A Checklist For Job Seekers With Disabilities
You may be getting services from an agency for a variety of job-related reasons. Perhaps you are looking at what you may be good at, what kind of job you would like, or what is most important to you in a job. Maybe you want some job training or assistance finding jobs, preparing for interviews, following up on job leads, or contacting employers. You may have already found a job with the help of an agency, but you need some additional support at your job site. If you are currently using an agency for help with employment, this checklist can help you make sure you are getting what you need.

Person-Centered Career Planning is an approach to career development that helps people with disabilities develop and realize their dreams. The bottom line of Person-Centered Career Planning is to help people figure out what kind of job they want, and organize a plan to get there.

Starting with Me is a guide to Person-Centered Planning that reviews a three-stage career development process, with emphasis on using a person-centered approach to help individuals with disabilities make satisfying job choices.

Take Charge In Getting A Job
Think about your future. The most famous question is: What do you want to do when you grow up? Living as independently as possible also means finding employment. This handout helps get you on your way, and let's you know:

1. You Can Work!
2. How to Be Your Own Advocate and Speak Up For Yourself!
3. How To Prepare For A Job
   School to Career Section Developed by: ICI

A Student's Guide To Jobs
Looking for some job examples? This booklet gives you information on eight (8) individuals and the jobs they currently hold.
Developed by: NICHCY

Building Skills to Find - and Keep - a Great Job
Meet your employment goals and gain financial independence by finding and keeping a great job. Easter Seals' job training and employment services can help you or someone you know with a disability learn skills to successfully enter the workforce, or to return to work after an illness or injury. Their services include career exploration, learning how to conduct a job search, job placement assistance, or job coaching on an actual job. Contact Easter Seals to learn more about Easter Seals Job Training and Employment services in your area.

Job/Mentoring Resources

HireAbilities is a national network of emerging professionals with disabilities. Their goal is to create a community where undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities, future leaders in society and the workplace, can be encouraged by existing professionals to reach their employment goals.

They have a Listserv as well as opportunities for on-line mentoring. In the coming months, they'll be creating a job leads database, a database of articles and information relating to career planning for people with disabilities, and a community web chat space where you can connect with peers and mentors.

The Employability Skills Training and Implementation Program (ES-TIP) is a software-based learning system that helps consumers with little to no work experience and/or academic skills build self-esteem, work ethics and workplace success.

Originally developed by the Florida Department of Education, ES-TIP addresses the skills and knowledge necessary for an effective job search while promoting positive strategies and attitudes essential for job retention and career advancement. For more information go to the Vocational Research Institute's web page.

Career Journeys Program
Through the Career Journeys Program Web site young people can read about Mentors who work in lots of interesting jobs and careers. Are You a Young Person Who Would Like to Learn About and From Mentors Who Work in Lots of Interesting Jobs? OR Are You an Adult Who Works in an Interesting Job or Career and Who Might Like to be a Career Mentor to a Young Person? The Mentors help the Career Journeys members to figure out what they want to do for a job, to set education and career goals, and to reach their goals.

"Partners in Employment" is a six hour self directed course on how to find a job, write a resume, participate in an interview, and plan for your career. Go to www.partnersinpolicymaking.com/employment for a preview of the course and registration information. A user fee of $30.00 must be paid for the course before enrollment can be completed. This fee gives access to the course(s) for a two-month period of time.

Lessons Learned:
Four Strategies To Finding A Good Job: Advice from Job Seekers with Disabilities. Developed by: ICI

Stories Of Success: Using Networking and Mentoring Relationships in Career Planning for Students with Disabilities and Their Families. Developed by: ICI

Assistive Technology:
Hey! Can I Try That?
A simple handbook designed for teens with disabilities. It provides information about the concept of assistive technology and how it might help them. It also includes simple worksheets that a teen can use to prepare for meetings about assistive technology selection and use. It can be downloaded and copied as long as credit is maintained. Developed by: GAYL Bowser and Penny Reed

