how do you get employed as a disabled worker?

Disability is for people who cannot work. You won't get on it, simply to prove you can work in certain situations, since that's not its purpose.

I got on disability when I was no longer able to work. When I did work, I also had migraines. (Still do, but it doesn't matter as much, since no one expects me to be working certain hours.)

My first after-college boss (not to be confused with part-time jobs I did before and during college), knew me before he hired me, so he knew I got headaches that stopped me from working. Because I was a hard worker, he forgave my sick days.

I never told potential bosses ahead of time. All I needed was to give them proof that I was worth it despite the amount of sick days I took (which usually averaged once a month, so it wasn't that bad, but more than new employees usually get.) I gave them the proof. Later on when the headaches got worse, I took work home with me to keep up. (I might have the headache from 3-8 PM, but that meant I could do some work from 9 PM - 2 AM, giving boss a few free hours to prove my worth.)

And, yes, twice it caused enough problems that I was fired for missing too much work. Those happened in the probationary period for new jobs, and usually included a spike on how many headaches I had. (They are migraines, but they are sinus related. Give me a severe thunderstorm or weeks of rainy days and you'll find me slouched down in my comfie chair, hand over my eyes to cut down on the light, and spending hours waiting for the next time I can take something for the pain. The jobs I lost were directly related to a rainy spring and a stormy autumn.)

How do you work with a disability? The same wy you worked without one. (In your case, yours came before you had a job, but it's the same principle.) Don't tell, until the second time you need to. (They have to assume some employee is going to need a sick day. The second time, go into more detail why, and find out if the boss found you useful enough to excuse it.) Meanwhile, do your work plus more. Prove your worth as much as you can. You'll need to put in 100% effort, because you have a drawback and healthy people are there all the time, even if they only put in 80% effort.

It's business. Expect nothing less.

People don't hire you because you are a person with a disability. Infact, workplaces expect you to 'keep up' with people who do not have disabilities.

And you don't get any special privileges from government either just because it's government. One person was upset I was filing too fast compared to the colleagues without disabilities--while another agency was upset I was 'going too' slow. A third agency actually wanted to check how I was traveling to their site, even though the position did not require driving--and followed me out to my bus stop.

The positions where I am employed were successful because I had compatible skills, the work environment/supervisors and I clicked. I was able to perform the essential duties. I brought up my disability only after I was hired and only if there was a need for job-related accommodations. Otherwise it was a non-issue.

getting employed as a person with a disability does not require being on disability

you need to look for jobs that can provide you with reasonable accommodations

you might ask your doctor for a referral to Vocational Rehab... they can do testing to determine what jobs will be a better fit for you & help you with referrals to disability friendly employers

the process of apply for work is still the same... you still apply & you still go through interviews & if you are the best fit for the job you are hired & if you are not the best fit they don't hire you

no, the state does not give you job options & it isn't likely that many of the jobs will be government

something else you need to know.... back pain is almost never an approved reason for disability

sorry, but that is just the fact of the matter

many of us have worked through extreme pain for years

EDIT TO ADD: Why did people thumbs-down Lynn & JMiTW... both of their posts are accurate

Never heard of doing it that way. I certainly hope and pray it all works out well for you. But if you have disability that proves you cannot work. They will not give you that benefit IF you can work.