Work experience before graduation is
practically a requirement for a successful move from college to an IT or
engineering career. Getting that experience can be a special challenge
for students with disabilities, but several organizations can help them
make a smooth transition by connecting them early on with top companies
looking for new talent.
Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD, Knoxville,
TN) “has the only nationwide online job and resume databases focused on
college students with disabilities,” says Alan Muir, COSD executive
director. There are more than 300 students and more than sixty employers
nationwide registered in COSD’s Career Gateway database. “It’s a great
way to bring them together,” Muir says.
Muir notes that there is very little reliable information on the
unemployment rate of people with disabilities. Reported numbers range
from 33 to 45 percent, but all observers agree that it is much too high.
Virginia Stern, director of the project on science, technology and
disability for the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS, Washington, DC), believes that there are many opportunities in IT
and engineering for qualified students with disabilities. She cautions
against making sweeping generalizations about employment rates.
“Employment is based on education and skills. There are technology and
accommodations available if needed, and our experience is that employers
are more than ready to supply them,” says Stern.
Entry Point!, a program of AAAS, is another job resource for students
with disabilities. The program is conducted in partnership with
companies and government agencies like IBM, Merck, Lockheed Martin, NOAA
and NASA.
“We seek out talented students and connect them with employers for
summer internships. Internship experience makes a significant difference
when looking for employment,” says Stern. “I think the outlook is
excellent, provided that graduating students have the course work and
internship backgrounds that give them marketable skills.”
Melodi King: skills from multiple internships
Melodi King is an analyst in the Merck Manufacturing
Development Program. She’s based in Philadelphia.
King completed two summer internships in the environment and safety
department of Merck (Whitehouse Station, NJ). Entry Point! arranged
both. “The first summer I set up an organizational system in an Excel
spreadsheet to keep track of files on the environmental impact of
different compounds,” King reports. “The second summer I did a lot of
software testing to optimize manufacturing processes. My job was to
figure out how to use a new software system, test it on manufacturing
processes, and then teach others how it worked. It was really cool to
get that kind of experience. I learned a lot during those summers.”
At the end of King’s second summer Merck held a “super day,” a
rigorous interview session for interns interested in pursuing full-time
employment. “It was the most stressful day of my life. I had five
one-hour interviews,” remembers King. “I received two different offers
afterward and decided to accept a two-year rotating position that would
give me more career options.”
King completed her bachelors in chemical engineering at the
University of Tucson (Tucson, AZ) in 2007.
King has cerebral palsy that affects the right side of her body. She
says that Merck offers an extremely supportive environment. “When I
started my first internship I wrote a disclosure e-mail to everyone I
work with and provided a Web link so they could learn more about my
disability,” says King. “I told them that this is something I want them
to feel comfortable with. Disability only becomes a problem when people
are nervous about asking or telling you something.”
King says that her disability isn’t apparent unless you’re looking
for it. Her condition hasn’t impacted her life as much as her doctors
originally thought it would. “It ended up being much milder, but it’s
still very hard to predict what things I’ll need help with. I can work
on any computer we have, but in a lab it’s difficult to maneuver gloves
on my hands and I need the assistance of co-workers in that type of
situation. Luckily my boss is excellent and all of my colleagues are
very approachable people.”
King strongly recommends that others with a disability disclose their
conditions at work and seek out supportive mentors. “I’m a big fan of
mentors or someone you can talk to who’s not strongly associated with
your company or your immediate job. I have a plethora of mentors at
Merck and Entry Point! and among my family and friends.”
IBM’s Daniel Hebert: emerging tech development
Daniel Hebert, a software engineer at the Lenexa, KS
location of IBM (Armonk, NY), used an Entry Point! internship to prove
that he has the knowledge and skills to succeed despite his disability.
He was an Entry Point! intern at IBM from June to December of 2006.
Hebert uses an electric wheelchair and an adapted Dodge Caravan for
transportation, and says that people with disabilities have unique
problem-solving abilities.
“Anyone with a disability has more than likely had to take an
alternative route to get to the same place as his or her peers. That may
have involved getting services or managing personal care staff and
equipment, transportation and education,” says Hebert. “Individuals with
disabilities working in technical disciplines have their own personal
drive that has molded them into very capable people.”
Hebert majored in computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI, Troy, NY) and did two internships as an undergraduate.
He got experience in Web design, task automation and IT consulting
before he graduated in 2004.
