Independence, Inc. is gearing up for the 18th Annual Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) Event, October 29th, 2019. Disability Mentoring Day is a nationwide effort to promote career development and skill-building strategies for youth with disabilities through hands-on career exploration. Independence, Inc. organizes DMD each year in October as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The purpose of NDEAM is to address the disparity in both employment rates and level of pay among people with disabilities compared to those without disabilities. Breaking stereotypes, educating employers, celebrating inclusion and addressing attitudinal, structural, organization and other types of barriers that limit employment opportunities for people with disabilities are some of the primary focus areas of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Each year, Independence, Inc.’s DMD event serves approximately 80 youth and goes hand-in-hand with these efforts by offering job-shadowing experiences that match their career interests, and following up with a celebration banquet and keynote speaker to encourage, inspire and inform students on how to prepare for their employment goals. This year’s keynote speaker is Recruitment Specialist and all-things-job-related guru, Peter Steimle. Craig Weinaug, long-time County Administrator (retired) and Independence, Inc. board member, will serve as our Master of Ceremonies. Independence, Inc. is always recruiting local businesses who understand and support the need for full inclusion of people with disabilities into the workforce, to join us for Disability Mentoring Day and act as a mentor to local high school students for a morning of job-shadowing. For more information on DMD or to contact Independence, Inc. about becoming a mentor, please visit our website http://www.independenceinc.org/dmd/ . For information on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, visit the U.S. Department of Labor website https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/
