Employment is a critical part of community inclusion for people with disabilities. Securing and maintaining employment helps many people to achieve independence and financial security in their communities. The employment resources below have been compiled for people with disabilities and their families.
- The Job Accommodation Network is an ODEP-funded technical assistance center providing free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.
- Centers for Independent Living are consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability, nonprofit agencies that provide an array of independent living services, including services that can help with employment.
- American Job Centers are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job seekers under one roof. Established under the Workforce Investment Act, and reauthorized in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014, the centers offer training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services. Customers can visit a center in person or connect to the center's information online or through kiosk remote access.
- Assistive Technology Programs provide information on tools and services that can help a person with a disability perform activities that might otherwise be difficult, whether at home or in the workplace.
- The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood (Transitions RTC) has fact sheets for young people with mental health conditions who are entering the job market on applying for a job, keeping a job, and disclosing a disability at work. Also, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living and Participation of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities (TU Collaborative) produced a Practical Guide for People with Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Work.
- Let's Talk Employment: A Guide for Family Members of Individuals in Mental Health Recovery from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Improving Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities resource for families who wish to support their family member in getting and keeping employment.
- Job seekers who are blind or have visual impairments may want to explore Career Advantage for VIPs, developed by the project on Transition Services that Lead to Competitive Employment Outcomes for Transition-Age Individuals with Blindness or Other Visual Impairments. The eight instructional modules cover the processes of self-assessment, career exploration, job searching, resume development, job accommodations, and more.
- Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a U.S. Department of Education funded program that provides these services in every state, territory, and many Indian Nations. Vocational Rehabilitation serves all disability groups, but some states have a separate program called State Services for the Blind that provides specialized services for individuals with legal blindness. Learn more.
- Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) offers resources, training, best practices, and more to support the self-advocacy community.
- Think College! is a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, funded in part by an ACL Project of National Significance grant, dedicated to providing information about college options for people with disabilities.
- The Ticket to Work Program (TTW) helps people who receive Social Security due to a disability find work and keep their health coverage.
- The Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research and Training Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School has produced a set of tip sheets to help young adults with serious mental health conditions succeed in the workplace. Many tip sheets were created in collaboration with young adults and most are available in Spanish.
- The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create tax-advantaged savings accounts called ABLE accounts. Money in ABLE accounts can be used for qualified disability-related expenses, such as education, housing, and transportation. Most importantly, ABLE accounts allow people with disabilities to save money without losing their eligibility for federally funded benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The ABLE National Resource Center offers all of the latest information on ABLE, including state-by-state program updates, informational videos, webinars, policy summaries and answers to frequently asked questions.
- O*NET Online from the U.S. Department of Labor includes information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities, and interests associated with more than 900 occupations.