Ready and ABLE to Work and Save

Things to Consider When You Explore Work: Finding the Right Job for You

There are many ways to make a living and many things to consider when choosing a job or career path. Different jobs require different skills: Sometimes an employer will train you for a job and sometimes they will want an applicant to have experience or certain levels of training and education before they hire you. Some jobs will provide the tools and equipment you need and sometimes they will expect you to use your own money to buy what you need before they hire you. For example, if you are hired for a construction job, this would be the difference between your employer providing you with a set of tools versus their expecting you to come with your own tools to use on the job.

As a person with a disability, it might be that you need to find a job with specific or flexible hours. Another consideration might be that you would benefit from a certain method of training or a certain type or level of supervision to be successful. You might require supports such as a hearing aid or job coaching while you are learning or performing a job. The possibilities are endless and the answer to what best accommodates you in a work environment may differ from what accommodates someone else. Figuring out the answers to these types of questions for your specific situation will help you find and keep a job and/or assist you in advancing in a career that fits you.

Funds in your ABLE account can play a role in meeting your employment needs. This can be done in conjunction with cost-free sources of education, training, other supports or services or tools and equipment you need to do a job. Consider using cost-free sources first, using your ABLE account to pay for employment-related items and services if other funding sources are not available. This allows you to save the maximum amount of money in your ABLE account.

As you start thinking about what you need to be successful in a job, consider building a circle of support (e.g., trusted family, advisors, employment service professionals) to help you develop an employment plan that addresses your needs. Check out the resources below to learn more about strategies and resources to help you.

• Customized Employment and Discovery as Part of Person Centered Planning – A YouTube video on how to use a person-centered approach while planning to get a job.
• Planning My Way to Work | Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) – A workbook to help you build a transition plan that leads from school to employment.
• Building Financial Independence with an ABLE Account, Employment and Education – A presentation featuring ABLE NRC Ambassador Taylor Carty who shares her experience as a young person with a disability and how she is using her ABLE account to support her transition from school to work.
• Supporting Employment for Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities: How ABLE Accounts and SSA Work Incentives Can Help! – This presentation explains how ABLE accounts can support SSI/SSA beneficiaries who are between the ages of 18 and 26 years old as they transition into work.