How One Engineer Is Rebuilding Her Career After Disability

From On-Site Engineer to Health Crisis

For nearly a decade, Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Conger worked where engineers are often most useful: on-site. At Dow Chemical in Texas, she served as the on-the-site engineering expert on 20-plus construction projects. It was “boots-on-the-ground work,” she says.

But just over two years ago, Conger experienced a major health event, leaving her with ongoing and largely invisible health issues. They affect her mobility, her ability to travel, and—due to nerve damage in her hands—her ability to type on a keyboard.

Those limitations would seem to rule out the on-site roles that defined her career. Yet with accessible technology and reasonable workplace accommodations, Conger could work remotely for up to 20 hours a week, and she is looking to segue into a related field.

Her story prompts employers to reconsider the guardrails they set in job descriptions and the stereotypes they hold about the ‘ideal’ candidate.

Rebuilding Through Education and NextGen Leaders

After taking sick leave, then quitting her job, Conger completed a master’s degree in climate, energy, and environmental sustainability at Johns Hopkins University. With her new degree in hand, she sought to pivot from engineering to explore opportunities in corporate sustainability, clean energy, and environmental policy.

Conger also joined NextGen Leaders, a six-month Disability:IN program for students, veterans, and recent graduates with disabilities entering the workforce. She receives career support, connects with recruiters, and has been paired with a mentor who works in the energy sector. The two meet online every two weeks to discuss job applications, her resume, and rebranding her engineering experience.

NextGen’s webinars offered insights, including about how to disclose her disability. She learned the decision depends on the role, the person, and whether accommodations are needed. Conger also uses AI, including voice-to-text, to help write, calling the technology a “force multiplier” for people with disabilities.

The Stark Reality of Disability Employment

Conger’s experience is far from isolated. In 2025, only 38.1% of working-age Americans with disabilities were employed. Across all ages, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities stood at 8.3%—double the 4.1% rate for those without disabilities. Workers with disabilities were also almost twice as likely to work part-time.

The economic stakes are considerable. Disability:IN research shows that working-age Americans with disabilities represent a $675 billion consumer market, including $107 billion in annual discretionary income. Yet persistent barriers—from rigid job descriptions to screening processes—keep many willing and able candidates on the sidelines.

Redefining the Route Back to Work

At Disability:IN’s Global Conference in Dallas, Conger was one of 58 NextGen participants selected to attend. There, she met employers actively seeking to recruit people with disabilities and took part in “speed-dating” style informational interviews. After months of silence from job applications, the experience opened doors and changed how she saw herself professionally. “I feel so much more empowered to own my disability status,” she says.

Today, Conger is undertaking a 20-hour-a-week fellowship supporting a Galveston city councilman, including developing draft ordinances on wetland protection and sustainable development. She also has interviews and career discussions lined up with employers.

Her story prompts employers to reconsider their usual job conditions. Could criteria such as frequent travel, being on-site, logging full-time hours, or a particular way of typing get in the way of seeing a candidate as able to perform the work well? For Conger, the route back is not a retreat from her profession, but a search for workplaces prepared to recognize expertise, potential, and access needs together.