Independent Living:
Preparing To Be On Your Own Checklist
The road to becoming independent is a long one and there are a lot of things to consider along the way, this checklist will get you started thinking about things to consider when becoming independent.
Developed by: KCCSHCN

Life Skills Worksheets:
Transition Question Competencies
This document provides guidelines for Areas of Assessment and Planning for Transition to Adulthood. It breaks down the daily life skills needed to transition from school to work and to increase independence.
Developed by: KY Teach Project

Life Map
The map is a group of questions that cover a range of topics from health promotion and health problem management to independence and work issues. They are used to let you know your specific needs.
Developed by: KY Teach Project

Health Care Screening Survey & Guidelines
This short survey will show what needs to be in your transition plan so you can take care of your own health.
Developed by: LYSCC

Transition Worksheet for Youth
This worksheet can be used to assist you with planning for your own future.
Developed by: The Illinois Division of Specialized Care for Children

Centers For Independent Living (CILS):
These Centers receive federal funding and are non-residential offices located around a state that offer guidance and support to people with disabilities, fight for the rights of people with disabilities, and offer training and information on living independently in the community. www.virtualcil.net/cils/

How To Hire A Personal Attendant:
8 Steps To Follow When Hiring A Personal Attendant (PCA)
Take the lead in developing a job description and interviewing your PCA. Don't know exactly where to start? Let these eight steps provided you some direction.
Developed by: Kentucky Teach Project

Recruitment of Personal Care Assistants for People with Disabilities
With assistance from consumers & Personal Care Assistant’s participating in various Home & Community Based Services waiver programs, the A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities (CT UCEDD) has produced & directed a video aimed at recruitment of Personal Assistants for people with disabilities. Included are perspectives from individuals & family members representing various disabilities & ages, explaining why personal assistants are important parts of their daily lives, and why being a personal assistant can be a challenging and rewarding career. This recruitment tool will be available in VHS, CD and DVD. This project was funded by CMS.
For more information, contact Christine Gaynor at gaynor@uchc.edu or 860.679.1534.

Housing:
In this country we place a high value on personal freedoms. For people with disabilities, these freedoms continue to come, however slowly, within reach. The National Accessible Apartment Clearinghouse (NAAC) has developed an effective means to connect individuals with disabilities with apartments that have been designed for, or adapted to meet their needs.

Political Activism and Voter Participation by Persons with Disabilities:
From: University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration Summer/Fall 2004 Newsletter

The Institute on Community Integration has produced a new resource for youth and adults with disabilities who would like to be more involved in the American political process. "Impact: Feature Issue on Political Activism and Voter Participation by Persons with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities" includes articles written by persons with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities about their own experiences as campaign volunteers, voters, voter educators, candidates, and political activists. http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/172/default.html

It is available online in text-only and PDF (24 pages). Print copies can also be requested (first copy free; additional copies $4) from the Institute's Publications Office at 612-624-4512 or publications@icimail.umn.edu

Transportation:
Finding Transportation Solutions: Questions To Consider
As part of the transitioning process, another thing to consider is finding transportation to get you where you need and want to be. This sheet has a list of questions to consider when looking into transportation issues.

Using Social Security Work Incentives to Pay for Transportation
A fact sheet to help understand how SSI can help with the cost of using public transportation to and from your job.

Other Transportation Resources:
The Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Disability Toll-Free Hotline 1-800 778-4838 (voice)1-800-455-9880 (TTY)

The hotline will provide general information to consumers about the rights of air travelers with disabilities, respond to requests for printed consumer information, and assist air travelers with time-sensitive disability-related issues that need to be addressed in "real time." The line is staffed from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time, seven days a week.

Easter Seals Project ACTION
Accessible Community Transportation In Our Nation (ACTION) " Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transportation Administration, Easter Seals Project ACTION promotes cooperation between the transportation industry and the disability community to increase mobility for people with disabilities under the ADA and beyond. They offer various resources, as well as training and technical assistance."

Information for the Air Traveler with a Disability- This tip sheet helps provide you with information you need to know before planning your next trip.