There are a variety of jobs that people in wheelchairs can do depending on their interests, skills, and experience. In this article, we have curated a list of the best jobs for people in wheelchairs. These jobs were selected as the best based on their annual income, work environment, difficulty level, and work schedule. Without any further ado, let’s get into it.
Using a wheelchair is not the end of the world, yes, you may feel isolated sometimes but you can still enjoy an almost regular and healthy lifestyle such as working which can go as far as making you feel like a normal part of society. And if you are wondering what kind of job you can do in a wheelchair, there are many of them such as teaching, programming, medical assistant, and much more.
However, we have selected only the best and discussed them in this blog post so that when you are making a decision on which of the careers to pursue, you will be going for the best ones. The best jobs for people in wheelchairs are selected based on their high annual income, flexible work schedule, lesser or easier mobility levels, and easy working environment.
In order to break into any of the roles, you must develop skills that match the career that you aim to pursue. This can either be done by taking online courses on the specific skill you want to acquire or pursuing an online degree, learning from home helps reduce your mobility. If you like, you can also enroll in an on-campus degree program. Campuses are now designed to fit handicapped students.
If it is a degree you want to pursue whether online or on-campus, you can apply for the social security disability scholarship to get the grant that will help fund your degree, it is non-repayable.
Provided with the right support and equipment, people who use a wheelchair can thrive in countless workplaces and job roles. And as for organizations, it is important that they are easily accessible by wheelchair users.
Best Jobs For People In Wheelchairs
Here, you will find a list of the best jobs for people in wheelchairs:
- Graphics Design
- Teaching
- Librarian
- Receptionist
- Computer Programmer
- Telemarketer
- Freelance Writer
- Virtual Assistant
- Administrative Assistance
- Animator
- Illustrator
- Technical Writers
- Social Media Manager
1. Graphics Design
Graphics design is one of the best jobs that wheelchair users can do and one of the reasons it is listed among the best is that is one of the creative jobs that pay well without a degree. That’s right, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars pursuing a degree in graphics design before you can work as one. If you are creative then just take a free online class in graphics design, complete the class, get your certification, and start working as a graphics designer. As you work, you will develop your skills further.
Another reason why graphics design is on this list is its work environment and flexible working schedule. Most, if not all, graphics designers work online from the comfort of their homes. They put their own working hours and work with clients from all over the world. They can either work full-time for a company or freelance or combine both. Next is their annual income which is at an average of $44,344 per year.
2. Teaching
Teaching is another career path that you can consider if you are using a wheelchair. Since schools are now designed to accommodate handicapped people, you won’t have a problem with mobility. It is a fulfilling profession because you get the opportunity to be among one of the most important people in the life of children and youths and direct them on the right path to make important life decisions.
As a teacher, you’d never feel lonely or bored and your life will be meaningful because of the impact you are making in the lives of young people. You can work in a public or private school or a special needs school. The average salary of special needs teachers is $60,670 per year.
3. Librarian
Most, if not all, libraries are wheelchair accessible thus, people who use a wheelchair can work as librarians. If you love books and being around them, helping and guiding people to material resources, or you love researching archaic materials, then a career as a librarian may be looking good for you.
You need a degree to work as a librarian. You can work in a local library, a college library, or a high school library. The average salary of a librarian is $56,985 per year.
4. Receptionist
If you are in a wheelchair, you can perform the job of a receptionist as efficiently and as effectively as a normal person, especially if the office is equipped with equipment for disabled people. Another good thing about this job is that it does not require a degree, if you get accepted into the role, you will get on-the-job training to equip you with relevant skills to perform your duty excellently.
Receptionists are required in nearly every organization across sectors, thus, it gives you the opportunity to gain some basic knowledge of what the company does which you could apply elsewhere. The average salary of a receptionist is $15.60 per hour.
5. Computer Programmer
Programmers are people who use code to develop software and applications like websites and mobile games. It is one of the most in-demand professions in the tech space and it can work across all sectors including business, healthcare, and law. Programmers get to fix their own work time which makes it one of the most flexible working environments and they mostly work from home.
