Next Steps

For more about how to support your child as he or she looks for a job and gets one, read DB101’s articles:

• Start Planning Now, which covers many of the basic issues faced by young people with disabilities as they become adults.
• Finding a Job, which discusses the processes involved in deciding what sorts of work to look for and strategies for finding that work.
• Working, which looks at what happens after your child gets a job and includes valuable suggestions about making sure work goes well.
• Four Ways Benefits Support Work, which looks at why your child will be better off when working.
• Use DB101’s School and Work Estimator to get a sense of how work could impact your child’s benefits.

North Carolina's Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD), formerly called the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS or VR), helps people with disabilities prepare for and find work. Whether you're looking to enter the workforce for the first time, return to work, or enter a new line of work, a counselor can work with you to figure out which services you need and develop a plan to help you reach your work goals.

Call or visit the Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD) office near you.

Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program helps people with disabilities who get Social Security benefits re-enter the workforce and become more independent. The Ticket to Work Program offers free access to employment-related services, such as training, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation. You can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY).

A trained Benefits Planner can help you understand your benefits programs. Exactly who you need to contact depends on your situation and the benefits you get.

View DB101's full list of experts who can help you understand different benefits.