Hope & Practicality from Elisabeth
Elisabeth (Harney) Sanders-Park is co-author of No One Is Unemployable, The WorkNet Model and the WorkNet curriculum, and President of WorkNet Solutions

Anna was diagnosed as bi-polar a few years after high school and has struggled to maintain her stability and quality of life ever since. She cycles often and dramatically, but is a talented office worker and wants to do something productive… Michael lost most of his right arm in an on-the-job accident over 4 years ago. He wants to re-enter the workforce… Carl is schizophrenic, has been stabilized on medication for several years, and wants to do something with his days to bring more meaning to his life… Jonathan has always had trouble with learning and retaining. He’s been in the workforce for years, but has been fired, quit twice, and has a few gaps. He needs to work but feels hopeless about ever succeeding on a job.

“A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity, such as hearing, seeing, speaking, thinking, walking, breathing, or performing manual tasks”… that’s how the U.S. Census Bureau defines disability. More than 51 million Americans (18.1%) had some level of disability in 2002, and The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 57.7 million American adults (26.2%) suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Whether your focus is helping people at top-levels transition their careers, or helping people enter the workforce for the first time, chances are you encounter job seekers with disabilities.

When I think of helping people with various disabilities get, keep and succeed in a job, these things come to mind:

Go SOLAR!: As always, I recommend using our “Five Solution Tools” for overcoming barriers… helping the client to acquire new SKILLS, adjust their OUTLOOK, changing where they LOOK for work, Developing a good ANSWER, and Accessing a RESOURCE.

Get Support: Even if you are a therapist or have been an SSI/SSDI worker, if your primary focus is on employment, partner with local service providers who can focus on the disability, so you and your client can succeed. They can help clients stabilize, access disability-specific resources and information, advocate with employers for reasonable accommodation or job re-structuring.

Check the Attitude: Be sure your attitude is as productive and helpful as can be. People with disabilities participate, succeed, even lead in the workforce everyday! Their attitude can drive or stall this process. Many people with long-term disabilities or more recent injuries self-identify strongly with it. Every story they tell about themselves is steeped in the disability, injury, ensuing trauma or resentment, etc. This makes it difficult to initiate a job search, let alone succeed in the interview. So, verify that they believe they can succeed or introduce them to others with disabilities who are succeeding, then proceed.

Match Well: Whether the disability is physical or mental, matching well is key.
Match the job: Have the client (perhaps with the help of a disability expert) research the qualifications (we use “PADMAN,” see my article 9/05) to see that they meet them.
Match the field/employer: Some fields/employers are more likely to consider the client, such as those that serve people with disabilities, those that focus on people, personal growth and relationships, or those with which the clients have a natural network.
Match the job search strategy: Encourage the candidate to job search in ways (paper, phone, person) and use tools that highlight their strengths and minimize the disability so employers can see what they offer without being distracted by it.

Does the Employer Need to Know?: The client can decide whether to self-disclose the issue. In general, I encourage clients to disclose it only if they will ask for a “reasonable accommodation” in accordance with the American Disability Act or if the employer will find out otherwise (a reference, work history, etc.) and feel like the client was deceiving them by not bringing it up.

Solutions!

Here’s what I might do with the clients I mentioned above.
Anna: I’d encourage her to approach temp agencies and let them know she wants assignments that last 1 day to 3 weeks. This allows her to work successfully when she can, without any expectation when she destabilizes or begins to cycle. It also means she can control the hours she works to maintain her benefits. She may or may not tell the temp agency about her situation, and employers would never need to know. If employers want to keep her longer or hire her on, she can respectfully decline and even let them know that she prefers the flexibility and variety of temp work.

Michael: We’d choose jobs wisely according to his current ability, as well as fascinations and values. Then, we’d structure his job search so employers don’t meet him in person until they decide they’re interested, and I’d help him develop a good answer to eliminate the employer’s concerns and prove he can meet their needs. “You may have noticed that I have use of one of my arms. I lost the other in an accident a few years ago. Since then, I’ve… You may be surprised how much I can do with what I have. I’ve learned that I’m capable of more than I realized, so I keep a positive attitude and look for new and better ways to do things. I want to work with you because…” For ideas on good answers, see WorkNet’s “No One Is Unemployable” and “Explain This!: Good Answers that Get the Job!”

Carl: First, I’d help him identify a good job match and volunteer to create relevant experience and references, and prove his stability. Then, I’d help him develop a good answer and support him in his job search. His good answer may specifically mention the illness, which will surely come up because of the lack of work history, or allow for a discussion with the employer. “Several years back I learned something about myself that helped explain a lot. I have a chemical imbalance that’s now taken care of with medicine. I’ve been quite well in the last couple of years, and recently began volunteering with …” (transition to skills and experience).

Jonathan: I’d define work as “getting paid to do what you’re good at and enjoy doing” and identify jobs that match has abilities and passions. I may also have him tested and diagnosed, so we have access to resources, and we’d brainstorm how he can manage his own learning needs once on the job. I know people who use a hand-held recorded to capture verbal instructions/tape meetings, take notes every time they get instructions, have an agreement with their supervisor that they can repeat back instructions or ask clarifying questions, etc. I’d prepare him to share with employers what he has learned about himself, his solutions and what he needs to perform best for them.

This article appeared originally in the Career Planning & Adult Development Network Newsletter www.careernetwork.org

Photo by Ashley Kyd

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