Helping the Disabled Find Jobs
Dateline: 06/07/00
On May 31, the U.S. Social Security Administration officially launched The Work Site - a new Web site containing important information and support for disability beneficiaries, employers, service providers, advocates and others whose goal is to help persons with disabilities find and keep jobs.
Disabled persons face serious challenges in looking for work. Assistance programs are often complex and poorly coordinated, forcing individuals to piece together information and to develop work strategies on their own. Employers are often reluctant to hire the disabled, which can discourage them from looking for work. Young people with disabilities, especially those who are leaving school and preparing to work, face a particularly rough road.. The Work Site, a service of the Social Security Administration's Office of Employment Support Programs is designed to provide information to help these persons find good jobs.
With only about 5 percent of all Web sites designed to be accessible to the disabled, The Work Site is designed for easy use by people who are visually or hearing impaired, or have a limited range of motion and dexterity.
The five principal customers for The Work Site include:
Social Security Disability Beneficiaries who will find basic information about the agency's return-to-work programs, including an explanation about Social Security work incentives such as the PASS program (Plan to Achieve Self Support) and information on State vocational rehabilitation agencies and programs and the availability of employment services from private organizations.
Employers who will be able to read about tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities, learn about employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and get useful information about work-site accommodations. Employers will also have access to Project Able, the SSA resume bank for people with disabilities who are looking for jobs;
Advocates who will be able to take advantage of the site's information services that list state partnerships, research activities, obtain current information about SSA contracts and grants, and post information about events that would be of interest to the disability community.
Service Providers who will have access to information about participating in SSA's vocational rehabilitation programs and becoming business partners through the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program; and
Youth with Disabilities who will find information tailored to them and their parents. A "Celebrity Gallery" section will feature profiles of youth and adult Social Security beneficiaries who want to share their accomplishments and messages of success.
"The Social Security Administration is committed to bridging the Digital Divide for our beneficiaries with disabilities. We must all pool our information and resources to empower individuals with disabilities who want to contribute their talents to the workforce." -- William Halter, Deputy Commissioner of Social Security.
Reference Links
Social Security Resources
Articles and Web links for learning about and getting the Social Security benefits you may have coming to you. From your About.com Guide.
The best Internet sites and articles presenting legal issues regarding disabilities. From Law Guide Paul S. Reed.
A series of links to job resources for the handicapped, from your About.com Guide to Disabilities Gary Presley.
Finding a job when you are physically disabled compounds the normal frustrations of the process. From Job Search - Canada Guide Brian Mairs.
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