Jobs & Finances

6 Professional Development Tips for Young Adults With Disabilities

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Guest Blog By Patrick Young, Able USA Patrick Young is an educator and activist. He believes people with disabilities must live within a unique set of circumstances–the outside world often either underestimates them or ignores their needs altogether. He created Able USA to offer helpful resources to people with disabilities and to provide advice on navigating various aspects of life as a person with disabilities. Many young adults with disabilities feel discouraged when they consider their future career possibilities. There’s no doubt that it can be harder for people with disabilities to succeed in the workforce when employers have been historically hostile towards those who are not able-bodied. These tips will help you start a business career while taking care of your needs. Use LinkedIn for Networking Young adults with disabilities may find that in-person networking events are not always accessible and accommodating. It can be difficult to find opportunities to network in person when so many networking spaces are inhospitable to those with disabilities. Thankfully, digital platforms like LinkedIn make it easier to cultivate professional connections online. When you sit down to create a profile, you’ll want to add an appropriate photo, fill out your complete professional history, and start sharing positive status updates. When recruiters, hiring managers, or other connections reach out to you, try to respond promptly! Why Pursue Business? Young adults with disabilities do not have to limit themselves to specific fields or industries, but certain career paths may be a better fit depending on your personal needs. For example, going into a business career will help you master a wide range of transferable skills, earn a high salary, become a confident communicator, and become eligible for lots of exciting job openings.  Degrees With High Salary Potential A business career can be very broad – you do not necessarily have to earn a degree in business if you want to go down this path. Lots of degrees will give you the tools you need to build a business career. Glassdoor states that related degrees like finance, accounting, management information systems, economics, human resources, and public relations are among the majors with the best salary potential. No matter what you choose to study, make sure to connect with your college’s disability services office so that you can get the support you need to complete your coursework. Applying for Internships In order to get your foot in the door of any industry, you’ll want to get some experience as an intern under your belt. First, it’s a smart idea to identify employers who genuinely invest in their employees with disabilities. You can check in with your college’s career services department to find out if they have connections with any companies. Keep in mind that in many circumstances, you are entitled to having a support person with you as a form of accommodation in corporate settings. The right company will be ready to meet this accommodation for your internship. Getting Your First Job Offer You can use your internship as a sort of testing ground. Did this company fully provide for all of your reasonable accommodations? Or would you prefer to work for a different type of employer? These aren’t always easy questions to answer. Disability Horizons also recommends seeking out disability-confident employers by checking out specialist job boards and looking for companies that have earned accreditations and awards for their inclusive policies.  You can leverage your professional network both online and off to learn about new job openings. If you know someone who works at a company you’re interested in, don’t hesitate to reach out! Starting Your Own Business Perhaps you’d like to be your own boss and open a business. When starting a new company, the first step is to write a business plan. This detailed document will serve as a roadmap for your new venture, outlining all of the necessary steps for establishing and growing your company. When writing your business plan, consider your business structure, funding needs, and financial projections. Additionally, be sure to think carefully about who your target customers are going to be, and how you will reach them with your products or services. Take some time to put together a realistic budget so that you can evaluate whether or not your business idea is actually feasible. If you need to take out a loan, download and review your credit report to determine if you need to take steps to raise your credit score.  Young adults with disabilities may be worried about finding an employer who is eager to accommodate them and give them a launchpad for their careers. Thankfully, a career in business can be quite versatile. With these tips, you’ll be ready to apply to college programs, seek out employers who are legitimately disability-friendly, and find your niche in the workforce. You can even start your own business! If you’re a person with a disability, the Accessible Adulthood team can work with you to help you achieve your goals and maintain independence.

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Where Can People with Intellectual Disabilities work?

