RAISE The Standard, October 2025, v.12 n.1 | |
Job Search in a Digital Age
Using digital resources can make job searching easier for young people with disabilities by offering flexible and accessible options. Online job boards let people look for jobs from home, which helps avoid travel and physical barriers. Many companies also do remote interviews, so candidates can connect with employers through video calls without going in person. However, not all websites are easy to use for everyone. Some online job boards don’t include companies that value inclusive hiring, making the job search tedious and frustrating. Even with these challenges, learning to use digital tools helps people become more independent and find more job opportunities. Fortunately, many online tools are designed to support people with disabilities. These include apps and websites that help with creating resumes, preparing for interviews, and matching with jobs that fit a person’s skills and needs. Using these resources can make the job search more accessible and successful.
In this issue of RAISE The Standard, we will explore the various virtual tools that young people with disabilities can use to make job searching more accessible.
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Navigating Online Applications
In this personal story, Amber describes her experience searching for jobs on Indeed, going through the interview process, and finally accepting a job offer.
“I was successful in the second interview, and they offered me a job. I was thrilled to bits as it’s hard for people with a disability to gain employment.”
- Amber
She details some of her advice to people with disabilities looking for work online, including how to identify jobs that are a good fit, and how to prepare for an interview.
Click here to learn more about Amber’s experience.
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Beyond Indeed
Disability specific online job boards offer big advantages for young adults with disabilities compared to general boards like Indeed or Monster. For example, abilityJOBS is dedicated only to job seekers with disabilities and lists openings from employers actively committed to inclusive hiring. Because all jobs on abilityJOBS are disability friendly, young job seekers can spend less time sorting through postings where their needs may not be understood. In contrast, mainstream boards often lack filters or signals around disability inclusion. That means disability specific boards help reduce frustration, improve matching, and increase the chances of finding a job where accommodations and inclusive practices already exist.
Click here to explore abilityJOBS website.
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The Art of the Digital Resume
Family members, teachers and other trusted adults can play a big role in helping a young person with a disability build a strong resume. Start by helping the student list school achievements, volunteer work, hobbies, or part-time jobs that show skills and strengths. Next, see if the young person needs help with organizing the information clearly and checking for spelling or grammar. If the young person has trouble using a computer, adults can assist with typing or using resume templates online. It’s important to focus on what the young person can do, not what they can’t. Encouragement and support from supportive adults can help build confidence in the job search.
Click here to access the resume-building guide.
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Feeling Prepared
Preparing for an interview can be nerve-wracking. There’s a lot to consider: what to wear, what questions to ask, how to answer the interviewer’s questions, and on top of that, you want to leave a good impression. Preparing for an interview, whether it’s virtual or in person, can help alleviate some of the anxiety. This interview prep checklist offers insight into the things to consider before interviewing for a job. Some of the advice, like researching how to get to the interview location, are aimed at in-person interviews, though the advice can apply to virtual interviews as well. Make sure to understand how to log in to the virtual interview platform beforehand – whether it’s Zoom or a company portal – knowing that you’ll be ready on time will help you to feel confident and prepared.
Click here to access the interview guide.
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In this issue of RAISE The Standard, we focus on Waze to Adulthood (PEATC), a collaboration between parent training centers and disability organizations in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.
https://peatc.org/services/transition-to-adulthood/
Providing resources for employment, healthcare, self-advocacy, and more, Waze to Adulthood (PEATC) identifies and addresses the state-specific gaps in services for people with disabilities.
| | YETI: RAISE - Youth Engagement Transition Initiative | | Collaboration • Empowerment • Capacity-building | | RAISE The Standard enewsletter identifies and shares resources that the Rehabilitation Services Administration Parent Training and Information Centers (RSA-PTI) can use and share with families. | | The RAISE Technical Assistance Center is working to advance the accessibility of its digital resources, including its websites, enewsletters and various digital documents. | | RAISE, the National Resources for Access, Independence, Self-Advocacy and Employment is a user-centered technical assistance center that understands the needs and assets of the RSA-PTIs, coordinates efforts with the Technical Assistance provided by PTI centers and involves RSA-PTIs as key advisors and partners in all product and service development and delivery. | |  | |
The RAISE Center is a project of the SPAN Parent Advocacy Network and is funded by the US Department of Education's Rehabilitation Service Administration. The contents of this resource were developed under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education (H235G200007)). However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
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