Programs that Support Work
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The Basics
For people with disabilities, work is more of a possibility than ever before. A job can let you earn your own money and help you meet more people and live more independently. Many people with disabilities are successful at meaningful jobs that they enjoy.
With the right kind of training, preparation, and reasonable accommodations, you can have a successful career. There are several programs that help people with disabilities prepare for and find jobs.
Ticket to Work
For adults (age 18-64) with disabilities who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the federal Ticket to Work program provides help preparing for, finding, and keeping a job. Sometimes just called the "Ticket program," it connects people to agencies offering vocational rehabilitation, training, referrals, job coaching, job counseling, and placement services.
Learn more about Ticket to Work.
Illinois workNet
An Illinois workNet Center can help you with your job search or career planning. Their free services include help finding a job, tests to see what skills you have, job training, career counseling, help creating or updating a resume, mock interviews, and workshops.
Learn more about Illinois workNet.
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) can help you 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.
DRS also offers specialized support services for people who are:
Learn more about the Division of Rehabilitation Services or its specialized DRS services.
People with disabilities are almost always better off when working. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and Illinois have work incentives that let you start working without losing your benefits. And, if your income drops or you have to stop working, your benefits will go up or start up again.
For more info, check out these DB101 pages and tools:
- SSI and Work explains rules that help you if you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and start working.
- SSDI and Work explains rules that help you if you get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and start working.
- The Benefits and Work Estimator is an interactive tool that lets you put in your work plan to see how your situation could get better.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.
Programs that Support Work
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Ticket to Work Program
Ticket to Work is a federal program that helps adults with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep a job. To qualify, you must:
- Be 18 to 64 years old
- Currently be getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits
Note: If you have a disability and don’t qualify for Ticket to Work because you don’t get SSI or SSDI, you may still qualify to get vocational rehabilitation services through Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), or any of its specialized support services.
Ticket to Work, sometimes called the “Ticket program” for short, connects people to services like:
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Training
- Referrals
- Job coaching
- Job counseling
- Placement services
While you are in the Ticket program, Social Security will not do medical Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs), as long as you make timely progress in meeting your employment goals. That means you won’t lose eligibility for SSI or SSDI for medical reasons.
Signing Up
If you get SSI or SSDI and are 18-64 years old, you automatically qualify for the Ticket program. When you are ready to think about work and want to figure out how to get started, you can start the Ticket program by contacting a Ticket to Work Employment Network (EN) or by contacting DRS, or any of its specialized services.
Employment Networks are organizations that can give you the various employment services that Ticket provides. They can be public or private agencies, and may offer slightly different services depending on their specialty or focus. Here are some examples of types of ENs:
- Community rehabilitation programs
- Developmental disability agencies
- Mental health agencies
DRS and its specialized support programs also offer Ticket to Work services that can help you figure out what work to do and how to get a job.
You can only get Ticket to Work services from one agency at a time. That means you have to decide on getting your services from one EN (or from DRS or its specialized programs) – that’s called “assigning your ticket.” The nonprofit Equip for Equality (EFE) gives an overview of the Ticket to Work program, including choosing between DRS or an EN.
Choosing an EN
You can use the Employment Network Directory to find Employment Networks in your area.
For more help choosing an EN:
- Call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY)
- Email the Ticket to Work customer service office at support@choosework.ssa.gov
- Learn more about the different types of Ticket to Work service providers.
Once you’ve found an EN that interests you, contact it to see if the services and supports it offers are right for you. ENs offer different services based on their specialties. Talk to a few, so that you find one that is a good match for you.
If you think you might want to assign your ticket to DRS or its specialized programs, learn more about the services offered by DRS or its specialized support services.
Changing Employment Networks
You can change your Employment Network at any time. To change ENs, ask your Employment Network to have your ticket “unassigned.” For more detailed information:
- Call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY)
- Email the Ticket to Work customer service office at support@choosework.ssa.gov
Individual Work Plans
When you and an Employment Network (or DRS or its specialized programs) have agreed to work together, you create an Individual Work Plan (IWP) that clearly shows the responsibilities you and your EN have in order to help you achieve your work goals.
