Workers with disabilities face numerous challenges in finding work. In this article, we are going to discuss IT jobs for disabled people. Not the least of which is companies’ lack of understanding about how to accommodate an employee’s disability.
However, according to disability specialists, the information technology industry holds promise for employees with disabilities. In part due to the number of technologies being used to help individuals deal with disabilities on the job and at home.
IT Employees, along with departments and employers, maybe one of those ready to push for technologically innovative solutions to accommodation, say advocates for people with disabilities.
IT Jobs That Can Accommodate Disabilities
1. Electronics Engineering
Consider being involved in the design and testing of different kinds of electronic devices. As a technician or an engineer in this area, you might get to work with electrical circuits in a neutral setting.
Average wages:
- Electronics engineering technician–$65,050
- Electronics engineers–$107,930
- Computer hardware engineers–$117,840
2. Computer Animation
In this job, you may be able to turn your disability into true strength. After all, lots of the world’s most inventive artists and animators have succeeded despite their psychiatric problems. You’re the kind of person who would gain from making your imagination come to life every day.
Average annual wage–$78,230
3. Filmmaker
Many people with dyslexia or other learning inabilities have an increased ability to recognize different objects and faces from one another while also visualizing how different elements can come together into one picture. They are great at processing a collection of images. As a result, filmmaking is often a good path to explore.
Average wages:
- Film and video editors–$86,830
- Directors of motion pictures–$104,600
4. Medical Laboratory Technician
Specific diagnostic testing is a crucial part of the healthcare system. Plus, it requires great vision, which may be a strength of yours. Plus, in some jobs, you do not need to communicate with too many people face to face.
Average annual wage–$53,880
5. Drafting
This option is an excellent anyone who really loves concentrating on something without too much distraction. Besides, you get to play a role in making buildings or other structures come to life.
Average wages:
- Civil and architectural drafters–$56,700
- Mechanical drafters–$59,010
- Electronics and electrical drafters–$64,400
6. Computer Programming
People with diseases like Asperger syndrome may prosper in a job that uses their knowledge for productive and focused problem solving–without even needing to be around too many people. Perhaps you fit that position and will go on to become something like a video game developer or software developer. Did you know that app developers have some of the most satisfying IT jobs you can get? It’s true. CNN Money even called a mobile app developer as the number one greatest job in America.
Average annual wages:
- Computer programmers–$89,580
- Applications software programmers –$108,080
- Systems software programmers –$114,000
7. Broadcasting Technology
Some individuals have shown that they can thrive by working behind the scenes in a radio station or a television studio.
Average wages:
- Broadcast technicians–$46,770
- Camera operators–$61,750
- Sound engineering technicians–$63,500
8. Any Career That Allows You Work from Home
You might be in a position where the less you have to go out, the better. In that case, jobs at home for disabled people can be a terrific option. Examples of careers that may offer such an opportunity include areas like writing, medical transcription, computer support, graphic design, and web development, and other kinds of IT jobs.
Average annual salaries:
- Medical transcriptionists–$36,350
- Graphic designers–$54,680
- Computer support specialists–$55,050
- Writers and writers –$73,090
- Web programmers –$75,580
Accessibility Rules Provide IT Jobs Opportunities
The demand for compliance with the law called Section 508, which requires federal agencies’ electronic and information technology to be accessible to individuals with disabilities, makes IT jobs a perfect area for all those the law is supposed to help. In some scenarios, IT employees with disabilities might have a “competitive edge,” he says, because of their better comprehension of what is necessary when making information accessible.
Figures vary, but according to the AAPD, one in three adults with unusual disabilities works. With such low workforce assistance, disability organizations are currently working to identify areas conducive to employees with disabilities. Given other factors, in addition to growth projections for IT jobs, it’s viewed as one field people with disabilities should consider.
Factors that make IT much more receptive to employees with disabilities compared to other areas include stress on innovation, startup culture, and the chances of employees’ familiarity with assistive technology.
Employees Teach Employers on Accessibility
Specialists warn against too much optimism, as employees with disabilities face various obstacles, including the requirement to educate employers. However, the possibilities for accommodating employees with assistive technologies such as screen magnification software and amplified phones. A national survey of professionals working with technology conducted by Clarkson University and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network found broad agreement that increased awareness of these technologies would help more people live independently and emerge from unemployment.
Some employers are learning about these technologies as older employees develop disabilities. It’s really the aging workforce that has people concerned nowadays, referring to the rising number of older workers with visual impairments, hearing loss, and other disabilities. They need to keep those employees on the job, and that opens the employer’s eyes.
Often, the employee informs the employer about accommodations. “Employers on earth are not as conscious of what they can or should do,” says Hanson. Who also is director of the accessibility research team at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center. “Often, they depend on the employee.”
Efforts are underway to bring more employees with disabilities, and increase awareness of workers with disabilities can be accommodated with the use of assistive technologies.
A program from Microsoft and AAPD provides 10 to 15 college students with disabilities internships at governmental agencies in Washington, DC. The participants, all of who are attempting IT careers, have had a variety of disabilities, including autism and deafness. The program intends to explain to both public and private employers that students with disabilities are competent members of the IT workforce.
As more people with disabilities are included in IT jobs, corporations will learn how to make that true for both current and new workers.