If you use a wheelchair, you can consider becoming a programmer. It requires less mobility since you will be sitting in front of a computer nearly all day long and sometimes at night to develop software solutions and applications for clients and businesses around the world. You can work full-time for an organization or become a freelance programmer or combine both. The median salary of a programmer is $93,000 per year.
6. Telemarketer
A telemarketer is a professional responsible for talking to potential customers on the phone and selling products. One of the biggest perks of this job is that you can carry it out 100% from your comfort zone and still combine another job with it like graphics design because both are not demanding.
A degree is not required to become a telemarketer, but you need to have skills such as active listening, customer service, and persuasiveness. You can gain these skills from an online telemarketer course. The work schedule is not tight either and you get to work at your own hours. It is a befitting job for people in wheelchairs. The salary of a telemarketer is $15.34 per hour.
7. Freelance Writer
If you are creative with strong grammatical skills, you can consider becoming a freelance writer. To be successful in this field, you should choose a niche and develop your writing skills in that specific niche and gradually advance into other fields. Nevertheless, it is a good profession for people in wheelchairs as one of the major perks is that you get to work from the comfort of your home.
You can go into copywriting, blog writing, or even start your own blog where you can write on topics that matter to you. Freelance writers also have the opportunity to work with clients from all over the world. The salary of a freelance writer is $26 per hour.
8. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant does the job of a personal assistant but in this case, you will be working virtually. You will manage your boss’s schedule, answer emails, control their social media account, and run other tasks. Working as a virtual assistant comes with so many perks that makes it a perfect job for people with wheelchair.
Firstly, as a virtual assistant, you can work from home and won’t be following your boss around unlike a physical assistant, you can work with different clients at once to make more money, the work schedule is flexible, and the pay is great. The average salary of a virtual assistant is $43,449 per year.
9. Administrative Assistance
Unlike most jobs on this list, administrative assistants work in an office. The duties include organizing tasks, drafts, and appointments, and doing other necessary things to ensure a smooth workflow in the organization. There is very little to no moving around for this job, all you have to do is sit down with a computer and a desk to achieve your daily tasks and this makes it a great job for people in wheelchairs.
Also, a degree is not required to work as an administrative assistant. You will be trained on the job. The average salary of an administrative assistant is $44,444 per year.
10. Animator
Animators create 2D and 3D moving images and visual effects for video games and films. They work with game designers, and graphics designers, giving developers, directors, and other clients who may need their services to create the ideal graphics needed. You can work remotely as an animator or work with a company and it does not require so much mobility, thus, is perfect for people in wheelchairs.
Skillsets, experience, and a strong portfolio are what most companies use to assess animators before employing them. A degree is not required but if you have one, you will get an even bigger opportunity. The median annual wage of an animator is $72,520.
11. Illustrator
If you are a creative person, then you can become an illustrator and it is a perfect job for creatives who use a wheelchair as they can comfortably work from home or anywhere that is convenient for them. Illustrators create a visual representation that corresponds to a written text or video which can be used in books, films, websites, and for other promotional purposes. Illustrators in the US earn up to $165,000 per year if they have many years of experience.
12. Technical Writers
As tech products and services are on the rise, the need for technical writers is required to write about these products and services in such a way that it is easily understood by an average reader. As a tech writer, you will write about complex technologies giving guidelines on how to use them so that consumers can be able to interact better with the technology be it a service or product.
Technical writers are the ones behind manuals, how-to guides, and journal articles and from this, you already know that it requires little to no mobility to perform the duties which makes it perfect for people in wheelchairs. There are many remote jobs for technical writers or they can work with a tech company. The average salary of tech writers is $71,850 per year.
13. Social Media Manager
Many businesses and organizations rely on social media to promote their brand and engage their audience or customers. Social media managers can create content, schedule posts, and interact with followers from a PC, tablet, or smartphone. This is another perfect job for people in wheelchairs because they can work fully from the comfort of their home and it does not require any physical meeting.
A college degree is not required to become a social media manager but you have to possess excellent skills in communication, teamwork, and keeping up with social media trends, you have to constantly be online. The average salary of a social media manager is $56,991 per year.
These are the best jobs for people in wheelchairs to choose from and go into. Many of them do not require a college degree to get into and most are in the tech space. With a certificate from an online course, you could easily get a job in graphic design for instance.