Your plan should include at least the following:
- Your employment goals (the type of work you want to do)
- All services your EN agrees to give you and how they will be delivered to you
- Your responsibilities to meet your work goals and continue to receive services
- What you can do if you are not satisfied with your EN or your plan
- How you can change your plan if you need to
Timely Progress
After you and your EN sign the plan, you want to make “timely progress” towards reaching your employment goals, because as long as you do so, you will not be subject to a medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR) by the Social Security Administration (SSA). That means you won’t lose your eligibility for SSI or SSDI for medical reasons.
To see if you are making timely progress, the Ticket to Work program will review your progress at the end of each 12-month period. If you have met specific requirements related to working a certain amount and making a certain amount of money or achieving educational goals, you don’t have to do a medical CDR.
Get more information from Social Security about timely progress.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.
Programs that Support Work
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Illinois workNet
An Illinois workNet Center can help you with your job search or career planning, with both in-person and online help available.
Services
Illinois workNet Centers offer free services, including:
- Help finding a job
- Tests to see what skills you have
- Job training
- Career counseling
- Help creating or updating a resume
- Mock interviews
- Workshops
Your local center can tell you about all the services they offer. They can also tell you about local employers who are hiring and teach you the basics of how to do a job search. Plus, each center has equipment that can help you with your job search, including computers, adaptive equipment, and materials in alternative formats.
Illinois workNet also has help online:
- A Quick Start Guide to learn how Illinois workNet can help you achieve your training and career goals.
- A Disability Works program with resources and tools for job seekers with disabilities. This includes videos to guide you through the job search and employment process, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
- A Disability Employment Guide to help you reach your career, training, and employment goals.
- A Youth Guide with quick and easy steps for young people wanting to explore careers, find training, or get resume help.
- Illinois workNet’s Virtual Job Fair (VJF), which lets you explore employer information, meet with employers, and find job opportunities via desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Locations
You can find job search or career planning services near you, using either the Illinois workNet Service Finder tool or the more specialized Disability Services Locator tool.
The Illinois workNet Calendar offers information about job fairs, adult education classes, and job training sessions.
Illinois IPS offers information to people with lived experience of mental illness, their family and friends, service providers, advocates, and employers about productive and satisfying work for people with disabilities.
The Illinois Department of Employment Services lets you search for training programs provided by the Illinois Career Information System.
The Apprenticeship Illinois program helps students and youth get structured on-the-job training with job-related classes.
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership offers digital tools for improving your job search in high-growth and high-demand industries.
You can get help applying to work for the State of Illinois through its Disabled Workers Programs.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.
Programs that Support Work
- The Basics
- Ticket to Work Program
- Illinois workNet
- The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
- Specialized DRS Support Services
- Next Steps
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The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) can help you prepare for and find work. They can help you get the training or other services that you need to return to work, enter a new line of work, stay in the workforce, or enter the workforce for the first time. The vocational rehabilitation services that DRS offers depend on your strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, and interests. A DRS counselor works with you to figure these out and make a plan for reaching your work goals.
To become eligible for services from DRS, you must have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult for you to find and keep a job. If you qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on your disability, you probably qualify for DRS.
DRS can be your service provider for the Ticket to Work program, or you may be eligible for DRS services without being in the Ticket program.
Use the Department of Health Services Office Locator to find a rehabilitation services office near you, or call 1-877-581-3690 or 1-800-447-6404 (TTY).
You can get specialized support from DRS if you are:
- Blind or visually impaired
- Deaf or hard of hearing
- Hispanic or Latino with a disability
Learn more in DB101's section on Specialized DRS Support Services.
DRS Transition Services for Students
Illinois students with disabilities who are 14.5 years old to 21 years old may qualify for Pre-Employment Transition Services (PTS) or Secondary Transitional Experience Program (STEP) services to help them become productive, self-sufficient adults. Many of these services are provided through local high schools, and can include:
-
Job exploration counseling
- Work-based-learning experience
- Counseling on college or vocational training programs
- Workplace readiness training
- Self-advocacy instruction
- In-school and worksite training options, including internships, with the goal of having an employer-paid job in an integrated community setting
To learn more, read the downloadable brochure on Transition Services for Youth with Disabilities or call DRS at 1-877-761-9780, 1-866-264-2149 (TTY), or 1-312-957-4881 (videophone or VP).
