People with severe disabilities have the dismally low overall employment rate of 38 percent in the U.S. That’s why a powerful disability employment group like NISH is so vital to the disability community.

NISH is a national nonprofit agency with the mission of creating employment opportunities for people with severe disabilities. By securing federal contracts through the AbilityOne government jobs program, nearly 43,000 individuals work in more than 600 community-based nonprofit agencies selling products and services to the federal government. This makes AbilityOne the largest source of employment for people with disabilities.

Nationally recognized programs such as Goodwill  and ARC operate under the NISH umbrella, which covers more than 2,500 non-profit agencies in its NetGain subsidiary alone. So, how can you get hooked up with one of these agencies and land a job?

Disability Employment through NISH
Go to the NISH website and click on “For People with Severe Disabilities.” Here, you’ll find disability jobs through non-profit agencies and America’s Job Bank.

You can also click on your office of vocational rehabilitation to access additional employment supports by state. Training is available for a variety of job opportunities.

Find information on work and work incentive planning through the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance Projects (WIPA).  WIPA can also help with questions about how part-time, full-time or seasonal work would affect your individual disability benefits. All Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries age 14 and over are eligible for WIPA services, regardless of whether or not they’re working, or have even decided to work.

You’ll also find three bulleted sections with links to SSDI and SSI work incentive information. These are rules that make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income to work and still receive monthly payments and Medicare or Medicaid.

Disability Jobs
Here’s the disability jobs listing for NetGain alone. Employment runs the gamut, from services to production and office to assembly line.

Services available:
• Administrative
• Contact Centers
• Custodial
• Document Destruction
• Facility Management
• Fleet Management
• Food Services
• Grounds Maintenance
• Laundry
• Secure Mail
• Supply Chain Management

Production Capabilities:
• Apparel
• Food Processing
• Food Packaging
• Hardware and Equipment
• Medical Supplies and Equipment
• Packaging and Assembly

With so many options, the only difficulty is going to be nailing down what you want to do.

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