III. Accomplishments for 2002 A. Expansion of Public-Private Partnerships The US Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy increased its support of NDMD in 2002 to $98,500, while the number of private corporations providing national sponsorship rose to 15. 14 corporations each gave $5,000 toward the endeavor (with 8 corporations having renewed support, noted with asterisks below) and 1 corporation provided in- kind support worth $5,000 in the form of web site redesign to enhance online visibility. The National Corporate Sponsors for NDMD 2002 were: ? American Airlines ? AOL Time Warner * ? BellSouth ? Cingular Wireless * ? Citigroup Corporate and Investment Bank * ? Darden Restaurants and its Operating Companies: Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze, and Smokey Bones * ? General Motors ? Hewlett-Packard * ? Independence Technology, A Johnson & Johnson Company * ? Microsoft Corporation * ? Pitney Bowes * ? SunTrust Banks, Inc. ? TecAccess ? The Boeing Company ? Verizon * It is worth noting that, even in light of overall national trends of corporate giving being on the decrease due to economic considerations, the total value of support from the private sector for NDMD 2002 actually represented an increase of more than 13% from the year before. Even excluding in-kind support, AAPD still saw a net increase of almost 6.7%. This growth in spite of generally tougher economic times serves to show the strong support by the private sector of NDMD implementation and expansion and yet again reinforced AAPD's conviction that long-term employment gains for people with disabilities may best be achieved through engaging in partnerships between public agencies, non-profit disability organizations, and private employers. B. The Entrepreneurial Spirit: The Driving Force behind Model Development 1. The Philosophy One of the most exciting facets of American life is the diversity that exists within and among communities that dot the national landscape (see Appendix A). From rural to urban, small to large, agricultural to industrial, and everything in between, each of these communities has its own needs that, while similar in general ways, are also quite unique from one locale to the next. Gainful employment is the goal everywhere, but what are the needs in a particular community? What are the key sources of new jobs for those seeking employment? Who are the leaders in the community that may facilitate close working relationships between local grassroots service and consumer organizations and employers from the private, governmental, and non-profit sectors? Local Coordinators are the ones who best know the answers to these questions and, believing in their entrepreneurial spirit and creativity in utilizing the power of NDMD to build and enhance strategic partnerships that make the most sense for everyone involved, AAPD gives NDMD Local Coordinators a great deal of latitude and flexibility in designing and carrying out endeavors that they envision to be best suited for the communities in which they live. By the same token, in order to provide cohesion and a sense of unity in purpose, AAPD's national direction lends to everyone having a sense of being part of something larger -- a feeling that no one is acting alone and in a vacuum. This unity is further solidified as Local Coordinators share with one another the work that they have done and seek feedback on how to enhance their work. This minimizes the reinvention of the proverbial wheel and promotes cross- organizational collaboration across state lines and, by extension, across national borders. This driving philosophy has provided the impetus for undertaking efforts at an unprecedented scale and continues to produce new models for NDMD implementation as local creativity, combined with use of one national name ("National Disability Mentoring Day") and use of the same national promotional materials, has brought together more people and organizations from more quarters than ever. Additionally, as NDMD programs around the nation each mature (building on previous involvement), success from prior leadership in participation is spawning program evolution to encompass year-round work, thus adding to the momentum further still. 