Have you been job searching and feel that you are being discriminated against? Do you have a significant disability that you feel is holding you back? Are you in a wheelchair? Or maybe its just something small that you don’t even consider a disability? Do you walk with a cane or use hearing aids? The American’s With Disabilities Act may be able to help you.

The American’s With Disabilities Act is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities from everyday activities such as shopping and working. You must still be able to do the job, but your disability is not allowed to be a factor in whether or not a company hires you. Employers need to select the most qualified applicant based on reasons unrelated to a disability.

Sometimes you may feel that when you go in to fill out a job application or submit a resume that the people you see are already discriminating against you. You have to ask yourself if it is real, or perceived on your part? Does it really matter? Are they the ones making the hiring decision? If you submit a resume by mail or fax the person choosing who will get an interview is only judging by the resume.

There are agencies in the community that are designed to help people with disabilities find employment. Perhaps working with one of them would be beneficial to you. There are all types of tax credits and deductions to help an employer make their business more disability “friendly”.

As the job seeker you may need to help educate the employer on what you might need as a reasonable accommodation. If you have received an accommodation for a job in the past, were you able to bring it with you when you left that job? Make sure you tell the employer that you have it. Most employers don’t mean to discriminate against you, it is not their fear of you that holds them back, it is the fear of the unknown.