Employment 101

Understanding the Network

• Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor.
  (866) 487-2365 (Department of Labor, toll-free)
  (877) 889-5627 (Department of Labor, TTY)
  www.dol.gov/odep
  The Office of Disability Employment Policy (formerly the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, PCEPD) is an excellent place to begin understanding the network that exists with respect to employment of individuals with disabilities. ODEP provides information, training, and technical assistance to America's business leaders, organized labor, rehabilitation and other service providers, advocacy organizations, families, and individuals with disabilities. ODEP's mission is to facilitate the communication, coordination, and promotion of public and private efforts to empower Americans with disabilities through employment. ODEP also serves as an advisor to the President of the United States on public policy issues affecting employment of people with disabilities.
• Youth with disabilities, entering the workforce.
  www.ncwd-youth.info/
  The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) assists state and local workforce development systems to better serve youth with disabilities. Its online information is organized according to who you are as a visitor: administrator of a workforce development program, an employer or business, a youth service practitioner, a policy maker, or a youth or family.
• And for youth not YET in the workforce---transition's calling!
  www.ncset.org/
  The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) has a ton of information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities. The resources you'll find are primarily for families and professionals and are designed to acquaint readers with the transition system, the IDEA's requirements for youth transition planning, and the mechanics of the same. Oh---and the successes of it, too!
• And it's calling directly to YOU!
  www.youthhood.org/youthhood/index.asp
  This Web site was built to help youth with disabilities plan for the future. It's for young people and their teachers and parents alike. This new initiative and exciting resource comes to the field courtesy of the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET).
• More on transition planning, getting ready for employment, and understanding the networks out there.
  www.pacer.org/swift/index.htm
  The PACER Center offers families and students with disabilities an array of resources to help them get ready and get out there! If you're a youth with disabilities, make sure you visit here.
• Linkages to employment.
  http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/transition/linkages.asp
  The purpose of the Linkages to Employment project is to develop an innovative model of transition-to-employment planning for students with significant disabilities. Resources online include: Individualized Career Planning Model, an overview of SSA work incentives, self-employment as an option, and a long, nice list of articles very much on topic.
• When being healthy and ready to work takes more than you think.
  www.hrtw.org/
  Health impacts all aspects of life. Success in the classroom, within the community, and on the job requires that young people with special health care needs stay healthy. To stay healthy, young people need an understanding of their health and to participate in their health care decisions. The Healthy and Ready to Work National Center focuses on understanding systems, access to quality health care, and increasing the involvement of youth. It also includes provider preparation plus tools and resources needed to make more informed choices.
• Adults with disabilities, entering the workforce.
  www.onestops.info
  The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD) provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system. Areas of expertise include: accommodations and assistive technology, relationships with employers, helping clients with disabilities find jobs, and advising employers as to how to provide job-related supports.
• SSA work incentives.
  http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/transition/SSAworkincent.asp
  A major component of the Individual Career Planning Model described by the Rural Institute's Linkages to Employment project is the incorporation of Social Security Work Incentives, such as PASS plans, into transition planning. Find out how.
• Understanding how work affects a person's SSA benefits.
  www.ssa.gov/work
  The Social Security Administration's Work Site provides clarity on matters affecting the employment of Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities. The site contains the latest news on proposed policy changes, upcoming events, and other initiatives related to the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.
• The Ticket to Work program.
  www.yourtickettowork.com/index
  The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is an employment program for people with disabilities who are interested in going to work. Under the Ticket Program, the Social Security Administration provides disability beneficiaries with a Ticket they may use to obtain the services and jobs they need from a new universe of organizations called Employment Networks (ENs). The link above will take you to the program's home page, where you can find out more about the program and the network in your area.
• The PASS program (a plan for achieving self-support).
  www.ssa.gov/pubs/11017.html
  What's PASS and how does it work? SSA beneficiaries---find out if it'll work for you, at the link above.
• T-TAP: Technical Assistance for Providers.
  www.t-tap.org
  T-TAP is a national technical assistance and training effort designed to increase the capacity of Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) and other community-based service providers that 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). T-TAP works with providers to evolve their programs to provide integrated employment outcomes in nonstereotypical jobs, and to increase wages of people with disabilities who are currently working at less than minimum wage by using customized employment strategies and individual choice.

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.