Disability Mentoring Day 
Florida Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is part of a national, broad-based effort to promote career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through hands-on career exploration, job shadowing and internships or employment opportunities. Students and job seekers are matched with employers for an on-site job shadowing experience. DMD is commemorated the third Wednesday of October, in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

What Can DMD Do For You
Disability Mentoring Day enables Mentors to spend part of a day with students and job-seekers that have an interest in pursuing future careers. DMD offers mentors the opportunity to gain access to a pool of emerging talent, recruit for short or long-term employees, demonstrate your company's leadership within your community ,share firsthand job experiences to someone interested in their desired career field, help mentees build confidence about
their own employability, develop lasting mentee relationships.  

Get Involved in DMD 
One-on-One Job Shadowing
You can be matched individually with a student or job seeker with a disability so you can share more about your typical workday and provide insight about how to prepare for your particular
career field.

Group Mentoring
Your company can offer a group of mentees a tour of your worksite and have them meet with various employees from different departments to give them insight into job opportunities with your business and your industry.

Sponsorship 
Your company can help underwrite DMD by making a tax deductible donation to The Able Trust. Donations support local and statewide DMD kickoff activities, mentee materials and
other items needed to coordinate DMD through-out the state of Florida.


How Do I Get Involved? Be a Mentor! 
Community Liaisons are based throughout Florida to help connect participating employer mentors with mentees for the day. You can visit the Florida DMD website to find out if there is a Community Liaison near you at www.floridadmd.org. If you do not have a community liaison in your area but still want to participate, contact The Able Trust at 888.838.2253 to find out how.

Testimonials
 "I liked the opportunity to share my job experience with a mentee. It was a very positive experience. It was a lot of fun too! "
Camille Somers, WKTK/WSKY

"I liked sharing our 'real world' work life with the future"
Rebecca Neville, Best Western Sales

DISPELLING MYTHS
More than three million people with disabilities live in Florida, but only 58 percent are
employed. Most of these individuals are skilled and ready to work. Barriers often keep them from being hired, such as employers' lack of knowledge about the resources available to them or the misconceptions about costs involved to make accommodations. With programs such as Disability Mentoring Day, businesses can help break down these barriers and take the first step to learn more about working with persons with disabilities. Whether it dispels myths previously experienced by employers or helps mentees make better, more informed decisions about their careers, the outcome DMD has on all participants is truly positive.

Did you know?
Students who participate in programs that offer mentoring or career development opportunities have reduced school drop-out rates and increased college enrollment.  Companies reported that employees with disabilites have better retention rates reducing the high cost of turnover. The average cost to accomodate an employee with a disability is $500 or less.  For every dollar a business spends on accommodations, that business can receive $28 in tax benefits


The History of DMD
Disability Mentoring Day is sponsored nationally by the American Association of People with Disabilities. It began in 1999 as part of a White House effort to increase the profile of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, celebrated every October. National Disability Mentoring Day was patterned after other school-to- work activities such as the National Ground hog Job Shadow Day, and began with just three-dozen student participants. Florida Disability Mentoring Day is organized by a collaborative partnership of The Able Trust, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and other statewide partners. The committee provides support to local community liaisons who coordinate the matchmaking experience between mentors and mentees.

Testimonials
"My day with Dr. Jordan and Dr. Purvis could not have been better! I got to see surgery on a dog that had a broken leg. I found it to be exciting because I want to be a veterinarian.
At the end of the day they offered me a summer intersnhip and I can't wait to go back for another day just to shadow them!"
Kehli, DMD Mentee 

For more information 
Visit www.floridadmd.org Or Call 888.838.2253 toll-free