"Rewriting the Myths, Redefining the Realities"
National Disability Mentoring Day (NDMD) is being observed in
Colorado on October 15, 2003. NDMD is designed to bring students and
job seekers with disabilities into the workplace where they can
learn firsthand about career opportunities, not just entry-level and
dead-end jobs, but careers. The event also serves to expose
employers to a new potential employee base within the disability
population. By initiating contact between employers and students and
job seekers with disabilities, NDMD works to create ongoing
relationships.
NDMD will be officially observed on October 15, 2003. However,
mentorship opportunities will not be limited to that day. All
interested employers and students and job seekers with disabilities
are welcome to participate. It is through increasing participation
and awareness that we hope to fulfill the NDMD mission: To promote
career exploration and increase employment opportunities for
students & job seekers with disabilities through one-on-one job
shadowing and group visits to public and private employers.
Governor Owens signed a proclamation commemorating the first NDMD
event held in Colorado last year on October 16, 2002. Fifty-eight
students and job seekers with disabilities participated in the event
and were mentored by twenty-one local and national employer
organizations. More than seventy participants attended the NDMD
reception held afterward, sponsored by Manpower-Professionals.
Overwhelmingly, comments from mentee and mentors alike were positive
and indicated motivation to participate in NDMD again next year.
The NDMD event in Colorado is coordinated by the Colorado Advisory
Council for Persons with Disabilities Employment Committee. The
organizing committee consists of a total of eighteen businesses,
community organizations, government agencies, and higher education
institutions working together to make the event a success.
Nationally, NDMD is coordinated through the American Association of
People with Disabilities (AAPD). The AAPD is the largest national
nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States,
dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political
empowerment for the more than 56 million Americans with
disabilities. Their website and national information on NDMD can be
accessed at www.aapd-dc.org.
For more information on how to become involved, or to participate in
Colorado NDMD as a mentor or a mentee, please contact Miranda
Thompson at (303) 315-1271 ext.1, or Toll free at (877) 726-9735,
via e-mail at
Miranda.Thompson@UCHSC.edu.
Copyright 2002 A&H Publishing Corporation