Employment 101

What Kinds of Jobs Are There?

Employment being a goal for most of us, and a necessity as well, that doesn't mean that just any job will or should "do." At their most satisfying, jobs "fit" us-- our skills, talents, interests. So---what kinds of jobs are there that might fit you? In addition to the resources listed under the last section, especially the one-stop centers, here are other sources of information and exploration to help you answer that question.

• What interests you?
  www.bls.gov/k12/
  Building and fixing things, math, reading, nature, computers? Helping people, sports, music, or the arts? Come to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for young people and explore career information.
• I could be...
  www.icouldbe.org/start.asp
  This site connects teens with career mentors over the Web.
• Person-centered planning.
  www.ilr.cornell.edu/ped/tsal/pcp/index.html
  Much has been written about this approach to planning the future and making choices. Person-centered planning "focuses on the people and their needs by putting them in charge of defining the direction for their lives, not on the systems that may or may not be available to serve them." Visit the link above for an overview of the person-centered planning process, a self-study course covering the basic processes involved, downloadable resources, and much more.
• Career and technical education resources.
  www.acteonline.org/index.cfm
  Come to ACTEOnline and find a virtual mountain of help and info. The Association for Career and Technical Education is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers.
• Online employment prep for young people with developmental disabilities.
  www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/employment/
  Hey! Here's a free online self-study course designed to help people with developmental disabilities find meaningful jobs and jumpstart their careers. Lots to learn here, not the least of which are practical skills such as assessing abilities and interests, writing resumes, and preparing for interviews.
• Online career exploration program.
  www.asvabprogram.com/
  The ASVAB is a nationally-normed, multi-aptitude test battery used in high schools all over the country. You can use this online program to, in a direct quote from the link above, "Get to know yourself. Think about what you are good at, what you enjoy, what kind of personality you have, and the values you possess. Discover your possibilities and the nature of the jobs that interest you, such as educational requirements, salary, work environment, and future outlook. With so many career possibilities available, how do you choose a career path? Find out more about how to get where you want to go." And hey--info for parents, educators, and counselors, too!
• Internships and mentoring programs for youth.
  www.ncset.org/youthtowork/default.html
  The Youth to Work Coalition (YWC) was established to help businesses create or enhance internships and mentoring programs available for youth with disabilities. It's a coalition of corporations, foundations, nonprofits, and federal agencies.
• High School / High Tech.
  www.ncwd-youth.info/HSHT/index.html
  High School / High Tech (HS/HT) is a national network of state and locally operated programs designed to provide young people with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or further education leading to technology-related careers.

Getting Job Training

• Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR).
  To identify the VR office in your vicinity, consult your local telephone directory or visit: www.jan.wvu.edu/SBSES/VOCREHAB.htm
  Vocational Rehabilitation is a nationwide federal-state program for assisting eligible people with disabilities to define a suitable employment goal and become employed. Each state capital has a central VR agency, and there are local offices in most states. VR provides medical, therapeutic, counseling, education, training, and other services needed to prepare people with disabilities for work. VR is an excellent place for a youth or adult with a disability to begin exploring available training and support service options.
• Career One-Stop (Web site).
  http://careeronestop.org/
  This Web site is a publicly-funded resource for job-seekers and businesses. Job-seekers can search for jobs -- from entry level to technical to professional to CEO -- locate public workforce services in their area, explore alternative career paths, compare salary data for different occupations, learn which careers are hot, get resume writing tips and job interview strategies, and much more. Employers can identify job-ready workers with the right skills.
• Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries, Inc.
  www.dcgoodwill.org
  Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries provides vocational evaluation, training, employment, and job placement services for persons with disabilities. An information packet describing Goodwill's services is available upon request.

Addressing Transportation Concerns

• Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation (Project ACTION).
  www.projectaction.org
  Project ACTION is a national program that supports innovation and cooperation in solving transit accessibility problems. Project ACTION provides various direct forms of technical assistance and training, and maintains a library of information and materials addressing accessible transportation for people with disabilities. Project ACTION disseminates its newsletter Project ACTION Update, training curricula, surveys, technical materials, and reports.

