Skip to content

Making work part of your plan.

A person with long hair and glasses is smiling at the camera. We can see their eyes and nose, but the photo is cropped above their mouth.

“I had a job coach for my first job. After 40 hours, I could work on my own. Anyone can work with the right kind of help.”
– A Hub user

Work topics:

Work

Supports and accommodations at work

The right supports and accommodations can help you find — and keep — a job you care about.

Some supports and accommodations are practical, such as:

  • Adjusting your desk
  • Ordering a special chair
  • Using a screen reader, alternative keyboard or larger monitor
  • Modifying your work schedule
  • Getting help from a job coach or your co-workers

In other cases, vocational rehabilitation services help people with disabilities discover possibilities and overcome barriers to finding and keeping jobs. If you're on a home and community-based services waiver, supported employment services — such as exploring what you might want to do and getting help from a job coach once you're hired — are available. Laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protect you from losing your job if you need to take time away because of your health or disability. 

Any of these tools can help you succeed at jobs you might not have thought possible before.

The law protects your right to privacy. This means you don't have to discuss your disability or limitations with your boss or other employees, though sometimes it might be helpful.

Disability Benefits 101

For help making a decision about disclosure, check out
3 steps to disclosing a disability »

Be comfortable asserting your needs. It's illegal for an employer to discipline or otherwise get back at an employee for requesting reasonable accommodations. 

The Job Accommodations Network provides a list of common disabilities and related supports and accommodations.

Disability Benefits 101

Learn more about job supports and reasonable accommodations »

Read John's story for inspiration or to jump start your own conversations about work.

John uses the consumer directed community supports (CDCS) service option available under the Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver. He and his family self-direct John’s support budget. John’s mom helped him find a landscaping summer job where he worked 20 hours per week.

Team approach
Earlier in the year, John had applied for Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS). When John got the landscaping job, his family contacted VRS to see about summer job coaching support. John’s family and the VRS counselor thought John would need 1:1 ongoing support and supervision on the job, so the VRS counselor contacted the county to coordinate long-term employment supports. VRS agreed to fund initial coaching to help him get oriented to the job and learn job tasks. Then, the county worked with John’s family to decide how to best modify their waiver budget to provide the needed job supports when VRS support ended.

Success
Initially it was thought that John would need a 1:1 job coach for the entirety of his summer job. However, after 40 hours of job support, John was able to work independently with natural supports on the job.

« Previous: Finding a job | Next: Youth and work »