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 across the country help job seekers with and without disabilities find employment. They provide job search assistance, access to computers and help with resume development.
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.
Ticket to Work (TTW)
This program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI or SSDI) and want to work. The Ticket 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 on your own with the Ticket program Find Help tool.
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.
Federal Employment (Schedule A)
If you’re 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 at the agency for which you would like to work. You will apply for the position through the Selective Placement Program Coordinator, as opposed to the standard application process.
Online Job Posting Boards for People with Disabilities
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:
Online Job Posting Boards for Disabled Veterans
There are also a number of online job boards for veterans with disabilities, including:
Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network (MSCCN)
Programs for College Students with Disabilities
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP): The WRP connects college students with disabilities to employers for internships and permanent employment. Contact your school coordinator to get involved.
Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD): This national professional association is comprised of over 600 colleges and universities and over 500 major national employers whose mission is to improve the employment rate of college students and recent graduates with disabilities.
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 and Apprenticeships pages.
Additional Online Resources
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.
OurAbility Connect: 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. Our Ability is a Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE®).
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.
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.
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.
AbilityOne.gov: Offer 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.
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.
Additional Online Resources for Disabled Veterans
Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) Coordinators: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers a variety of support services for veterans with disabilities. For information about these services, contact your local veterans office using their directory.
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.
DisABLEDperson, Inc. – Microsoft IT Academy for Wounded Warriors: This program offered by disABLEDperson, Inc. helps wounded warriors gain marketable job skills through the Microsoft IT Academy Program of eLearning for Wounded Warriors. For more information, email veterans@disabledperson.com.
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.
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 Paving Access for Veterans Employment (PAVE) Program: PAVE 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.
Wounded Warriors Project Warriors to Work Programs: This veteran employment program provides career guidance and support services to wounded warriors, their families and caregivers interested in transitioning to the civilian workforce.
Department of Labor “Gold Card” Initiative: The Gold Card provides unemployed post-9/11 era veterans with the intensive and follow-up services they need to succeed in today’s job market. An eligible veteran can present the Gold Card at his/her local American Job Center to receive enhanced intensive services including up to six months of follow-up services.
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Employment Resource Guide: Comprehensive information for military families on employment resources at the national, state and local levels.
O*Net Crosswalk Search: Tools to help service members understand how they can translate military skills to civilian career skills, and find the civilian equivalent of military jobs by using a unique “crosswalk” feature.
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).
Other Resources
A How-to Guide on Job Searching with a Disability
This U.S. News article provides information for jobseekers with disabilities on how to navigate applying for positions, interviewing and understanding employment civil rights.
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 over 17,000 jobs at over 600 employers.
These online events provide information on the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program and other Work Incentives.