Career Centre

Students with Disabilities

York's Career Centre offers a range of services and events which are open to all York students and recent graduates as well as online resources to assist you with job searching, career exploration and finding volunteer opportunities.

The Career Centre's professional staff strive to provide quality career exploration and job search supports to York students and new graduates. In an effort to continue to make our services more accessible, students with disabilities may find supports in each of the areas indicated below.

York's Career Centre is elevator accessible.

York students who may require additional accommodations are encouraged to contact York's Counselling & Disability Services (CDS), which provides supports to York University students with disabilities.

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Career Exploration Support at the Career Centre

• Career Consult: A Career Consult is an in-person 20-minute intake appointment where students can begin to explore their career questions with a Career Counsellor. Students who are unable to attend an in-person appointment can request to complete their consult via telephone. A Career Consult is the entry point to more in-depth career exploration through Career Counselling.
  
  
• Career Counselling: After students have completed a 20-minute Career Consult appointment they may schedule a one hour Career Counselling session with their Career Counsellor to continue to discuss their career questions. Through Career Counselling students can begin to clarify their career desires and move forward in their career path. Students who are unable to attend an in-person appointment can request to complete their session via telephone.
  
  
• The Career Centre's Career Conversations and Industry Insights panel events offer students an opportunity to learn about various career paths and industries from York alumni and employers. Many of these events are now being video and/or audio taped to allow for remote viewing including the Industry Insights panel Students with Disabilities: Connections and Supports in the Workplace which featured representatives from organizations dedicated to supporting persons with disabilities in the workplace.
  

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Job Search Support at the Career Centre

• Resumé Support: For increased accessibility, students may request to complete a one-on-one Resumé Feedback Session in person, via telephone, or via email. Please note: the Resumé and/or Cover Letter workshops are the prerequisites for one-on-one resumé support.
  
  
• Job Search Advising: Students interested in expanding their job search resources, learning effective job search strategies, and networking and interview tips, may book a one-on-one Job Search Advising appointment with a Job Search Advisor. Students who are unable to attend an in-person appointment can request to complete their session via telephone or via email. Please note: Job Search Advising appointments are 20-minute sessions in which one of your job search questions can be discussed.
  
  
• Post-Graduate Studies Support: Students interested in applying to post-graduate studies such as master's and doctoral programs, teachers college, law school and professional studies may book a Post Graduate Application Support appointment (personal statement and CV review) or PhD Job Search Support session in person, via telephone or email.
  
  
• Job Search Handouts such as resumé and cover letter examples; as well as sample interview questions may be accessed on the Career Centre's website.
  

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Job Search Support Services in the Greater Toronto Area

• Entry Point: employment opportunities for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities
• Workplace Essential Skills Partnership (WESP): an employment program designed for job seekers with disabilities. At no cost to the individual, WESP will support your employment preparation needs
• Ability Edge: a national internship program for graduates with self-declared disabilities to assist them in gaining career-building work experience
• Lime Connect: offers scholarships and events which connect employers with students with disabilities
• JOIN Toronto Region: assisting persons living with disabilities to find and maintain employment and assisting employers to recruit qualified candidates to meet their hiring needs

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General Resources for Students with Disabilities

Government Resources

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA): working to make Ontario more accessible to people with disabilities
• Talk About Disabilities: Choose the Right Word on the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services website
• Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada): helps people with disabilities prepare for, obtain and maintain employment or self-employment
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (Western Economic Diversification Canada): provides western Canadians with disabilities with easy access to business information, training and development, mentoring and one-on-one counselling services, and financing in their pursuit of self-employment and entrepreneurship
• Ontario Human Rights Commission: protects people in Ontario against discrimination in employment, accommodation, goods, services and facilities, and membership in vocational associations and trade unions

Legal Resources

• ARCH Disability Law Centre: Community legal aid clinic dedicated to the equality of rights for persons with disabilities in Ontario

Related Books

• "Job Search Handbook For People With Disabilities" by Dr. David J. Ryan (available at the Career Centre's Resource Library)
• "Transition to Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities" by Carol Kochhar-Bryant, Dianne S. Bassett, Kristine W. Webb
• "Handbook of Career Planning For Students with Special Needs" by Thomas F. Harrington
• "Learning Disabilities and Employment" by Paul Jay Gerber, Dale S. Brown
• "Learning How to Learn: Getting into and Surviving College When You Have a Learning Disability" by Joyanne Cobb
• "The Post-Secondary Guide to Nonverbal Learning Disabilities" by Carol Herriot

Online Resources

• Learning Disabilities Association of Canada: provides leadership and support to people with learning disabilities (LD), their parents, teachers and other professionals.
• Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario: a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, youth and adults with learning disabilities.
• VSA, The International Organization on Arts and Disability: provides arts and education programming for youth and adults with disabilities around the world.
• Denise Bissonnette's profile on the Employee Engagement Network: a writer, trainer and keynote speaker on issues of diversity in the workplace.
• Diversity World: the Diversity Shop offers DVDs, books, resources and a monthly e-newsletter, "True Livelihood."
• NoNotes: a paid service which transcribes recorded audio files into editable notes.

Please Note: Descriptions of many of these resources are taken from language used on external websites. Claims and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Career Centre or York University.