Government & State Employment Resources:
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) |
To identify the VR office in your vicinity, consult your local telephone directory or visit: http://askjan.org/cgi-win/TypeQuery.exe?902
Vocational Rehabilitation is a nationwide federal-state program for assisting eligible people with disabilities to define a suitable employment goal and become employed. Each state capital has a central VR agency, and there are local offices in most states. VR provides medical, therapeutic, counseling, education, training, and other services needed to prepare people with disabilities for work. VR is an excellent place for a youth or adult with a disability to begin exploring available training and support service options.

Disability.gov
Disability.gov is a comprehensive website with not only an extensive list of employment resources, but also information regarding benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, health, housing, technology, and transportation for people with disabilities.

View this list of all employment resources disability.gov provides: https://www.disability.gov/?s=&fq=topics_taxonomy:%22Employment%5E%5E%22
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
1.800.526.7234 (Voice) | 1.877.781.9403 (TTY)
Spanish spoken; Spanish materials available
http://askjan.org/
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace.

ADA National Network
For information on legislation, rights, and resources, visit:
http://adata.org/Static/Home.html
Or call: 1.800.949.4232 (Voice/TTY)
The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), tailored to meet the needs of business, government and individuals at local, regional and national levels. The ADA National Network consists of ten regional ADA National Network Centers located throughout the United States that provides personalized, local assistance to ensure that the ADA is implemented wherever possible. This is not an enforcement or regulatory agency, but a helpful resource supporting the ADA’s mission to “make it possible for everyone with a disability to live a life of freedom and equality.” (Formerly known as the DBTACs, the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers.)

ABLE National Resource Center

http://www,ablenrc.org/
The ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) is a collaborative whose supporters share the goal of accelerating the design and availability of ABLE accounts for the benefit of individuals with disabilities and their families. ANRC brings together the investment, support and resources of the country’s largest and most influential national disability organizations.

Accessible Community Transportation in Our Nation (Project ACTION)

For information on transportation legislation, customer rights, and information about accessible transportation, visit:
 http://www.projectaction.org/
1.800.659.6428; (202) 347-7385 (TDD)
Project ACTION promotes universal access to transportation for people with disabilities under federal law and beyond by partnering with transportation providers, the disability community, and others through the provision of training, technical assistance, applied research, outreach and communication.

Career One-Stop
(Web site)
 http://careeronestop.org/
This website is a publicly funded resource for job-seekers (including those with disabilities) and businesses. Job-seekers can search for jobs—from entry level to technical to professional to CEO—locate public workforce services in their area, explore alternative career paths, compare salary data for different occupations, learn which careers are hot, get resume writing tips and job interview strategies, and much more. Employers can identify job-ready workers with the right skills.
Disability resources in particular can be found at:

http://www.careerinfonet.org/acinet/crl/library_search.aspx?Keyword=disability&x=15&y=12

JobAccess and ABILITYJobs
http://www.jobaccess.org/
The goal of ABILITYJobs and JobAccess is to enable people with disabilities to enhance their professional lives by providing a dedicated system for finding employment. By posting job opportunities, or searching resumes, employers can find qualified persons with disabilities as well as demonstrate their affirmative action and open door policies.

National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD)
http://www.onestops.info/
The National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult (NCWD) provides training, technical assistance, policy analysis, and information to improve access for all in the workforce development system. Areas of expertise include: accommodations and assistive technology, relationships with employers, helping clients with disabilities find jobs, and advising employers as to how to provide job-related supports.
Office of Disability Employment Policy
U.S. Department of Labor
1.866.633.7365 (Voice) | 1.877.889.5627  (TTY)
www.dol.gov/odep
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing the use of evidence-based disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on employment of people with disabilities. Find a wealth of employment-related information on ODEP’s website.

