For many students/graduates with disabilities, participating in career development and career transition activities is their first experience in the workplace; likewise, for some employers, it is their first experience working with or hiring an individual with a disability. As such, the career development staff should be prepared to educate the student/graduate and the employer about disability issues in the workplace. The National Center on Workforce and Disability has information on all aspects of educating the student/graduate and employer.

Click here for form that can be used by health services to assess a student's health-related transition needs.

Educating the Student

During the career development and career transition periods of the program, it is important that the student/graduate be adequately prepared to enter the workplace, not only possessing adequate skills, but also feeling confident and comfortable in discussing his/her disability and possible accommodation issues with an employer. This may involve educating the student/graduate about self-determination/self-advocacy, his/her disability, workplace rights, disclosure, Social Security Benefits and transition services. Possible resources for educating the student include:

Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy

Some students/graduates with disabilities may be unsure of or afraid to advocate for themselves and their rights. The following resource provides information and organizations that help support students/graduates become self-advocates.

• The Real Choices project and the Jefferson County Developmental Disabilities Program support people's right to make decisions about their own lives. Self-determination is about having the information and support to make those choices.
  http://www.jcchoices.org/advocacy.html

Centers for independent living are an excellent starting point for a student/graduate who wants to participate in a self-advocacy group. Some centers for independent living are willing to start groups on the Job Corps site while others welcome the student into groups already established at their centers. Students are not required to participate in this type of group as participation is only on a volunteer basis. To locate a Center for Independent Living near you, click here http://www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/index.html.

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Specific Training on Disabilities

Training provided by a disability organization on the student's/graduate's specific disability assists them in understanding his/her disabilities and capabilities and encourages the student/graduate to request or refuse assistance as needed.

• The Real Choices project and the Jefferson County Developmental Disabilities Program defines disabilities and lists organizations that support specific disabilities.
  http://www.jcchoices.org/disability_ada.html

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Workplace Rights

This provides the student/graduate with information regarding his/her rights and prepares him/her to make informed decisions regarding the workplace and future employment opportunities. Possible resources include:

• Essential Elements of an Effective Job Search

• Employment Rights Who Has Them Who Enforces Them

• Interviewing Tips for the Job Applicant

• Mastering the Job Interview For People Who Stutter

• Disability-related Employment Resources on JAN's Web site

• The Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) ADA and Transition

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Disclosure

A student/graduate with a disability must decide whether or not to disclose his/her disability to a potential employer. If the individual elects to disclose this information, then he/she must determine the most appropriate forum in which to do so. It is not a requirement to disclose this information. A student/graduate with a disability may not need accommodation in the workplace and may not choose to disclose his/her disability at all; however, a student/graduate who decides that an accommodation is necessary needs to understand that certain information must be disclosed so that the employer can provide the reasonable accommodation.

Click here for The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities.

Click here for tips on disclosure and interviewing techniques.

Click here for Virginia Commonwealth University's — Disclosure Decisions TO GET THE JOB.

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Many individuals with disabilities have many concerns and questions regarding the status and future of their social security benefits once they accept paid training or enrollment. To allay these fears:

• Develop a relationship with a contact person at the local Social Security Administration (SSA) office who can assist with questions about benefits and incentive-to-work programs.

• Develop a relationship with your local One-Stop center. Some One-Stops house a Disability Program Navigator who helps people with disabilities "navigate" through the challenges of seeking work. A list of Disability Navigator state contacts is available at http://www.doleta.gov/disability/onepagers/DPN_State_Leads.cfm#A.

• Provide accurate and current information (e.g., pamphlets, handouts, etc.) about social security benefits and work.

• Post informational posters regarding work incentives along with contact information in the dormitories and around campus to encourage students to ask questions and seek information.

The SSA encourages individuals with disabilities to return to work when they are able to do so. The SSA does this through work incentive programs designed to provide benefits during the transition to work. For more information on work incentives, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/generalinfo.htm (SSA's Web site) or http://www.worksupport.com/Topics/fastfacts.asp or http://ici2.umn.edu/ntn/pub/hdbk/default.html.

Students should be informed about and assisted with reporting any change of status in their income to the SSA. However, the student is primarily responsible for reporting this information to the SSA. A career development counselor may assist a graduate in reporting a change in status but is not required to do so. It is the graduate's responsibility to do so.

