Education & Employment

Education After High School

Picking a School

It's important to pick a school - be it a vocational/technical school or university - that will be a good fit for you and meet your needs. This may especially be the case for survivors with physical or learning disabilities or survivors who have been recently diagnosed. You're trying to lead as normal a life as possible after your diagnosis and treatment.

There are many things to consider when choosing a school such as course offerings, location, size and the types of campus services available to students.                                        Photo Credit: Schlüsselbein2007 (Flickr)

• How close or far away from home do you want to be? Do you want to be in an urban or rural area? How will geography affect your follow-up appointments with your doctors?
• Do you want to attend a large school or university or a smaller school where most people know each other? Do you want more individualized attention than you can get in large classes?
• Does the school offer services or assistance for any particular needs you may have?

College Application Essays

Survivors may ask themselves, "Should I talk about my cancer experience in my application essay?" You may be afraid that writing about it would be a disadvantage. You may just want to leave your cancer experience behind you. Yet you may see the essay as an opportunity to talk about your life and what sets you apart from other applicants. There is no correct answer, so you should do what is most comfortable for you.

Academic Life

Whether preparing for college or already enrolled, make an appointment with a guidance or career counselor or your school's office of disabilities to be tested for a learning or physical disability, such as a hearing impairment. If you already know that you have one, discuss it with teachers or professors and come up with an accommodation plan that will be conducive to your learning style. Be prepared to take the initiative on making the most of your education.

Make sure that if you need extra time or a special environment for taking exams that you have letters or other documents from your doctor, nurse practitioner or professional evaluator so that you can show them to your professors. Having supporting documents in hand will make the process of asking your professors to accommodate you much smoother.

Also be aware of your capabilities and limitations. If a 15-credit semester is too stressful to manage, think about taking one less class. Try to create a schedule that is well balanced and manageable. Don't be afraid to have a mix of different classes that will meet core requirements or are electives.

Vocational Rehabilitation

*from Beyond the Cure's The Mountain You Have Climbed resource guide (Order your full copy of the full publication here)

Although state vocational rehabilitation offices work primarily toward getting people employed, these offices are also very essential in the college process.

If you qualify for vocational rehabilitation, your vocational rehabilitation counselor will review your educational plans in terms of job potential. This will help guarantee that the field that you are choosing is a match for your talents and strengths.

if you qualify for a vocational rehabilitation, under the amended Rehabilitation Act, you must apply for financial aid. Working with your college's financial aid office and the vocational rehabilitation office makes this a lengthy and time-consuming process. Contact both offices early in your college application process.

In the Workplace

Photo Credit: mudpig (Flickr)

Searching for the Right Job

When you begin your job hunt, consider positions that are a good fit for you. Be aware of the essential responsibilities and determine if you are capable of completing such tasks. Consider factors such as working for a large corporation or organization, a smaller employer or an industry where you may be able to use your cancer experience to help others.

You may also want to factor in what an employer offers in terms of benefits packages such as health insurance, life insurance, flextime, paid leave, sick days, etc.

Job Interviews: To Tell or Not to Tell

Survivors ask whether or not they should tell potential employers about their cancer history especially if they've been off treatment for a relatively short time.

Many people recommend that you do not volunteer information about your health history, including your cancer diagnosis, unless it directly affects your qualifications or ability to perform essential functions for that position. You should be able to talk about your work-relevant skills and experience without including the fact that you were treated for cancer.

An employer has the right to know only that you can perform the essential duties of the job. An employer does not have the right to ask about personal or confidential information during an interview. If a potential employer does ask an illegal question during the interview, try to turn the question into something that applies specifically to the job. Some experts suggest working with a job counselor to learn how to deal with situations like this and answer interview questions such as: "Why is there a time gap between jobs?"

As always, never lie or embellish on job applications or applications for health, life, or disability insurance.

Dealing with Discrimination in the Workplace

Although cancer does not carry the same stigma as it once did, survivors today may still have to deal with discrimination against them at work. Federal laws and most state laws prohibit employers from treating cancer survivors differently from other workers. In order for the law to apply to you, you must be qualified for the job and be able to perform its essential duties.

If you think you are being discriminated against, be sure to document such instances. Seek guidance from outside experts like a social worker from your long-term follow-up clinic who may be familiar with these situations. Talk to someone you trust in your human resources department and try to come up with some type of resolution with your employer. Legal action is always the last solution.

For more information on employment challenges, click the image below to check out the PDF of a PowerPoint presentation given on this subject at CCCA's 2008 Rise to Action conference in DC.

Knowing Your Rights

Some cancer survivors are concerned that their medical history may hurt their educational or employment opportunities. There are laws intended to prevent discrimination based on a student's or worker's health problems.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

ADA is a federal law designed to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in the work place, in businesses and in places open to the public. If your cancer diagnosis and/or treatment leaves you with a physical or cognitive disability, ADA might protect you. ADA is currently the most comprehensive federal law that can protect cancer survivors from some types of job discrimination. However, ADA only applies to employers with 15 or more employees.

ADA defines a disability as a major health impairment that limits a person's ability to do everyday activities. Cancer survivors may be protected as having a disability, regardless of whether they are in treatment, in remission, or cured.

Students' Rights: ADA mandates that people with disabilities can't be excluded from taking part in public services or programs, including universities and technical schools. You cannot be denied admission because you have a disability. It also requires that "reasonable accommodations" be made for people with disabilities such as a university providing a sign-language interpreter for a cancer survivor who has hearing loss because of their treatment. Other examples include priority course registration, reducing a course load, substituting one course for another, providing note takers, and allowing extended time for testing. It is your responsibility to inform the school of your disability.

Usually colleges and universities have what is called an ADA coordinator, who is responsible for making sure that the school is in compliance with the law. If you have any questions about ADA or other anti-discrimination laws, contact this person. Your academic counselor, dean or other administrator can direct you to the ADA coordinator.

• The application process
• Hiring
• Training
• Promotion
• Pay and benefits
• Discharge and termination
• Any other condition of employment

ADA also prohibits employers from asking questions about your medical history. Employers can only ask medical history questions once a job has been offered. It also requires employers to make "reasonable accommodations," such as flextime or allowing an employee to take time off for treatment.

For more information on ADA as it applies to employment issues, visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website at www.eeoc.gov.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA allows people to take up to 12 months of unpaid leave if they need to attend to their own medical needs or the needs of immediate family members. But you must work for an employer who has more than 50 employees. You also must meet other requirements, such as working a minimum number of hours a week for at least one year. When your leave is over, employers are required to restore you to the same position and to provide benefits, including health insurance, during your leave.

Under FMLA, employers are also required to make "reasonable efforts" to accommodate your medical care schedule as long as it does not cause major disruption to the organization. The law requires employees to give their employer at least 30 days notice of "foreseeable" medical leave or as much notice as is practicable.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination based on disability in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, including schools and colleges. These programs must also provide students with disabilities access to appropriate educational services similar to those mentioned in the ADA section above.

To be protected under Section 504, a student must: 1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; 2) have a record of such an impairment; or 3) be regarded as having such an impairment.

For more information on Section 504, visit www. ed.gov. 

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