We are here to support you during your time at York with your career planning and skills development.  We offer:

• Careers advice appointments with a careers consultant
• Careers drop-in (semester time only) and First Steps appointments with the information team
• Practice interviews
• CV/application reviews (via Handshake)

Find out more about appointments and how to book a time to talk to us.  You can also send questions to the Careers Information Team in Handshake.

We also have:

• Careers fairs and events, some in-person and some online
• Volunteering opportunities providing valuable experience which will help you make a good impression in your CV, job applications and interviews
• A range of programmes to help you identify your strengths, develop skills and develop your employability while at university

Find out more about disability support at the University of York.

Careers and Placements is located in a single storey building near the centre of Campus West, next to the central car park, with an accessible main entrance. We aim to ensure that all students have access to the resources, services and events on offer. 

You can book appointments via Handshake, and can choose whether you prefer a face-to-face or online appointment. Where appropriate, you are welcome to invite your support worker to a careers appointment, and can contact us in advance to book a time to suit everyone. If you feel you would benefit more from a longer appointment, please do get in touch to request this. 

If you need any adjustments to help you access our services, please contact us.

You can contact us by sending a message on Handshake or by emailing careers@york.ac.uk 

Employers with a positive attitude to disability can be identified from their recruitment information and/or they may use the disability confident logo or ‘two ticks’ symbol, guaranteeing an interview to all candidates with disabilities who fulfil the minimum job requirements. Also look for a company’s equal opportunities policy, and employee support networks.‌  The GOV.UK website has a list of disability confident employers, and the Business Disability Forum lists member organisations. ‌

Find inclusive employers by looking at company websites for information about disabled staff networks, or profiles featuring employees with disabilities. Check recruitment information to see whether they offer materials in alternative formats, or invite requests for adjustments. PwC's information on applying with a disability is a good example of inclusive company information and mentions the kind of adjustments you might request from an employer. Many employers have a disability network offering support and acting as a voice for disabled staff in the organisation.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate because of a 'protected characteristic', one of which is disability.

Disability is defined as "a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities". The definition is broad and covers a wide range of long-term conditions, see the advice from Disability Rights UK.

The Act covers the areas of recruitment, including applications, tests and interviews, employment, including terms and conditions, training and promotion, and issues such as redundancy, dismissal and grievances.

Employers must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ which may include adjustments to the recruitment process, adjusting working hours or providing equipment to enable an employee with disabilities to do the job. See the GOV.UK website for more information, including the Access to work scheme.

MyPlus Students Club has information on Requesting Adjustments in the recruitment process. See also the Requesting adjustments section below.

Some organisations run insight events and placements - these tend to be in areas such as the Civil Service, law and finance.

Civil Service: Early Diversity Programme (one week, Easter), Summer Diversity Internship Programme (two months) - apply for these schemes early autumn for the following year. Note these schemes are currently under review (2024)

Commercial law: Explore the Law -  Insight event for people with a disability or long term health condition considering a career in commercial law (next event 23 November 2023).

Lawyers with Disabilities Division also offers help with work experience placements.

Investment banking: Investing in Talent aims to give undergraduates with disabilities and long term health conditions an insight into investment banking careers (next event 25 October 2023). 

BBC is a Disability Confident employer, sometimes offering internships and work experience. Other TV companies, such as Channel 4 and GMTV also offer work placement and employment opportunities. 

EmployAbility works with organisations to offer work experience and graduate jobs to candidates with disabilities; check vacancies advertised through Handshake.

Change100 offer summer internships with leading employers (also advertised in Handshake); apply from September for the following summer, see their video for more information. Closing date for summer 2024 applications is 30 November 2023.

10000 Interns Foundation has paid internships for disabled students and graduates.

There is no obligation to tell an employer about your disability - whether and how to do this is your decision.

You will need to tell an employer if you want them to make recruitment or workplace adjustments. An employer does not need to know your diagnosis or prognosis; they do not need to see any medical information. They just need enough information to identify potential difficulties and make appropriate adjustments. You are not being treated more favourably than other candidates; adjustments make recruitment fair and accessible for all candidates and mean you can compete on equal terms with others.

You may want to think about the pros and cons and implications:

• If you would like to discuss how and when to talk about your disability with an employer, book a careers advice appointment through Handshake to talk with one of our careers consultants.
• There is a helpful section on equality issues and your graduate job hunt on the targetjobs website.
• Log into the VLE first to access Your rights at work presentation 2020 (19 minutes)
• Disability Rights UK Telling people about a disability
• MyPlus Students Club has information on Requesting Adjustments in the recruitment process and at work.

Examples of recruitment adjustments might be:

• requesting interview questions in advance (or in writing at the interview)
• extra time for tests or selection activities
• if tests are text heavy, you might ask for changes to the format of the text, or ask to use text to speech software
• letting an employer know about any difficulties with cognitive processing, so that they can take this in to account when talking with you - for situational judgement tests or interviews, you might ask for questions in advance, or for the context to be clearly explained (for example "This question is to see how you approach prioritising different tasks").

When you apply for jobs, you will need to evidence your skills. In addition to skills gained from your course and any other activities, you may have developed particular skills in managing your disability, for example:  

• Interpersonal skills and possibly management experience (managing support workers and/or carers) 
• Communication and negotiation skills
• Flexibility, creativity and problem-solving
• Empathy
• Organisation, planning and budgeting
• Resilience and tenacity

Careers staff can help you to positively position your disability, and to be confident in explaining your situation and requesting any adjustments you may need.

