Employment & roles.

Internships

Time-bounded, paid internships are one of the highest-leverage ways to bring a nonspeaking person into real work. They give both sides a defined window to learn each other's communication rhythm, with explicit goals and an exit ramp that doesn't require either party to fail publicly.

• Pay the same hourly rate you'd pay any intern.
• Define deliverables in writing; written tasks favor text-based communicators.
• Pair the intern with a thought partner, not a babysitter.

Shadowing

Shadowing — observing a role for a day or a week without delivery pressure — is underused. It surfaces fit, exposes the candidate to vocabulary and norms, and gives the host team time to notice their own assumptions about who "looks like" a colleague.

Consulting and advisory roles

Many nonspeakers have deep expertise in their own access needs, in disability policy, in design, or in lived experience that organizations badly need. Pay for that expertise on the same terms you'd pay any consultant. A two-hour async review of your hiring materials is a consulting engagement, not a favor.

Mentorship and co-mentorship

Co-mentorship — where both people teach each other something — flips the dynamic that casts disabled people as perpetual learners. A nonspeaking communicator may mentor a younger speller on communication; a senior professional may mentor them on industry norms. Both sides grow.

Entrepreneurship

Self-employment removes the gatekeeping of verbal interviews and meeting culture, but it adds isolation and admin overhead. Practical support — bookkeeping, contracts, a peer cohort — matters more than motivational programming.

Alternative interviewing

A spoken interview tests speaking, not the job. For most roles, a written prompt with generous time, a portfolio review, or a paid trial task gives you better signal and treats text-based communicators as candidates rather than exceptions. See inclusive workplaces for the full pattern.