2. Program Flexibility Various Local Coordinators have organized events to entail one or more of the following components: o One-on-one job shadowing o Small group mentoring sessions involving 2 to 5 mentees per match o Large group tours of workplace facilities o School-based programs to enable students with disabilities to "think big" and then to brainstorm about career possibilities o Plenary sessions featuring local business leaders, elected officials, successfully-employed people with disabilities, proclamation and award presentations, video and/or slide presentations, and/or live testimonials from mentee participants just returning from a mentoring experience. o Follow-up in later weeks and months among local NDMD participants to foster even closer mentoring relationships and magnify the effectiveness of the endeavor far beyond merely one day. One of the benefits of this grassroots approach was that Local Coordinators developed ideas that no single entity on a national level could have envisioned alone. As these innovative models are developed and tested through direct community application, more seasoned coordinators have assisted less experienced ones by sharing information, local materials, logistics advice, and supportive words of encouragement and direction. Most exciting of all, this environment of collaboration has directly given impetus to further development of new ideas and approaches as various Local Coordinatorships ripen their programs to expand to broader employment-related mentoring endeavors, consequently realizing the ultimate goal of new experiential, internship, and employment opportunities that either did not exist before or were otherwise unknown to the student or job seeker. 3. Community-Based Model The flexibility of planned events went far beyond the events themselves and actually entailed community-based NDMD initiatives from a wide variety of organizations: o Educational institutions at the high school and college levels o Independent Living Centers o Local and gubernatorial councils, committees, and commissions of and for people with disabilities o Consumer organizations o Disability rights advocacy organizations o For-profit staffing companies o Non-profit employment placement organizations o State vocational rehabilitation agencies o Local offices of federal government agencies o Private businesses of various sizes o Goodwill chapters o A Public Television station Some of the Local Coordinatorships emerged at the request of AAPD to bring NDMD to major cities, while other organizations heard about the endeavor and contacted AAPD to become Local Coordinators for their communities. AAPD also recruited Local Coordinators in communities where employers expressed an interest in hosting students and asked for a Local Coordinator to help them identify students. AAPD encouraged all Local Coordinators to assemble "Local Organizing Committees" representing various stakeholders to assist them in planning and implementing their activities. These committees helped promote public-private partnerships at the grassroots level. AAPD encouraged Local Coordinators to maximize their own creativity in designing activities to best meet the needs of their communities. Local Coordinators could target specific populations if they chose. These populations included: o High school students o Students pursuing a vocational or technical license o College students in undergraduate study o Graduate students o Job seekers of different ages and varying educational backgrounds and pursuits For the first time in NDMD history, some local efforts entailed participation of: o Elementary school students o Junior high school students As a result, NDMD now entails benefiting people with disabilities at every stage of career development – from young children who are just beginning to dream about the possibilities to adults of any age who seek to become gainfully employed. C. Every NDMD Figure at an All-Time High From the beginning of AAPD's involvement, the organization underscored the fact that the size of events was of little importance; making a difference in individual lives was what mattered most. Accordingly, AAPD was more interested in having Local Coordinatorships enable NDMD to have a lasting presence in their communities than reaching a total numeric goal of mentee participants. That having been said, it is undeniable how the numbers speak volumes about the enthusiasm and energy surrounding NDMD and why figures have skyrocketed to levels unparalleled in this endeavor's history. ? Mentee Participation. With 90% of all volunteer Local Coordinators submitting numbers by early February 2003, NDMD has more than doubled last year's figure of 1,600 to a new record high of 3,300 mentee participants (see Appendix B). Even conservatively assuming that each of the 12 remaining Coordinatorships individually hosted 10 to 20 mentees, this will add anywhere from 120 to 240 participants, thus bringing the new NDMD mentee participation record to range between 3,420 and 3,540. (For a ranking of participation levels by locality based on Local Coordinator Reports, see Appendix C.) ? Extent of Local Coordinatorships. While NDMD in 2001 witnessed 70 Local Coordinatorships in 32 states and the District of Columbia, 2002 marked a new national high with 131 Local Coordinatorships in 37 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico (again see Appendix B). This translates into a growth rate of almost 90%. ? New International Expansion. For the first time ever, NDMD took hold in nations beyond the United States. New Zealand was the first to come on board, borrowing from the US model and now having involvement at the highest levels of its government (including its