The New York Times‘ Lesley Alderman offers on-the-job strategies for people with chronic illness, who must learn to manage not just their illness but workplace policies that can affect job security. Rules governing time off are murky, Alderman says.

Among tips she offers:

• Inform your employer about your condition.
• Seek reasonable accommodations.
• Learn your company’s personnel policies, and federal laws and regulations.
• Explore working part-time or taking a different job if needed.

From U.S. News & World Reports:

More than 50 million family members are providing more than $300 billion a year in uncompensated care to family members, says U.S. News contributing editor Philip Moeller. Experts say they’re also seeing more cases in which family members are being paid to provide services, most often to elderly parents.

Moeller offers some tips for family members on how to structure caregiver agreements to preserve family relationships and make sure all parties are well represented.

Among his suggestions:

• It’s a job; treat it like one;
• Put it in writing; and
• Talk it over with family members

From the Wall Street Journal:

A growing number of financial service companies are springing up to help parents provide for the future care of their children with disabilities. They help navigate the maze of federal and state programs, and assist parents in setting up trusts, coordinating estate plans, and educating future caregivers.

These tasks have become increasingly vital as people with disabilities are living longer than ever before, frequently outliving the parents who support them.

Miami lawyer Barry Nelson (far left) set up a special-needs trust for his fourteen-year-old son Jesse, who has autism. The trust will be funded by life insurance when Nelson dies, and can be used to pay for expenses beyond what Medicaid or SSI would pay for.

Nelson says a special-needs trust “gives me — and it gives every parent — peace of mind.”

A sidebar provides a list of financial planning resources.

(Wall Street Journal photo)

From Newhouse News Service in the Seattle Times:

Nearly 22 million Americans of working age have a disability, but they are only half as likely to be employed as people without. And even if they manage to get a job, they are paid less.

Experts say public misconceptions are often the cause, as employers worry that they might face higher workers’ compensation costs and insurance rates. Employers may also believe (wrongly) that people with disabilities have problems with absenteeism and low productivity.

Applicants are advised to be honest, but not go overboard in offering information about their disability. Tips for job seekers are included.

U.S. News & World Report lays out a list of tips for financial planning on behalf of children with disabilities. Many of these kids will require financial support throughout their lives, writes Kimberly Palmer. Government programs can cover some basic medical care, but people will lose eligibility if they have more than $2,000 in assets. Parents need to use wills and trusts to ensure that kids will have the support they need when they grow up.

Among her suggestions:

• Establish legal guardianship;
• Protect your child’s eligibility for public benefits; and
• Think about insurance policies and special-needs trusts.

NPR features a series on students with disabilities preparing and transitioning to college with the following segments:

Q&A: Prepping Kids With Disabilities For College-NPR

Roger Diehl (photo left), a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has Asperger’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and depression, and his mother Sita Diehl, who runs Tennessee’s National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI), answer questions about getting ready for college.

Roger emphasizes the importance of focusing on the individual strengths and interests of students while learning social rules. Sita says social support is essential, particularly family and good friends, when considering placement.

See earlier post on Roger Diehl here.

10 Tips For College Students With Disabilities-NPR

Clinical psychologist and author Kathleen G. Nadeau shares strategies from her book, “Survival Guide for College Students with ADHD or LD” for developing learning and organization strategies to cope with learning disabilities at college.

Learning To Thrive With Attention Deficit Disorder-NPR

Emily Algire shares her story of transitioning to college as a student with attention deficit disorder (ADD).

“I think she’s got very good self-awareness” says [Emily's mother Betty] Overby. And all the tools she’s been taught for coping with her ADD are helping her feel strong.”

Editor’s note: Are Emily and Betty any relation to NPR correspondent Peter Overby?

(NPR photo)

By Sue Shellenbarger in the Wall Street Journal:

Students with learning disabilities are applying to colleges at five times the rate of the 1980s; colleges have only recently begun to provide services for qualified students with disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Attitudes and programs vary widely between schools.

While federal law has led to standardized jargon and services in K-12 education, the law for colleges simply requires them to make “reasonable accommodations” for students with disabilities.

Colleges lack universal labels to describe their supports, and guidebooks and educational consultants use no less than a half-dozen terms … to describe various service levels.

Shellenbarger offers tips and resources to help parents cut through the thicket, and says campus visits are crucial in selecting a school.

See also : Peterson’s: Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities.