“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 qualified 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 qualified candidates with disabilities.
State & Local Resources that Can Help
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.
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.
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.
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 individuals with disabilities. The NET’s focus is helping to ensure that the workforce needs of VR agencies’ business customers are met.
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.
Job Posting Websites & Other Recruitment Resources
The following are job posting websites for employers interested in finding job candidates with disabilities.
The AAPD Career Center is a premier source for people with disabilities to search for and land professional jobs with leading employers. It is also a source for companies of all sizes to find qualified and diverse job candidates.
The first job board on the Internet dedicated to job seekers with disabilities. With over 100k registrants, it maintains the largest resume bank of talented candidates. Its focused approach has connected hundreds of thousands of job seekers with employers. The organization continues to grow through strategic partnerships with ABILITYMagazine.com and ABILITYJobFair.org.
This site helps employers and job seekers with disabilities connect to increase employment outcomes by using the highest level of accessibility in an online career fair. AJF uses face-to-face video, text chat, transcription and American Sign Language to allow for the most human experience possible. Covid-19 distancing requirements brought AJF national awareness and amplified the ongoing benefits of an accessible virtual experience without the need for travel.
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. To post a job, email a one-page description of the position to Jalyn Marks at jmarks@aucd.org.
Bender Consulting Services, Inc.
Provides recruiting support to connect employers with people with disabilities. Also offers training on disability employment strategy and accessible technology options. To speak with a representative, call 412-787-8567.
Offers a job board for hiring people with disabilities and provides tips to employers on inclusive hiring practices. Account registration is free. The cost to post is $50 for a single job posting and $625 per month for unlimited job postings.
This is a job board for hiring minority groups, including people with disabilities and veterans. You must create an account to post a job. The cost is $225 per job posting.
Getting Hired, an Allegis Group Company, is a recruitment solution dedicated to helping inclusive employers hire professional individuals and veterans with disabilities. To access their job board and other resources including training programs and accommodation solutions, employers must sign up to become a partner.
This online job posting platform from the National Business & Disability Council (NBDC) at The Viscardi Center helps companies identify, reach, and hire people with disabilities nationwide with the specific skills they’re looking for in a candidate. Employers can post an unlimited number of open positions on the DES platform from their organization’s career pages.
This job board connects people disabilities and employers. Employers can post positions and find resumes of qualified candidates by creating an account for $200 per month.
This job board for hiring people with disabilities partners with OneMoreWay.org, which provides information to employers interested in creating an inclusive workplace. Basic packages to post a job start at $99 per posting.
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a 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.
Sources for Recruiting Veterans with Disabilities
Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service (VR&E)
This service helps employers across the country fill workforce needs with trained, educated and experienced disabled veterans. It provides recruitment assistance based on employers’ specific qualification requirements, and candidates are skilled and pre-screened.
A job board for hiring veterans. Packages start at $99 per year to post jobs and access resumes.
Job Opportunities for Disabled Veterans (JOFDAV)
A nonprofit job board for hiring veterans with disabilities. The cost is $50 to post a single job or $625 per month for unlimited job postings.
A resource center, forum and job board for hiring veterans. The job board is hosted by Monster and costs $53 per job posting.
National Veterans Foundation (NVF)
This nonprofit organization provides resources to veterans and their families and offers a free job board for employers interested in hiring veterans. To post a job, you must contact the NVF administrator at admin@nvf.org or call 310-642-0255.
U.S. Department of Labor Hire Veterans Website
Has resources for employers interested in hiring veterans, including a Veterans Hiring Toolkit and information on where to get one-on-one assistance. Employers can also post jobs for free.