Ispeak

I’ll PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support)

Are you currently receiving Social Security Disability benefits and would like to get back to work but lack funds for necessary training, uniforms, supplies, transportation, or equipment?  The Social Security Administration (SSA) has set up a program called PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support) to help disabled persons set aside money for installment or down payments for those items needed to achieve a specific work goal.

Read more...

Be an Informed Job Seeker: Use the Minnesota Job Vacancy Survey

You can spend hours online searching for jobs and still be unsuccessful. The Minnesota Job Vacancy Survey (JVS) can give you much-needed information to help you be more strategic in your search.  Twice a year, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development surveys the state’s employers about their current job openings. While this survey won’t lead you directly to job openings, it will help you get a sense of how many jobs are out there, how long it usually takes an employer to fill jobs in your field, and what kind of wage offers you might expect.

Read more...

Got Career Questions? Here’s the First Step to Getting Answers

Ever wonder how your salary compares to what other people in your occupation earn? What other sorts of jobs you might qualify for? How much demand there is in your field, in Minnesota, or in the U.S.? The first step to answering any of these questions is finding your job in the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).

Read more...

How to “Do” Online Social Networking

Hey Tom, there’s a party online, and you’re not invited

In 2003, my BFF of 20 years, Dave, told me about an invitation he received to a new networking website called LinkedIn. As he described it, LinkedIn was where professionals invite their most respected contacts and colleagues into their network in order to keep track of one another and share their inside connections. It all sounded very exclusive, so I waited for him to send me an invitation to join his network. And waited. The invite never came. Finally, I figured out that I didn’t need an invitation. I could just go to www.linkedin.com and register as a user to start building my own network. If you’re not a user yet, here are a couple of resources to learn more about getting started on LinkedIn for yourself: LinkedIn Learning Center and About Linked In.

Read more...

We’ve Come a Long Way: ADA

The Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act of 1990 opened the world of work door for 43 million Americans living with disabilities. The law prohibits many types of discrimination and goes a long way toward leveling the playing field for those with disabilities. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local government employers.

On July 26, 2010, ADA celebrates its 20^th anniversary to mark this important legislation signed by President Bush. Persons living with disabilities now have many of the freedoms, and opportunities they have waited many years to have.

Read the latest iSpeak disability blog articles: Beyond the ‘Disabled’ Label, Cyberspace Learning for Disabled Students and Hire Yourself: Promoting Entrepreneurship for those with Disabilities for additional information and resources.