Press Releases
May 3, 2007
Governor Crist To Help Florida Kickoff Festivities Nationally For 2007 Disability Mentoring Day
Tallahassee - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest national cross-disability membership organization, has selected Florida to host the 2007 National Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) Kick-off event. Governor Charlie Crist will serve as Honorary Chair to coincide with Florida's festivities as part of the national endeavor. The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment of People with Disabilities, will chair the statewide DMD planning committee that will host the event.
Disability Mentoring Day is a nationally coordinated job shadowing opportunity for students and jobseekers with disabilities. Disability Mentoring Day will be commemorated across the country on October 17, 2007, in honor of October: Disability Employment Awareness Month. Participants are matched with professionals based on their career interests and spend the day with mentors observing job responsibilities and getting a better understanding of the work place environment. Disability Mentoring Day gives participants a chance to learn about the day-to-day responsibilities required of a desired occupation and the skills and education requirements specific to a job in that career field.
"Participating as a mentor is a highly rewarding experience. It provides Floridians the opportunity to gain insight into the lives of those with disabilities while encouraging professional and academic growth among the disabled population. I look forward to serving as honorary chair of Disability Mentoring Day," said Governor Crist.
The national DMD kickoff event will take place in Orlando on September 24, 2007 at the Lake Buena Vista Palace and will include a press conference and career fair for high school and college students with disabilities. The Able Trust anticipates more than 600 students to take part in the career fair, which will feature informative workshops to help students prepare for the workforce, resume reviews and practice interviewing, as well as exposure to state and national businesses' career booths.
The event is being held in conjunction with the US Business Leadership Network national conference.
This is the second time Florida has been recognized as the national kick-off site for Disability Mentoring Day. In 2005 AAPD tapped Florida for this endeavor, with former Governor Bush serving as honorary chair. Florida leads the nation in mentoring opportunities through Disability Mentoring Day. Last year more than 700 students were mentored across the state as 300 employers offered job-shadowing opportunities. The experience helps students and job-seekers with disabilities develop the necessary skills and experiences they'll need to compete in today's competitive workforce.
"It is a great honor for our program to be recognized nationally, and we are thrilled to have been selected to host the national kick-off event again," stated Kristen Knapp, APR, Vice President of Public Relations for The Able Trust. "We have received tremendous support from disability agencies and the business community across our state, and we look forward to working with them in the coming year to make the 2007 national kick-off event an enormous success." Employers or organizations wishing to participate in a job shadowing experience for students with disabilities or interested in sponsoring the national kick-off event can contact Kristen Knapp, APR, at (888) 838-2253 or Kristen@abletrust.org or visit the Florida Disability Mentoring Day website at www.floridadmd.org for more information.
Disability Mentoring Day is a national initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities. It is organized in Florida by a collaborative partnership of The Able Trust, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Volunteer Florida, the Florida Mentoring Partnership and other statewide organizations. For more information visit www.floridadmd.org.