Last Updated: 9/4/2026
Returning to work after receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) can bring a mix of professional and personal considerations. Your resume is one of the first opportunities to communicate your qualifications to a potential employer, but it does not need to center on your disability.
A strong resume can focus on your skills, experience, accomplishments, education and training while providing a clear picture of the value you can bring to a position.
Your disability may be one part of your story, but it does not define your professional abilities. As you prepare to return to work, your resume can also reflect skills developed through managing your disability, training, community involvement or other experiences outside traditional employment.
Do I need to disclose my disability on my resume?
You are not required to disclose a disability on a resume, application or interview unless you are requesting an accommodation related to your disability.
That means your resume can focus on professional information rather than a diagnosis. This makes a skills-focused resume a useful way to present your qualifications without sharing private medical information.
Disclosure and accommodation requests are separate considerations. If you need an accommodation for an application, interview or workplace responsibility, disclosure may be part of that process. Ticket To Work (TTW) Program service providers like Allsup Employment Services (AES) can help you consider your options and understand how accommodation requests relate to employment.
What information makes my resume compelling to employers?
A strong resume provides a concise picture of your professional background. Relevant work experience, education, training, certifications, skills and accomplishments can show how your background relates to the position you are seeking.
A professional summary can provide a brief introduction to your experience, strengths and career goals. Your work history can then provide examples of how you have applied those skills. Accomplishment-focused statements can make those examples more meaningful by showing what you achieved rather than simply describing what you were responsible for.
For example:
- “Responsible for recordkeeping” describes a general duty.
- “Maintained accurate records for 50 clients” provides more specific information about the scope of that experience.
Similar statements can demonstrate your communication, organization, customer service, technology, leadership or problem-solving abilities.
The strongest information will depend on the position. A resume for an administrative position may emphasize organization, technology and communication, while a resume for a customer service position may place greater emphasis on communication, problem-solving and relationship-building.
How can I highlight transferable skills when returning to work?
Time away from employment does not eliminate the skills you developed during your previous career. Your existing experience may also include transferable skills that apply to a different occupation or industry.
For example:
- If you have experience managing schedules, that can demonstrate organization and time management.
- If you have worked with customers, that can demonstrate communication and problem-solving.
- Any project management experience you have can demonstrate planning, leadership and attention to detail.
Transferable skills can be particularly relevant if your return to work involves a career change. Your previous job title may not be the same as your new employment goal, but the skills you developed may still apply. A strong resume can connect those skills to the requirements of the position rather than relying solely on job titles.
Can I put disability-related experience on my resume?
Managing a disability can involve skills that are valuable in the workplace. Coordinating appointments, adapting to change, managing daily responsibilities or finding ways to accomplish tasks can involve organization, communication, problem-solving, time management, adaptability and resourcefulness.
These skills may not come from a traditional job, but they can still demonstrate abilities that transfer to employment. For example:
- Coordinating multiple appointments may involve scheduling and organization.
- Learning to use assistive technology can demonstrate technical adaptability.
- Communicating with healthcare providers, employers or service providers can strengthen communication and advocacy skills.
- Finding new ways to complete everyday tasks can involve creativity, problem-solving and adaptability.
Whether these experiences belong on your resume depends on their relevance to the position you are applying for. The focus can remain on the skills you developed and how you applied them, rather than on your diagnosis. This can allow your resume to present a fuller picture of your capabilities and the experience you bring to a workplace.
How can I tailor my resume to the job I want?
A tailored resume connects your experience with the qualifications an employer lists for a particular position. Reviewing the job description can reveal the skills, experience and qualifications that are most relevant to the role.
Those qualifications can then be reflected throughout your resume, including in your professional summary, skills section and descriptions of previous experience. Specific accomplishments can provide evidence that you have used those skills in a professional setting.
This approach can be especially useful when your current career goal is different from your previous occupation. Rather than presenting your work history as a fixed career path, your resume can show how your existing skills and recent training relate to the position you are pursuing.
How does Ticket To Work support my return-to-work goals?
Building a strong resume is one part of returning to work. If you receive SSDI, you may also have questions about earnings, reporting work, work incentives and health coverage as you consider employment. Benefits planning can therefore be an important part of your return-to-work plan.
Social Security's TTW Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive SSDI and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and want to return to work. Participation is free and voluntary.
Through authorized service providers such as Employment Networks (ENs) and state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, the program can provide employment services such as career counseling, training, job placement assistance and benefits counseling.
The TTW Program also includes work incentives that combine for more than seven years of benefits protection, allowing you to focus on returning to employment with the confidence that you won’t immediately lose access to your disability benefits.
Benefits counseling can provide information about how earnings may affect Social Security benefits and how work incentives can support a transition toward employment. This means your return-to-work planning can address both your employment goals and questions about your benefits.
How can an Employment Network help me prepare for employment?
Allsup Employment Services is a Social Security-authorized Employment Network that provides support to you when returning to work through TTW. AES services include resume assistance, career planning, benefits counseling, work-incentive education and job-retention support. AES also provides guidance on the TTW program and workplace accommodations.
As you return to work after receiving SSDI, this type of support can connect resume development with the larger employment process. Your resume can communicate your skills and professional value while an Employment Network can provide additional information about career goals, job searches and the benefits considerations associated with returning to work.
A strong resume does not require your disability to be the centerpiece of your application. Your skills, experience, accomplishments, training and career goals can provide the foundation for a strong resume.
Whether you include disability-related experience or disclose your disability is a separate personal decision. TTW and AES can provide individualized support as you consider employment and work toward your career goals.