At RPI, Hebert heard about Entry Point! and applied. His Entry Point!
summer internship with IBM became a full-time position.
He understands how important work experience is to gain a competitive
edge in technology. “Programs like Entry Point! let the disabled
demonstrate their abilities.”
At IBM, Hebert develops testing tools, does test conversions and
works on emerging technology development. “Innovation is the most
important part of my job,” says Hebert. “I do a lot of programming to
solve problems.”
Hebert uses several accommodations to get his job done. “I do
development on a separate machine from the laptop I use for everything
else,” he explains. “I’m not able to do physical setup and takedown of
machines, so this allows me to switch between computer setups quickly
and easily.”
IBM also allows Hebert to work from home when he can’t get to the
office. The ability to work remotely is key, he says.
Microsoft’s David Tseng makes technology more accessible
The assistive technology that David Tseng used as a
teenager sparked his interest in the IT field. Tseng, who has been blind
since he was twelve, had a school mentor who showed him how to become
effective in the classroom using Braille and related technologies.
As a college student at University of California-Berkeley he interned
for HumanWare, a company in Concord, CA that produces Braille and
low-vision products like speech software and other computer access
tools. During his internship Tseng dealt with government agencies and
educated them about product benefits.
“My internship helped me learn how to manage time and be responsible
for my transportation,” says Tseng. “I also got experience writing
reports, setting up meetings and analyzing the pros and cons for
products.”
Today, Tseng is a software development engineer in test for Microsoft
(Redmond, WA). He works with Windows automation, accessibility and
applications. He found the position through a posting in Berkeley’s math
department. Tseng had heard that Microsoft has a great reputation for
accommodating disabled employees, and he now knows it firsthand.
“Microsoft contracted out for a mobility instructor to orient me to
building environments to get me to the point where I can find things
that I need and work independently,” he says. The company also has a
shuttle service and wheelchair access.
Tseng works on the same Microsoft accessibility products that he uses
to perform his job. “I’m involved with the parts of Windows that enable
disabled people to use computers. I work on a system that describes to
me what’s on screen and outputs in Braille. It’s really neat,” says
Tseng. “My job is to test the different programs and ensure that they do
what they are supposed to do.”
“Microsoft recognizes the capabilities and contributions of people
with disabilities and wholeheartedly supports the spirit of the
Americans with Disabilities Act. We see that accommodating and enabling
employees to perform the necessary functions of their jobs ultimately
enhances our ability to develop great products and services for
everyone,” says Mylene Padolina, senior diversity consultant for
Microsoft.
New York Life’s Tabitha Estrellado: from contractor to
associate programmer
Tabitha Estrellado is an associate programmer at the
Sleepy Hollow, NY location of New York Life Insurance Company (New York,
NY). She’s thrilled that her year-long contract job with the company
recently led to a permanent full-time position.
Estrellado was placed at New York Life by Lift, Inc (Warren, NJ, www.lift-inc.org), a
program that recruits, trains and places people with significant
disabilities. “We’ve been around since 1975. We carefully screen all
applicants,” says Donna Walters Kozberg, president of Lift. “Our
employees stand out, as Tabitha did, because of their intellectual
aptitude and drive.”
Estrellado began her contract stint at New York Life after she
graduated from Pace University (New York, NY) with a degree in CS in
2006. She started with two months of Lift-sponsored formal classroom
training in mainframe programming. Then she joined a team tackling small
assignments that exercised the knowledge she gained in class.
Estrellado was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a type of muscular
dystrophy. It’s a condition that she describes as “weakening.” She has
an aide with her at work and at home. She can type on her own, but needs
help getting to meetings and handling documents and equipment. New York
Life, she says, has been very supportive, understanding and flexible,
and has welcomed her aide.
“Growing up I was very sickly. The doctor told my mother that I
wouldn’t live past fifteen. Every year until I was twelve I was
hospitalized with pneumonia,” says Estrellado. “My parents learned what
to do and what not to do. I’m grateful that I’m well enough to be out in
the world and am taking advantage of it by working,”
Before Estrellado discovered Lift she faced serious challenges in her
job hunt. “Finding a job is difficult for everyone, but I had an extra
hurdle because I knew I had to prove that I was able to compete,” says
Estrellado. “I have the credentials, high GPA and involvement in school
activities. On every interview I also tried to demonstrate that I have
the spirit to excel.”
