Career Resources for Students with Disabilities

Reasonable Accommodations

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, an employer must provide you with reasonable accommodation for both job interviews and employment unless it provides an "undue hardship." For more details on what constitutes reasonable accommodation and related tips visit the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

To learn about accommodation options for specific disabilities visit the Job Accommodations Network.

How to Disclose a Disability and Ask for Accommodation

Know when/how you'll disclose your disability and plan to keep it simple. Many employers are happy to accommodate you, some simply don't know how. If you can provide them with information, it can show initiative and put the employer at ease:

Thank you for your email. I would be delighted to come in for an interview on November 7th at 2:00pm. I look forward to learning more about your organization and sharing with you how my education and experience can benefit your organization. I wanted to make you aware that as a person with a hearing impairment, I will need a sign language interpreter for my job interview. Typically, the employer arranges this service by calling (name of organization) at (phone of organization). Please let me know if you have any questions.

Find Job Openings

Many organizations want to hire candidates with disabilities and will tailor a position to your abilities. Contact organizations and ask if they have a human resources staff member that specializes in recruiting students with disabilities. Introduce yourself and inquire about opportunities for someone with your education and experience.

When searching job posting sites, try a key word search for "disabilities" to find organizations that work with disabled clients or that have stated "Students with disabilities are encouraged to apply."

Check out the below web sites for job seekers with disabilities—all of which include job and/or internship postings: