DISABILITY MENTORING DAY 2005 December 23, 2005 Submitted by: Jennifer Taransky National Coordinator of Disability Mentoring Day American Association of People with Disabilities 1629 H Street, NW, Suite 503 Washington, DC 20006 (800) 840-8844; (202) 457-0046 (Voice/TTY) (202) 457-0473 (Fax) DMDAAPD@aol.com http://www.aapd.com I. Introduction Thanks to generous funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), as well as the U.S Social Security Administration and a host of national private sponsors, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) was pleased to serve as the National Host of the Disability Mentoring Day program again for the sixth year in 2005. The objective of Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is to encourage individuals with disabilities to think early about their careers and to develop the skills necessary to compete in the marketplace, therefore boosting their financial security and inclusion in America’s economic growth. DMD exposes employers to a pool of talent that they may not have realized existed- thereby educating employers about the importance of including individuals with disabilities in their diversity initiatives. DMD is a successful program because, at its core, it is a grassroots program that fosters creativity and empowers locally-based, on-the-ground, businesses, non-profits, schools, government agencies and consortiums to use a nationally recognized and trusted model to adapt and make work for their own diverse communities. We are proud to announce that we have exceeded our goal numbers in 2005 for both mentees and mentors. These individuals come from all walks of life, all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 20 countries around the world, including New Zealand, Kenya and Brazil. AAPD received amazing support and participation for this year’s program from national corporations, federal agencies and non-profit organizations who have insisted that their managers get involved as mentors on the ground. The DMD local coordinators come from public and private school, independent living centers, university disability support service offices and other, less likely places, like small businesses, individual families, and employee resource groups. It is inspiring to look at our final numbers as well as the testimonials that follow in this report. DMD is a unique program, because it can make small differences to individuals, like helping someone decide that they want to go to college, or helping them get a foot in the door at a job they’ve always wanted. Furthermore, DMD has the power to make large societal change and inform policy and legislation. AAPD, the National Host, has provided overall guidance for all aspects of DMD planning and coordination, recruitment, management and support of local and state coordinators, creation and dissemination of materials including a comprehensive tool kit, and providing ongoing technical assistance to all program participants. The program’s National Coordinator, with help from other AAPD staff, has spent countless hours creating documents, troubleshooting, mediating disputes, leading conference calls, problem solving, and thinking of creative ways to make DMD an even more successful and holistic career development program. The future looks bright for the Disability Mentoring Day program. New local coordinator proposals come in weekly, and we are already setting up our first Regional Conference calls for the 2006 program. Changes already being discussed for the new year include the beginning of three new task forces- one for urban programs, one for rural programs, and one focusing on disability culture, pride and identity. These new task forces have come about in response to particular problems we face as a diverse program. We are excited- any reason and method to get our local coordinators excited, talking, exchanging ideas, disseminating materials and creating relationships is a goal realized for AAPD. We are also strengthening our relationships with other national non-profits, to make sure we are reaching all parts of the population. As example, we are pleased to be developing a partnership with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes in order to work with all Veterans with disabilities returning from the war in Iraq. We are also nurturing a relationship with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), a national organization with connections to human resource professionals throughout the country- we look forward to working with all HR professionals to help them understand that people with disabilities are employable people. We look forward to continuing to work closely with ODEP in the future, to continue to provide one-on-one job shadowing and career exploration to mentees worldwide and influencing hiring policy at agencies, companies and organizations globally. The following quote comes from the DMD local coordinator in Grafton, North Dakota, when asked for an example of a “Success Story.” I think her sentiment is demonstrative of all Local Coordinators, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Mentees need to be provided opportunities and choices, and that is exactly what the Disability Mentoring Day program does. Without DMD, many mentees would not get an opportunity to do anything like this. “Out of [all] the students that job shadowed on Oct. 19th I would have to say that they are all success stories. Most of our schools are rural schools and the students don’t get the opportunity to job showdown specific sites. Some of tour students traveled 100 miles just to shadow for 2 hours. The students were very grateful to have this opportunity and also the parents were grateful that their children got the opportunity to see a career of interest so that they have an idea of what the business is all about. Without DMD, a lot of our students would not get this opportunity.” C. DMD Statistics Whereas numbers cannot show the complete picture, they can help to illustrate the reach of the program. With that in mind, these numbers merely reflect our domestic DMD program: Statistic Two Years Ago (as of 12/31/03) Last Year (as of 12/31/04) This Year (as of 12/1/05) Mentee Participation Appendix A 3,875 (44% sites reporting) 6,007 (66% sites reporting) 8948 (74% of sites reporting Domestic Local Coordinators Appendix A 183 223 283 Mentoring Organizations Appendix C 883 (44% of sites reporting) 1315 (66% of sites reporting) 1,978 (74% of sites reporting) * When factoring in how recent history has shown that a 90% reporting rate is not reached until five months after DMD. We feel like we can at this point project at this rate of mentees per site (@ 42) we will reach approximately 12,200 mentees this year. D. Testimonial Success Stories: Hearing it in their own Words The following testimonials show examples of success from the hard-to-measure small moments of understanding to the more countable ongoing relationships. Letting the mentees, mentors and local coordinators have their own voice will demonstrate why DMD is such a vital program in these communities. 1. Volunteer Local and State Coordinators- Our Backbone! Our Local Coordinators all double as magicians, fundraisers, teachers, organizers, recruiters, writers, researchers, leaders and most importantly, mentors. Our State Coordinators always go a step further to grow these programs- whether there are 90+ local coordinators working with them on the ground (as is the case in Florida), or whether they run they run the whole show out of their office- these are individuals who think big. a. Our Local Coordinator in Princeton, WV: “DMD is a great opportunity for students with disabilities to receive information about the resources available to them and help them prepare for a future in the workforce. It also helps educate employers about people with different disabilities and their capabilities.” b. “Here in Hawaii, since some employers were indeed interested in mentoring but could not commit to the October 19th date we arranged to have mentees spend time with them on alternative dates. This took some flexibility on our part as consent forms, etc. needed to be adjusted to reflect different dates, and we needed to request transportation, interpreters and other accommodation for more than one day. However, to enable as many mentees and mentors as possible to participate we, as local coordinators were pleased to have the freedom to “expand” DMD to meet the needs of our community.” Due to having this flexibility as a direct result of DMD Hawaii, several mentees were invited to return for additional mentoring experiences c. Bourbon County, KS- LC Kathi Ginter “I found Kerrie (Bacon, KS State Coordinator)’s support very helpful. She made herself available for questions and gave me good suggestions. I am thankful for her help. I like to have all my ducks in a row but still be flexible. Her biggest help was to have a committee. It took the burden off me and let others help plan. d. Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL) Center employee Kathleen Walsh created posters with informational facts, in addition to AAPD provided materials, to post around town. They also created a series of signs that were posted in all local buses. Coworkers Dianne Kenski and Kathleen Walsh created window displays at the Juneau Downtown Public Library and the Juneau Nugget mall. SAIL reached 700 students through school presentations in the Juneau-Douglas School district and informed them about DMD and other programs for high schoolers with disabilities. e. Michelle Slither DMD Local Coordinator in Paducah, KY, “It takes a village to raise a child, a typically developing child. For a child with severe disabilities, it takes a country… you can quote me on this.” f. AAPD selected Tallahassee, Florida to be the national kickoff city this year for the 2005 DMD program; Governor Jeb Bush was Honorary Chairman, and he also participated as a mentor. More than 150 students and job seekers with disabilities participated in activities in the Tallahassee area on October 19, thanks to the coordination of The Able Trust. The day started with a breakfast gathering, whose speakers included Lt. Governor Toni Jennings and AAPD President and CEO Andrew Imparato, as well as Woody Simmons, a local Vice President of Verizon who provide the corporate mentoring perspective for the 200+ mentees and mentors in attendance. We honor State Coordinator Kristin Knapp for her leadership out of the Able Trust Office. Because of Kristin and her staff there are over 90 DMD programs running in Florida around the year. Congratulations Florida on your amazing statewide effort. 2. Mentoring Organizations Reaching Out Sometimes our local coordinators have to stretch to the limits to find organizations willing to act as mentors, donate services and time. However, over the years different organizations have stepped up through National Sponsorship and/or on the ground experiences. a. When Gary Souther, a manager at the Hot Springs Arkansas Red Lobster called our Local Coordinator in Arkadelphia, AR she was floored. “He asked if our students would like to participate by taking an in-depth look into their operations and enjoy a succulent meal at no cost…We hope to be about to let our student shadow Darden restaurants again in the future. Thanks Red Lobster!” Darden Restaurants provided food and mentoring experiences to at least 60 locations around the country. b. In Paducah, KY, a partnership has been formed with a new locally formed Western Kentucky chapter of the Kentucky Business Leadership Network (KYBN) through our Fall 2005 DMD. This should grow the program significantly this Spring- we run our program twice a year. We had participation from many local Business Leadership Networks, as well as the National BLN. Next year we plan on honoring the National BLN and the Minnesota BLN by naming them the National Kick-Off Site for DMD 2006 c. “My students went to SunTrust Bank here in Atlanta. We have 20 high schools in the Atlanta public school system and 2 students from each high school participated in [DMD]… the students were matched up with mentors who talked about their jobs and let students shadow them. They were served breakfast and lunch. SunTrust also had various people make presentations to the students, teaching skills such as resume writing, interview techniques and bank bingo… The students had an opportunity to meet NASCAR racer Wayne Taylor who drives for SunTrust! They took pictures with him and he autographed a hat and poster for each students. They then were able to see inside of the bus that he travels in while going from event to event.” SunTrust Bank participated throughout their entire “footprint”- m DC to Florida and beyond. d. On Oct 19th, Verizon DIAL (the employee resource group- Disabilities Issues Awareness Leaders) participated around the country. A DIAL member in Delaware, who took it upon herself to organize her own DMD, shares her experience- “I volunteered as a mentor to 10 students from Delcastle and Howard High Schools. They were able to spend a half a day with me and learn about Verizon career opportunities. The students were excited about the various careers available at Verizon. They were taken on a tour of a business sales center, collections center, repair center, and central office where they were able to see how phone lines are connected. I told them all about myself including how I got to where I am today and what other jobs I’ve had, at Verizon and elsewhere… I would like to thank DIAL and AAPD for providing me with all the information that I needed to volunteer and run a successful event. It was truly a great feeling to make a huge difference in the life of students who have disabilities.” Beyond being our Lead National Sponsor, Verizon, through DIAL, participated around the country. Accolades have come in from Los Angeles, CA to Long Island, NY. e. Dorothy Patrello, People Manager at Wal-Mart called our Local Coordinator in Tucson, AZ to see how Wal-Mart could participate in DMD. Wal-Mart provided a tour/presentation on Wal-Mart and job shadowing experience for 6 students and job seekers. Dorothy offered to help the participants with the Wal-Mart Employment application and interview. One participant has already been hired! Wal-Mart also participated in DMD in at least 25 locations around the country. f. Midland, MI- The participants attended a post-shadow luncheon at Dow Chemical with Dow's disability employee network where they were able to take some time to reflect about their job-shadowing experience with an employee with a disability. g. For the second year in a row, the US Department of Homeland Security has hosted mentees around the country. Immigration, Customs and Enforcement, put on a presentation for a class of 14 students with disabilities 2 teachers and a transition specialist from Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, AZ… the student came back to the ILC to a catered lunch from Olive Garden and Red Lobster.”; “All students had rave reviews for the Homeland Security presentation which included a demonstration of the gear they wear and weapons they use in the course of their job. The boys in the group were especially excited about he weapons.”; “Everyone enjoyed the terrific food and thought homeland security was cool. A few of the class [in Washington State] members felt sure they would like to pursue a career in homeland security”; “The Border Patrol is a dream job for another student. He was picked up from a local college in a HummVee and spent an entire afternoon with several staff learning about heir jobs [in San Diego, CA]” 3. Ready… Set… Mentee Development a. Charleston, WV- Highlights of this year’s program included a job readiness program, conducted by Sue Clagg-Witt of the WV Career and Technical Institute. Course material for the job readiness classes included manners, dressing for the interview, maintaining a positive attitude, stressing positive aspects of ones skills and capabilities, answering questions regarding disabilities and or the need for accommodations. Final preparations included a mock meeting with a mentor in which the Mentee used information he/she researched for discussion with the mentor regarding job skills and prerequisites needed to be successful in the field of inquiry. b. Bennington, VT- “I had a wonderful experience” said one first time Mentee who shadowed someone in a non-profit organization and it was so refreshing to work with someone who was open to finding creative ways for me to do jobs others would ordinarily think I couldn’t do! Now I’m planning to volunteer there- the experience made such a n impact on me” Maureen age 51 visually impaired c. Bourbon County Kansas- “…They were especially interested at the college when the adult education teacher was speaking of the different types of classes available and how to get help with tutoring” d. Dearborn, MI- Year round program with the Ford Motor Company includes mock interviews with Ford recruiters and career development workshops at colleges in Southeast Michigan. These efforts are supported by funding from the Ford Motor Company Fund, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, and Michigan’s AmeriCorps. e. Redlands, CA- Rob of Redlands acted as a mentor to 9 students who are interested in animal care. These students are already taking a vet assisting class and during mentoring day they worked with PetCo, Yapps and Hope Crisis Animal Relief. DMD allowed the students the opportunity participate in experiential learning- something their school, unfortunately, cannot offer them. 4. Go! New Internship and Job Opportunities a. Dodge City, KS- One participant is going to volunteer until she finishes her degree and then will hopefully work for pay once she graduates. Another student has been offered a weekly job mentoring experience. b. In Quincy, MA there were two finance-based hires, one as a Financial Analyst and one as a Member Services Representative. c. Idaho Falls, ID- Two students plan to do additional unpaid work at their mentoring sites. One in a kitchen of a restaurant and catering business, the other as an aide in a kindergarten class. The school district’s work-based learning coordinator will facilitate these activities during the second trimester. The student will receive high school credit. In addition one student was hired as holiday help in a floral shop and another student was encouraged to apply for summer employment thought the Idaho National Laboratory- an organization considering the creation of a year-round mentoring program with the Idaho Falls School district. Finally, one mentor who has no job openings offered to write a letter of recommendation for his Mentee who is interested in learning cabinetry. d. Kansas City, KS- We had at least one consumer who was offered a job at the career fair. He was a college aged deaf man. He filled out an application with the University of Kansas Medical Center and was offered an “on the spot” interview. The HR representative offered him a position in their maintenance department. e. Princeton, WV- Dave Kent, Crouse Hospital Mentor to Robert Ramos, said, “We had a great experience. Robert loves working with people. He was eager to learn. He took in quite a lot of information and asked a lot of questions. He was sorting mail and did a great job. Then he went on deliveries. He interacted with the nurses and patients. He would be a good employee in the mailroom. He would be good anywhere in this hospital. He would be an asset to this hospital. He would be great for this department. He related quite well, everyone likes him. I am sending him employment applications” f. Yonkers, NY- One of the cosmetology students was given a part time job as a hair washer and hair dryer. She is in a cosmetology program at her high school and was given this job as a result of DMD. g. Mr. Bevins, a job seeker in Ontario CA, has called to say that he is speaking to the CEO of NetRunner Global in regards to being hired. He was mentored by this man he will be doing corporate computer networking and integration. Database h. A Syracuse, NY Mentee, AnnieMaria Ebrojn shadowed a vision-impaired mentor at the Onondaga County Law Department. They were very impressed with her work and were interest in considering her for a position with county. i. Dearborn, MI- A student who job shadowed at Children’s Hospital; is now employed there in the child life center. In addition there have been 5 paid eight-week work experiences at Ford. j. In Springfield, IL Mr. Lynn, who is attending a local community college, was asked to complete a resume for a potential position with Red Lobster. Red lobster is currently looking at his application k. In Washington, DC the Federal Sector Program facilitated at least one job offer (at the Small Business Administration) and one internship (at the US Department of Agriculture). l. In Logan, UT three students were offered (and accepted) a job offer at the local hardware and feed store. 5. What I learned… a. “I learned to wait on customers and how to mix and bake cookies. They might hire me! I love the bakery.” Will Bennett, 17, a Poplar Bluff, MO High School student who job-shadowed at the Donut House Bakery and Deli b. “I liked watching you and the doctor work on the different patients. I also liked watching you prep the St. Bernard for surgery. I learned a lot from my time with you. I learned that animals are called patients too.” Kari Wasser, Cortland NY participant at the Groton City Animal Clinic c. Sitka, AK- “My students had a wonderful time and got to try many new thing@ we would like to extend a huge thanks from us to you. October 19th is a day that each participant will remember and learn from. I am sure my students will carry the lessons they learned on mentoring day with them into the future! We can’t wait for next year!” Department of Special Education d. Cortland, NY Mentee Mitch Brady, 17 about Michael May construction. “I liked how you talked about how you run your business. The jobs you took me to and showed me. I learned that a person can start a business and be successful. I also learned that a carpenter is very busy when on a job.” e. “I learned that I want to go to college and I can!” Mentee, Cooksville, TN who observed college level psychology classes at the local community college. 6. Fifteen Minutes of Fame a. In Mpaunapuna, Hawaii the regularly scheduled “Spotlight on Disability Program” focused on Disability Mentoring Day and our Local Coordinators in Hawaii, the National Technical Assistance Center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (NTAC-AAPI). Topics included: mentee/mentor experience of DMD, the impact of the ADA, IDEA and other legislation related to people with disabilities (Felix v. Waihee, etc) in Hawaii; the lives of people with disabilities in Hawaii from education to employment- what are the concerns, challenges, and successes? What resources arte available? What is the state doing to help? Participants included David Fray (Hawaii State Department of Health, and Mentor), Susan Miller, VSA Arts and Center on Disability Studies (and Mentor), Fred Attard, M.Ed and VSA Arts, Peter Dowrik, Center on Disability Studies, Mela Lagilabang, Mentee, Amy Naqwaitani, Local Coordinator. b. Syracuse, NY- Local coordinator Jeffrey Tamburo (Second Prize Winner of the International Association of Workforce Professional Leadership Award for his work as Central NY Coordinator) and Central NY DMD committee member Kimberly Salanger from Syracuse University appeared on the PBS locally produced television program hour "CNY" for a 15 minute segment on DMD. The program aired live on October 14th c. San Diego ca- Alyssa Houston was a Mentee at the San Diego Zoo. She is a high school senior and plans on being a veterinarian. She was mentored by Bob Dillon- Associate Director of Operations at the zoo for the day – she got a private, VIP tour and a behind the scenes look at staff performing their various jobs. d. San Bernardino, CA- Jessica Sota was mentored by Doug “Frog” Vincent at K-Frog County radio station. She was able to be on stage at a live feed from the Stater Brothers Market. She learned about the board and the workings of all the instruments used to facilitate being on the radio outside the station. Long term mentoring opportunities were created so she could go back to the station. Frog is a big name is San Bernardino radio and Jessica is thrilled to get to be mentored by a real radio personality. e. A mentor in Birmingham, AL who works at the local newspaper brought her mentee around all the mentoring sites so they could write an article together about mentoring day. The student helped to construct the questions, interview mentors, mentees, VIPs and the DMD Local Coordinator. At the end of the day he helped his mentor get the story in before the deadline. The student was surprised the next day to see his picture attached to the article. It was on the front page of the “Community” Section. 7. Building Relationships a. Wilmington, DE- Computer Science Corporation is a charter participant in DMD- Delaware and has participated every year. This year they hosted 17 students for 4 local districts. Each student participated in 2 shadowing events in areas such as finance, PC support, networking, administration, security, human resources, resource management, project management, applications programming and food service. As in previous years all the students will participate in the Student Business Leaders Program, which is a training program through a partnership between Bender Consulting and the Computer Sciences Corporation. b. Montgomery County, MD- “This year, for the first time we had long term commitments from mentors to mentor the students. We will continue to follow the progress of students who have internships for about 6 months. We have plans to educate more county employees about disabilities and the people they serve.” c. Austin, TX- “We have many mentors that have participated year after year. This year Peter Williams, owner of Agave Printing, hosted students from the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) for the second year in a row. Due to this year’s DMD he has now partnered with TSD to provide instruction in large scale digital print photography to TSD students on a regular basis.” d. Princeton, WV- “The main office of Excellus/Bluecross Blueshield became involved in DMD for the first time. They served as mentor to four young people, all of whom reported a very positive experience. As a result of this successful collaboration, our organizing committee was invited to participate in a seminar and discussion with disability right advocate Andrea Haenlin-Mott from Cornell University on October 28th. In addition Excellus has asked if they could repeat the DMD experience in April 06 instead of waiting another full year.” e. Chicago, IL- One of the goals of DMD was to serve as a launching point to promote a year-round effort to foster mentoring and career opportunities. With that in mind, students were encouraged to initiate relationships with employers who work within their fields of career interest. The Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) developed business cards for participating students to pass out to employers. At the same time, MOPD informed employers that in order to take part in DMD they must be available to have interested students job shadow with their company in the future. The next step is to follow up with all students and make sure they each have a job shadowing experience that they set up for themselves- many of these will happen on Groundhog Job Shadow Day in February. 