At one potential employer she felt sure she had the position after a
series of positive interviews. When she was not offered the job, her
career counseling office suggested she call the company and ask for
feedback. “I was told that I lacked work experience, but because I’d
gotten so far in the interview process I knew this wasn’t a valid
response,” says Estrellado. “The person eventually told me that the
supervisor felt sorry for me.”
With her experience in mind Estrellado tells other new grads with
disabilities, “Never let anyone discourage you. There are employers out
there that understand that although we have disabilities, we’re an
advantage to the company.”
She emphasizes that she owes her career to Lift. “Lift made my dreams
come true. I’m fortunate to have a job that I love with a company like
New York Life. Joining Lift was a very good decision.”
Mary Kim: HR IT at USDA Forest Service
For students with disabilities looking for jobs, the
Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP, Washington, DC) is a great start.
The WRP is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of
Disability Employment Policy and the Department of Defense. The program
connects students and recent grads with disabilities with federal and
private-sector employers across the United States. According to Jerry
McGaughran, college recruitment liaison for WRP, each year 300 to 400
WRP students find internships or permanent jobs, mostly with federal
agencies. Mary Kim is one of them.
Kim, a human resources information technology specialist with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, used the WRP to find
internships while attending Gallaudet University (Washington, DC). She
graduated in 2002 with a degree in computer information systems.
“I registered with WRP three times and got job offers from the USDA,
the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, and the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of the Navy,” says Kim. “During three summers I
worked under the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP). Then in
winter and spring of 2000-01, I worked for USDA under the Student Career
Experience Program (SCEP), which led to the offer of a permanent job
with the USDA Forest Service.”
Kim, who is deaf, employs a number of communication strategies with
co-workers. “For lengthy discussions we converse either with an
Alpha-Smart portable keyboard or through our internal SameTime Connect
instant messaging software,” she explains. “For phone conversations I
mostly use online federal relay services, although I’m exploring the
possibility of adding video relay. For meetings and office social events
my preference is interpreter services. If it’s not possible to find an
interpreter, I use the Alpha-Smart or write notes. ”
Kim has a number of responsibilities, including report writing,
maintaining a Peoplesoft application, computer technology support and
training for staff members, and user training on LAN software and
hardware. Her internship experiences helped her develop her technical
support skills, which are important in her job.
“Teaming with other IT colleagues to troubleshoot and resolve
challenging hardware and software problems for customers, and learning
new techniques or functions that I didn’t know about, are the most
satisfying parts of my work,” says Kim.
She advises disabled students who are currently in college to take
advantage of programs like WRP, STEP and SCEP. “Get hands-on
career-related training in your chosen field by working during summers
and school breaks.”
Timothy Swartos likes the support at Hewlett-Packard
Timothy Swartos is a business system analyst at the
Boise, ID location of Hewlett-Packard (HP, Palo Alto, CA). “My job
entails troubleshooting content-related issues that arise with www.HP.com/support,
which is a complex feed that receives data from numerous sources and
servers,” says Swartos.
Swartos has “gravitated toward anything technical,” especially
computers, since childhood. After high school he had a variety of jobs,
including one in a factory in South Dakota where he was involved in an
industrial accident. “A mechanical safety failed while my hands were
inside a sixty-five-ton metal press. I immediately lost both index
fingers and the top half of both thumbs,” says Swartos. He spent the
next five years undergoing thirty surgeries at the Mayo Clinic.
During this period he visited a friend in Boise and liked it so much
he decided to move there and pursue a bachelors from the University of
Phoenix’s Boise, ID campus. The school’s work-friendly schedule allowed
him the flexibility to do his course work at his own pace.
Soon after he found his job at HP. He finished his bachelors in 2006,
graduating with a degree in business and a minor in information
systems.
Swartos has had years of physical and occupational therapy. He says
that the biggest accommodation that HP provides him is the flexibility
needed for therapy. “There are days when I have to do a ton of mouse use
or data entry, and that usually results in my having to see a physical
therapist,” says Swartos.
“HP’s open policy makes all the difference in the world. I recently
became communications officer for the company’s disability network and
resource group. This is a place for employees to find info and get
together and share resources,” he says.
“A diverse workforce encourages creativity and innovation and helps
build a stimulating work environment here at HP. And a workforce that
reflects the values and demographics of HP’s many markets helps us win
new business,” says HP’s Linda Sharkey, vice president of people
development. “We want to maximize diversity to capitalize on our
differences and enable people to realize their highest potential.”
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