Possible careers for people living with disabilities

Now that we have discussed how to approach making a career decision, it is time to think about possible careers in your field of interest. Different disabilities come with different limitations; a blind individual has different challenges associated with their disability when compared to an individual who is deaf. These differences create different limits in terms of the working environment, these challenges also require special provisions therefore it is very important to realise and allow our differences to benefit us in our careers rather than hinder us.

There will be a variety of jobs supplied for individuals with various disabilities, please note that the suggested jobs are by no means a limitation for persons with disabilities, they are merely options to look at when choosing a career, especially if you are not sure which career to choose.

The following section indicates different careers according to different disabilities;

Deaf

Deafness refers to the inability to hear. A fully deaf individual cannot hear any sound of any nature, some are born deaf and some lose their hearing due to accidents, medical conditions or aging. Being deaf does not come with many restrictions, the restrictions you may experience are not too limiting. Therefore for a deaf individual most jobs can be recommended, provided it does not require a high amount of verbal communication. Some of the careers we can recommend are:

Possible Careers for Deaf Individuals

Career Fields	Information Technology	Accounting	Health Care	Performing Arts	Law	Science & Engineering
Possible Job Titles	Computer Programmer	Accounting Professional	Dental Hygienist	Performing Artist	Lawyer	All fields of Engineering
	Systems Analyst	Tax Professional	Psychologist (Specialising with deaf individuals)	Interpreter		Electrician
	System Engineer		Nurse	Dancer		Lab Technician Mathematician
	Software Developer		Speech Pathologist	Theatrical Dresser		Geologist
	Network Administrator		Audiologist	Graphic Designer		Meteorologist
	Website Developer		Sonographer	Computer Game Design		Mathematician
			X-ray Technician			Astronomer
			Veterinarian

Blind

Blindness refers to the inability to see, there are various levels of blindness ranging from partial blindness to complete blindness. People who are blind are faced with a variety of limitations largely because sight is required for a great deal of work tasks. Some individuals can function fully and comfortably in the working environment if the proper provisions have been made; like text reading software or they are allowed to bring their guide dogs to work for example and the career they choose does not require much sight use or can be adapted to a blind individual.  As a blind individual, these are some of the careers you can look into:

Possible Careers for Completely Blind Individuals

Career Fields	Social Sciences	Sales	Health Care	Performing Arts	Law	Human Resources
Possible Job Titles	Hotel Receptionist	Customer Sales Operator	Massage Therapist	Actor	Attorney	Human Resource Practitioner
	Tour Guide	Marketing Manager	Physical Therapist	Disk Jockey (DJ)	Judge
	Social Worker		Therapist	Museum Guide
	Priest		Psychologist	Sculptor
	Educator/Teacher			Potter

Speech Impaired

A speech impaired individual is one who experiences a challenge when speaking; the impairment may vary from a lisp to someone who cannot talk at all. In this context a speech impaired individual will be one considered to be one who cannot talk at all or one who cannot construct words to express what they would like to say. The main limitation associated with speech impairment in the work world would be experiencing challenges when communicating verbally with others, although there is a varied range of text to speech software it can still pose a challenge at work when one needs to communicate with others. For an individual with speech impairment careers that are recommended are those that do not require extensive communication and those are:

Possible Careers for Speech Impaired Individuals

Career Fields	Social Sciences	Information Technology	Health Care	Performing Arts	Science & Engineering	Human Resources
Possible Job Titles	Interpreter (Sign Language)	Programmer	Massage Therapist	Dancer	All fields of Engineering	Human Resources Manager
	Editor	Systems Analyst	Physio Therapist	Musician (Instrumental)	Scientist
	Publisher			Artist	Laboratory Technician
	Chef			Sculptor	Technician
				Potter	Geologist
				Designer	Meteorologist
				Writer	Mathematician

Mobility Impaired

Mobility impairment refers to a physical limitation that impacts an individual’s ability to function effectively within society. There are varying modes of mobility impairment, they can be on the lower or the upper body or both. An individual may be able to walk but limp, they may be able to walk with the assistance of a prosthetic leg or cane, or they may not be able to walk at all due to spinal damage or lack of limbs and require a wheel chair to get around. Others may be missing an arm, a portion of the arm, both arms or have a defect that makes it difficult to move around well. A mobility impaired individual struggles with tasks that require extensive physical input. It would thus be recommended that physically impaired individuals seek careers that do not require a large amount of physical input, that being said it also differs depending on the degree to which the individual is limited. For an individual with mobility impairment careers that are recommended are those that do not require extensive physical input and those are:

Possible Careers for Mobility Impaired Individuals

Career Fields	Social Sciences	Information Technology	Law	Performing Arts	Science & Engineering	Human Resources
Possible Job Titles	Interpreter	Programmer	Attorney		Project Manager	Human Resources Manager
	Editor	Systems Analyst	Judge	Musician	Scientist
	Publisher	Business Analyst		Artist	Laboratory Technician
	Administrative Officer	Software Engineer		Sculptor	Meteorologist
				Potter	Mathematician
				Designer
				Writer

Severe and Chronic Pains

Sever and chronic pains may not necessarily be a disability but may limit your ability to perform certain tasks. They may also eventually result in a disability. Chronic pain refers to pain that is consistent in a particular area of the body and lasts for longer than a period of 12 weeks. Chronic pain may occur as a result of an injury, an illness or the source may not be known. Examples of Chronic Pain diseases may be lower Back Pain, Hip Bursitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Headache, Knee pain, Neck Pain (Cervical Pain), Arthritis, cancer, Chronic fatigue syndrome. Although an individual with sever or chronic pain is not disabled there are careers that tend to be limiting, these are careers that can be looked at and recommended if an individual suffers from severe and chronic pain:

Possible Careers for Individuals with Severe and Chronic Pains

Career Fields	Social Sciences	Information Technology	Law	Commerce	Science & Engineering	Human Resources
Possible Job Titles	Administrative Assistant	Programmer	Attorney	Accountant	Engineer	Human Resources Manager
	Self-Employment	Systems Analyst	Judge		Scientist
	Editor/Writer	Business Analyst			Laboratory Technician
		Software Engineer			Meteorologist
					Mathematician

Psychological Impairment

A psychologically impaired individual is one who suffers from a mental condition that affects the way they function in society resulting in them displaying behaviour that would be considered peculiar. These conditions vary and impact an individual’s ability to function well in society in various ways and at various degrees. This also reflects in their ability to perform at work. A psychologically impaired individual can function in any job provided they take their medication consistently and as prescribed.