Help to find work if you’re disabled

If you’re not sure what type of work you’d like or want to find out more about a certain career, speak to a careers adviser.

If you’re aged 13-19 and you have a learning difficulty and/or disability, your school must offer you face-to-face careers guidance.

This applies whether or not you have a Statement of Educational Needs (SEN).

Contact your school and ask to speak to the careers adviser.

If you’re under 25, your local authority should provide you with careers advice if you have a Section 139A Learning Difficulty Assessment.

The National Careers Service provides confidential and impartial advice to help you make decisions about training and work.

If you’re aged 13-18 you can phone them and ask for a call back, email them a question or use their webchat service or moderated chatroom.

If you’re aged 19 or over and you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition, you can also get at least three sessions of face-to-face advice.

Call the National Careers Service on 0800 100 900 to make an appointment with a local adviser.

Disability Employment Advisers can advise you on job seeking, training and new skills, and government schemes.

They can also tell you about disability-friendly employers in your area.

When you’re looking through job adverts and completing application forms, look for the ‘two ticks’ symbol which means the employer is committed to employing disabled people.

If a job advert displays the symbol, you’ll be guaranteed an interview if you meet the basic conditions for the job.

You don’t have to mention your disability when you apply for a job, but if you decide not to, you might not be able to make a complaint about discrimination if your employer wasn’t aware.

It’s a good idea to plan how and when you’re going to tell an employer about your disability.

Think about how you can discuss your disability positively and always focus on how your skills and abilities fit the job.

Find out more about how the law protects disabled workers on the GOV.UK website

Find out more about applying for jobs if you’re disabled on the GOV.UK website

More about applications and interviews on the Disability Rights UK website

Use the CV builder on the National Careers Service website

Find out more about how equality law applies to recruitment on the Equality and Human Rights Commission website

The Work and Health Programme is a voluntary scheme that can be used by disabled people to get back into work. It’s run by Jobcentre Plus.

The programme can help you find a job and build confidence through:

• training
• interview coaching
• skills development.

Ask a Disability Employment Adviser at the Jobcentre or your work coach how to apply.

If you need support to attend an interview, such as an interpreter, or a taxi fare to get there, you might be able to get an Access to Work grant for this.

You can also apply to Access to Work to support a mental health condition.

Ask a Disability Employment Adviser at the Jobcentre or your work coach how to apply.

When you get a job, Access to Work can also provide you with money to pay for things like specialist equipment and services to help you stay in work.

If you want to improve your existing skills or develop new ones, ask your Disability Employment Adviser at the Jobcentre about training opportunities.

You might be able to enrol in:

• an apprenticeship scheme – where you can get a qualification alongside practical experience and on-the-job training
• a residential training course designed to help you find work if you’re disabled and have been unemployed for a long time.