equivalent to the Secretary of Education). The first NDMD-New Zealand event, coordinated by Mainstream (a disability rights advocacy organization) and to be held in November of every year, was attended by 35 people (a beginning similar to that of the US). NDMD has also reached its way into Kosovo as the Little People of Kosovo promoted NDMD on October 16 among a television audience that spanned several countries, preparing the way for an organized event in 2003. Finally, in addition to domestic efforts by Agilent Technologies, the company promoted NDMD in 5 locations in Canada and 1 location in Scotland. ? NDMD Proclamations. This year represented a significant increase in the number of proclamations commemorating NDMD. From 13 local jurisdictions and 5 states in 2001, these numbers have now climbed to 35 local jurisdictions and 15 states (see Appendix D). This means an increase of 169% for local jurisdictions and a tripling of gubernatorial proclamations over 2001. ? Mentoring Organizations. The sheer number of organizations providing direct mentoring this year is illustrative of how this event has truly touched a cord in local communities around the country. 331 private companies , 95 non-profit organizations , 171 governmental/public entities (including elected officials) , and 65 educational institutions directly took part in mentoring people with disabilities at a total of 712 sites (see Appendix E). In totality, the number of reported mentoring organizations skyrocketed to a whopping 661, representing more than triple last year's total reported figure of 210 when accounting for organizations in all categories. ? Media and Online Exposure. NDMD's reported media coverage sharply rose from 2 organizational publications, 8 newspapers, 4 online publications, 5 radio stations, and 10 television stations in 2001 to 3 nationally circulated magazines, 16 internal organizational publications, 50 newspapers, 28 radio stations, and 18 television stations (see Appendix G). Online exposure through corporate and governmental coverage of NDMD has proliferated so extensively that direct and timely tracking of exact sources has now become practically impossible. Even a cursory search on Google.com using keywords "NDMD 2002" reveals 218 pages found, compared to 117 for 2001 with similar search parameters. Broadening the search to "Disability Mentoring Day 2002," "Disability Mentoring 2002," "Disability Mentoring Day," and "disability mentoring" results in 43,400, 73,500, 80,500, and 119,000 web pages respectively. Even when accounting for the duplication factor inherent within the results of any search engine query, it is clear that AAPD --through its many partnerships-- has succeeded in tapping directly into the disability community. D. Success Stories: The Real Reasons Behind NDMD Of course, behind the numbers themselves lie stories of success that point fully to why NDMD is so important in the lives of people with disabilities, many of whom may not otherwise have had the opportunity proactively to learn from people in their chosen career paths. Achievement of one's ultimate career goal requires, first, that attitudinal barriers be removed. The individual must then gain some hands-on career exploration and must solidify his or her career direction of what he or she does and does not want to do. Internship and job opportunities are the next step, paving the way for subsequent accomplishment further still. Finally, out of the desire to give back what they have received in their own lives, the individual will work on building this endeavor even larger in order to quicken the momentum. Below are examples of success in all these areas. 1. Removal of Attitudinal Barriers a. Broadening Educational Goals. "Many of the students had never visited a college campus before. Several of the students expressed an interest to return to the college to further their education following high school." – Lynn Lewis, Local Coordinator, NDMD Beaufort County, NC b. Dispelling Doubts of Others. The mother of a mentee in Denver, Colorado, expressed concerns over her son's ability to participate successfully in mentoring day. The mother was not sure how the employer and her son (who uses a communication board) would communicate effectively and thought it could lead to an embarrassing situation. With the encouragement of Sheridan Walker, a member of the Local Organizing Committee who coordinated the Agilent Technologies component of the local event, the mother and son participated in mentoring day and it was a successful learning experience for all involved. It also led some Agilent employees who have a disability to discuss openly their personal circumstances and talk about some of the accommodations they receive or need. c. NDMD Good for Employers and Mentees Alike. "I really enjoyed my shadow," said mentee Chad Fonville of Beaufort County, North Carolina, in reflecting on NDMD. Mentor Sherry Stotesberry said, "I was reminded of the first few years