University of Washington Regional Epilepsy Center at Harborview Medical Center

Finding the Strengths in Disabilities

Every Monday and Wednesday morning, the Vocational Services Job Club hums with strategies to get people back to work. With the individual guidance and group support, the Job Club gets people to

analyze their strengths
find hope in abilities they may have overlooked,
examine personal and ethical issues which may affect their success in the job market.

Vocational Services counselors help people find answers to questions like

How much should I tell a prospective employer?
Should I say I have seizures?
Should I tell the interviewer I had a head injury?
Should I let them know I can't remember as many things as I used to?
Will they want me to tell them I can't work as fast as I used to?
Will they think I'm weird because I haven't had a job for a few years?

Self-identity and self-esteem

Most of us get a big part of our self-identity and self-esteem from the jobs we do. But when disability strikes, it brings special problems. All of us are only "temporarily able-bodied." If we become injured, get epilepsy, or have an accident, our self-esteem can plummet to the point where it's hard to go out and face the world. We feel inadequate. We question our worth. We wonder if anyone wants us now.

Depressed and overwhelmed, we can forget about what we can do. We can forget that we have many skills. We have to rediscover our strengths.

Setting strategies

At the Job Club, people learn to

honestly assess what they can and cannot do
face the internal and external barriers to getting hired

To be successful in finding a job, people need to be in the right job for their skills and abilities. If someone hasn't been able to survive more than a couple of days in temporary jobs, they may not be ready for full-time, competitive employment.

To become more competitive in the marketplace, Job Club members are encouraged to do volunteer work for a while and then take temporary positions to gain confidence and recent work history.

Getting accommodations for disabilities

Under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act, employees with disabilities may ask for and obtain certain accommodations so that they can work safely and effectively.

How do you frame your request for accommodations for your disabilities to a potential employer? According to Dr. Bob Fraser, Director of Vocational Services, you should

"Present your epilepsy in functional terms. Talk about how it affects you on the job. If you have an aura and can move to a safe and quiet place when you feel a seizure coming on, that can be reassuring to an employer. If you have complex partial seizures that occur several times a week and are short, like daydreams, make that clear. You are telling an employer that you know how to take care of yourself and that safety will not be an issue."

Hiring incentives

Employers can make use of hiring incentives when they hire Job Club members. These incentives stem from the Project with Industry grant that helps fund Vocational Services programs. There are three main incentives:

A tax credit for employers who hire disabled workers
A free job tryout period which reduces the employer's hiring risk and pays for the employee's industrial insurance during the tryout period.
Payment to employers for the cost of on-the-job training for up to three months.

Anyway you look at it, hiring people with disabilities can be a win-win situation for everyone.

If you are having trouble finding or keeping a job, our vocational counselors can help.*

Call (206) 744-9130

Orientation sessions: Tuesday mornings

Job Club meets twice weekly: Monday and Wednesday, 9:00 AM

*Services are free to any person who has been diagnosed with a neurological disability.