National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities: Advocating and Educating to Remove Barriers to Education and Employment for People with Disabilities

The National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 in the state of Illinois. As a grass roots organization established by nurses with disabilities, NOND's mission is to promote equity for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions in nursing through education and advocacy by: 

• promoting best practices in education and employment
• providing resources to individuals, nursing and disability organizations, disability services professionals, healthcare professionals, educational and healthcare institutions
• influencing the provision of culturally responsive nursing practice, and
• creating systemic improvements in education and employment. 

Through NOND, we are challenging the stereotypes and myths about people with disabilities who want to become nurses or have become disabled after earning their license and want to return to or remain in the workforce.

To enter healthcare educational programs, candidates must be academically qualified.  Some students may take courses ahead of time to be better prepared for consideration for admission.  After admission, the greatest challenge for students with disabilities may be obtaining reasonable accommodations that can assist them in their success as they move forward through a program. 

  Participation in the labor force by people with disabilities is 21 percent compared to 69 percent of their non-disabled peers without disabilities. To increase participation, NOND supports the legal changes made in the last 30 years to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. Learning about your civil rights and responsibilities should begin prior to entering a health care educational program or returning to work as a nurse with a disability. Visit www.NOND.org and learn more about your rights and how to advocate.

Programs like Social Security’s Ticket to Work help people with disabilities pursue meaningful employment. People who are age 18 through 64, who have a disability and who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits from Social Security are eligible to participate in Social Security's Ticket to Work program. Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary program that connects people with disabilities who want to work with services and supports to prepare for, find, and maintain employment in a wide variety of fields, including nursing.

Nurses who may have become disabled after licensure who then retired thinking they could no longer work in nursing should:

• re-think their career aspirations
• keep their RN license active
• consider RN refresher courses to test their knowledge and develop new skills and techniques on how to accomplish nursing tasks in new ways that incorporate their disability

NOND understands that seeking a career in a health care field as a person with a disability may not be easy but it is possible to join a career where there is a high demand for workers and good salaries and is well worth pursuing if helping others is a passion. People with disabilities bring many skills to their practice in patient care that would not be present if “we” are not there.

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