Creating a Path 

to Employment

Tips for Parents with 

Children with Disabilities

Start Early

Starting early is a key component to your 

child’s future success. Start by exploring 

the work world together and conveying 

your expectations that he/she can and 

will work when he/she grows up. Provide 

opportunities for your child to gain early 

work experience through volunteer work 

in your community. Web sites such as 

Career Voyages (www.careervoyages.gov) 

and The Office of Disability Employment 

Policy’s Youth Page (www.dol.gov/odep/

categories/youth/career.htm) are useful 

when exploring career options. 

Promote Education

Keep your child engaged in classroom 

activities. When parents expect their 

children with disabilities to continue their 

education beyond high school, the children 

tend to receive better grades than their 

peers whose parents do not have these 

expectations. In addition to the basic skills 

your child learns in the classroom, it is 

important that the child also learns how 

and when to tell others about any 

accommodations he or she may need.

Encourage Work-Based 

Learning Experiences

Schools and community-based 

organizations may offer internships, 

job-shadowing, and mentoring opportunities that focus on employment. While 

postsecondary education is important, it 

is also important to remember that it is 

not the only gateway to well-paying jobs. 

Vocational education classes can provide 

an alternate route for exposing young 

people with disabilities to careers and 

preparing them for work.

Start by exploring the work world together

O F F I C E O F D I S A B I L I T Y E M P L O Y M E N T P O L I C Y
— Office of Disability Employment Policy (http://www.dol.gov/odep)

— Office of Disability Employment Policy Guideposts to Success:

 (www.dol.gov/odep/categories/youth)

— DisabilityInfo.gov (http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/)

— The Job Accommodations Network (JAN)(http://www.jan.wvu.edu/)

— PACER Center: (www.pacer.org) 

Additional resources for parents of children with disabilities: 

Create Leadership Opportunities

Encourage your child to connect with 

mentoring activities designed to establish 

strong relationships with other adults 

and peers. Encourage your child to 

become a mentor to younger youth. 

Participating in sports, student government, chorus, or volunteer groups can 

also build leaderships skills. There are 

also a few leadership organizations 

specifically focused on youth with 

disabilities:

— Kids as Self-Advocates 

 (http://www.fvkasa.org/)

— The National Youth Leadership 

 Network (www.nyln.org)

— The National Consortium on 

 Leadership & Disability for Youth 

Set Goals

Teach your child how to set goals and 

work towards achieving them. Start small 

and work toward larger goals. With an 

older child, goal setting might relate to 

entering a chosen field. 

Develop Social Skills

Friendships play a key part in youth 

development. Through the day-to-day 

activities that accompany making and 

maintaining friendships, you will be assisting your child in developing the ability to interact and get along with others, 

another essential skill employers look for 

and value in an employee. 

Listen to the ideas of experts--teachers, 

medical staff or community providers. 

Know in the end, however, that you are 

the one who knows your child best. Share 

experts’ input with your child, and, 

particularly as your child gets older, 

involve your child in any decisionmaking that affects him or her.

Office of Disability Employment Policy - U.S. Department of Labor 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW • Washington, DC 20210 

Voice: 1-866-ODEP-DOL (633-7365) • TTY: 1-877-889-5627

www.dol.gov/odep 

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