Information

• The GOV.UK website has information on looking for work
• The government funded Access to Work scheme provides advice, as well as practical and financial support to disabled people and their employers, for example to make the work environment accessible and to provide you with support. It can fund a BSL interpreter for D/deaf candidates at interview. The Access to Work fund is not available for unpaid work/volunteering. Note – do not presume an employer will know about the Access to Work scheme. You can find out more about Access to work on the Disability Rights UK website.
• List of Disability Confident employers (Government voluntary scheme to enable employers to recruit and retain people with disabilities and long-term health conditions; replaces the old "two ticks" scheme)
• The role of a workplace Personal Assistant

Not sure if you can apply for Universal Credit or not sure you want to?

If you have finished university and you are unemployed you could be eligible. Even if you’ve moved back in with your parents or guardians you could still apply; Universal Credit is not based on what other people in your household earn. For more information about applying for Universal Credit as a recent graduate, read the advice from Save the Student.

Recruitment

• EmployAbility is the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping disabled students and graduates into employment. They can help you find internships or permanent roles at a wide range of blue-chip employers including leading investment banks, law firms, plus many others - including the NHS and Google. Register with them to access advice and support, or check their events and webinars. They also have a number of webinar videos about the recruitment process, including one on adjustments in the context of Covid-19.
• Evenbreak, a not-for-profit social enterprise, seeks to match employers with talented disabled candidates; Evenbreak's Career hive offers career support from careers professionals with lived experience of disability.
• Exceptional Individuals works with employers and candidates to encourage employers to hire people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
• Patchwork Hub is an accessible remote working employment platform where you can connect with tasks, projects or permanent employment, outside of the conventional office 9-5
• Astriid also aims to connect people with a long-term/chronic condition with volunteering and employment.

Support

• Doing Careers Differently written by and for people with a disability or health condition on how to make a success of your career. It is available to download from the Disability Rights UK website.
• MyPlus Students' Club has a recruitment section with advice on applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and managing your disability; information on organisations, and profiles of individuals at various stages of their careers, working in different sectors. They also offer regular webinars for students on employability skills and applying for jobs. (You may want to create an account to access more resources on this website.)
• AbilityNet supports digital accessibility, and can advise on technology and adaptations for education and the workplace
• Business Disability Forum is an employers’ organisation, which shares expertise, advice, training and networking opportunities, and seeks to promote best practice in recruitment and employment. They publish a range of useful factsheets and guides for managers about disability issues in the workplace. 
• City Disabilities offer support and mentoring to students and graduates who want to build a career in the City of London.
• The Lawyers with Disabilities Division promotes equal opportunities for disabled people within the legal profession
• Disabled Entrepreneurs offer business support to disabled people across the UK.
• BASE organisation offering supported employment
• Scope has lots of information related to employment and a Support to work service.
• YUSU Disabled Students Network represents disabled students at the University of York. Contact YUSU's Disabled Students Officers for more information.

Blind / visually impaired

• Blind in Business helps visually impaired people with finding work, the interview process and obtaining equipment to help you succeed, and run events and workshops (London based)
• RNIB provides employment support for blind and partially sighted people.

Deaf / hearing impaired

• RNID has accessibility guidance, including work, for D/deaf people and those with hearing loss or tinnitus
• Deaf Works Everywhere is a campaign from the National Deaf Children's Society supporting young people into work. They have a series of careers videos on YouTube, featuring D/deaf people in different jobs, and other playlists including using LinkedIn, Access to Work, and careers advice.

Facial disfigurement

• Changing Faces has case studies and advice for employees and employers about facial disfigurement.

Mental health

• Mind has advice on applying for jobs, and on mental health at work, and getting support at work.

M.E.

• Action for M.E. offers support and resources and a Guide on M.E. and work (pdf, 2016)
• Astriid may help you explore alternative ways of working with M.E. Their candidate support section includes articles on self-employment and applying for jobs.

Neurodiversity

• Exceptional individuals is an organisation offering employment support, workshops and job coaching

ADHD

• ADHD UK has a pack on ADHD in the workplace to help with conversations between employers and employees about helpful adjustments.

Autism

• Graduation to Employment course for autistic students, University of York, short course summer 2023
• The National Autistic Society offers support with looking for work and applications, including a free online training module on Finding Employment (scroll down the page to find the free courses). They also have helpful information for employers. 
• Autism Plus, based in Sheffield, offers specialist employment support. Some of their programmes cover York and other areas.
• Ambitious about Autism supports autistic young people, and advertises work experience including some summer internships
• The IMAGE project has a toolkit to help you with the transition from university into employment. 
• Free job search tutorial for autistic and neurodivergent candidates - Employability skills for autistic students and graduates, includes downloadable resources to help you prepare for job applications and interviews and think about adjustments you might request. Available free of charge via the Udemy platform (you will need to register on Udemy to access the course).
• Enna seeks to help neurodivergent adults find jobs with inclusive employers.

Dyspraxia

• How to use Dyspraxia as an advantage in the workplace from the Agcas disability task group blog

Stammering

• Stamma (The British Stammering Association) has tips about job hunting, interviews, work and reasonable adjustments for people who stammer.

Agcas blog for students and graduates with disabilities

Disability Horizons: A 21^st century view of disability has an employment section, (as well as blogs, articles and personal stories). 

MyPlus Students Club stories and blogs

Life of Pippa blog (UoY graduate) Tips for job hunting as a disabled graduate

Ableism in Academia (Twitter) - disability and ableism in academia

Focussing on strengths and working with dyslexia - blog by Sam Shires, Management consultant with Accenture.