Other Resources
Schools for Children and Youth with Disabilities
DRS runs three residential schools designed to prepare children and youth with disabilities to live successfully as independent, self-supporting citizens who are actively involved in their communities:
- The Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville has accredited academic programs for preschool through 12th grade (3-21 years old), plus a program for deaf or hard of hearing infants and toddlers in the surrounding area.
-
The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired in Jacksonville offers educational and related services for students who are blind or visually impaired in preschool, elementary, and high school (birth to age 22).
-
The Illinois Center for Rehabilitation and Education - Roosevelt in Chicago serves students with severe physical disabilities from elementary to 12th grade, as well as those transitioning to other programs.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.
Programs that Support Work
- The Basics
- Ticket to Work Program
- Illinois workNet
- The Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
- Specialized DRS Support Services
- Next Steps
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Specialized DRS Support Services
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) offers specialized support services for people who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or Hispanic or Latino with disabilities.
Services for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
If you are blind or visually impaired, the Bureau of Blind Services (BBS) can help you gain independence and reach your work, education, training, and independent living goals. Their services include:
- Evaluation
- Guidance and counseling
- Education
- Training
- Physical and mental restoration
- Assistive devices
- High level blindness training
- Job development
- Job placement
- Support services to help you get and keep a job
BBS also offers:
- Blindness skill training at a residential program for people who are newly blind or visually impaired
- Independent living services for older adults who are blind
- The Illinois Business Enterprise Program for the Blind (BEPB), a training program with on-line, classroom, and on-the-job experience
Get more information about DRS services for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Services for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
If you have a hearing loss (deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, or deafblind), you can get help to find a job, get ready to go to work, or find the services you need.
Rehabilitation Counselors for the Deaf offer help with things like:
- Vocation Rehabilitation services
- Counseling and guidance
- Help with training and technology
- Hearing loss resources
- Information about and referral to needed services
- Interpreter resources and guidelines
- Advocacy
Get more information about DRS services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Services for People with Disabilities who are Hispanic or Latino
If you are 16-64 years old, Hispanic or Latino, have a disability, and want to work, Spanish-speaking and culturally-sensitive DRS staff will:
- Help you get ready for and find a job
- Connect you with needed support, like the Home Services program
- Give technical help and support
- Help migrant and seasonal farm workers with disabilities and their families
- Do statewide outreach, information, and referral to people in the Vocational Rehabilitation and Home Services programs
- Guide Hispanic or Latino DRS clients to serve as advocates on boards and committees
Get more information about DRS services for people with disabilities who are Hispanic or Latino.
You can apply for these specialized services by:
- Using the Department of Human Services Office Locator and search for Rehabilitation Services to find the nearest local office
- Calling 1-877-581-3690 or 1-800-447-6404 (TTY)
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.
Programs that Support Work
Try It
Next Steps
Get Help Finding a Job
The Ticket to Work Program can connect you with employment-related services, such as training, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation. If you are 18-64 years old and get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you automatically qualify for Ticket services. To get started, contact a Ticket to Work Employment Network (EN) or the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS).
An Illinois workNet Center can help with your job search or career planning. To find one near you, use either the Illinois workNet Service Finder tool or the more specialized Disability Services Locator tool.
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) can help you prepare for and find work. And if you are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or Hispanic or Latino with disabilities, you can get specialized DRS support services. To apply for any DRS services (including specialized support):
- Use the Department of Human Services Office Locator and search for Rehabilitation Services
- Call 1-877-581-3690 or 1-800-447-6404 (TTY)
Online Resources for Work
Illinois IPS offers information to people with lived experience of mental illness, their family and friends, service providers, advocates, and employers about productive and satisfying work for people with disabilities.
The jobPrep App lets you look for work and get help finding a job on Android, iOS, and Amazon devices.
The Illinois Department of Employment Services lets you search for training programs provided by the Illinois Career Information System.
The Apprenticeship Illinois program helps students and youth get structured on-the-job training with job-related classes.
The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership offers digital tools for improving your job search in high-growth and high-demand industries.
You can get help applying to work for the State of Illinois through its Disabled Workers Programs.
Ticket to Work
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).
Get Help with Your Benefits
A trained benefits expert 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.
Learn more
What Benefits Do I Get?
How to see which Social Security and state benefits you get.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI helps people with disabilities and seniors who have low income and resources.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
TANF helps families pay for basic needs like food, clothing, and rent.