by Kathy Wechsler
Youve just rolled across the stage, with your college diploma in
hand. A huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders, but before
you get too comfortable, you need to face the reality of finding a
job and the added stress of finding one when you have a disability.
Dont make the mistake of thinking that a college education guarantees
you a job in your desired field. But, though the search may prove
long and challenging, theres help available.
Roadblocks on the Path
Paul Meyer of the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP) in Washington specializes in the transition
for college students into the working world. Meyer says employers
are nervous about hiring a recent college graduate with a disability
because theyre uncertain of the persons ability to perform the work.
They also fear that the person wont be able to handle a 40-hour workweek
or hasnt gained experience through volunteerism, internships or summer
jobs.
The fact that most colleges dont have career placement programs
for students with disabilities is disturbing, and the dilemma is made
worse by employers, who dont go to disabled student offices to find
students, he adds.
"The placement office is uncomfortable so they say, Theyre
handicapped. Deal with that office," said Meyer. "The disabled
student office says, Go to placement. So the students, many of them,
fall into the cracks."
Another obstacle is that many students with disabilities are pushed
into fields that have an overloaded job market, such as social sciences.
Meyer recommends that students keep the job market in mind when choosing
a field of study. Ask yourself, "Will this get me a job?"
"The biggest obstacle in my mind would be the way society views
people with disabilities," said Frank Warner, founder and president
of United People with Dis"abilities" (UPWD), a national
organization based in Palmetto, Fla.
Warner, who has facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, led an employment
workshop for people with disabilities at the 2003 Abilities Expo in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Id start the workshop out by staying behind a curtain so that
nobody could see me," said Warner, 49. "I would ask questions
on what I look like. Youd be surprised at the answers that people
fill out just because of the preconceived notion they have from hearing
my voice."
Leave No Stone Unturned
Warner advises using your resume to get your foot in the door. A
piece of paper carries no preconceived notions, and an impressive
resume will provide you with an equal (or better) chance when compared
to any other applicant.
Urban Miyares, president of the Disabled Businesspersons Association
in San Diego, recommends being active in your search for employment.
His nonprofit organization provides rehabilitation, self-employment
and business information, and assistance for business-minded individuals
with disabilities.
Overlook nothing. Its important to keep an open mind while job hunting.
If the job market is rough, you may want to start a small business
from your home with the goal of gaining outside employment. Its good
to have work to show while youre hunting.
Or, you may want to take Warners approach and create several smaller
jobs that add up to equal one. Besides his work at UPWD, Warner produces
cartoon joke books, creates video commercials for companies Web sites
and is the national sales manager for Haseltine Systems, which makes
protective wheelchair containers for airline travel.
"A well-rounded person with a disability who by his or her personality
and communication skills can demonstrate self-confidence and value
to others will secure employment, whether or not its in the field
they originally inquired about or applied for," said Miyares,
56, who has visual and hearing disabilities. He stresses the urgency
of sacrifice, personal improvement and a willingness to change.
Where Do We Go From Here?
"Corporate America is now seeing the worth of people with disabilities,"
said Warner. "The CIA was at the last Abilities Expo trying to
recruit people with disabilities." Many large companies and government
agencies are putting advertisements in magazines for people with disabilities.
Numerous organizations help people with disabilities find positions
that use their skills and talents. (See "Job-Hunting
Resources.")
PROJECT EARN
Meyer of ODEP oversees the Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN),
a national service designed to help employers locate and recruit qualified
workers with disabilities. In its third year, Project EARN also provides
technical assistance on disability employment-related issues.
For the most part, employers are willing to hire qualified candidates
with disabilities, but dont know how to find them, Meyer says. For
example, they call a state Vocational Rehabilitation agency to find
someone with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, Meyer says, but in
truth, most Ph.D.s in electrical engineering dont go through Voc
Rehab. Employers then get frustrated, wanting to fill the position
quickly.
