Oct. 24 Disability Mentoring Day

[Guest guest]

Hello Ers,

Sorry everyone for the confusion, I didn't delete as much as I should

have from the entire newsletter!

So, now, read about Disability Mentoring Day. This seems like such a

good idea especially for teens and kids to me 'mentored'. I sure would

have liked to participate when I was a teen! (The contact on the

National Level is at the end of this post!) ~ G

WESTERN LAW CENTER ANNOUNCES LOCAL COORDINATION

OF NATIONAL DISABILITY MENTORING DAY ON OCTOBER 24

(Los Angeles, California - August 16, 2001) -- The Western Law Center

for Disability Rights announces its local coordination of National

Disability Mentoring Day, scheduled for Wednesday, October 24, 2001.

Coordinated in conjunction with the American Association of People with

Disabilities (AAPD), this strategic alliance endeavors to advance the

mutual commitment to expanding opportunities for students with

disabilities.

Themed " Career Development for the 21st Century, " Disability Mentoring

Day will help meet the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act --

equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and

economic self-sufficiency -- by giving students with disabilities a

chance to learn about different employers and to meet one-on-one with

mentors who can offer insight and advice about career paths.

Economic empowerment is at the heart of disability rights, " says

J. Imparato, President and CEO of AAPD. " Millions of talented and

qualified people with disabilities face unemployment. Until they gain

access to meaningful career opportunities they cannot truly become

fully participating members of our society and live the American dream.

Disability Mentoring Day provides an excellent opportunity for students

with disabilities to make the types of connections that can provide a

competitive edge in joining our workforce and contributing to our

nation's economic growth. "

Eve L. Hill, Executive Director of the Western Law Center for Disability

Rights, emphasized the need of people with disabilities to have the same

mentoring opportunities as those given to students without disabilities.

" We in the disability rights field have long said that people with

disabilities are just as able to be contributing members of society like

everyone else. Our role in coordinating National Disability Mentoring

Day at the local level will give both students with disabilities and

members of the public and private sectors a unique opportunity to learn

from one another and to expand opportunities for enhanced growth for

all those who participate. "

Disability Mentoring Day began in 1999 as a White House effort to help

boost the employment of people with disabilities and was patterned after

other mentoring and job shadow activities, such as the national

Groundhog Job Shadow Day.

Last year Disability Mentoring Day events were hosted in 14 states and

Washington, DC, with the participation of 17 federal agencies and more

than two dozen national businesses. Disability Mentoring Day is now

positioned to be extended across the country through leadership in

local communities with the Western Law Center's efforts to coordinate

the event in the Southern California area.

The following businesses have already committed to participating in this

year's activities: Agilent Technologies, America Online, Booz- &

Hamilton, Cingular Wireless, Equality Staffing, General Motors,

HirePotential, IBM, Microsoft, and The Boeing Company.

" AAPD is proud to serve as this year's National Host of Disability

Mentoring Day, " says Imparato. " We applaud U.S. Department of Labor

Secretary Elaine Chao and the Presidential Task Force on Employment of

Adults with Disabilities for sponsoring this effort as a complement to

President Bush's New Freedom Initiative. "

Disability Mentoring Day is designed to maximize local creativity. The

Western Law Center is to lead in organizing events in the Southern

California area. With the assistance of resource materials developed by

AAPD, each participating community will plan activities that best suit

the needs and abilities of its students and local employers.

The Western Law Center is calling upon all disability organizational

leaders, high schools, colleges and universities, law schools, and

employers to join forces in making this event one of the most successful

collaborative endeavors to take place at the local level.

Disability Mentoring Day events need not be large to be successful

making an impact in just one person's life makes a difference. And the

benefit is not just for the students. Participating employers can learn

more about disability and tap a pool of qualified potential future

employees. Disability Mentoring Day is also a great opportunity for

local communities to draw media attention to the importance of employing

people with disabilities.

For more information about local coordination efforts of Disability

Mentoring Day, contact Olegario D. Cantos, VII, Esq., at (213) 736-8365

or via email at llie.Cantos@... (putting the words " Disability

Mentoring Day " on the subject line).

Information about National Coordination efforts may be found at the AAPD

web site at http://www.aapd-dc.org or by contacting National

Coordinator M. Young at (800) 840-8844 or via email at

AAPD@....