LIVE • WORK • PLAYSpecial Edition: Employment for People With Disablitlies

Getting Ready If you have a disability and are interested

in returning to work, you may find it helpful to begin your job search by:

• Honing your basic job search skills. Visit online sites such as Indeed.com or Monster.com or social media sites such as LinkedIn.com, search on local job

boards such as WAFJ.com, visit staffing agencies or rely on your own network

of family and friends who can keep their eyes and ears open for a job that fits your skills and talents.

• Developing or brushing up your resume. Make sure you resume demonstrates how well your experience and talents fit the position for which you’re applying.

• Learning soft skills that employers want. Make sure you know how to present yourself appropriately and professionally.

• Practicing your interview skills through mock interviews.

• Empowering yourself as a person with a disability. Practice techniques to show that with minimal modifications or accommodations, you can do the job as well as anyone!

Are You Ready to Work?As a person living with a disability, there is no better expression of your own empowerment than having a job that fulfills you and pays competitive wages. But as much as you want to go back to work, you probably have questions too: Am I ready? How can I get started? Will possible employers/coworkers accept me? And—perhaps most top-of-mind to a person with a disability—how will working affect my benefits?

Here’s a guide from Walton Foundation for Independence and Walton Options for Independent Living on what you can do to get started and how to navigate the world of employment when you’re a person with a disability.

As an Independent Living Center, Walton Options for Independent Living provides these kinds of classes and training at absolutely no cost for people with disabilities in Georgia and South Carolina. Our classes include offerings such as Gaining Preparedness Skills and Customer Service, to name just a few.

To start, make an appointment with a WOIL Information and Referral Specialist for an individual consultation on the services that will best meet your goals and needs. A typical appointment lasts about 1 to 1½ hours and may include a discussion of independent living goal objectives, goal planning in desired areas of life to include but not limited to employment, advocacy, life skills, peer support, transition, and information and referral. Call 706-724-6262 to set an appointment.

Easter Seals East Georgia also offers a wide variety of programs and services to assist those with disabilities to maximize their potential for employment and independence. It all starts with a vocational profile or evaluation to help identify training, supports and accommodations for successful employment. Other services include work simulations (both onsite and in the community), job readiness and other specific skills training, job sampling and job placement. People with disabilities can be referred via Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation, the Veterans Administration, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and workers compensation; these agencies will sponsor program costs. Grants are also available. To sign up or to determine eligibility, call 706-667-9695.

In South Carolina, Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA offers hands-on job training to high school students and adults with disabilities through programs at the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, Aiken County Public Schools, Aiken Barnwell Mental Health and Tri-Development Center. In Georgia, Goodwill Industries’ AbilityOne program provides work in custodial and shelf-stocking programs for those with moderate to severe disabilities at competitive wages at Fort Gordon.

Applying and InterviewingOne of the biggest questions you might ask yourself is, Do I

disclose that I have a disability on my job application?

The answer depends on the job and whether or not your disability impacts your ability to complete your job responsibilities, says Tara Lyons, PHR, human resources manager for Walton Foundation for Independence. For example, someone using a wheelchair who is applying for an office position wouldn’t have a need to mention his or her disability in an application. “But if it’s relevant to the job, your future employer will want to know,” said Lyons.

The same question also arises during the job interview process. But if you have a clear disability, then it is the employer’s responsibility per the Americans With Disabilities Act to ask if you need accommodations to perform your job. But in other cases, if your disability is not clearly visible, the burden falls to you as the applicant to inform your employer about any accommodations that you might require—and if your disability affects your essential job responsibilities, an employer could argue that it would be grounds for termination if you didn’t bring it up. “Perhaps a good way to start the conversation is presenting the positive attributes and the simplicity of an accommodation such as a simply raising a desk for a wheelchair accommodation or a larger computer screen for someone who may have low vision,” said Lyons.

The level of accommodations then becomes a negotiation between the job applicant and the potential employer. “Assuming the employee can fulfill the essential job functions, the employer will ask the employee to suggest what they would like to have and the employer determines how easily they can make that accommodation,” said Lyons. “An employer should be able to make accommodations, unless it causes an undue hardship.”

If you have questions about your rights as a potential employee, visit the American With Disabilities Act, www.ada.gov/ada_title_I.htm. The Job Accommodation Network offers suggestions on reasonable accommodations, www.askjan.org. Need More Help? Consider Ticket to Work

Walton Options is also an Employment Network with the Social Security Administration, assisting people with disabilities returning to work through the Ticket to Work program (www.chooseworkttw.net).

While participating in the Ticket to Work Program, beneficiaries can get the help they need to safely explore their work options without immediately losing their benefits. Beneficiaries also can use a combination of work incentives (see page 4) to maximize their income until they begin to earn enough to support themselves. Therefore, the individual can:

• Go to work without automatically losing disability benefits;• Return to benefits if he or she has to stop working;• Continue to receive health care benefits; and• Be protected from receiving a medical continuing disability

review while using the Ticket and making the expected progress with work or educational goals.

