The University of Alabama at Birmingham is an approved Employment Network provider for the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Ticket to Work Program. Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary program that supports career development for people with disabilities who want to work by helping them get back into the workforce, increase their earnings and become financially independent. The Ticket to Work Program, along with SSA Work Incentives, allows you to keep your benefits while you explore employment.

As a Ticket to Work Employment Network, UAB offers employment support through the AWARE Program. Services include career counseling, job advocacy, and assistance on your journey to financial independence and long-term success in the workforce. You must be between the ages of 18 and 64 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to qualify.

Explore the resources from the SSA below to learn more about the Ticket to Work Program, or contact the AWARE Program to get started.

SSA Ticket to Work Resources

UAB is committed to nondiscrimination and employment of qualified individuals with physical and mental disabilities in accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), and state and local laws and ordinances. An individual is considered to have a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.

Section 504, the ADA and the ADAAA prohibit discrimination against a qualified individual with a disability. A qualified individual is one who can perform the essential functions of his or her job with or without a reasonable accommodation. The ADA also requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with known disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is designed to assist an employee in the performance of his or her job without placing an undue hardship on the University or posing a direct threat to the employee or to other individuals.

UAB Human Resources has been designated to coordinate employee requests for reasonable workplace accommodations. It is your responsibility to request an accommodation. Written documentation with specific limitations from an appropriate health care provider is required. If you request and are granted an accommodation, implementation of the accommodation will be handled by your department. You must report changes in your ongoing need for accommodation.

Please contact the AWARE Program at 205-975-9973 or hraware@uab.edu with any questions.

AWARE Program Staff