Best Practice Theme: Appointment Type
College/University: UC Berkeley
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/
Description: UC Berkeley offers specialized career services to students with disabilities. Cal students registered with the disabled student program can schedule hour-long one-on-one appointments with an experienced career counselor to support their career exploration, preparation, and job seeking as an employee with a disability. Students sign up on Handshake by selecting "DSP Counseling" as the appointment type.
Additional Information: https://career.berkeley.edu/Diversity/Disabilities
Best Practice Theme: Build a Relationship With Disability Services
College/University: Ball State University
Website: https://www.bsu.edu/
Description: The Ball State University Career Center has an assistant director and disability career specialist. In 2015, Ball State disability services received an internal academic excellence grant and created the Ball State Initiative for Disability Employment, which combined the efforts and expertise of three Ball State programs: Disability Services, the Career Center, and the Disability Project.
Additional Information: https://magazine.bsu.edu/2017/03/17/disability-services-widens-focus/
Best Practice Theme: Career Services Listserv for Students With Disabilities
College/University: University of Pennsylvania
Website: https://www.upenn.edu/
Description: Career services occasionally receives information about positions and career opportunities from employers particularly interested in connecting with students with disabilities. (This is typically part of their diversity outreach efforts.) This listserv was set up as a channel to more effectively reach these students. All students who consider themselves to have a disability are welcome to be included on the list. Note that the listserv members will remain confidential and only the list owner will be able to view who is on it.
Additional Information: https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/affinity/disability.php
Best Practice Theme: Have a Designated Disability Career Specialist
College/University: Ball State University
Website: https://www.bsu.edu/
Description: The Ball State University Career Center has an assistant director and disability career specialist. In 2015, Ball State disability services received an internal academic excellence grant and created the Ball State Initiative for Disability Employment, which combined the efforts and expertise of three Ball State programs: Disability Services, the Career Center, and the Disability Project.
Additional Information: https://magazine.bsu.edu/2017/03/17/disability-services-widens-focus/
College/University: George Washington University
College/University Website: https://www.gwu.edu/
Description: Within GW disability support services (DSS), Anna Hartage serves as a career counselor. In her position at DSS, she provides career development and employment preparation programs for students with disabilities. This includes counseling students in disability-related topics such as self-advocacy, disclosing a disability to prospective employers, and requesting accommodations. Hartage identifies and works with prospective employers in the private and nonprofit arenas, as well as in government agencies that are interested in hiring students with disabilities.
Additional Information: https://disabilitysupport.gwu.edu/anna-hartge
College/University: Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
Website: http://www.rit.edu
Description: Janine Rowe, MSEd., NCC, serves as the assistant director, Careers & Disabilities, at the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education. This office is dedicated to providing services and resources to assist job seekers with disabilities achieve success throughout the job-search process. Some areas of emphasis include work related accommodations, disclosing a disability, employment rights, and interviewing tips.
Additional Information: https://www.rit.edu/emcs/oce/student/job-seekers-disabilities
College/University: UC Berkeley
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/
Description: Ricardo Flores serves as a career counselor for students with disabilities in the UC Berkeley Career Center. His educational background includes a M.S. in vocational rehabilitation, and he has experience providing disability awareness, diversity, and inclusion trainings for corporations.
According to Ricardo, “Career counselors for student with disabilities should be informed in the accommodations in the workplace system http://www.askjan.org. We should also learn to meet students where they are at to help prepare strength-based disclosure of disability to negotiate for accommodations.
We also offer one-year free career services to recent graduates of Berkeley to support the college to career transition.”
Additional Information: https://career.berkeley.edu/ricardo-flores
College/University: University of Maryland
Website: https://maryland.edu/
Description: The Center works closely with the university’s accessibility and disability service. The Center also has a dedicated staff person to support students with accommodations or disabilities in the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding process. The Center offers an EmployABILITY workshop seriesthroughout the year focused on topics such as employment resources for students with ADHD and disclosure.
Additional Information:
https://careers.umd.edu/diversity-inclusion/diversity-inclusion/students-disabilities
Workforce Recruitment Program: https://careers.umd.edu/diversity-inclusion/students-disabilities/workforce-recruitment-program
College/University: University of Michigan
Website: https://umich.edu/
Description: The University of Michigan has a decentralized campus model of career services. They formed a committee of career practitioners to look at inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) where Joelle Fundaro (assistant director in the University Career Center) is a valued member. They do programming and professional development so that all of their campus staff stays on top of best practices, legal practices, and issues that affect accessibility and equity including students with disabilities.
Additional Information: https://careercenter.umich.edu/profile/joelle-fundaro-0
Best Practice Theme: Neurodiverse Hiring Initiative
College/University: Rochester Institute of Technology
Website: https://www.rit.edu/
Description: “Our site has many resources and links to companies that are neurodiverse friendly, with additional resources for hiring these students in our employer partner organizations. We also use this guide (below) when speaking to employers about hiring and supervising students who are neurodiverse.
Employer Guide to Supervising Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Best Practice Theme: “Professional Development and Disability” Course and/or Career Center Events
College/University: UC Berkeley
Website: https://www.berkeley.edu/
The semester-long course teaches students how to “identify their individual career options, improve their career preparation and exploration strategies, advance their understanding about the realities of the world of work, and improve their focus and self- confidence regarding their employment potential.” Other topics covered include disability-related employment history, legal requirements, and employment policies and best practices.
UC Berkeley is developing a campus community, including job-seeking Cal students with disabilities, employer relations, staff, and student allies, empowering inclusion in the work force.
This career-forward network will gather three times a semester for group-learning experiences, engage in an exchange of information related to accessing employment, and showcase those with open minds to hiring job-seekers with disabilities.
Additional Information: https://career.berkeley.edu/Diversity/Disabilities
Best Practice Theme: Provide Information to Employers About Hiring Students With Disabilities
College/University: Landmark College
Website: https://www.landmark.edu/
Description: Landmark College offers information for employers about recruiting candidates with disabilities.
Additional Information: https://www.landmark.edu/academics/career-connections/for-employers
College/University: University of Washington
Website: http://www.washington.edu/
Description: The Career & Internship Center at the University of Washington offers information for employers about recruiting candidates with disabilities.
Additional Information: https://careers.uw.edu/employers/candidates-with-disabilities/
Best Practice Theme: Webpage for Students With Disabilities
College/University: Rochester Institute of Technology
Website: https://www.rit.edu/
Description: RIT has a comprehensive webpage for job seekers with disabilities with content focused on work-related accommodations, disclosing a disability, employment rights, social security disability benefits while on co-op, interviewing tips, job search resources, and employment perspectives video series.
Additional Information: https://www.rit.edu/emcs/oce/student/job-seekers-disabilities
College/University: University of Michigan
Website: https://umich.edu/
Description: The University Career Center at the University of Michigan has a page dedicated to resources for students with disabilities, with information focused on job and internship search resources, educational resources, and professional organizations.
Additional Information: https://careercenter.umich.edu/content/resources-students-disabilities
College/University: University of Southern California
Website: https://www.usc.edu/
Description: The Career Center at the University of California has a page dedicated to resources for students with disabilities, with information focused on job and internship opportunities, professional organizations and associations, and educational resources.
Additional Information: https://careers.usc.edu/students/students-with-disabilities/
Developed by the 2019 Careers for Students With Disabilities Task Force. Posted October 2019.
