1. Career Services and AAP Welcome You!!

2. “Career Development is a Lifelong Journey, Not a Destination”
Focusing on Abilities – Working with a Disability: Job Search Strategies for a Competitive Marketplace
“Career Development is a Lifelong Journey, Not a Destination”

3. Common Experiences Time Away From Activities Overprotection
Remedial Education
Overprotection
Low Expectations
Lack of Societal Understanding
Impediments
Activities – build valuable skills, like social skills; also help learn about interests
Understanding – Society may think your limitations are different than they actually are
Impediments – the disability may effect work in certain ways

4. Keep in Mind – Individual Characteristics
Type of Disability
Severity
Age of Onset
Identity Issues
Type – does it effect social skills, processing info, organization, ability to perform a physical task
Severity – emphasis on the individual
Age of Onset – Congenital vs Acquired

5. Legal Issues – Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Employers with 15 or more employees:
Must NOT discriminate against qualified individuals
Must provide “reasonable accommodations”
Employees:
Satisfy work requirements
Be able to perform essential functions of a job
Qualified Individual – may include areas of education, employment experience, skills or licenses
Examples of Reasonable Accomodations – providing or modifying equipment or devices, job restructuring, part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position, adjusting or modifying examinations, training materials, or policies, providing readers and interpreters, and
making the workplace readily accessible to and usable by people with disabilities
KEEP IN MIND UNDUE HARDSHIP

6. What can an Interviewer ask?

7. An Interviewer CANNOT:
Ask if you are disabled
Ask about disability nature or severity
Ask you to take a medical examination before hiring

8. An Interviewer CAN:
Ask if you can perform essential functions with reasonable accommodations
Ask you to describe or demonstrate your abilities to do a particular duty

9. Employer Advice
Only tell an employer during the interview if an essential function will be effected
Be honest about your abilities and your limitations
Have a plan going in, know what you want to say and how much you would like to tell them

10. Employer Advice
Talk with employer about specific ways that they can help
Adjustments may be small

11. Those Who have had Success:
Set Goals
Retain a Sense of Control
Act as a Self-Advocate
If you don’t, who will?

12. What Should You Be Doing?
Start Today
Explore
Talk to Professors
Volunteer
Job Shadow
Internships
Summer Work
Find a Mentor
Job Fairs

13. What Should You Be Doing?
Network…constantly
Responsible for filling 70-80% of jobs
Know your own strengths and weaknesses
Understand your disability
Share with those who can help (counselors, professors, mentors, etc.)
Know your own interests and values
Networking – helps others to see your abilities, hard work ethic, and positive attitude
Strengths/Weaknesses – ALL students should figure out how these will effect potential employment
Use strengths to your advantage and figure out how best to work with your weaknesses
Personal Decision
Understanding – others can better serve you if they understand

14. What Should You Be Doing?
Have a plan
Know what you are willing to share with an interviewer
Prepare to adjust
Set Goals
Self Advocate
Goals – think of values and interests; may include type of work, salary, work hours

15. What Should You Be Doing?
Stay Positive and Persistent

16. Visit Career Services!!

17. Useful Resources The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Coe College Career Services