Jobs for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities are often quite capable of at least some part-time--if not full-time--employment. These "differently abled" individuals receiving disability benefits are encouraged to find such employment through a federal job placement program called Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS). The Social Security Administration has also contracted with a private company to oversee a program called Ticket to Work, which provides job training and other resources for people with disabilities.
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Types of Jobs Available
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The available jobs for people with disabilities vary as widely according to each individual's capability. In general, people with disabilities tend to work in lower-stress environments where minimal physical effort is required. This can include a variety of retail-related or clerical work, mail sorting and customer greeting. Because relative ability and disability is usually specific to a given individual, there are no jobs that are specifically designated as jobs for people with disabilities.
Matching People with Jobs
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One of the essential features of PASS, a Social Security Administration program, is identifying the parameters of an individual's abilities and matching these to job descriptions. This involves not only assessing the nature of a disability, but all relevant job skills an individual might possess. With this knowledge, a person with disabilities can then pursue the job training necessary to fill any gaps in their employability and meet their vocational goals.
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Employment Networks
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The hardest part of getting a job is usually finding an opening and submitting an appropriate application in time. Disabled persons receiving disability benefits can be eligible to participate in the Ticket to Work program, in which they receive a voucher for employment and vocational rehabilitation services from designated Employment Networks (ENs). The ENs are then compensated by the Social Security Administration for services provided to a ticket holder.
Training and Job Placement
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Training and job placements are the two most important services provided by ENs. Training can take place in a variety of formats, including distance learning via online videos and CD-ROM. ENs are located throughout the country to facilitate local job referral. In addition to ENs, which are administered by private companies, the Social Security Administration maintains more than 100 Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) centers that provide advice on how to utilize employment incentives and advise how gainful work can affect eligibility for benefits.
Considerations
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One of the major considerations of disabled people looking to work is how earning a paycheck will affect their disability benefits. Earning above a certain threshold, $940 per month in 2008 (more for the blind), typically disqualify a worker from receiving cash benefits. However, work incentives earned by using the Ticket to Work program entitles a worker to retain cash benefits, including Medicare or Medicaid, for the first nine months of work. Use of the Ticket to Work program also allows easy transition back to receiving benefits through an expedited reinstatement of benefits system.
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