For answers to Social Security Work Incentives questions, contact Virginia Commonwealth University’s Benefits Assistance Resource Center, http://www.vcu-barc.org. Students can also be directed to http://www.disabilitybenefits101.org to find answers to questions pertaining to work and disability benefits. General information can also be found through the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights.

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Transition Services

To stay employed and live independently, graduates will need to connect with appropriate support services in their community. Students with disabilities may have unique issues that should be considered during this period. Issues to consider include:

• Accommodation Needs—The disability coordinator and Career Transition Specialist (CTS) should work together to conduct an accommodation needs assessment.

  • Does the student have all accommodations necessary to conduct job searches?

  • Does the student have the necessary supporting documentation to secure accommodations in the workplace, in institutions of higher learning, or for state certification examinations?

• Support Services—Students with disabilities will typically need the same support services as students without disabilities, but they may have additional issues to consider. For example, all students need to consider how they will get to work, but a student who is a wheelchair user who plans to use public transportation needs to ensure the transportation he/she needs is accessible. Like all students, this student needs to find housing but also needs to consider his/her accessibility issues. Some factors to consider include:

• Transportation
• Housing
• Health care
• Work clothing
• Modified tools
• Food/meals
• Budgeting
• Child care
• Counseling/mentoring
• Job retention
• Legal services
• Drug/alcohol abuse support
• Language barriers
• Advanced training/education
• Job placement/search
  
  
• Transfer of Services—If the student has accepted employment outside of the area where he/she is currently receiving services from a disability provider, career transition staff should work with the student and service providers to ensure coordination/continuation of services. If the student will continue to receive services from a local disability service provider after graduation, the student and career development staff should notify the service provider of his/her exit from the program and any change in needs for service as a result of exiting the program.

The Phoenix Job Corps center completes a wellness transition summary for each student, all wellness issues, including accommodations, are addressed in the summary.

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Educating the Employer

Employers may need preparation, orientation, and support to recruit and integrate students with disabilities into the workplace. They may be concerned with the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy involved. They may be uncertain about whether individuals with disabilities can do the job or they may lack the knowledge of how to accommodate an individual's needs.

Employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in four major areas that affect the private sector:

• Employment
• Transportation
• Telecommunications
• Public accommodations and services

This does not mean, however, that some employers do not have unwarranted fears and misconceptions about hiring an individual with a disability. Visit the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (DOL-ODEP) website (http://www.dol.gov/odep) for additional resources, such as "Hiring People with Disabilities," "Ready, Willing, and Available: A Business Guide for Hiring People with Disabilities" "Employment Checklist for Hiring Persons with Disabilities: Practical Suggestions") and "Preparing the Workplace for Everyone: Accounting for the Needs of People with Disabilities". A study by the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1996 reported that 86 percent of employers surveyed did not know about the ADA in general or the requirements for employers to provide reasonable accommodation. In the study, small to medium-sized employers reported fears of high costs to make accommodations and the undue hardship or risk they would be assuming.

Employers may need preparation, orientation, and support to recruit and integrate students with disabilities into the workplace. They may be concerned with the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy involved. They may be uncertain about whether individuals with disabilities can do the job or the employer may lack the knowledge on how to accommodate an individual's needs. Help employers understand that the individuals you are placing into the workforce are equipped with industry-based competencies, regardless of their disability.

One of the best ways to educate employers is to involve them in the center's programs and activities. Center staff should take every opportunity to invite employers on site to expose them to students in their training environments where diversity is evident and students are already being accommodated. Include disability organization representatives on the community relations and business industry councils. This exposure introduces employers to resources that could assist in providing accommodations in the workplace as well as serves to dispel common myths about hiring individuals with disabilities. Other means of educating the employer simply involve providing him/her with information on hiring individuals with disabilities through discussion and literature. Be sure to check out DOL-ODEP's guide for employers, "Ready, Willing, and Available" and the National Business and Disability Council’s Web site, for information.

Discussions with the employer or literature provided to the employer may include:

• Affirmative Action and People with Disabilities—Affirmative action is a set of positive steps that employers use to promote equal employment opportunity and to eliminate discrimination. It is designed to help employers hire, retain, and advance qualified workers from diverse backgrounds, including persons with disabilities. Affirmative action is not mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act. For additional information, review the DOL-ODEP fact sheet, "Affirmative Action and People with Disabilities."