Finding a Job

• The 30-day placement plan: A road map to employment.
  www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=151
  This resource, the 30-Day Placement Plan, guides the job seeker and other stakeholders in a month-long plan geared towards finding a job. It includes tasks to be accomplished that month, due dates for each task, and the names of people who are responsible for completing those tasks. Every 30 days the plan is updated with new tasks for the upcoming month. The job seeker, their employment specialist, and anyone in their support network (for instance, family, friends, or other professionals) should all be involved in writing and implementing the plan.
• JobAccess.
  www.jobaccess.org/
  The goal of JobAccess is to enable people with disabilities to enhance their professional lives by providing a dedicated system for finding employment. JobAccess provides a place where people with disabilites can seek employment and be evaluated solely on their skills and experience. The JobAccess Resume Builder helps users to build and post a professional looking resume that companies across the US will be able to browse.
• Try ACTE's Career Links for Students.
  www.acteonline.org/career/skills/career.cfm
  The page at the link above on the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Web site is a fine springboard into the "find a job" pool. It connects you with some of the best resources out there with respect to employment services and searches. America's CareerInfoNet, America's Job Bank, Best Jobs USA...
• Try the Department of Labor's database.
  www.dol.gov/odep/programs/workforc.htm
  The Workforce Recruitment Program aims to provide summer work experience, and in some cases full-time employment, for college students with disabilities. The program providers interested employers with a database of more than 1,500 student job seekers with disabilities, and provides students an opportunity to be listed in the database.
• Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN).
  www.earnworks.com/
  EARN is designed to help employers locate and recruit qualified workers with disabilities. There's info and help for job seekers, and employment service providers, too. EARN, which is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, can also provide technical assistance on general disability employment-related issues. EARN can be reached at 1-866- EARN NOW (327-6669).

All About Job Supports

• What are job supports and accommodations, and how do they work?
  www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm
  Read the array of publications on this subject at ODEP, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, at the Department of Labor. You'll find good advice and examples of how to make accommodations work for everyone concerned, so that the job gets done. Read such publications as:
  
  Accommodating Employees with Hidden Disabilities
  Accommodations Get the Job Done
  Disability Friendly Strategies for the Workplace
  Employing People with Disabilities Q&A
  Job Accommodations - Situations and Solutions
  Personal Assistance Services in the Workplace
  just to name a few...
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN).
  (800) 526-7234 (Voice/TTY)
  www.jan.wvu.edu
  The Job Accommodation Network, a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), brings together information from many sources about practical steps employers can take to make accommodations for the functional limitations of employees and applicants with disabilities. JAN consultants provide technical details and assistance with accommodations and the implementation of products and procedures in the workplace. Callers should be prepared to explain the specific problem and job circumstances. Brochures, printed materials, and a newsletter are available free of charge.
• Customized employment: Should you disclose your disability?
  www.t-tap.org/strategies/factsheet/disclosure.htm
  A key component of customized employment involves negotiating an individualized employment relationship between a job seeker and an employer in ways that meet the needs of both. This may require disclosing the job seeker’s disability. The resource at the link above, Customized Employment Q & A: Disclosure," will provide information about some key considerations to achieving effective disclosure in employment settings.
• The 411 on disability disclosure.
  www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/411.html
  This workbook provides experiences and practices about disclosing a disability and provides youth with expertise about themselves. The workbook contains eight units with classroom activities or activities that youth may do independently. The units include Self-Determination, Rights and Responsibilities Under the Law, Accommodations, Post-Secondary Disclosure, Disclosure on the Job, and Disclosure in Social and Community Settings.
• Supported Employment: What it is and how to do it.
  www.worksupport.com/Main/semanual.asp
  Worksupport.com provides information, resources, and research on work and disability issues. This includes the manual entitled "Supported Employment: A Customer-Driven Approach for Persons with Significant Disabilities."
• And what about personal assistance in the workplace?
  www.worksupport.com/Main/pass.asp
  Also courtesy of Worksupport.com is this extensive look at using personal assistance as a workplace support.