of my job, when it was new and unpredictable. Chad let me see it through his eyes – just like it was a first day for me." Said NDMD Local Coordinator Lynn Lewis, "More employers would encourage their employees to participate if they knew the employees would have a renewed sense of purpose. Sherry's experience was obviously a good one." d. Instilling Hope in the Lives of Mentee Participants. Deb Bubis, a mentee at the Internal Revenue Service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrote, "NDMD offered hope to its participants. It proved that disabled people can get the job that they want as long as they strive to do their best. Presenters were very knowledgeable in their field. They were very warm-hearted and patient." Another mentee at the same placement, Kevin Lyles, wrote, "I liked the encouragement of hope for employment [The event was] very well planned with mentors. They had our best interest at heart. " e. A Solid Sense of Resolve. "I want to thank you [Kristina Carrier] for making Disability Mentoring Day possible in our area. Getting to spend the day at Alaska Airlines was a wonderful educational experience for me. The staff made me feel welcome, and they gladly answered my numerous questions. I plan to apply for a job there when some openings become available." – Deborah Allen, Mentee, Boise, Idaho. 2. Goal-Setting and Hands-On Career Exploration a. Broadcasting. At the Professional Development Center for the Colorado Community College System, one mentee, Jeremy, had an interest in video production. Sue Klebold from the Community College System tells it this way: "Jeremy ended up in a video studio and he got to do voice-overs and do some hands on stuff. He had had quite a bit of this in high school already so they were impressed with his knowledge base. The folks on the Community College end said that they felt it was successful and they would do it again." b. Technology-Oriented Troubleshooting. Frank Noah, Documentum Systems Administrator with the Document Management Team at Bayer Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrote about his NDMD experience and included the text of the letter sent to him by his mentee. Here is his full account: "Emily Petraglia is currently enrolled in a Helpdesk Program with Slippery Rock University in Wexford, PA. She is planning to finish her program next month and hopes to find a career in the Helpdesk industry. Emily had the opportunity to see some of the day- to-day activities that I do as a Documentum system administrator. She also had the opportunity to see how I handled a couple of SMC's service tickets for the Documentum issue. Mark Giannangeli was gracious enough to make arrangements with Emily to visit the SMC Helpdesk work environment and meet with some folks there. I received an email from Emily today with her comments. 'Thank you very much for letting me come in yesterday and shadow you. It was very interesting to be in that type of work environment and see what really goes on. I learned a lot. Yesterday's experience has made me really look forward to graduating and starting a new job. Thanks again.'" c. Baking the Dream. "In Boise, Idaho, Brandon Ryan, who has a cognitive disability, simply wanted to learn to make and bake pizzas. His advocates spoke frequently about his cognitive disabilities and particularly made an issue of his obesity. The Director of Operations for Pizza Hut in the local area very graciously found a mentor hours before the NDMD event and provided him with a pizza-baking experience. They also gave him his own apron and chef's hat. When Brandon arrived at the NDMD breakfast, he was well-groomed and well-dressed when some of the other participants were not. His weight was completely irrelevant." – Kristina Carrier, NDMD Local Coordinator, Boise, Idaho. d. Aspiring to Become an Advocate in Disability Rights Law. Josie Badger, a senior at Lincoln High School in Ellwood, Pennsylvania, has a motor disability and uses a wheelchair and a service animal. After finding out that she was interested in disability law, Mike Gravitt, NDMD Local Organizing Committee Member in Pittsburgh, connected her with his friend, Jana Finder, at the Pittsburgh Disability Law Project. She enjoyed her day downtown, learning more about disability law and advocacy. She was very inquisitive about what to study in college and how to pursue her career and education. According to Gravitt, "Jana and Josie both indicated that the day was a great success, and they will continue to keep in touch. Hopefully, in a few years, Josie will be living her dream and reciprocating efforts to get other youth with disabilities involved in NDMD." e. Prescription for Success. Jessica Thomas, a high school senior, was interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy. She spent the day at a Rite Aid in Morehead, Kentucky "I really enjoyed participating in this project and look forward to doing it more often." f. Web Design and Information Technology. Linda