Office of Student Life

Disability Services

Career Support

At Disability Services, we believe in the importance of equal access in the workforce. We collaborate with campus units, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and business leaders to create accessible and inclusive career development opportunities for students with disabilities.

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Ohio College2Careers Counselor at SLDS

Ohio College2Careers, a partnership between The Ohio State University and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, aims for students with disabilities to have the support they need to complete their degree and/or credential, earn higher wages, and meet the demands of tomorrow’s labor market.

College2Careers Counselor embedded at Ohio State: Cyndi Mignone (cyndi.mignone@ood.ohio.gov)

Some of the services available through Ohio College2Careers include:

  • Career exploration and counseling
  • Assistive technology
  • Resume and interview preparation
  • Internships and permanent employment
  • Assistance navigating OhioMeansJobs resources
  • Connection to an expansive employer partner network

To find out if you are eligible for services, visit www.OODWorks.com.

Want to learn more about OOD? It’s the state agency that helps individuals with disabilities get careers and keep careers.  OOD serves individuals with physical, intellectual, and sensory disabilities as well as mental health disorders.  Further information about OOD and its services is available at www.ood.ohio.gov. 

Career Services on Campus

Student Life Buckeye Careers:

Through Buckeye Careers, Student Life provides a unified career services support model available to all students and employers. Buckeye Careers works in partnership with all university career-related services to help employers find the customized support they need, from creating a new internship program to connecting with students.

Career Services Offices:

Ohio State utilizes a comprehensive, de-centralized career services model. College and department career services offices exist across the university to support students in connecting with internships, co-ops and career opportunities related to their majors.

Buckeye OnPACE:

OnPACE is a series of self-guided career modules that can assist students in learning more about themself and choosing a major(s)/careers, applying to grad school and preparing to enter the workforce as a responsible, global citizen. Changes in the workplace will require students to manage their choices proactively by being adaptable, self-initiating and collaborative. With OnPACE, students will similarly manage and complete each module based on their career needs and/or following a step by step approach. It's a students job to keep the pace!

Handshake: 

Handshake is Ohio State’s comprehensive, web-based career services management platform to help employers find and engage with talented students for internship, co-op and career opportunities. Access Handshake at handshake.osu.edu.

*This section's content adapted from Buckeye Careers - Career Resources page.

Internship Opportunities

Workforce Recruitment Program is a collaborative effort between the U.S. President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Job Accommodation Network. This program recruits and screens qualified college students with disabilities for summer or permanent positions. Phone interviews will be held during the Autumn Semester. By the end of December, the student’s information is placed on a database that is then made available to employers in the public and private sector. Interested employers can make contact with students to offer employment. For more information, please visit www.wrp.gov. Contact your Disability Services Access Specialist if you are interested in this opportunity.

Wright Choice is a nonprofit organization based out of Columbus who helps students with disabilities with job readiness skills and locating internship opportunities. For more information, please visit www.wrightchoice.org.

Entry Point is a program through the American Association for the Advancement of Science that recruits, interviews and refers students with disabilities for paid internships with NASA, IBM, Du Pont, Proctor and Gamble, Seagate and the National Science Foundation. Entry Point seeks undergraduate or graduate students majoring in science, engineering, math and computer science who maintain a 3.0 G.P.A. or higher. More information is available at the Entry Point web site, www.entrypoint.org.

 

Student Employment Resources

Finding a Student Job site - Lists multiple resources to job search boards (Handshake, Work Study) and helpful advice.  The link is https://see.osu.edu/students/finding-a-student-job

The Human Resources website for students employees who wish to seek workplace accommodations is https://hr.osu.edu/services/disability-benefits-leave-services/workplace-accommodations/

Disability Disclosure

 

Disability Access & Inclusion Resources

  • Job Accommodation Network - A useful site with job hunting tips, ideas for accommodations broken down by disability, links for adaptive equipment and ADA information.
  • Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) - A state agency that provides employment-related services to people with disabilities, including training, job placement, job coaching and job-related accommodations. Here at The Ohio State University, Kari Grafton is the OOD "Ohio College2Careers" Counselor.  Kari’s office is in Student Life Disability Services in Baker Hall.  She can be reached at Karen.grafton@ood.ohio.gov.
  • Center for Vocational Alternatives (COVA) - provides job placement services for people with mental illness, including Benefits Analysis (review of what you can make in a job if you receive SSI or SSDI), and Rehabilitation Readiness (series of classes offered for free for people with mental illness entering or re-entering the workforce—classes focus on resources, what you need to know, dealing with your disability in the workplace, interviewing tips, etc.) (614) 294-7117.
  • National Federation of the Blind (NFB) - Resources for Working: This site provides resources for both those seeking employment and employers.  For people seeking employment, there are a variety of discussion boards that can be accessed and uses, links to training centers, technology centers and state and local organizations. For employers, there are resources for information on Braille signs, courtesy rules of blindness, laws and regulations, and information about how to accommodate blind and low vision employees.
  • College Resources for Visually Impaired Students - Provides information on accommodations, scholarships and assistive technologies.
  • National Business and Disability Council: This site provides resources on how to disclose a disability, as well as how to network, write a resume and construct an elevator speech. There are also links to job search engines and career events taking place around the country. People can post resumes as well as look at other resumes on the site. There is also information on ADA Compliance laws, reasonable accommodations to ask for and specialized equipment needed to perform particular jobs.
  • Office of Disability Employment Policy, United States Department of Labor: This site provides information for both job seekers with disabilities as well as employers of people with disabilities. Office of Disability Employment Policy does not enforce any laws, but makes them easy to access as well as provides resources such as information on assistive technology, education and training for the job search, as well as employment support.