AskEARN | Resources for Finding Candidates with Disabilities Skip to main content

Welcome to AskEARN’s new website. As we transition to our new site, you can still visit EARN’s previous site.

About EARN

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) offers information and resources to help employers recruit, hire, retain and advance people with disabilities; build inclusive workplace cultures; and meet diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) goals. 

Getting Started

Start here to learn how to recruit, hire, retain and advance people with disabilities; why workplace inclusion of people with disabilities matters; and how EARN’s resources can help.

A woman in a wheelchair addresses three colleagues around a small table

    Phases of Employment

  • A woman in a wheelchair shakes hands with a colleague

    Recruit

    Build a pipeline of talent that includes people with disabilities.

  • Two men work at repairing an engine.

    Hire

    Identify people who have the skills and attributes for the job.

  • A woman with a disability wearing a helmet works in a factory

    Retain

    Keep talented employees with disabilities, including those who acquire them on the job.

  • A man uses sign language to communicate.

    Advance

    Ensure that employees with disabilities have equal opportunities for advancement.

Dinah Cohen Learning Center

EARN’s Learning Center offers a wide range of training resources, including self-paced online courses.

Woman using assistive technology on a computer workstation.

News & Events

EARN makes it easy to stay up-to-date on disability employment news and information. Start by subscribing to our monthly newsletter and eblasts, which will connect you to upcoming events, developing news and promising practices in the world of disability diversity and inclusion. And don’t forget to follow EARN on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

A smiling man with an earpiece sits in a wheelchair

Resources for Finding Candidates with Disabilities

Explore resources your organization can use to source candidates with disabilities. 

“Where can I find job candidates with disabilities?”

Many employers tell us that one of the greatest barriers they face in hiring people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, is that they have trouble finding candidates. That’s where effective outreach and recruitment strategies come in. Working with state and local service providers, such as vocational rehabilitation agencies, American Job Centers, Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other community-based organizations, is key to helping you find candidates with disabilities with the skills, experiences and interests your organization needs.

  • 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.
  • Centers for Independent Living (CILs): These community-based nonprofit agencies are run by and for people with disabilities. They provide a variety of services, including those related to employment. They can help employers find qualified candidates with disabilities and provide advice on employment supports, such as transportation and technology, that may impact an employer’s ability to hire, retain and advance people with disabilities.
  • Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation/National Employment Team (NET): This is a nationwide network of business consultants that serve as employers’ points of contact for vocational rehabilitation (VR), the primary system of services and resources that specifically addresses the employment needs of people with disabilities. The NET’s focus is helping to ensure that the workforce needs of VR agencies’ business customers are met.
  • Disability and Veterans Community Resources Directory: Maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), this directory provides a list of organizations that can assist with training, recruiting and hiring people with disabilities and veterans.
  • Employment Networks (ENs): ENs are private organizations or public agencies that have agreed to provide employment and vocational rehabilitation services and other types of support to beneficiaries with disabilities under the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program. Employers can contact one or more ENs in their area to let them know they are interested in employing people with disabilities and discuss the skills they need.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies: These state and federally-funded programs help people with disabilities find, secure and retain employment. They also accept job postings from employers interested in hiring people with disabilities.

The following are job posting websites for employers interested in finding job candidates with disabilities.
  • AAPD Career Center: Offers a job board for people with disabilities to search for jobs with leading employers. It is also a source for companies of all sizes to find job candidates with disabilities.
  • abilityJOBS: Job board that connects job seekers with disabilities and employers. There is a fee for employers to post jobs.
  • ABILITYJobFair: Offers accessibility online job fairs to help employers and job seekers with disabilities connect. Video, text chat, transcription and American Sign Language options are available.
  • AbilityLinks.org: A free job board for people with disabilities and employers. To access the job board and post positions, you must create a user account.
  • Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD): This membership organization supports a national network of university-based programs for people with disabilities and their families. It also offers a free job board for employers interested in hiring people with disabilities. For more information, email jmarks@aucd.org.
  • Bender Consulting Services, Inc.: Provides recruiting support to connect employers with people with disabilities. Also offers training on disability employment strategies and accessible technology options.
  • Disabled Person, Inc.: Offers a job board for hiring people with disabilities and provides tips to employers on inclusive hiring practices. Account registration is free. There is a fee for employers to post jobs and search resumes.
  • Diversity Jobs: This job board helps employers find diverse job candidates, including people with disabilities and veterans. There is a fee for employers to post jobs and search resumes.
  • Getting Hired: Getting Hired provides information, tools and resources to help inclusive employers hire people with disabilities, including disabled veterans. To access the job board and other resources such as training programs and accommodation solutions, employers must sign up to become a partner.
  • OurAbility Connect: This job board connects people disabilities and employers. There is a fee for employers to post jobs and search resumes.
  • Peak Performers: This nonprofit staffing and recruiting agency helps people with disabilities find jobs and employers connect with talent with disabilities.
  • RecruitDisability.org: This job board for hiring people with disabilities partners with OneMoreWay.org, which provides information to employers interested in creating an inclusive workplace. There is a fee for employers to post jobs and search resumes.
  • The Viscardi Center’s Disability Employment Service (DES): This online job posting platform hosted by The Viscardi Center helps companies identify, reach and hire people with disabilities nationwide with the specific skills they’re looking for in a candidate. There is a fee for employers to post jobs.
  • WRP.gov: The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a free recruitment and referral program that connects federal employers with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.

Phases of Employment

Recruit Hire Retain Advance

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