5 Job Hunting Tips For Graduates With A Disability
1. Be clear about the possible implications of your disability in the workplace
Managing a disability or health condition in employment may require thinking about strengths and challenges in a different way to at university. Employers have a legal responsibility to make reasonable adjustments so that a disabled employee is not disadvantaged by their disability, but they may not necessarily understand what you may need unless you clearly explain it to them. The following prompts may help:
– What adjustments and support did you have in place at university? e.g. additional time to complete tasks, or support from student services
– From this, how might your disability affect your employment? e.g. if you find it difficult to talk to people you don’t know, or if it takes longer to read and produce written documents (reviewing the tasks in relevant job descriptions can help with this)
– What kinds of adjustments and support might be helpful in the workplace? e.g. increased support and regular meetings with a line manager, agreed time off for support or medical meetings, a visit before starting employment, or quiet places to work
Once you have worked out the possible implications of your disability in the workplace, you can look at how to share your disability(s) with an employer.