Jobs & Finances, Parent Education / /

Disability Workplace Settings Explained This is a topic gaining more awareness in the mainstream news, but there is still much confusion surrounding business’ use of the term “inclusive.” Companies often claim their inclusiveness, but when you analyze the workplace settings and factors against the descriptions below you may be surprised to learn a business that gets news coverage for being “inclusive” is actually far from it. There is a continuum of workplace settings where people with disabilities work so let’s get to it. Workplaces for People with Intellectual Disabilities Unemployed Before we begin, we unfortunately have to start with unemployment. According to the most comprehensive study done on U.S. adults with disabilities in the workforce, the unemployment rate for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is more than double the unemployment rate of those without disabilities (21% compared to less than 8%). 1 And by unemployed we mean what the U.S. Department of Labor means; someone who is unemployed is a person who is currently jobless, looking for jobs, and available for work. Volunteering Many people with IDD resort to volunteer work when they are unable to secure paid employment. Volunteer work is a good stepping stone for building foundational job skills, but it is important to note that a person with IDD should never volunteer in a role for which those without disabilities are paid. The same, specific tasks that comprise volunteer work should indeed be volunteer work for those without and with disabilities. Paid Employment Settings Workers in the below workplace settings are compensated for their work, but how much money and who they work with vary. No matter which setting they work in, however, people with IDD are almost always underemployed (i.e. not working full-time and/or earn less than the minimum wage)2. We’ll look at the settings from the least to most amount of required support. Competitive, Integrated Employment Many typical students go on to work in competitive employment post-high school graduation. Think of Competitive, Integrated Employment as the equivalent for workers with disabilities. A person with IDD secures employment in their community by responding to job postings or proactively seeking employment (sometimes an outside agency may help prepare the person for competitive work, but it’s temporary and short-term). The person with the disability maintains employment without assistance or support. This setting could also include those who are self-employed.  Let’s look at the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014 which was designed to help job seekers access employment, training, education, and support services in the labor market. This will help us better understand competitive, integrated employment and the remaining three workplace settings below. “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) defines competitive integrated employment as work that is performed on a full-time or part-time basis for which an individual is: (a) compensated at or above minimum wage and comparable to the customary rate paid by the employer to employees without disabilities performing similar duties and with similar training and experience; (b) receiving the same level of benefits provided to other employees without disabilities in similar positions; (c) at a location where the employee interacts with other individuals without disabilities; and (d) presented opportunities for advancement similar to other employees without disabilities in similar positions.”3 Supported Employment People with IDD work in regular jobs in the community that people without disabilities hold as well. They receive on-going or long-term assistance from a job coach. The job coach typically works with the person full-time to begin with and decreases support to periodic job site visits, for example, to assist in training for a new assignment. The person with IDD works with other individuals without disabilities and has the same opportunities for advancement as noted above. There may be other employees at the company who have disabilities, but the percentages of people with and without disabilities are representative of the percentages in the general population. Segregated Employment A person with IDD may work in a community setting and earn minimum or above minimum wage, but there are key differences that make a workplace setting shift from supported employment to segregated employment. In segregated employment, a person with IDD works with mostly others who also have disabilities and they do not have the same opportunities for advancement as an employee without a disability in a similar position. So if the majority of the employees at a particular business or company have disabilities and they are not advancing into managerial roles like their non-disabled peers, chances are it is segregated employment. These segregated settings have become popularized and highlighted in the media in recent years. You’ve probably seen them – think of the businesses like cafes and coffee shops that hire almost all people with disabilities. Sheltered Employment Sheltered employment or Work Activity Centers are the more recent way of referring to sheltered workshops. This setting provides vocational training without the integration of non-disabled workers. This setting is in a protected environment and workers are paid according to a comparative rate (related to how much a worker without a disability can accomplish in the same amount of time) set by the Department of Labor. What does the Future Hold? Right now, we can all feel the post-pandemic employment shortage. We all see it too. It seems anytime you are out in the community “now hiring” and “work here!” signs are plastered in front of nearly every business. But will these businesses expand their talent pool to interview and ultimately hire someone with an intellectual disability? Will we see a rise in the percentage of people with IDD in competitive, integrated employment? What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Looking for more resources on employment? Check out our Jobs and Finances target skill area in the Accessible Adulthood shop. Citations: 1. Siperstein, G. N., Parker, R. C., & Drascher, M. (2013). National Snapshot of adults with intellectual disabilities in the Labor Force. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 39(3), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-130658 2. Siperstein, Parker, & Drascher, National Snapshot of adults

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11 Parts of a check and how to write one