8. Influencing People and Policy a. Anna Hay, our Wisconsin State Coordinator and Local Coordinator in Milwaukee, WI reported, “This was the 5th yeah that Independence First participated in Disability Mentoring Day. The program reinforces the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act: equality opportunity, full Participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.” b. Melissa Cecil, a West Virginia College student and Forest Service Employee said “DMD provided insights to the resources available to people with disabilities within the community. It gave student with disabilities an opportunity to speak with employers to explain their capabilities and goals before negative assumptions about people with disabilities were made” c. Prior to DMD, Central NY Mentee Mark Santagelo had stated that he was not interested in getting a job. After having a great day with his mentor at pet depot, his attitude made a complete shift and he was very positive and motivated to go out and seek employment. d. “I never thought that a person with a disability could work in my shop” Said a happy mentor in Logan, UT. “Now I know that it’s the person’s skills, not what he looks like, or what devices he uses to help him out- as long as he can find a way to do the job then, well, he’s qualified” Update- this mentor hired his mentee and two other mentees for Christmastime help in his shop. If they do well it might turn into full time, year-round work. 9. Mentors in Work and in Life a. The night before the actual mentoring day in New Haven, CT the LC hosted a dinner for mentees, mentors and parents. They had a guest speaker from the Yale school of Architecture who uses a wheelchair and specializes in Universal Design. He talked to the students about his career path, his challenges and accommodations as universal design. The students were very impressed. b. A Mentee from Fairfax County, MD who spent the day at Cessi- “It was great sitting around a table at lunch and hearing the workers talk about when they were in high school… oh, and the pizza was good too.” c. Flint, MI- “A highlight of this years celebration was John Kemp, a nationally recognized disability advocate, gave a keynote address that communicated the continuing challenge of employment outcomes for people with disabilities while sharing his optimism in people with disabilities taking leadership in shaping their own futures. d. Inland Empire, CA- “Terri, a manager at the Men’s Wearhouse was a mentor to Melvin Rosebud. Melvin wants to be a model and go into fashion. He learned to fit a man for a suit and put fashions together for display. When he was not busy he browsed through the suits, trying them on himself and admiring his reflection. Terri seemed to understand and bought a perfectly fitting suit for her mentee with her own money. “Miracles happen” said Melvin. e. During the ‘05 kick off breakfast in Syracuse, NY the there was a mentor testimonial given by Rusty Tasini who had participated in both 2004 and 2005. After serving as a mentor to Reuben May in ‘04 Rusty was so impressed by Reuben that he eventually hired him as a full time permanent staff member in the Fix-It Shop at the University. In an emotional and heartfelt testimonial, Rusty called Reuben to join him on stage and shared with the crowd of 200 guests how much he has benefited from the experience of knowing Reuben. f. DMD in Sitka, AK brought together Jenae Eby and Professor Jamie Autrey, director of the Art Department at the University of Alaska Southeast campus. After spending one day together, sharing their mutual love of art, the two decided to continue the relationship. They now meet once a week and a campus-wide show of Jenae’s artwork is planned for the end of the Fall 2005 semester. g. In San Bernardino, CA a Mentee and a Mentor shared more than career aspirations- they shared a love of shopping! This connection has lasted and the Mentor, the executive secretary at the San Bernardino County Parks and Recreation is now working with her mentee to fill out college applications and edit papers. As the local coordinator, Traycee-Lynn Sherrit said “This is a match made in heaven” h. In a frank, yet emotional presentation to the participants at the Minneapolis DMD program, Jennifer Sheehy-Keller, who works for the US Department of Education shared the story of her own youth and career path and how her injury impacted her interests but not her drive or her talents and skills. After the presentations, JT Taransky, National Coordinator heard whisperings of students talking about their own injuries, illnesses and disabilities and how though these disabilities are a part of who they are, they do not, and cannot define them. E. Conclusion 2005 has been an extremely successful and growthful year for DMD. We are proud of our accomplishments and new relationships, and very excited for the future of this program. We are particularly proud to continue to support the creation of positive experiences for all the participants around the country and world. AAPD looks forward to continue its association with DMD and the many possibilities that lie ahead for this program Appendices: A. DMD Mentee Participation Figures for 2005 B. List of Jurisdictions Proclaiming Disability Mentoring Day in 2005 C. Mentoring Organizations in the United States D. Media Coverage for 2005