Eligible beneficiaries, called Ticket Holders, are individuals ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security Disability Insurance and/or the Supplemental Security Income cash benefits based on a disability that creates an impediment to work. A beneficiary’s participation in the program is voluntary and free. The beneficiary can choose if, when and where to use the Ticket. Tickets must be used with approved Employment Networks (such as Walton Options) or State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies:

• Employment Networks: Beneficiaries can contact any EN to see if the service and supports the EN offers are right for them. The beneficiary and EN must agree to work together and develop a plan that describes the beneficiary’s employment goal and outlines the services and support the EN will provide to help the beneficiary reach the goal. Beneficiaries are free to talk with as many ENs as they wish before choosing to assign their Ticket. If a beneficiary assigns his or her Ticket to an EN and later changes his or her mind about working with that EN, the beneficiary can un-assign the Ticket and take it to another EN. When a beneficiary chooses to receive services from a EN, Social Security considers that the beneficiary is using the Ticket and therefore is protected from medical disability review.

• State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies: A State Vocational Rehabilitation agency can help beneficiaries who want to return to work or to work for the first time, but who need more significant services to make work possible. VRs can help beneficiaries get ready to work, and when VR services have ended, the VR agency may be able to help the beneficiary find an EN who can help him or her keep the job and make more money. When a beneficiary chooses to receive services from a VR agency, Social Security considers that the beneficiary is using the Ticket and therefore, is protected from medical disability review.

Walton Options is an Independent Living Center and Employment Network for the Ticket to Work program in certain counties in Georgia and South Carolina, including Augusta-Richmond, Columbia, Aiken, McDuffie and Burke counties. Contact 706-724-6262.

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Resources At a Glace

Walton Foundation for Independence, 706-823-8584 • Hope and Independence Fund to provide assistive technology and more for people with disabilities in need

Walton Options for Independent Living, 706-724-6262 • Free classes and training on returning to work • Independent Living Center • Employment Network for Ticket to Work

Easter Seals East Georgia, 706-667-9695 • Vocational profile or evaluation • Work simulations (both onsite and in the community) • Job readiness and other specific skills training • Job sampling • Job placement

Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, 706-650-5760 • Hands-on training at specific sites in SC • Job placement through the AbilityOne program

Ticket to Work, www.chooseworkttw.net

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (GA), www.gvra.georgia.gov/contact-information

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (SC), 803-279-9611 or 866-793-3407

Other resources include:

American Job Center, www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/service-locator.aspx

American With Disabilities Act, www.ada.gov/ada_title_I.htm

Employer Assistance and Resource Network, www.askearn.org

Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, Inc., 706-593-3768

Georgia Department of Labor, www.dol.state.GA.us

Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, www.gvra.georgia.gov/vocationalrehab

Job Accommodation Network, www.askjan.org

National Industries for the Blind CareersWithVision, www.afb.org/careerconnect/careerswithvision.asp

South Carolina Department of Labor, www.llr.state.SC.us

South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation, www.scvrd.net

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To locate other Employment Networks in Georgia or South Carolina or State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, visit www.chooseworkttw.net/findhelp.

For a complete guide to work incentives to help maximize your income, go to: www.ssa.gov/redbook.

The Social Security Administration also conducts Work Incentive Seminar Events Webinars online each month for beneficiaries with disabilities and their families to learn more about the Ticket to Work Program and available work incentives. To view webinars, visit www.chooseworkttw.net/webinars-tutorials.

Q&A: Will My Participation in the Ticket to Work Program Trigger Continuing Disability Reviews?

No! As long as you are making timely progress towards employment, you should be protected from Continuing Disability Reviews. But be sure to discuss this with your Community Work Incentives Coordinator.

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So What About My Benefits?

If you have a disability and are planning to go back to work, you will also want to begin by connecting with a certified Community Work Incentive Coordinator who can help you make individualized decisions at every step of your employment process in order to maximize your benefits.

This type of free counseling is available through Work Incentives Planning & Assistance projects, which are available in every state. • In Georgia, WIPA assistance is available through the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, www.gvra.georgia.gov/contact-information. • In South Carolina, WIPA assistance is available through Walton Options for Independent Living’s Project 20/20, 803-279-9611 or 866-793-3407.

The goal of any WIPA program is to enable beneficiaries with disabilities to make informed choices about work and to support working beneficiaries to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency. WIPA’s Community Work Incentives Coordinators offer the following services: • Provide in-depth counseling about benefits and the effect of work on those benefits; • Conduct outreach efforts to beneficiaries of SSI and SSDI (and their families) who are potentially

eligible to participate in Federal or State work incentives programs; • Provide work incentives planning and assistance directly to SSA’s beneficiaries with disabilities to help them with employment efforts; • Work in cooperation with federal, state and private agencies as well as nonprofit organizations that serve disabled SSI and SSDI beneficiaries; • Refer beneficiaries to appropriate Employment Networks based on the beneficiary’s expressed needs and types of impairments; • Provide general information on the adequacy of health benefits coverage that may be offered by an employer and other health benefits coverage that may be available in coordination with Medicare and/or Medicaid; • Provide information on the availability of protection and advocacy services and how to access these services.