Griffith, Senior Information Systems Analyst at the Bayer Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, recounted her NDMD experience this way: "During our time together, I showed Joshua Yurchison some of the web sites I'm currently developing, and he provided some suggestions. We added some photos in color to 'spice them up.' He also reviewed a PowerPoint presentation that I was developing and gave me some ideas on how to enhance it. He seemed to really enjoy himself, and I did too." g. Internal Revenue Service. "It was interesting to see from the IRS how it functions and learn about possible career opportunities available here. It was also interesting to see some disabled speakers speak about their experiences working at the IRS." – Marc Chance, Mentee, Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. h. Medical Transcription. "Taking part in National Disability Mentoring Day has convinced 31-year-old Michelle D. Parker-Martinez to pursue a career in medical transcription. 'I got a broader sense of what actually goes on. Everyone has been really helpful in the different departments I've been in. It's a lot of work and definitely shows that they need people.' She was an advocate at the Independent Living Center in Amherst until her narcolepsy got so bad that she was falling asleep at work. Since then, she has gotten it under control with medication and would like to find a job." – Union- News, Local Section, Holyoke, Massachusetts, October 17, 2002. i. Physical Therapy. "The mentors were friendly and were all well educated on their careers and really helped me figure out my career path. I loved the hands-on participation I was involved in. I would like to thank everyone for allowing me to job shadow. I would love to do it again. Physical therapy is a wonderful experience, and the hands-on training is better and more helpful to me than any class will be." – Kari Morrison, Job Seeker, Knoxville, Tennessee. 3. New Internship and Job Opportunities a. Jonathan Santiago, a junior at Lawrence High School in Kansas and a mentee participant who aspires to be a writer, director, or actor, actually interviewed his own NDMD Local Co-Coordinator, Jennifer Schwartz, on live television (Lawrence Cable Channel 6). He was then offered a summer 2003 internship that very same day. b. Robert Robinson, a mentee from Hazard, Kentucky, was offered a summer job at the Hazard Herald as the direct result of NDMD. c. Mentee Anabel Rios, a student at the University of Houston, was offered an internship with the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, to begin in January 2003. d. "A student participant in NDMD in Lawrence, Kansas, was offered a job during the summer with the Lawrence Humane Society. The student completed an application (something that the mentor asked him/her on the same day to do after spending time with the mentor for NDMD) and is expected to work with the agency when school is out. The student will help staff at the Humane Society with general care of the animals." – Renita Wilks, NDMD Local Co-Coordinator, Lawrence, Kansas. e. "Paul Glenn, the Human Resources Manager of the Kroger Company, would like to offer jobs to more people with disabilities, because it's just the right thing to do. 'People with disabilities have so much potential, and it needs to be represented.' " – Kristen Jones, NDMD Local Coordinator, Houston, Texas. f. One high school student mentee did such a good job being mentored by Pizza Hut in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that he was offered a job by the manager. g. "Many students shared that their mentors invited them back to volunteer and gain additional experience. The students were encouraged to follow up on these offers." – Vonda Evans, NDMD Local Coordinator, Flint, Michigan. h. "Two of our consumers should be getting a job out of the NDMD experience." – Cheryl Carwoski, Massachusetts NDMD State Organizing Committee Chairperson. i. "One student was encouraged to apply for a summer job to learn more about that particular business." – Margaret E. Heiser, NDMD Local Coordinator, Lansing, Michigan. j. "One mentee may be offered a possible job along an assembly line at Goosberry Patch." – Barbara Brinegar, NDMD Local Coordinator, Delaware, Ohio. k. A mentor reservist from the Paducah Memorial Reserve Center, said that his mentee may be a candidate for employment. l. "A mentee at Wal-Mart in Fort Scott, Kansas, did very well at several different tasks. He enjoyed the work very much and was asked to fill out an application." -- Marlene Arndt, Local Coordinator, Fort Scott, Kansas. 