This is where Project EARN comes in. In linking employers with service
providers, Project EARN helps employers find qualified individuals
with disabilities without wasting time looking in the wrong place.
Job seekers can register with Project EARN.
THE WRP
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) provides summer work experience,
and in some cases permanent full-time employment, for college students
and recent graduates with disabilities.
Placing 300 to 400 students across the country every summer, the
WRP allows students to market their abilities to a wide variety of
potential employers. Students can also brush up on interviewing skills
and gain needed experience.
In order to be eligible for the WRP, you must have a disability,
be a U.S. citizen and be either a full-time college student or a recent
(within a year) graduate. Ask your disabled student office if it participates
in the WRP.
THE LAST LAUGH
Finding a job is difficult, but hard work and a positive attitude
are the ingredients for a successful job hunt.
Once you have the job, the best way to ensure job security is to
go above and beyond whats required of your position. Make yourself
indispensable. This doesnt seem to be a problem for most people with
disabilities, since theyre used to proving themselves.
"Ive seen this as Ive worked for different companies and they
would also hire other employees with disabilities," said Warner
of UPWD. "Ive watched the other employees, and the employees
with disabilities basically do a better job than the nondisabled people."
See "From
Where I Sit," for one young womans solution to the job search
dilemma.
Meet four graduates whove taken different paths toward employment.
The Extra Mile
"Its wonderful to have your degree but then youve got to go
and get the experience because all the jobs want experience,"
said Jacob Gapko, 26, of Eau Claire, Wis.
"What dont they want to give you unless you have experience?
A job."
Gapko, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, received his bachelor
of science degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin at Eau
Claire in 2001. His undergraduate internship with the American Association
for the Advancement of Science placed him at the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration Center at the Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Md. His experience at the centers technical library
led Gapko to pursue a masters degree in library information science,
which he received from the UW at Milwaukee in December 2002.
Even with a masters degree, looking for a library position in the
Eau Claire area was no easy feat with Wisconsins budget cuts. Gapkos
persistence paid off in November, when he landed a job as a part-time
cataloger for the Chippewa Valley Technical College Library.
During his job search, which lasted almost a year, Gapko volunteered
his knowledge of technical services at the local public library. He
gained experience, built up his confidence and made contacts with
people in the field.
"Even if you have your degree you might need to gain experience
in the capacity of a volunteer or as an intern," Gapko said.
"Make good use of the network you have developed."
Goals and Opportunities
"Having muscular dystrophy certainly presents challenges that
I would not be faced with if I werent disabled, but I would not say
that it has dramatically affected my life negatively," said Kelley
Van Auken, who received a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy in
1981. "If anything, it has probably made me a stronger person."
Originally from Tucson, Ariz., Van Auken, 27, now lives in San Diego,
and works as a community representative for U.S. Rep. Susan Davis.
Van Auken represents the seven coastal neighborhoods in the San Diego
area and covers issues such as the environment, energy, disability,
immigration, senior citizens, Medicare, Social Security and animal
rights.
Van Aukens job responsibilities keep her busy attending meetings
and events, planning community events, writing letters and keeping
on top of issues.
Although she was fortunate to find employment directly after graduating
from college, Van Auken did her fair share of hard work to get to
that point.
"Being disabled necessitates developing skills, such as problem
solving and organizational, that are useful to anyone in many aspects
of life," she said.
Van Auken began her quest for success early in life, working as an
administrative assistant in the TV Production Department at MDAs
national headquarters in Tucson at 16.
The summer after her junior year at the University of Arizona, she
was placed in an internship at the Volunteer Office of the White House
in Washington. Even though she needed two more classes to complete
her bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics, Van
Auken took on a newly created deputy director position in 1998 and
finished her college education in the evenings.
In 1999 she became director of the White House Comment Line, Greetings
Office and Volunteer Program. She held this position until the end
of the Clinton administration in early 2001.