On the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Accessibility, and More

• Americans with Disabilities Act Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs).
  www.adata.org
  For information on legislation, rights, and resources, visit the link aboveor call: (800) 949-4232 (Voice/TTY). Callers are automatically routed to the DBTAC in their region. The DBTACs provide information, referral, technical assistance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to businesses, state and local governments, and persons with disabilities to facilitate employment for individuals with disabilities and accessibility in public accommodations and government services. The DBTACs also conduct training and promote public awareness on the ADA.
• Carl D. Perkins Act.
  www.acteonline.org/policy/legislative_issues/carl_perkins.cfm
  The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act (Perkins) was originally authorized in 1984 to provide individuals with the academic and technical skills needed to succeed in a knowledge- and skills-based economy. Perkins supports career and technical education that prepares its students both for postsecondary education and the careers of their choice.
• Ensuring the accessibility of buildings: The Access Board.
  (800) 872-2253 (Voice); (800) 993-2822 (TTY)
  www.access-board.gov
  The Access Board enforces the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), ensuring accessibility in facilities built, altered, or leased using certain Federal funds. It develops the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG), which are minimum accessibility guidelines for places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, state and local government facilities, and transportation vehicles and facilities. The Access Board is also charged with developing accessibility guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment. The Access Board offers training, technical assistance, and publications to individuals and organizations throughout the country on removing architectural, transportation, and communication barriers.
• Equal opportunity in employment: The EEOC.
  (800) 669-4000 (Voice); (800) 669-6820 (TTY)
  www.eeoc.gov
  The EEOC is a government agency that handles discrimination complaints about employment based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, and disability. The 800 number will connect callers with their local EEOC office, which can discuss complaints.
• Disability legislation: The rest of the story.
  www.ncwd-youth.info/resources_&_Publications/disability_Legislation/index.html
  No one piece of legislation defines government services to youth with disabilities. Find out about ALL of them in one place, at the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth).

Just for Professionals

• National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.
  www.nawdp.org/
  All NAWDP members receive a free subscription to the NAWDP Advantage - offering workforce development news, resources, tips and humor - as part of their membership. NAWDP also publishes its own valuable manuals on various workforce development topics, as well as selling select books by other publishers.
• For Career and Technical Educators.
  The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is a must. Find the following:
  
  • Lesson Plans central.
    www.acteonline.org/resource_center/lpl/index.cfm
    The ACTE Lesson Plan Library is your opportunity to share your most precious asset -- your teaching ideas and lesson plans! You now have at your finger tips access to an entire network of career and technical educators!
  • Curriculum.
    You'll also wanna visit ACTE's "Curriculum & Online Lesson Planning Resources" at: www.acteonline.org/resource_center/cte_links/online-lesson.cfm
  • The Professional Development network.
    www.acteonline.org/professional_development/index.cfm
    Hook up with conferences, online courses (such as Careerteched.com at www.careerteched.com/), and help for new professionals, including ABCs for First Year CTE Teachers and New Teacher Tips from ACTE's Divisions.
• Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE).
  www.apse.org/
  The Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) is a membership organization formed to improve and expand integrated employment opportunities, services, and outcomes for persons with disabilities.
• EARN.
  www.earnworks.com/
  EARN is designed to help employers locate and recruit qualified workers with disabilities. There's info and help for job seekers, and employment service providers, too. EARN, which is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, can also provide technical assistance on general disability employment-related issues. EARN can be reached at 1-866- EARN NOW (327-6669).
• A portal into the workforce development network.
  www.workforcetools.org/default.asp
  Workforce Tools of the Trade, a part of the CareerOneStop, is solely targeted to fostering the professional growth of those in workforce development. The site provides access to a robust database of information about the education and training services, products and providers these professionals need to excel at their jobs.
• ODEP's technical assistance materials.
  www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm
  There's something for everyone---employers, job developers, job seekers and holders with disabilities---at the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
• On assessment, the window into career planning.
  www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm
  Career Planning Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving Youth with Educational and Career Development Challenges is designed to help youth service practitioners find information on selecting career-related assessments, determine when to refer youth for additional assessment, and additional issues such as accommodations, legal issues, and ethical considerations. Administrators and policymakers will find information on developing practical and effective policies, collaboration among programs, and interagency assessment systems.
• For those in Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs).
  www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/publicat.htm
  Visit T-TAP's CRP Leadership Network to access training and technical assistance with respect to your work in CRPs. What's T-TAP? It's a national technical assistance and training effort designed to increase the capacity of Community Rehabilitation Programs and other community-based service providers that currently operate programs that result in segregated work outcomes and non-work options for people with disabilities in the "Special Minimum Wage" program established under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. 214(c).