Tips For Getting A Job With A Disability [Infographic]

The jobs market has become increasingly competitive in recent years following prolonged economic downturn, an effect that has made it all the harder for people with disabilities to find full-time employment. Even though companies are prohibited by law from discrimination on the grounds of disability, some premises simply might not be conducive to comfortable navigation for wheelchair users. It’s an appalling state of affairs in these modern times, but such cases still exist.

Statistics reflect the difficulties that people with long-term disabilities have in securing employment. Less than half of adults with a long-term disability work full-time, compared to 2 out of 3 able-bodied adults. More than half of adults with a long-term disability cited physical complications as their main reason for not seeking employment.

For people in wheelchairs who want to work full-time, it’s often a case of just finding the right job for their circumstances. Ideally, it would involve minimal travel or physical exertion, relatively little stress, high potential for income growth and plentiful opportunities to branch into something new. Desk jobs such as accountancy or market research analysis are very easy on the body and, in today’s digital age, highly likely these jobs could be performed without having to leave home. They also pay handsomely, which could provide welcome funding for medical operations and treatment.

It’s at the discretion of the person in a wheelchair whether they want to disclose their disability to an employer. It may be no harm to inform the employer in advance so that they could make convenient provisions for a job interview (i.e., hold it on the ground floor of the premises or even through telecommunications instead of forcing the candidate to navigate several stories). Once the interview is organized, it’s up to the candidate to convince the employer that they can do the job. Some situations will undoubtedly be challenging, but if the candidate can talk up what they can do to overcome these challenges rather than shirking them, their chances of being hired increase exponentially.

Here’s an infographic from Burning Nights which contains some excellent advice for people in wheelchairs who are seeking employment…