in with forward thinking ideas.
Should a candidate need an accommodation for the job interview, make a request in writing to the prospective employer and let them know what you will need.
Job search resources for people with disabilities
Resources
http://www.dol.gov/odep US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy
http://www.askearn.org/ Ask Earn (Resources to help employers to hire and retain people w/ disabilities)
Jobs:
http://abilityjobs.com/ Ability Jobs
http://www.disability.gov/employment Disability. Gov
http://www.jofdav.com/ Jobs Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans
http://www.hireheroesusa.org/ Hire Heroes USA (and their spouses)
http://www.gettinghired.com/ Getting Hired
Career Guidance
http://askjan.org/ Job Accommodations Network
Marilyn Albert
What would you do if the unemployment rate reached 15.9% If you are one of the 11.8 million in the U.S. [or the 175,700 people in the state of Wisconsin] who have some type of disability and not working but actively looking for work then this statistic is a reality. The rate of unemployment for people with disabilities is higher than the national rate. The current national unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 15.9%. For people without disabilities the unemployment rate is 8.4%
Who are the disabled?
People who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. These may or not be obvious to others.
Three Main Issues for Disabled Job Seekers:
Disclosure:
When should you tell a prospective employer of your disability?
The number one issue for job seekers with disabilities is deciding when to tell a perspective employer about a disability.
The rule of thumb is:
a) If the disability is obvious, then disclosure about how to make accommodations should be discussed during the interview. Federal law prohibits employers to ask this question of a candidate even if the disability is obvious. Volunteering how you would be able to do the job with specific accommodation recommendations is perfectly okay and helps the employer to see the candidate in the job working successfully.
Example: A candidate in a wheel chair may mention they need a higher desk or more open space for their work area.
b) If the disability is not obvious, it not necessary to disclose this information in the interview process—actually, not even recommended.
Example: a person may be diabetic and need frequent breaks to check for blood sugar levels.
Accommodations
Have list of accommodations ready for the employer to review. Employers are more nervous about this than the candidates. They tend to polarize the disability and start to worry about the extreme types of disabilities how much it will cost them. In actuality, with the broad range of how disabilities are classified into day’s world, most of the time the accommodations required can be minimal such as: the height of chairs, brightness and size of computer screens, the location of workstation, or adjusting the time of the work schedule. If more elaborate accommodations are required there are Federal funds available to assist employers. However, if the accommodation creates a hardship for the employer, there is such a thing as a “conditional offer of employment.” If your skills and experience are what the employer is looking for, they may do a trial run with what accommodations they can afford at the time.
The Interview
Focus on the skills needed for the job. Carefully, read the job description and only talk about how you would accomplish the tasks required of the job. Prepare for the job interview as if you already have the job. Go in with ideas of what you could do in the position as well providing several examples of things you have done in the past. It’s a good idea to take in a list of 3-5 things you would like to accomplish within the first 90 days on the job. Employers are impressed with candidates that come in with forward thinking ideas.
Should a candidate need an accommodation for the job interview, make a request in writing to the prospective employer and let them know what you will need.
Job search resources for people with disabilities
Resources
http://www.dol.gov/odep US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy
http://www.askearn.org/ Ask Earn (Resources to help employers to hire and retain people w/ disabilities)
Jobs:
http://abilityjobs.com/ Ability Jobs
http://www.disability.gov/employment Disability. Gov
http://www.jofdav.com/ Jobs Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans
http://www.hireheroesusa.org/ Hire Heroes USA (and their spouses)
http://www.gettinghired.com/ Getting Hired
Career Guidance
http://askjan.org/ Job Accommodations Network
