On this episode of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Michelle Steiner, a para educator, disability writer and advocate. Michelle has a degree, but you don’t always need one to work as a paraeducator, so it can be a great opportunity to make an impact right away without a degree and with many of the benefits that come from working in a school system.  As you’ll hear from Michelle, people with learning disabilities can face many challenges on the path to find employment. It’s important to note that people with disabilities are protected under the American Disabilities act, passed only in 1990, that prohibits discrimination in employment and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. From the Learning Disabilities Association of America, "people with LD possess average or above average intelligence levels, and often have varying areas of ability, or “a weakness within a sea of strengths.” They tend to be creative, persistent, loyal, and good problem-solvers, often achieving a high degree of success in the workplace when the disability is accommodated and their strengths are utilized to the fullest."  Happily many employers are proactively working toward true disability inclusion Disability:IN ranks employers each year based on their level of disability inclusion. You can read more of Michelle’s work on her blog, Michelle’s mission. You can find it here: https://www.michellesmission.net/blog You can also follow Michelle here: Instagram: @steiner7250 or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013356902200 Disability:IN 2022 Ranking: https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-equality-index/2022companies/ If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at [email protected]. iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73 Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com