EMPLOYMENT

Exploring career interest areas, developing job skills, and finding a job in a desired field are important activities for students with disabilities. Getting a job is a crucial step toward independence. To prevent a gap in services, a student needs to make the right connections before leaving school. After a student with a disability leaves school, no single agency or organization is required to provide or coordinate all needed services. Each organization has its own application process and way of providing service.

By age 14 a student should be thinking about...

When can I get a job?

U.S. Department of Labor, "A Message From The Secretary of Labor". This site educates teens, parents, educators, employers and the public on Federal and State rules regarding young workers, including what hours youth can work, what jobs they can work on, and how to prevent workplace injuries.

What kind of job do I want?

How will I get that job?

Where can I learn the skills to qualify?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' web site for kids provides introductory career information for students. The site offers twelve interests and hobbies categories and information on corresponding occupations.

Career Zone
CareerZone is a free, career exploration and planning system designed especially for New York State students. The Career Zone website brings together multiple sources of career and labor market information to make career exploration and planning for the future a little easier.

Department of Labor
We created this page to provide a shortcut to information and services the Department of Labor offers people with disabilities.

Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)
Assists Californians with disabilities obtain and retain employment and maximize their ability to live independently in their communities. Working with individuals of every type and category of disability, DOR provides vocational rehabilitation services to eligible Californians.

IncomeLinks
IncomeLinks assists people to generate income by starting their own micro-enterprise. IncomeLinks offers Micro-Enterprise Training for transition age youth and individuals with developmental disabilities.

InDemand Magazine
InDemand Magazine provides students as well as guidance counselors, parents and teachesr with interesting and relevant information about career opportunities, education and the skills needed for various jobs. It offers resources to explore careers and tips about how to help students build successful futures. Each issue will explore careers in a different high growth industry and is downloadable from the website.

Internal Revenue Understanding Taxes
Understanding Taxes is an interactive, instructional tax program, developed by the IRS, to provide high schools, community colleges, and the general public with a technology-based instructional tool.

LaborMarketInfoCareer Center
Whether you are an employer or a job seeker, a student or an economic developer, you can find the information at LaborMarketInfo's Career Center to help you make informed career decisions.

National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability
Making it Easier to Go to Work: What the Changes at Social Security Mean to You.

The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD)
Provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system.

Oregon Institute on Disability and Development (OHSU)
The Center on Self-Determination identifies, develops and shares approaches that promote the self-determination of people with disabilities and ongoing health conditions.

Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER)
The mission of PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.

Proyecto Visión
Proyecto Visión is a bilingual project to connect Latinos with disabilities to employment opportunities. The project offers bilingual technical assistance via a toll-free hotline, a bilingual Web site, newsletter and listserv, annual employment-centered conference/training, and leadership development activities.

SSA Resources Toolkit
The tools that you need to find the information you seek. This section contains a broad range of resources that are relevant for various customers.

Teen Workers
Teen Workers is the premier site for teen worker safety and health information provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The site offers information for teen workers, educators, parents, and employers.

Understanding Taxes
Understanding Taxes is an interactive, instructional tax program, developed by the IRS, to provide high schools, community colleges, and the general public with a technology-based instructional tool.

Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VEISID)
VESID works with students, families and school districts to coordinate appropriate services for students with disabilities who are leaving secondary education and entering adult vocational rehabilitation and related services.

Work Incentive Transition Network (WITN)
The purpose of this Network is to increase educators', family members', transition age students', and advocates' awareness of Social Security Work Incentives for school-aged youth with disabilities.

WorkAbility I
Through a designation as one of the ten best transition programs of its type in the United States, WorkAbility I has received national recognition of its success in matching young adults who have disabilities with employers who need workers.

WorkSupport.Com
The purpose of this center is to identify factors that enhance or inhibit businesses from tapping into a pool of potential employees. Let us be your gateway to information, resources, and services regarding the employment of people with disabilities.

Youth At Work
This website is designed to teach you about some of your rights and responsibilities as an employee. The EEOC's goal is to eliminate illegal discrimination from the workplace for all workers.

YouthRules!
The YouthRules! web page and activities will educate teens, parents, educators, employers and the public on Federal and State rules regarding young workers – the hours youth can work, the jobs youth can do.