WIPA services are available to: • SSI/SSDI recipients and beneficiaries • Parents and/or family members • Friends/caregivers • Service providers/educators • Professionals/advocates

Support employment for people with disabilities in the CSRA! Visit www.waltonfoundation.net/donatenow.

Direct Your Dollars to Support Employment and Other ServicesEstablished in 1998, Walton Foundation for Independence raises funds for (via a Community Outreach Fund) and partners with like-minded organizations that support people with disabilities, including those that offer medical rehabilitation services, advancement in rehabilitation education, assistive technologies, accessible transportation and employment opportunities. We also offer our own unique programs, including adaptive sports, camps for children with disabilities, affordable and accessible housing, and a Hope and Independence Fund providing individual grants to people with disabilities who are in need.

To find out more or to donate now, visit www.waltonfoundation.net.

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Walton Foundation for Independence: Robbie, tell us about yourself. Robbie: I was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. I have cerebral palsy,

which causes me to have a speech impairment and to use a wheelchair.

WFI: I understand your grandmother was a strong advocate of your education. Can you share some of those early challenges and how you overcame them?

R: I remember when I started going to school, the officials decided to put me in what at the time they called the special education class. My grandmother from day one was not happy about that decision. She let it be known very quickly her “sunshine” didn’t need to be in a special class. I would say within a month, the decision was made to put me in the mainstream classroom setting. I graduated from Lakeside High School in 1999. Then I went to Augusta State University and in December 2005 earned my B.A in Sociology.

WFI: What did you want to be when you grew up?R: When I was a little I wanted to be a fireman, but then I realized I would have to go into buildings that were on fire and

that was the reason I gave that dream up! The fact that I had cerebral palsy never entered my little mind. As I got older, I had a dream of becoming a sports writer. I love what I do now, although sometimes I still dream of being a sports writer, because my life revolves around the different sports seasons.

WFI: As a person living with a disability, what was your experience in terms of wanting to find employment? What were your challenges and successes?

R: I knew I always wanted to find and have employment. I knew that was why I was going to college. I just didn’t want to sit in the house all day and watch TV. I had a little part-time job for a short time when I was in college, and I loved it because when you are working, you meet a lot of people and have the chance to develop some great relationships with your co-workers. A personal challenge I dealt with when I would think about finding employment was my stutter. When I was in school, there were times that people would laugh at me when I would stutter, and for a long time it was something that caused me a lot of hurt.

As I grew older, I always knew that I wanted to work, but in my mind I would think what could I really do and not be scared every day because so many positions call for effective verbal communication. When I accepted a job at Walton Options, my stuttering still bothered me, but with each day that passed. I became more confident in my ability to communicate. I started to embrace the idea that just because I have a disability when it comes to my communication, it doesn’t mean I need to hide behind that disability and let it limit me. I feel that working for Walton Options as a Center for Independent Living has helped me get over the fear of my stuttering. The reason is when you work at Walton Options you work with many people who have various disabilities and strive to do excellent work every day. One of the first things Tiffany Clifford said to me was at Walton Options we don’t get to use our disabilities as an excuse. Now, I have reached a point in my life where I see my stuttering not as a disability, but a part of me. If someone makes fun of me for it or says something nasty to me, I just view it as pure ignorance and strive to enlighten them. If this doesn’t happen, I just move on with my daily life.

WFI: How did you get to your current role of Lead Community Work Incentives Coordinator? R: In late 2009, my supervisor Cyndy Anzek asked me if I wanted to become a community work incentives coordinator for

our Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program (WIPA Project 20/20). I thought the position would be something I would enjoy, being that I would be able to provide knowledge to people that would help to destroy the misconceptions that if you receive Social Security benefits based on disability and you go to work, you will lose everything. Since I was a person who at one time received an SSI benefit, I agreed to the position, because I viewed it as a very important position.

I became fully certified in March 2010 and started providing direct benefits/work incentives counseling services to our 16-county service area through our WIPA Project 20/20. We were awarded the grant to provide WIPA services to the whole state of South Carolina starting August 1, 2015. I was promoted to Lead Community Work Incentives Coordinator at that time.

WFI: What’s it like now being able to help others who might have been in the same situation as you were—and help them find gainful and satisfying employment?

R: I love being able to provide WIPA services to people, because the knowledge and information that I can give them truly opens their eyes to the possibility of being a productive member of their community—if not for the first time, then once again. I have quite a few people whom I have spoken to who cry tears of joy. I can truly say working as a CWIC is a joy and I love what I do.

Q&A: Robbie Breshears, employment advocate, Walton Options for Independent Living