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Recruiting people with disabilities to participate in the Job Corps program is similar to recruiting anyone else. People with disabilities want to participate in the program for the same reasons as anyone else—to become employable and independent. Keep in mind that there are individuals with disabilities in every community and they have access to the same information as any other potential Job Corps student. Therefore, recruitment materials should be welcoming to people with disabilities, incorporating messages of accessibility and inclusion. For example, recruitment information should be available on request in accessible formats and communicate Job Corps willingness to make reasonable accommodation. To ensure general recruitment materials reach people with disabilities, the materials should be distributed where people with disabilities are likely to be (e.g., rehabilitation offices, CILs, speech therapist).
Chapter 1 of the Job Corps Policy and Requirements Handbook requires the following disability-related outreach activities:
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Outreach plan should include a description of materials to be distributed, including center-specific information and materials readily understandable by individuals with disabilities (large print, video, audiotape)
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Linkages should include vocational rehabilitation agencies and other disability organizations
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Recruitment materials should be provided to disability organizations
- Materials provided to all applicants/potential applicants should include EEO information and reasonable accommodation information
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Outreach Activities
Job Corps center/contractor staff can:
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Contact local disability organizations and offer to send a recruitment package to ensure that they understand the goals and mission of Job Corps as well as the specifics of the centers in the area.
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Participate in disability-related job fairs, conferences, and programs. Most of these activities have tables and booths available. Highlight the participation of members with disabilities in the program. There is no better message to send than what is already happening—that people with disabilities are already a part of Job Corps.
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Contact your local CIL/ILC link to resource and develop a relationship with them. They can be a valuable resource in identifying potential students as well as identifying local disability leaders.
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Contact an "office for disabled concerns" or an advisory committee on disability issues. These offices, found in many counties, most cities, and some towns, can be a great source for finding potential students.
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Offer to write articles about Job Corps and opportunities for participation, since most local organizations have newsletters.
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Ask state disability organizations to talk about Job Corps to their constituencies and to write about Job Corps in their newsletter and other publications.
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Consider doing a community service project with or for a disability organization (e.g., work with local CIL to build a ramp for a person in the community, provide center volunteers to assist local United Way organization with a conference).
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Provide information about the program on disability sites and LISTSERVS on the Internet.
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Tips for Outreach
There are several tips to keep in mind during all of your outreach activities, especially those that relate to people with disabilities.
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When contacting disability organizations or individuals, be sure to follow-up and follow through. If you promise to send recruitment material, do. If you promise to remove a barrier, do. Follow-up builds credibility and eases any concern that outreach to persons with disabilities is a current "fad." The same is true when working with individuals. If you promise to find out about the availability of a particular accommodation, do it. If you need help, ask. The community of people with disabilities tends to be close knit, and word of mouth about bad experiences will travel quickly.
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OA contractor facilities must be accessible as required by applicable local, State, and federal disability law. Reasonable accommodations should also be provided on request. Remember that there are a wide range of disabilities - all of which can and should be accommodated. Often, accessibility for people with mobility impairments is considered, but accessibility for other disabilities is not.
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There are many qualities, characteristics, and skills that people with disabilities will bring to the program. They should not be recruited solely because they have disabilities, and they should never be rejected because they have a disability.
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Be aware that potential applicants with disabilities will be young people who are risking rejection and who might feel like that rejection will be based on their disability. Make an effort to allay those concerns.
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Due to the unique nature of the Job Corps program, applicants with disabilities may not be aware of the accommodations they will need to participate in the program. A strong network of resources is invaluable in determining what the applicant will need to successfully participate in the program.
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Single Point of Contact
Each OA contractor may want to designate a particular person to coordinate actions related to outreach and admission of people with disabilities. This person should know be familiar with the Job Corps reasonable accommodation process, know how to arrange for common accommodations, and be familiar with the local disability community. His/her responsibilities would include:
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Networking with local disability organizations
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Answering questions from potential applicants with disabilities and from disability organizations
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Assisting applicants with completion of reasonable accommodation request forms/If applicant requests reasonable accommodation to complete the admissions process, arrange for the accommodation
Though each OA contractor may have one point of contact for applicants with disabilities, all admissions counselors should be aware of basic etiquette and responsibilities toward persons with disabilities.
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