At this point you have completed what is by far the most difficult part of the job search. Introspection is a difficult task, and taking on such a task while facing the uncertainty of a change in your career makes it an even greater undertaking.
Hopefully these exercises and information have helped you to put your disability into a broader perspective. Every person who undergoes a job search has to face their abilities as well as their shortcomings. And people must decide which of their shortcoming they can address, and which ones they will choose to address. This is no different for a person with a disability. You must see which areas of weakness can be addressed-regardless of whether they are related to any disability. Again, my guess is that only a fraction of your weaknesses are related to a disability. I would say that for many people there are ways to address most, if not all, of their weaknesses through the use of various reasonable accommodations.
The process of self-assessment as it relates to one's disability is an even greater challenge for individuals who have an acquired disability. If your disability occurred later than adolescence, it is possible that it is not yet completely integrated into your sense of self. If you are still having some difficulty coming to a complete integration of your disability into your self-concept, you are not alone. This happens frequently in cases of late-onset or acquired disability. In this case, you may wish to contact a counselor, because it can be helpful to discuss these issues with someone, particularly with a professional who has worked with people experiencing the same challenges. Although it is not impossible to work on these issues at the same time that you are conducting your job search, there is some advantage to addressing them beforehand.
Support for Continuing Your Education
When people complete an assessment of their abilities and compare them to the
requirements for their career goals, they sometimes find that there is a gap that may require continuing their education. If so, resources are available to make
education more affordable. The best resource for financial aid is the Heath Resource
center.
HEATH Resource Center's Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities www·heath·gwu·edu/ The HEATH Resource Center of the American Council on Education operates a national clearinghouse on postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. The site's Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities publication is updated annually and provides information on U.S. federal student aid programs and other financial aid programs for students with disabilities. The publication also includes a list of 29 sponsors of scholarships specifically designated for students with disabilities. Disabled students may also wish to request a copy of Strategies for Advising Students with Disabilities - A Postsecondary Student Consumer's Guide.
Contact the organization at
HEATH Resource Center
2121 K Street NW, Suite 220
Washington, DC 20036-1193
Phone: 1-800-544-3284 or 1-202-939-9320 (both numbers voice/TTY)
Fax: 1-202-833-4760