• Accessibility of Workplace—Each student/graduate with a disability should participate in a job interview at the work site. If the employer makes an offer to hire the student/graduate or allows them to job shadow, the student/graduate should tour the work site to determine if it is fully accessible or if any accommodations are needed to remove existing barriers. The disability coordinator, vocational rehabilitation, and the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) are resources that can assist in providing assessments or suggestions about possible accommodations. The student or graduate, though, must be the one to determine what, if any, assistance is needed before anyone else can determine how to assist.

• Interviewing—Some employers may be unsure of the etiquette involved in interviewing an individual with a disability or may not have considered the accessibility of the work site for interviewees with disabilities. As a general rule, center and career development staff should make preliminary assessments of accessibility during all initial meetings with employers, when feasible and appropriate. This should assist in avoiding unnecessary problems during the actual interview process. For additional information, review:

  • The DOL-ODEP fact sheet, "Interviewing Tips for the Job Applicant"

  • The City of San Antonio's Etiquette Handbook, covering such topics as interview scheduling, techniques, and courtesies

• Pre-Employment Inquiries—The ADA places some restriction on the employer's pre-employment inquiries. It is important to remember that at the pre-offer stage, disability-related questions and medical examinations are prohibited. For additional information, review the DOL-ODEP fact sheet, "Pre-Employment Inquiries."

• Workplace Accommodation Process—The ADA requires that employers with 15 or more employees provide reasonable accommodation in the workplace for employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation must be made on a case-by-case basis and is not required when costs constitute an undue hardship for an employer.
  
  Employers often have many questions about what is reasonable, what constitutes an undue hardship, and what steps to consider in making a workplace accommodation. For additional information, review the DOL-ODEP fact sheet, "Workplace Accommodation Process."

• Tax Incentives for Business—There are several tax incentives available to help employers cover the cost of accommodating employees with disabilities and for making their places of business accessible to employees with disabilities. For additional information, review the DOL-ODEP fact sheets,"Tax Incentives for Business," and "Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program." 

For information that can help employers better understand the facts and the resources available to support the employment of individuals with disabilities, visit:

• US Department of Commerce, Workforce Strategies & Initiatives

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability

• Department of Justice, ADA Business Connection

• Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN)

To obtain printed materials to assist in educating employers on disability issues, visit:

• A Year in the Life of A Million American Workers, Metlife and Dr. Ronald S. Leopold

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Business Tools

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Costs

Employers may need to fund the cost of an accommodation if they actually hire a student who is involved in work-based learning activities but, whenever possible, the center should make every effort to assist the employer in this matter (i.e., seek assistance from disability provider organization(s), if applicable).

If the student is not actually hired by the employer but is engaging in job shadowing activities, etc., the center is ultimately responsible for covering the cost of the accommodation in the workplace. After a student graduates, the burden to provide accommodation shifts fully to the employer; however, career development staff can still assist in the process whenever possible and as appropriate (i.e., seek assistance from disability service providers, provide literature and resource information, etc.).

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Partnerships

Partnerships with employers, schools, and disability organizations are crucial in conducting well-developed, work-based learning activities and/or career development activities for students/graduates with disabilities. Numerous benefits are derived from these alliances.

• Employers, students, graduates and the center gain access to highly trained professionals in specialty areas.

• Student/graduate has increased career options and employment services.

• Student/graduate career needs are addressed, thereby reducing the support needed from rehabilitation.

• Employers gain access to a qualified labor source of individuals with disabilities.

The Promising Practices section of the web site describes some of the relationships established by Job Corps center staff.

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation and the National Office of Job Corps have a memorandum of understanding that stipulates the coordination of services between the two programs as the ultimate goal of both programs is employment.

VR provides numerous support services to clients seeking employment as well as to employers who wish to learn more about hiring individuals with disabilities. VR provides free consultation services to employers to assist in hiring students with disabilities. Some services available to the employer include free consultation regarding:

• Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Job Modification and Modification/Barrier Removal Consultation

• Assistance in identifying federal income tax incentives

• Partial reimbursement for initial training and employment opportunities made available to students/graduates they sponsor

• Vocational assessments for the students/graduates they sponsor to include individuals aptitudes, abilities, and attitudes which involves medical, psychological, and vocational testing

• On-the-job-training for employers and staff

• Career development services

• Follow-up and adjustment services

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