Comprehensive Job Hunting Guide for Workers With Disabilities

People with disabilities may have a physical or mental difference that impairs some aspects of their life. This could limit their physical mobility, social interactions, or endurance.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed in 1990 and updated in 2009, mandates specific adjustments to workplaces, buildings, and outdoor areas that allow those with certain disabilities to participate as fully in public life as possible. The ADA has specific requirements that employers must meet, if possible, to include people with disabilities. While some jobs have specific physical or mental requirements, many forms of employment allow those with various abilities to have meaningful careers.

If you need specific changes to your job, you can work with your employer to make these accommodations. The ADA requires that employers work with employees as much as possible to accommodate their needs, especially if needs change over time.

If you are a person with a disability and you are looking for a job, you may need some help navigating the hiring landscape. Take the time to understand your legal rights, how to determine your employment, and how you can discuss your disability with a potential employer.

People with disabilities have faced chronic underemployment for decades, but job reports in 2017 found that more people with disabilities had employment than ever before. Many employers are creating special programs to accommodate individual needs.

For example, major companies have created neurodiversity programs that hire people with an autism spectrum disorder or specific mental health needs. Buildings are receiving updates to their safety and accessibility, allowing more people with physical disabilities to work at an office. At the same time, more white-collar jobs allow for telecommuting, so those who cannot leave their homes, who need time to physically or mentally recuperate at home, or who undergo specific treatment can work remotely and support themselves.

There is a wide range of jobs that benefit people with disabilities, although mental and physical accommodations are different.

If you have a mental health condition, here are some of the best jobs that support mental balance:

Teaching: Whether you work with young children or become a professor at a college, teaching is very rewarding for people who struggle with mental health. You can see the impact you have on your students, watch their progress as they learn, and help them overcome challenges.

Teaching can be a mentally and physically taxing field, requiring hours of preparation and then standing or walking around much of the day,but it comes with big emotional rewards, so it can be a good choice for those struggling with mental health.

• Counseling: Dealing with a mental or behavioral health condition of your own can make you more empathetic toward others who have similar problems. When you undergo training as a counselor, you can also learn more about yourself.
  
  If you set up your own counseling practice, you can work your own hours and take as many clients as you need, which gives you space to take care of yourself. You do not have to work by yourself, as many counseling services always need new counselors on staff.
  
  
• Physical labor: People who struggle with mental health problems benefit from getting regular exercise. Gardening, landscaping, and even construction work can provide physical stimulation without taxing emotions. A lot of physical labor is seasonal too, so you can have some time off to relax and manage your mental health.
  
  

• Cosmetology: You want to make the world a better place, and a simple way to do that is to pamper people who need to look great for a special event, a job interview, or just want to feel better about themselves. Styling hair, applying makeup, and offering manicures and pedicures can help your clients feel great, which can make you feel great.
  
  This work may require long hours on your feet or moving in specific physical ways, but the creativity of the profession can greatly benefit people with mental health struggles.

If you have a physical disability, these jobs can help you care for your body and career:

• Marketing: Whether you’re writing advertising copy, creating websites and social media accounts, or designing logos and images for ad campaigns, a lot of marketing work is creative and mentally stimulating, but does not require much from you physically. Some job postings may state that you need to be able to sit at a desk for eight hours, but if you need to stand, want to work remotely so you can lie down, or need specific chair accommodations, these are the details you can work out with your employer.
  
  There is little heavy lifting involved in most marketing positions, so you can pursue a creative passion without forcing your body to move in ways it cannot.
  
  
• Accounting: Like marketing jobs, many accounting positions do not require heavy lifting and can be performed remotely. Crunching numbers for taxes or payrolls can keep math-oriented people mentally stimulated, and these tasks can often be performed at any desk setup or remotely.
  
  There are several subfields in accounting. You can quickly specialize in an area that interests you, which you can leverage into a long-lasting career.
  
  
• Computer science and programming: Everyone uses computers. If you love working with devices like smartphones or laptops, you can turn this into a lucrative job.
  
  In some IT positions, you need to lift at least 25 pounds so that you can move hardware back and forth. But many IT, programming, engineering, and analysis positions do not require physical labor. Look at the job posting to see if they need you to move a specific amount of weight and see if that demand matches up with other job requirements. You can ask for accommodation if this does not seem to be a vital component of the position.

• News reporter: If you are fascinated by national or international events, reporting the news is a great way for you to be up close with major events as they happen. Some forms of reporting require that you go overseas and carry heavy equipment like cameras or laptops, which can be physically taxing, but working in a newsroom, being a broadcast journalist, or even writing for online news sources does not require much physical strain.
  

If you have a disability and know what kind of field you want to work in but are unsure how to find meaningful employment, here are some tips to help you navigate the job hunt and hiring process:

• Look at job posting websites using specific terms related to your career and your physical or mental needs.
• Use the federal government’s job board, which has a specific icon to indicate work open to people with disabilities.
• Read through the job requirements carefully and see if these match your physical or mental capabilities.
• Be realistic about how much you can work, so consider looking at part-time employment rather than full time if you need frequent medical help.
• Find a mentor who can ask about positions for you or help you navigate disability rights in the workplace.
• Work with a mentor or career coach on how to discuss your disability and when you should bring it up.
• Hone your interview skills so that you can feel and appear confident in the skills you bring to this job.
• Understand that the hiring process is competitive for everyone, which means you should apply for several positions.

There are many options for workers in part-time and full-time positions that can accommodate a range of physical and mental capabilities. The U.S. job market is doing well, in part because more employers understand how to accommodate people with disabilities. They can then get the best person for the job regardless of physical or mental disabilities. Joblist offers thousands of jobs that will accommodate people with disabilities. Allow us to help you find and apply for the perfect opportunity.