How to Help People With Disabilities Find a Job

Job search

Helping someone who has a disability find a job can be difficult, especially if you do not know what kinds of barriers he has. It is important to stay positive for the job seeker, as they he may already received many rejections and feel frustrated. There are many opportunities for employment, as well as resources available to people with disabilities, to help them get to where they want to be.

Instructions

1. Find out more about the disability. If you do not already know much about the disability, take the time to ask the person questions. Find out what she thinks her toughest barriers are going to be and how she may overcome them if she can. You cannot try to put someone in a career that she is not going to be able to do.

2. Put together a resume. As with anyone else who is looking for work, you will want to compose an excellent resume to show off the job seeker's skills and abilities. If he does not have a lot of past employment experience, you can also include things he has done in his personal life, as well as volunteer work. A resume does not have to only include past employment.

3. Work with a local job coach or employment specialist. You can find these resources at your local workforce center, and they can help find employment in all different kinds of fields. Employment specialists can also help overcome barriers and identify skills and abilities to be able to tweak the resume. They have a lot of connections into employment, where others may not because they work directly with employers.

4. Prepare for interviews. While you may have just started looking for employment, you want to prepare the job seeker for an interview in case she receives one on the spot. She will want to be ready to talk about her disability and to explain how it will or will not affect her job duties and performance.

5. Check into programs for working people with disabilities. There are numerous programs available to help people with disabilities work and stay working, and an employment specialist or job coach would know more information. If you do not have a workforce center nearby, you can check with a county social worker for more information.

References

• Disability: Job Search and Planning
• Work Support: Disability Fact Sheet