4. Paving the Way for Others To Follow a. Physical Accessibility. "One mentee in Boise, Idaho, who was blind, inspired Hewlett-Packard's Employee Coordinator to consider providing Boise State University with adaptive computer technology to assist students with disabilities in their studies." – Kristina Carrier, NDMD Local Coordinator, Boise, Idaho. b. Mentor with a Disability Giving Back. "One of the disc jockeys for K- LZR (105.9 FM in Lawrence, Kansas) Andy Stahmer, has a visual disability and is always willing to mentor students interested in radio. Andy has an afternoon radio program where he discusses community issues. The student participants in NDMD, who visited the station, were interviewed on-air about their experience with NDMD. Andy also gave listeners background information about NDMD and encouraged the community to participate as mentors." – Renita Wilks, NDMD Local Co- Coordinator, Lawrence, Kansas. c. Mentoring as She was Mentored. "Shirley Traugott, Administrative Supportive Assistant at the United Way Gulf Coast Bay Area [in Texas] and also a person with a disability herself, expressed that she was given an opportunity to have a mentor growing up, and she wanted to impart her knowledge and experience to her mentee, Valerie Cedillo, a student at Houston Community College, like her mentor did for her. Valerie was also able to aid in troubleshooting something on the computer that Ms. Traugott had been having difficulties with." – Kristen Jones, NDMD Local Coordinator, Houston, Texas. E. Involvement by High-Level Officials One of the central tenets of NDMD is to open new doors of opportunity for people with disabilities in careers from entry level to management. Doing this takes time, but its importance continues to be understood by leaders at the highest levels of government, the non-profit sector, and corporate America. Examples of high-level involvement now follow: ? In Washington, DC, the White House hosted 5 college and graduate-level mentees, and mentors also spent time with sub-cabinet secretaries and/or other high-ranking leaders in the departments of Labor, Transportation, Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Education. Other federal agencies included the Social Security Administration, the Agency for International Development, the National Council on Disability, and the United States Customs Service. The DC kick-off event was particularly noteworthy, since Labor Secretary Elaine Chao used the occasion to announce DisabilityInfo.gov. Officials high in the Administration were also on hand from the various departments to commemorate NDMD. On Capitol Hill, the offices of Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa hosted mentees, and these elected officials met with the mentees as well. ? In Brevard County, Florida, 5 mentees participated at the Delaware North Park Services, dined with Astronaut John McBride, saw a 3-D movie called "International Space Station," and were given one-on-one mentors matched with their interests. ? In Houston, Texas, three members of the City Council served as mentors to local college students: Ada Edwards, Gordon Quan, and Mark Ellis. ? In Wichita, Kansas, several Bank of America executives came to the reception and pledged their continued support for next year. They also mentioned that they wanted to challenge other Bank of America branches across the nation to participate as sponsors and mentors. ? In Natick, Massachusetts, State Representative David Linsky, who uses a wheelchair, also mentored a job seeker for a day. ? In Dearborn, Michigan, 4 college students completed a job shadowing experience with the Ford Motor Company, one in human resources and 3 with its Information Technology Department. One student is scheduled for a contact with Ford's legal department in December. ? In Columbus, Missouri, 200 people attended the NDMD luncheon event. According to NDMD Local Coordinator Lee Henson, who also serves as Missouri NDMD State Organizing Committee Chairperson, "University of Missouri Men's Basketball Head Coach Quin Snyder's talk was a highlight because it emphasized the importance of mentoring, in a context other than disability. State Representative Chuck Graham, who is paraplegic, served as the luncheon Master of Ceremonies and included some telling personal and political perspectives in his remarks. Four of the speakers were Missouri University students with disabilities, and all focused on their accomplishments and ambitions, so that attendees would more readily understand that students with disabilities are students first – and often students who are doing very well academically and pre-professionally." ? In Kansas City, Missouri, Cynthia Newsom, a local newswoman with K-SHV Television, was a mentor, and she did a one-on-one interview with General Motors executive Gary Talbot, Manager/Engineer of the company's Mobility Center. ? In Los Angeles, California, senior executives from Southern California Edison took time to mentor participants one-on-one and in a small group setting. Also, law students spent time with seasoned attorneys at some of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the City. ? In Alton, Illinois, Mayor Donald Sandidge spent the entire day with his mentee for NDMD. ? In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at a gathering commemorating NDMD at Highmarks Blue Cross