Work Resources

civil rights and advocacy | staying safe | education | health | work | sports, leisure & recreation | dating & relationships | technology | transportation & getting around | disability history & culture | working with a group

This page has reports [real life stories told by youth and young adults with disabilities] and links to other organizations and agencies that can give you information about work.

Reports

Below are a series of reports that we hope will help those of you who are trying to get a job, or even just starting to think about getting a job.

Advocating at Work with a Team
This tip sheet covers how to create a team of people who can support you in working. It includes young people�s stories, creating a job plan, and resources on getting support and accommodations at work.

What is Vocational Rehabilitation?
This informational sheet explains what the government agency �Vocational Rehabilitation� is and what it can do for you.

How to do a Job Search
It takes a lot of planning and research to land the right job for you. Whether this is your first job or not, start here and get organized.

Interview Skills
Job interviews can be scary, especially if you are not sure what to expect. Take some of the mystery out and get some helpful hints.

Personal and Professional References
It’s always handy to have your list prepared when going for an interview. Learn more about the details and what you might want to do beforehand.

Links

www.caseylifeskills.org
Free career assessment

www.jobshadow.org
Explains what job shadowing is and provides guidance on how to do a job shadow.

www.mentoring.org
Great website to see what mentoring is all about. Includes resources for finding a mentoring program or a mentor in your local area.

www.internships.org
Great website to find internships across the country and internationally

www.rileyguide.com
The Riley Guide is a really good site to get advice for writing a cover letter/resume. It also has a detailed list of all the places on the web to look for a job.

Career Testing
This is a website that you can do career a test. Create your free account to:

• Build and store resumes
• Explore occupations
• Identify your strengths, skills and talents
• Search education and training databases

[Run by the NY State Department of Labor � job databases for NY, but the career tests can be helpful for everyone.]

Helpful Instructions:

• On the first screen, click to create a Free Account. This allows you to come back.
• On the next screen, click on Enter JobZone at the bottom.
• Then, go the second box in the center column – Self Exploration.
• There is the Career Interests Profiler and the Work Importance/Values Profiler. Begin with either one.

TRANSCEN, Inc.
TransCen, INc is all about helping to improve opportunities for people with disabilities sin school and work situations. They have some helpful publications for youth around work and training, especially one called “411 on Disability Disclosure”, helping young people to make informed decisions about how or if they talk about their disability with an employer.

General Transition Resources
New York VESID Transition Planning has many publications for families and school officials.

National Center on Secondary Education and Transition

RecruitABILITY
Christina’s actually met the moderator of this web site through last years-annual Jobtoberfest. He’s got some pretty good links on his site as well as job related stuff.

The CA. Governors Committee for the Employment For Disabled Persons
Of course I just had to add this one to the list. It pretty much speaks for itself.

Office of Disability Employment Policy
This site has choices of types of jobs under their “job links” title and plus they have internships for students in college that have disabilities.

Citizen Corps Volunteers
Citizen Corps Volunteers is part of the New Freedom Initiative. Citizens participate in the effort to make our communities safer and better prepared for emergencies. Because of the individual needs of people with disabilities, it is particularly important for people with disabilities to be involved in emergency response planning.

New Freedom Initiative
New Freedom Initiative is dedicated to increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life.

Monster Job Opportunities
Monster Job Opportunities lists various job opportunities open to any college student. Not specifically aimed towards students with disabilities, but it is usable.

Handling your Psychiatric Disability in Work and School
This site offers information on “Handling your Psychiatric Disability in Work and School”, including info on how to file complaints about discrimination in the classroom and basic study skills for students. *They also host a “jobschool” listserv where folks can share their experiences and concerns.

Reasonable Accommodations for People with Psychiatric Disabilities
This is an on-line resource for employers and educators on how to reasonably accommodate and employee/student with a disability. (a good way to keep educators and employers “in track”)

PACER SSI Page
This page on the PACER websiteprovides comprehensive information and links on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) including information on qualifying, applying and accessing your SSI. Pay special attention a link near the bottom of page one which is a handbook to understand SSI, work incentives, and other IEP/transition issues. The handbook can be purchased or read online (free) here.

President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
The President’s Committee is a small federal agency whose Chairman and Vice Chairs are appointed by the President. The President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities’ mission is to communicate, coordinate and promote public and private efforts to enhance the employment of people with disabilities. The Committee provides information, training, and technical assistance to America’s business leaders, organized labor, rehabilitation and service providers, advocacy organizations, families and individuals with disabilities. You can find some useful info on this site, including info on upcoming job fairs and happenings in DC.

The Job Accommodation Network
This site is a consulting service that provides information about job accommodations and the employability of people with disabilities.

WorkSupport
WorkSupport is funded by federal agencies and provides info on disability management in the workplace, supported employment, workforce diversity and accommodations.

EEOC – Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
This page is your Federal resource for information on Employment Discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is mandated by law to investigate complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, national origin, pregnancy, religion and/or disability. They also investigate complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace. On this site, you will find information about laws relating to job discrimination.

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
This page is your Federal resource for information on the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 , which provides for unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks for certain family and medical emergencies. This law is often misinterpreted, so read up here first!

Wage and Hour Division
Yet another federal resource, this time its about how many hours you are allowed to work (by law) , depending on your age and it also has information about the minimum wage.

Social Security Administration
The comprehensive Social Security site has all kind of information: an introduction to the SSI program, disability benefits, the appeals process, and lots of other SSI stuff. (They also have information in SPANISH!)

PACER
Our friends at PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) in Minnesota have all kinds of helpful information and links, including “Employment Strategies for Youth & Adults with Disabilities”.

Healthy and Ready To Work
This site has lots of information and resources on transition issues, including government resources and materials that can help youth (and families) as they approach adulthood make a smooth transition to adult health care and employment

American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (AIRRTC)
The mission of the American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (AIRRTC) is to improve the quality of life for American Indians and Alaska Natives with disabilities through the conduct of research and training that will: 1) result in culturally appropriate and responsive rehabilitation services; (2) improve employment outcomes and facilitate access to services for American Indians and Alaska Natives with disabilities; and (3) increase the participation of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the design and delivery of rehabilitation services for employment outcomes.