EARN | The Employer Assistance and Resource Network

http://askearn.org/
1.855.275.3276
The Employer Assistance & Resource Network (EARN)  provides federal and private employers with free consulting services and resources to support the recruitment, hiring, and retention of people with disabilities. EARN connects employers with national networks of available job seekers and also provides high quality up-to-date online information and technical assistance to promote the inclusion of employees with disabilities in the workplace. Job-seekers can use EARN’s online tools and resources to find employment opportunities, and be connected with local employment service providers. EARN Employment Specialists are also available to answer job-seekers’ questions (at the telephone number listed above).

Social Security Administration (SSA)

www.ssa.gov/work
The Social Security Administration’s Work Site provides clarity on matters affecting the employment of Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities. Its Ticket to Work Program provides most beneficiaries with more choices for receiving employment services. Under this program SSA issues ticket to eligible beneficiaries who, in turn, may choose to assign those tickets to an Employment Network (EN) of their choice to obtain employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services necessary to achieve a vocational (work) goal. The EN, if they accept the ticket, will coordinate and provide appropriate services to help the beneficiary find and maintain employment.

START-UP/USA

http://www.start-up-usa.biz
START-UP/USA stands for Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training. This is a project funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor. It provides technical assistance and disseminates resources nationally to individuals with disabilities interested in pursuing self-employment. This includes live web cast series with successful entrepreneurs who share their secrets for success.

Employment Resources and Self-Help Guide for Individuals with Disabilities –
Sponsored by Department of Education/Division of Vocation Rehabilitation:
This guidebook provides a wide range of explanations, further information and resources on a variety of disability services, including definitions, both legal and policy definitions about eligibility. It also provides links to job search resources, trainings, tools and sites to almost each aspect of a job search for people with disabilities including specific veteran services.
http://atconnects.com/docs/employer-publications-documents/faast-employment-resources-and-self-help-guide.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Ticket to Work Employment Resource Database:
**Through the Social Security Administration (SSA) anyone who receives disability benefits already qualifies for Ticket to Work services, but some of the services found in the database may be accessible to those not receiving Social Security Disability benefits.**
Able to search through a database filtered by state or zip code for Employment Networks ( ENs can help with free career counseling, job placement, and then ongoing support once working) , Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (State VR can help if you want to return to work but need more significant services before you can start) , Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA projects are community-based organizations that work to enable beneficiaries with disabilities to make informed choices about work, and to support working beneficiaries to make a successful transition to financial independence), Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (The Protection & Advocacy (P&A) network is the nation’s largest provider of legally based advocacy service for people with disabilities). The database shows state, multi-state and national providers including both non-profit organizations and federal agencies. http://choosework.net/resource/jsp/searchByState.jsp
***Webinar to learn more about Ticket to Work and the programs they provide.***
https://www.chooseworkttw.net/wise/jsp/wise.jsp
***Helpful reading about working while receiving Social Security Disability benefits***
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/EN-05-10095.pdf

If you are employed and are experiencing difficulty on the job due to your disability, you might consider contacting the following organizations.
Access Board
1.800.872.2253 (Voice) | 1.800.993.2822 (TTY)
www.access-board.gov
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.  Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Board is now a leading source of information on accessible design. If you are concerned about access to a facility that may have been federally funded, you can file a complaint about it with the Access Board under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).  Find out more at the website above (look under the “Enforcement” tab) or by contacting the Board via its toll-free voice and TTY lines.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
1.800.669.4000 (Voice) | 1.800.669.6820 (TTY)
http://www.eeoc.gov/
The EEOC is a government agency that handles discrimination complaints about employment based on age, sex, race, ethnicity, and disability. The 800 number will connect callers with their local EEOC office, which can discuss complaints.

Additional Resources:
March 2016. New ABLE website: The ABLE National Resource Center has launched its inaugural website –ABLENRC.org. This new site will be the go-to destination for those who want to learn about ABLE accounts, state ABLE program developments and more.The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 is a law that allows eligible individuals with disabilities and their families to open tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover disability-related expenses.‪