Best Stay-at-Home Careers for People with Disabilities
Introduction
Disabilities don’t have to stop people from having a good career. As a testament to this, one man bea computer programmer despite being a partial paraplegic. His career allowed him to be a father, a homeowner, and an independent person. He even mentions that his children can still rely on him for support despite being adults.
Stories like these serve as proof that anyone can pursue good careers — they just have to find the right one that caters to their passion. To start your journey, here are some of the best stay-at-home careers for PWDs:
Nurse Practitioner
Online nurse practitioners are expected to evaluate patient needs, order and interpret tests, diagnose diseases, and prescribe treatment via telehealth platforms like Sesame Care. Since they will be working with people with health issues, people who are confident, emphatic, and composed under stressful situations are the best type of people to apply for the position.
This role requires at least a master’s degree in nursing or a graduate degree from a program designed to train nurse practitioners. You must also have a valid registered nurse license and certification from a national certifying agency like The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Another popular role for those with a physical disability is to become a psychiatric mental health nurse. This is a highly specialized field and will require a certification in psychiatric nursing.
There are many remote nurse practitioner jobs across the country, even in more remote states like Alabama. To find remote opportunities, browse telehealth platforms like Wheel, which can help you find a nearby provider in the field.
Online Teacher
Teaching is a career for people who are hungry for knowledge and are patient enough to share it. To become an online teacher, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in education or a relevant field like Liberal Studies. However, if you want to teach at a college level, you will need a master’s degree as well as significant experience in your field.
Aside from graduating with a relevant degree, however, online teachers also need to be a little tech-savvy. Not only do you need to be familiar with video conferencing programs like Zoom and G Suite, but you also need to learn how to use apps that can help you teach online lessons more effectively. An example would be the quiz platform Kahoot.
Today, you can find virtual teaching opportunities on job sites like Indeed and Glassdoor. You can even customize the state where you want to teach. For example, Elevate K-12 in Chicago is currently looking for virtual math teachers.
Lawyer
Remote lawyers represent and advise individuals and companies regarding legal matters through virtual means like video-conferencing. If you’re the analytical type who is confident in both your written and oral communication skills, this career is perfect for you. In this career, you will need a bachelor’s degree, a Juris Doctor degree, and pass the bar examination. Depending on the state, you may also be required to take additional exams like the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination in California.
Remote lawyer jobs are more common in practice areas like data privacy and intellectual property. However, this doesn’t mean that those are your only options. Hackler & Flynn Associates hires remote employment defense attorneys, for instance. Browse law firms in your state to find out which fields are open to hiring remote talent.
Certified Public Accountant
If you like math and organizing data, consider becoming an accountant. Stay-at-home accountants are usually asked to prepare and file tax returns and compile and validate financial transactions. For this job, you will need to at least a have a bachelor’s degree in accounting and pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Only then will you be given your CPA license.
To find virtual accounting work, search remote job sites like FlexJobs and We Work Remotely. Many companies ranging from large accounting firms to small businesses post virtual accountant jobs on these sites. Flagstar Bank in Michigan is one of the companies looking for accountants right now.
Having a disability shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing a good career. Stay-at-home jobs like these present opportunities for the disabled so that they can have better access to practicing their profession.