Job Seeker Resources
Explore resources for job seekers with disabilities.
While EARN is designed to support employers in their efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and advance employees with disabilities, we often receive inquiries from job seekers with disabilities as well. The following are resources that can help people with disabilities in their employment pursuits.
- American Job Centers (AJCs): These centers located in communities throughout the country offer centralized employment and training services to help people both with and without disabilities prepare for and obtain employment. AJCs also help businesses recruit and hire qualified people with disabilities.
- Federal Employment (Schedule A): If you are considering a job with the Federal Government, it’s important to understand Schedule A—a non-competitive hiring process, meaning that people with qualifying disabilities are distinguished from the general applicant pool and given preferential hiring status. Once you have obtained all the necessary documentation, contact the Selective Placement Program Coordinator (SPPC) at the agency for which you would like to work. You will apply for the position through the SPPC, instead of going through the standard application process.
- Independent Living Centers (ILCs): These community based nonprofit agencies are run for and by people with disabilities. They provide a variety of services, including job coaching, training, and information on disability in the workplace. ILCs can also provide referrals to support services available from local agencies and may have information on employers in your area who actively recruit people with disabilities.
- Social Security Administration (SSA) Ticket to Work Program: This program supports career development for people ages 18-64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI or SSDI) and want to work. The Ticket to Work (TTW) program is free and voluntary. It helps people with disabilities move toward financial independence and connects them with the services and support they need to succeed in the workforce. You can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) or find providers in your area using the Find Help tool.
- Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies: These state and federally funded programs help people with disabilities find, secure, and retain employment. They can provide assistance with career exploration and resume development, as well as finding, training for, and keeping a job.
There are many organizations that maintain job boards for people with disabilities. These sites usually contain information on career guidance, resume development, and other employment supports. Job seekers can browse job postings and upload resumes. Job boards for people with disabilities include:
There are also a number of online job boards for veterans with disabilities, including:
- The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP): This program managed by the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Defense connects college students and recent graduates with disabilities to employers for internships and permanent employment. Contact your school coordinator (often located in the Disabled Student Services Office) for more information.
- Lime Connect: Connects corporations with qualified students with disabilities for internships and jobs.
- Learn more about opportunities for college students with disabilities on EARN’s Internships page.
- Ability Job Fair: Offers accessibility online job fairs to help job seekers with disabilities connect with employers. Video, text chat, transcription, and American Sign Language options are available.
- AbilityOne: Offers employment assistance to people who are blind or have other significant disabilities. Nonprofit agencies work with National Industries for the Blind (NIB) or SourceAmerica to hire people with disabilities.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network: Regional ADA Centers provide information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. They can help job seekers with disabilities understand their employment process rights under the ADA.
- Go Government: This site from the Partnership for Public Service is a "one-stop shop" for how to find and apply for Federal Government jobs.
- Google Interview Warmup: Online tool helps job seekers practice interviewing techniques.
- Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC): HERC helps job seekers with disabilities find employment at colleges, universities, teaching hospitals, labs, government agencies, and associated employers. You can search from more than 17,000 jobs at over 600 employers.
- Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Employment Guide: Finding a Job that is Right for You: This employment guide developed by JAN provides information, tools, and resources for job seekers with disabilities. Read Dos and Don’ts of Looking for a Job and Strategies to Consider in Seeking Employment for tips on job searching with a disability.
- JobTIPS Student: This free online program offers real world examples and assistance to teens and adults transitioning to the workplace. The program addresses the social and behavioral differences that might make identifying, obtaining, and keeping a job more difficult for an individual with a disability.
- My Employment Options: This is a Certified Employment Network (EN) through the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program. They provide supports and services to job seekers with disabilities who are looking for at-home employment opportunities.
- mySkills myFuture: This U.S. Department of Labor website helps laid-off workers and other career changers find new occupations to explore. Users can identify occupations that require skills and knowledge similar to their current or previous job, learn more about these suggested matches, locate local training programs, and/or apply for jobs.
- Our Ability: Connects job seekers with disabilities and employers by allowing job seekers to create online profiles and demonstrate experience by accumulating individual ability points. Employers can post jobs and browse candidate profiles in a format that is more dynamic than a typical resume. OurAbility is a Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE®).
- WISE Webinars: These online events provide information on the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Ticket to Work Program and other Work Incentives.
- Compensated Work Therapy: This Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) vocational rehabilitation program matches work-ready veterans with competitive jobs, and consults with business and industry help meet their employment needs. In some locations, CWT is also known as Veterans Industries.
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E): If you have a service-connected disability that limits your ability to work or prevents you from working, VR&E (formerly called Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment) can help. This program assists veterans with service-connected disabilities in exploring employment options and addressing education or training needs. In some cases, family members may also qualify for certain benefits. Learn about eligibility and how to apply.
- Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR): ESGR informs and educates service members and their civilian employers regarding their rights and responsibilities governed by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
- National Resource Directory: This website connects wounded warriors, service members, veterans, and their families with services at the national, state, and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation, and community reintegration.
- O*Net OnLine: Find tools to help service members understand how they can translate military skills to civilian career skills and learn about the civilian equivalent of military jobs.
- Operation Warfighter: This is a temporary assignment/internship program, developed by the Department of Defense, for service members that are convalescing at military treatment facilities in the National Capitol Region and increasingly throughout the U.S. The program provides recuperating service members with meaningful activity outside of the hospital environment and offers a formal means of transition back to the military or civilian workforce.
- Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Veterans Career Program: Provides vocational counseling and job placement assistance to any veteran, active duty service member, spouse, or caregiver across the country. This no-cost program offers assistance with a variety of customized job search strategies.
- Veteran and Military Transition Center: One-stop website for employment, training, and financial help after military service.
- Wounded Warriors Project Warriors to Work Program: Veteran employment program provides career guidance and support services to wounded warriors, their families, and caregivers interested in transitioning to the civilian workforce.
- Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Employment Resource Guide: Comprehensive information for military families on employment resources at the national, state, and local levels.