Students with Disabilities

At the Calling and Career Center, we understand the added attention to coursework and other commitments students with disabilities encounter. With all this, it can be difficult to actively engage in career development. However, it’s important to make the time to seek out experiences in college that will help you identify your career interests and gain the skills needed to obtain employment upon graduation—if not before. Our career services team can help you start with your strengths, so you can communicate your value to employers.

FPU's Disability Access and Education Office

Further Information

Career Assessment & Exploration

Assessments

The Calling and Career Center offers assessments covering career interests, personality style, values and skills. These assessments are tools in self-discovery and will help you develop a profile of your interests and abilities.

  • My Next Move – Answer questions about the type of work you enjoy and My Next Move will suggest careers that match your interests and training.
  • Career One Stop Interest Assessment – Tell Career One Stop what you like and don’t like to do. They’ll show you careers that fit your interests.

Career Exploration

Discussing the results of any assessment with a trained career counselor is important, as he or she can help you make sense of your results and guide you in making a deliberate and thoughtful career development plan.

Resume Writing for Students with Disabilities

Three Easy Steps to Craft Your Resume

  1. Look at the job description of the position for which you are applying. Highlight areas in the job description for which you have experience, skills, knowledge and abilities.
  2. Use the highlighted language to craft your resume using this template, using the job description section to help you complete the profile section.
  3. Schedule an appointment to have your resume critiqued by the Calling and Career Center staff.

Resources

  • Resume Guide – Describes how to create a resume and provides an example.
  • Resumes & Cover Letters – Learn about the components of writing a winning resume and getting it noticed. Also learn what you should say in a cover letter.
  • Career One Stop-Resumes – Provides a sample resume walk-through.
  • Federal Resumes – Federal resume guide and what you should know when applying for a federal career

Interviewing for Students with Disabilities

Successful interviews don’t just happen. Learn interviewing skills by scheduling a practice interview with a career counselor or use Interview School to improve your interviewing skills 24/7.

Other Resources

Internships for Students with Disabilities

The internet can be a very useful tool in locating internships, but it is not the sole answer to your internship search. In addition to checking out the following links, stop by the Calling and Career Center to make sure your internships search is on the right track.

  • AAPD Summer Internship Program – Places eligible students and recent grads who self-identify with any type of disability in summer internships within Congressional offices and federal agencies, as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations in the Washington, DC, area.
  • Job Search Strategies – Learn about the four best job search strategies that work.
  • Internship Information – Use the listings on this page to search for internships if your department/program does not require and/or coordinate internships.
  • Smithsonian Accessibility Internship Program – A paid internship program at the Smithsonian for young adults with disabilities tailored to interns’ areas of interest.
  • AAAS Entry Point-STEM for Students with Disabilities – Identifies and recruits students with apparent and non-apparent disabilities studying in science, engineering, mathematics, computer science and some fields of business for internship and co-op opportunities.
  • U.S. International Council on Disabilities Internship Program – A project to increase disability inclusion in U.S. foreign affairs by supporting future generations of Americans to invest their skills and talents in this field.

Employment for Students with Disabilities

The internet can be a very useful tool in locating employment opportunities, but it is not the sole answer to your job search. In addition to checking out the following links, stop by the Calling and Career Center to make sure your job search strategy is on the right track.

  • Job Search Strategies – Learn about the four best job search strategies that work.
  • Abilitylinks.net – A job opportunity website for people with disabilities.
  • ABILTY Jobs – The largest employment website for job seekers with disabilities.
  • Disability Job Exchange – Helps find the perfect match between dedicated workers and employers looking to build a strong workforce and provides résumé and career advice.
  • Disability Jobs.net – Job listing site for people with disabilities.
  • Disabled Person – Post your resume and look through job listings for people with disabilities.
  • Enable America – A job board for people with disabilities.
  • Entrepreneurship – Provides resources for individuals with disabilities to assist in developing their business.
  • Getting Hired – Job listing website that links job seekers with disabilities to employers looking to hire.
  • Hired Disability Solutions – Lists employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
  • Job Search for People with Disabilities – Article discussing tips to find the best jobs for people with disabilities.
  • National Industry for the Blind – Job listings for people who are visually impaired or blind.
  • Our Ability – A disability-owned and operated business dedicated to building employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Disclosure & Other Helpful Resources