Tips for Workplace Success

1. Try to schedule interviews and on-site visits to get a feel for different kinds of workplace environments.
   
2. Request and review job descriptions before applying for positions.
   
3. Know your strengths and challenges and how these match up with different kinds of job positions.
   
4. Apply for job positions for which you have the knowledge, skills and abilities.
   
5. When you interview for a job, present yourself as a capable individual who can competently perform the job.
   
6. You can disclose your learning disability after the job has been offered. Make sure to disclose in person, not over the telephone. It's a good idea to share this information with your supervisor or with someone else present, possibly a staff person from the personnel or human resources department.
   
7. When you disclose that you have a learning disability, be sure to describe the necessary accommodations for you to perform your job, as well as the strategies you've developed that help you do your job well.
   
8. Request that your supervisor give you a list of job performance expectations in writing.
   
9. Ask for a schedule of when your performance evaluations will take place. Be sure to find out what the performance evaluation will entail and how your work will be evaluated.
   
10. Know when and how to request workplace accommodations.
    
11. If workplace accommodations are provided, be sure that you and your supervisor review how well the accommodations are working and agree to make adjustments if necessary.
    
12. Never use your learning disability as an excuse for not doing your best.

*Adapted from Linkages, Spring 1995, Vol. 2, No. 1, Washington, DC: National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center Job Checklist