Blue Shield, guest speakers ranging from managers and directors who have people with disabilities working directly in their areas to Tom Tabor (the Chief Executive Officer of Highmarks Blue Cross Blue Shield) and Ty Alexander (Senior Vice President of Human Resources), who expressed their views on why hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. ? In Bridge Valley, Wyoming, Police Chief Jake Williams mentored a local mentee participant. G. Volunteerism at its Best All these things have been achieved without AAPD providing direct funding support to the Local Organizing Committees that put together these efforts around the country. But, the support that has helped these endeavors to thrive and grow are the organizational know-how and extensive network that AAPD has at its disposal. In addition to volunteer time spent on NDMD, smaller Local Coordinatorships have even given cash out of their own pockets to put on an event, because building the mentoring concept among the disability community was that important. By accounts from the field, based on reports received, organizations for 2002 have been known to spend as much as $21,262.23 in financial resources and the value of their staff time to utilize NDMD to build existing programs internal to their organizations while embarking on an adventure in taking this event to a whole new level. Government entities have spent as much as $27,000 for the event itself. This degree of support illustrates how much NDMD is valued in the community at large, which is why AAPD is looking forward to continuing to build this endeavor larger than ever! H. Testimonials Employers, students and job seekers, and NDMD organizers and other supporters alike have sung the praises of this endeavor. Here are but a few examples of what people around the country have had to say: ? "Thank you so much for your great efforts in looking out for the up-and-coming young people of the disability field and workforce. Thank you for believing in them and that there are horizons out there to be broadened." – Kim Strunk, Montgomery County, Kansas. ? In Flint, Michigan, high school mentee Rachel Crawford spent time with Gensee County Circuit Court Judge Duncan Beagle. "I liked getting to meet Judge Beagle," she wrote in an evaluation of her NDMD experience. "I would like to see him again." Another high school mentee, Amanda Nau, wrote, "I loved talking to the judge and having lunch with him and seeing how he feels about what he does. I hated leaving. I almost cried. This was a great experience, and I do not have a single doubt in my mind about doing it again." ? "We're a community college. Events like this enable us to become more a part of our community." – David McLawhorn, Beaufort County Community College President (and former Vocational Counselor). Washington Daily News, October 17, 2002, Page 1-A. ? "I liked [the] interaction with students, teachers, and other participants from the various organizations. All were interested and attentive as well as willing to share information and ask good questions. We had a very supportive and helpful Local Coordinator [Mary Ann Merz], who eased our organizing efforts … More good local coordinators will probably encourage more employers to participate. I enjoyed the day thoroughly and hope to participate next year" – Peggy Agnew, Mentor, The Boeing Company, St. Louis, Missouri. ? "All I can say is how great Hewlett Packard was. The staff who set it up were thorough, and the mentors just LOVED teaching and sharing their experiences with our consumers. Six of our consumers attended this site, and they said everything from 'I loved this job, and I can do it' to 'what a great opportunity.' " -- Cheryl Carwoski, Massachusetts NDMD State Organizing Committee Chairperson. ? "Goodwill Industries and the Center for Disability Studies said they wanted to participate with NDMD next year. One of the staff members is pairing up with a student to try and help her find a job." – Diane Hino, NDMD Local Coordinator, Honolulu, Hawaii. ? "I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for your efforts in coordinating National Disability Mentoring Day… I believe that you and your staff made the perfect match. My Mentee, Michael Agyan, and I had a great time. Michael has a great personality. He clearly benefited and learned from participating in this event. I will most definitely participate in next year's NDMD." – Richard Ray, Mentor, Los Angeles County Office of Affirmative Action Compliance, Los Angeles, California. ? "I would highly recommend NDMD to any student who has a disability as well as employers. Job shadowing can assist a student in finding out what kind of career they want to pursue after high school and even college. NDMD may be beneficial to employers because they get to see people with disabilities as people who want to work and not give in to the societal stereotype that people with disabilities are poor and helpless individuals." – Serena Nickell, Senior, Emporia