Executive Functioning Accommodations in Self-Employment

Kim Cordingly, PH.D.

Dr. Cordingly is a Lead Consultant with the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a free consulting service funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy. Kim began working at JAN in 1985 and currently leads the self-employment team. In this role, she provides individualized technical assistance and support to individuals with disabilities who are interested in entrepreneurial options such as self-employment, microenterprise development, home-based businesses, customized self-employment and non-profit development. In addition to providing direct services, Kim presents nationally on these topics as well as conducting research and writing publications. She also edits the JAN Blog.

Kim earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from West Virginia University. In 2007, she graduated with a Ph.D. in geography from WVU with specializations in economic restructuring and work; spatial and place-based approaches to disability and health; women and entrepreneurship; and qualitative research methods. Kim is a faculty associate with WVU's Center for Women’s and Gender Studies and participates in professional organizations in her field with a particular interest in the intersection of social identities in everyday life.

Melanie Whetzel, M.A., CBIS

Melanie joined the JAN staff as a consultant on the Cognitive / Neurological Team in February 2008. She has a fourteen year history of teaching and advocating for students with disabilities in the public school system.

Melanie holds a Master of Arts degree in Special Education, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and has earned sixty hours above masters’ level. Her post-graduate work has been primarily focused on special education. She most recently completed a graduate certification in Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition, and became a certified brain injury specialist in December 2014.

As the Lead Consultant on the Cognitive / Neurological Team, Melanie specializes in learning disabilities, mental impairments, developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and brain injuries. She presents nationally on these topics as well as authors publications.