5 of the Best Careers Paths for People with Disabilities

Did you know that one in five Australians have some form of disability? These disabilities don’t just hamper an individual’s daily life, but also their efforts to look for gainful employment. Thankfully, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) was drawn to protect persons with disabilities from discrimination and offer them equal opportunity and access. There’s also the Australian Human Rights Commission who works with both the government and the private sector to help persons with disabilities understand their rights.

Persons with disabilities who are looking to start or grow their careers can work with a disability employment service. These organisations can open doors and help persons with disabilities, injuries, and illnesses find jobs.

Indeed, there are jobs for persons with disabilities in almost any industry. All it takes is a little patience to find the best fit. Here are just career paths to consider:

Work-from-Home Careers

Working from home has never been easier, thanks to technology. This type of work set up also allows the most flexibility, which is perfect for persons with disabilities. Even better, there are plenty of telecommuting jobs like medical transcription, technical support, or graphic design. These jobs can also be either on a permanent or freelance basis. The latter is an ideal choice, especially for those who want even more flexibility and a diverse client portfolio.

Self-employment may also be an option for more enterprising individuals. Tutors and teachers, writers, editors, and web developers are just a few of the many career paths available as a self-employed individual. Consulting is also a top career choice. For budding entrepreneurs, the work from home set-up is also largely feasible even for those who engage in ecommerce.

Disability Support Work and Counselling

Persons with disabilities require mental and emotional support just as much as anyone else. In particular, they need counselling and advice to help them deal with overcoming their everyday challenges and improve their quality of life. This is one of the most important roles of those in the field of disability support and counselling. Conveniently, persons with disabilities are the perfect fit for this job. After all, who can understand a person with disability better than one who also goes through similar challenges? Indeed, helping support another person with disability can be quite a rewarding career path.

Accounting

An accountant’s primary role is to prepare and examine financial records. They can either be self-employed, working with a variety of individual clients and businesses, or employed by a firm that then works with other businesses. There are also companies, usually those medium-sized enterprises and large corporations, that hire their own in-house accountants. Doing this makes it easier for these companies to track their investments and profits, manage payroll, and track various income sources and expenses. Just remember that companies usually require that their accountants hold a bachelor’s degree.

Education

Education is also a great career choice for a person with disability. There are many who choose to specialise in special education, helping children with disabilities learn life skills and basic school topics. Of course, persons with disabilities may also become accomplished experts in various fields and become teachers or professors. For those who develop a disability later in life, they can use their expertise to help others through teaching. As an example, an athlete who is injured and/or has developed a disability can become a coach to young athletes.

Software Developer

Tech is one of the hottest industries nowadays, especially with the digital boom. What’s even better is that many jobs in the tech industry are more than well-suited for persons with disabilities. One of the most viable career paths to take is software development. This job, at its core, is all about creating and improving software that helps users simplify common tasks.

Other careers in the tech industry include IT specialists, computer engineers, information security, artificial intelligence, and game development. The best thing about tech industry careers? They’re quite lucrative!

For those having difficulties in finding the right job, you can get in touch with disability employment services (DES) organisations like APM. They are contracted by the government to provide employment assistance to people with disability, injury, or health conditions to find and keep a job. If you’re already employed, a DES can also help you negotiate workplace modifications to help make your job conditions more conducive. If you need ongoing support, vocational training, and similar services, a DES group can also help.

At the end of the day, persons with disabilities are just the same as those without. There are some jobs that truly aren’t feasible, but these are few and far between.

If you need motivation and inspiration, there are plenty of success stories. There’s Stephen Hawking, Franklin Roosevelt, and Australia’s own Sam Cawthorn and Nick Vujicic. Don’t let anything discourage you; at the same time, don’t be afraid to ask for help. A fulfilling career is just around the corner!