After a short rest at home in Tucson, Van Auken wanted to try a different
city and moved to San Diego, where she began a job search by sending
out resumes to places of interest, going on informational interviews
to meet important people and attending political events to network.
With her goal in mind, Van Auken was able to meet the right people
to circulate her resume and applied for a spot in Davis office. Shes
held that position since 2002.
Born to Teach
Debbie Kornegay of Centreville, Ala., wanted a job in which she could
contribute her talents and skills.
"The only thing I didnt want more than being an unemployed
college graduate was having an employers pity or being their token
employee," said Kornegay, 35, who has spinal muscular atrophy.
"Although I greatly believe in the Americans with Disabilities
Act [part of which forbids discrimination against people with disabilities
in hiring], I also acknowledge the fact that people with disabilities
need to be just as good at their jobs as able-bodied people could
be."
Kornegay studied to become an accountant. She received a bachelor
of science in commerce and business administration from the University
of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where she was a student worker for the dean
of the College of Commerce & Business Administration. While earning
a masters in accountancy, she realized that there were many accessibility
obstacles in the accounting internship program.
"During my last two years of college, I kept praying that God
would work things out for me," said Kornegay, who won Alabamas
MDA Personal Achievement Award in 1996 and 1997. "I trusted that
He would."
Sure enough, Kornegay received some valuable advice from one of her
professors after giving a presentation on accounting theory. The professor
asked if shed considered teaching and "planted the seed,"
which ultimately led to Kornegays being hired in 2001 to teach accounting
at Judson College in Marion, Ala. Kornegay is currently working on
her Ph.D. in business administration at Touro University International
through an accredited online program.
Kornegay has worked through many obstacles so she can continue teaching.
Student workers perform tasks that are difficult for her such as running
errands in inaccessible places, writing on the board during class
and using the copy machine. Shed thought about how to jump these
hurdles during her job search.
"I recommend hand-delivering resumes," said Kornegay, who
stresses that meeting employers in person helps them see you as a
person and not just a disability.
Kornegay advises college graduates not to underestimate their abilities.
"Apply for jobs that you truly feel you can be good at,"
she said. "Be confident that you can do the jobs you choose to
apply for and that you can modify things that you can foresee giving
you trouble. Make sure the employer sees your confidence."
Confidence and Passion
"[Finding a job] is like trying to get elected and trying to
get a date all at once," said Patrick Harris of Fort Worth, Texas.
"You have to go at it passionately, smartly, and know your stuff,
while looking good, smelling fine, and remaining charming and engaging."
Harris, 23, who earned a bachelors degree in business administration
for e-business from Texas Christian University, shifted his job search
from part time to full time after graduating in 2003.
Found to have facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy in 1990, Harris,
who shares an apartment near the
university with a roommate, uses a manual wheelchair powered by his
feet. His disability has taught him to adapt to the world with accessibility
in mind.
"Im confident in my abilities," said Harris, whos looking
for an information technology position but is
willing to explore Web design and other computer-related positions.
Harris was accepted to graduate school at George Washington University
and this year began the online masters program in educational technology
leadership.
The job hunt has been tough for Harris, especially because he isnt
able to drive and can only apply for positions in Fort Worth. Another
issue is one that everyone faces you have to know someone.
"Youd think it would be as simple as, Hey, I know X, Y and
Z," said Harris, who has a broad knowledge of computers and
informational technology. "But sadly its about knowing A, B
and C Alan, Betty and Christopher who can help you get hired."
Keeping his options open, Harris has examined a variety of opportunities.
Hes tried writing, starting his own business and applying for clerical
positions. Online searches and word-of-mouth are his main ways to
locate vacant positions.
"If someone says I havent been trying hard enough, thats asinine,
and thats because they have a job," said Harris, whos doing
Web design for his fathers small business that restores antique automobiles.
Whats his advice to college graduates in the job-hunting trenches?
Volunteer whenever possible. Its a good way to get experience and
meet people, Harris said, and it looks great on a resume.