University, Emporia, Kansas. ? "The whole event was just great. It was nice to be able to see each area of the IRS and learn about the organization. I learned how to track jobs on the internet and file my resume online." – Diane Murphy, Mentee, Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ? "I liked being able to share experiences in the workplace with someone else with disabilities. I liked being able to show someone else he could have a productive and fulfilling life in the workplace." – Mentor, Clyde's Body Shop, Knoxville, Tennessee. ? "Mentoring is a very creative method of helping job seekers to learn about careers, develop relationships with people who can open doors, and learn the important things to do when seeking a job. I wholeheartedly support this effort and encourage all public and private sector organizations to do so." – Sedonie Halbert, Commissioner, Department of Human Services, United States Virgin Islands. These words from the individuals themselves speak volumes about why NDMD and its expansion continue to play a vital role in enhancing internship and job opportunities for people with disabilities in every area of career aspiration. This information about international NDMD efforts by Agilent Technologies is based on an oral report given in person to AAPD Senior Vice President of Development and Communications Mariana V. Nork and General Counsel and Director of Programs Olegario D. Cantos VII by Patty O'Sullivan in November 2002. In spite of a request to receive figures regarding the number of mentee participants and exact locations within Canada and Scotland, that information was not provided by the finalization of this report. In actuality, there were 369 private business mentoring sites. However, several companies held NDMD activities in various locations. These included NDMD National Sponsors SunTrust Banks, Inc. with 7 sites, The Boeing Company and Cingular Wireless with 4, and Verizon with 3. Other corporations with multiple sites were Agillent Technologies with 6 domestic sites and Hewlett-Packard, Pizza Hut, and Wal-Mart each with 4. Other companies with multiple sites included Alaska Airlines, Federal Express, Harley Davidson Motor Company, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, IBM, and Kohl's each with 2. The figure of 369 only accounts for sites within the United States. The actual number of non-profit mentoring sites is 100. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill hosted mentees at 3 locations, and 7 other non-profit organizations had two sites each: The Arc, Goodwill Industries, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, the Mental Health Association, United Way, the Texas Community for the Blind, and the YMCA. There were actually 177 governmental/public sites. The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services hosted mentees at 3 sites, while the United States Department of Education, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration, and the Georgia Department of Labor each hosted mentees at 2 sites. Though there are countless educational institutions at all levels that had a direct hand in making NDMD such an incredible success, this figure accounts only for those that AAPD understands to have provided actual mentors to people with disabilities or played a key role in working with their Local Coordinatorships to put together an NDMD event. The purpose of excluding other institutions who were less directly involved is to remain consistent with how numbers were tallied in all other mentoring organization categories, particularly since the objective here is to track actual mentoring activities. Organizational sites are only counted once per Local Coordinatorship so as to insure figure accuracy. For instance, if a large university within a particular city is so involved in NDMD that several departments participate, the entire university is counted only as one site. However, if various corporate franchises participate in NDMD in different cities under different Local Coordinatorships, each site is counted separately. AAPD has taken great care to differentiate between the number of mentoring organizations and the number of mentoring sites, though both figures (when analyzed either separately or in concert) speak volumes about the magnitude of NDMD. For the purposes of this report, none of these organizational figures represent mentoring activity outside the United States. As an interesting and amusing footnote, one of the individualized activities that Richard Ray planned with his mentee, Michael Agyan, was to attend the Annual Awards Luncheon of the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities. As part of this luncheon's festivities, a special door prize was given as a finale. Michael happened to possess the winning ticket and won two roundtrip tickets anywhere in the world! Suffice it to say that, as the result of participating in NDMD, he took home far more than memories of a great day!