Jobs & Finances, Parent Education / /

Know what the numbers mean and where to write different information It’s important to correctly and accurately write out checks. If you make mistakes when filling out checks, it could negatively affect your finances. In fact, according to Elizabeth L. Gray, Esq. of McCandlish Lillard Law Firm, financial fraud is one of the quickest growing types of abuse and “individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable.” We can be proactive against financial fraud by understanding the different parts of a check. An independent adult aims to write a check with confidence and accuracy. Let’s look at an example check to break down the parts and why they matter. The first parts of the check we are going to review come already printed on your checks. It’s important to make sure the information is correct. 1. Your Personal Information In the upper-left corner you should see details about you. Checks generally include your name, your address, and sometimes your phone number. Tip: if your address changes, you can either order new checks with your new address or continue to use the checks with the old address until you run out then order replacement checks with the new address. As long as your bank account stays the same, you don’t have to order new checks with the new address immediately. 2. Your Bank Information Also on the left side, you will find your Bank’s information – possibly their logo and/or address. If the information is correct, you are good to start using your checks. Next, we’ll look at the empty spaces where you will write in the appropriate information on the check. 3. Date Line Near the top right, this is where you write the date you are writing the check.  Tip: Some people use the “month date, year” format such as “May 27, 2022” and some people use the “MM-DD-YY” format like “5-27-22” so use whichever comes easiest and stick with doing it that way. 4. Pay to the Order of Line The information on this line tells your bank who is allowed to take the money from your check/bank account. Depending who you are paying this could be the name of a person or a store. Tip: another name for this line is called the “Payee Line” and it means the same thing – who is allowed to receive your money from the check. 5. Dollar Box The dollar box is always directly to the right of the large dollar sign ($). This is where you use numbers to write the amount of money you are paying. Tip: Write slowly and carefully. If it will help, practice writing the dollar amount on a scrap piece of paper first. 6. Amount (written out) This is long line that goes from the left side of the check all the way to the right side of the check. It usually says “DOLLARS” under the right side. On this line you write out the amount of money you are paying, but instead of using all numbers, you write out the number words. For example, instead of writing “300” you need to write out “three hundred” on the line. Tip: if writing out the number words is tricky, you can print a free “Check Writing Reference Sheet” listed in our Jobs and Finances target skill area. 7. Memo Line This line is used to make a note to yourself about why you wrote the check. Tip: if writing a check to a person, make a note about what it is for (e.g. groceries, gas money). If you are writing a check to pay a bill, write the invoice number or utility account number from the bill on the line.  8. Signature Line Located in the bottom right of the check. If you approve your bank to pay the person or business the amount in the dollar box, then sign your name on this line. The next parts of a check are important for being able to:– Order new checks– Set up direct deposit pay for your job 9. Your Bank’s American Bankers Association (or ABA) Routing Number On the bottom, this is the leftmost set of numbers in a row and it is how banks all over the world find each other. It acts like an “address” for banks’ money. 10. Your Bank Account Number On the bottom, this middle set of numbers in a row act like an “address” for your bank account. It tells the other banks where from to take the amount in the dollar box. 11. Check Number On the bottom, this rightmost set of numbers in a row is the number of the check. This number is also found in the top right corner of the check. Tip: Check numbers can be used to keep a list and double check which checks have been taken out of your bank account and which checks are going to be taken out soon. Looking for more resources on banking? Check out our Jobs & Finances shop page for additional resources.

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7 Steps to Make A Mobile Check Deposit

Jobs & Finances, Parent Education / /

Hooray, you received a check from someone! It’s exciting to get paid, but the truth is that check is just a piece of paper until you deposit it in your bank. No deposit = no money. So, let’s review that check and get the money in your bank account! First, you want to be sure the person wrote your name correctly and signed their name on the signature line. Tip: if your name is misspelled most banks will still deposit it so long as you can prove it was supposed to go to you. Take the check to your bank along with your government-issued ID and speak directly to the bank teller for help depositing. When you make sure the check has your name on the “pay to the order of” line and they signed their name on the signature line, you are ready to make a mobile deposit. This is the fastest way to deposit a check and you won’t have to make a trip to the bank. Where is the safest place to make a mobile deposit? A) at a bus stopB) at your homeC) at a crowded coffee shopD) at your job *Find the answer at the end of this article How to Make Mobile Check Deposits: Step 1. Download Your Bank’s App Always used your bank’s verified smartphone app. A bank’s verified smartphone app is just as safe as using the bank’s online services. Step 2. Locate and Click the Mobile Deposit button Your bank’s app might have a button that says “mobile deposit,” “check deposit,” or something similar. Step 3. Sign the back of the check When you are in the mobile check deposit process and ready to deposit you need to “endorse” your check. Endorse is another way to say “sign.”  Tip: never sign a check until you are ready to deposit it right then. Sign your name on the top line – many checks have an “x” or say “ENDORSE HERE.” When doing a mobile deposit put an “x” on the box next to where it says “CHECK HERE IF MOBILE DEPOSIT.” If the check does not have this, or if you want to add extra security to the check, you can write “for mobile deposit only” under your signature. Step 4. Take a picture of both sides of the check Follow the on-screen instructions for taking pictures of the front and back side of your check. Most apps remind you that all 4 corners of the check need to be in the picture. If you need to, just click the “retake” button to try again. Step 5. Enter the Amount from the Check’s Dollar Box In the check deposit screen, you will need to enter the amount from the check’s dollar box into the space next to the “Amount” field.  Tip: Review the parts of a check,including the dollar box here. Step 6. Submit  Click submit. Many bank apps will then ask you to review the information you entered. If it looks correct, click submit again.  Step 7. Wait for Confirmation The money is not yours until you get confirmation the mobile check deposit was successful. You need to wait for what’s called the “confirmation screen.” It might say something like “your check was successfully deposited” or “deposit confirmed.” At this point you will be able to switch back to viewing your account by clicking the “accounts” button. When you click on your account, you should see the dollar amount of the check you deposited in your account. Sometimes banks put a “+” in front of the amount or put the amount in green. For example, if you deposited a check for $25.08, it might be listed as “+$25.08” or “$25.08.” When making a mobile deposit, avoid public places where people and see and steal your bank account information. Always try to deposit from a safe and private space such as at your home (B). And you’re done! Remember, many times the money you deposited is not available right away. It may take a few days for your account to actually have the money. Missed our last article about understanding the parts of a check and writing checks? Find it here. Visit the Jobs & Finances target skill area in the Accessible Adulthood shop for more in-depth guides on other financial skills.

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