Disability Mentoring Day held in KagHS and SSHS

In celebration of Disability Employment Awareness Month, the State Rehabilitation Council and Office of Vocational Rehabilitation successfully engaged the participation of 10 private and public places of employment and 15 high school students with disabilities from Kagman High School and Saipan Southern High School in its Disability Mentoring Day activity on Oct. 19, 2005.

The students, who were matched with workplace mentors according to their specific job interests, were given the opportunity for one-on-one job shadowing, mentoring, and some hands-on experience.

Disability Mentoring Day benefited the students as they learned first-hand about internship and job opportunities, explored possible career paths, demonstrated skills to potential employers, and gained greater confidence in their own employability. Employers or workplace mentors, on the other hand, gained access to a pool of new emerging talent, learned more about the experience of disability, and demonstrated positive leadership in the community by agreeing to participate in this worthwhile activity.

SRC and OVR would like to express their most sincere appreciation to the following companies and government agencies for promoting career development and career exploration to our high school students with disabilities: Hyatt Regency Saipan, Pacific Development, Inc., Calvo’s Nursery & Landscaping, Department of Public Health, Northern Marianas College, Department of Public Safety, DFS Galleria, Sorensen Broadcasting Power 99, Philippine Eagle Corporation, and Aquarius Beach Tower.

Last, but not least, appreciation also goes out to Ana Yamada of Kagman High School, Nancy Pestanas of Saipan Southern High School, and their students for making the event possible.

Disability Mentoring Day, a program created through the collaboration of the U.S. Department of Education and Rehabilitation Services Administration, began in 1999 with fewer than three dozen student participants. Last year, however, that number has skyrocketed with the participation of 9,000 students and over 2,500 employer mentors. Disability Mentoring Day is held on the third Wednesday of October each year.

The effort to educate the American public about issues related to disability and employment began back in 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The mission of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is to increase employment and promote independence among eligible individuals with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (PR)