American Association of People with Disabilities

Premiere Online Mentoring Program
for People with Disabilities Being Launched Today

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, as Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) is being commemorated around the country and in several international locations, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is delighted to announce the public launch of Disability MentoringLink, the world's premiere online mentoring program for people with disabilities.

DMD is a core program of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability membership organization in the country. AAPD acknowledges the tremendous support of SAP, founder and sponsor of the AAPD/SAP High Technology Disability Mentoring Program and of Disability MentoringLink.

Disability MentoringLink, which will be usable after a trial period beginning today and fully usable by January 1, 2006, comes as a result of the strong SAP/AAPD partnership to use technology to bridge gaps in employment for people with disabilities. By way of DisabilityMentoringLink, people with disabilities seeking increased mentoring opportunities will be able to use email to create, maintain and enrich relationships with mentors in their field of interest -- both around the country and internationally. This will also make it possible for them to have year-round mentoring opportunities in ways that have not been previously available. AAPD envisions a promising student in rural Kansas developing an empowering mentoring relationship with a software developer in Northern California, or a budding Marine Biologist in Arizona connecting with scientists in Florida.

Disability MentoringLink highlights include a mentoring guide; useful links to internship and employment sites, and user groups and partnerships with universities, independent living centers, and veterans groups.

DMD is an AAPD program that was designed to provide students and job-seekers with disabilities a firsthand experience in learning about career opportunities in a variety of their chosen fields. DMD helps to promote the importance of encouraging these students and job-seekers to develop the necessary skills and experiences to compete in today's competitive workforce. Today, more than 10,000 students and job seekers with disabilities are being mentored one-on-one in places of employment by people who are in positions of interest to them. DMD is being commemorated in regions in every state, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and 17 countries, including Argentina, China, Kosovo, and Israel.

For an online tour of Disability MentoringLink, check the AAPD website in November. For further information, contact AAPD at 800-840-8844 (V/TTY), by email, or visit the AAPD website.

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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country's largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the economic and political empowerment of all 56 million children and adults with disabilities in the U.S. It was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends, and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). AAPD members have access to a full range of financial services through a federal credit union, a discounted mail order prescription program, and a quarterly AAPD newsletter. For additional member benefits, or to learn more about AAPD's advocacy efforts and major program areas, visit the AAPD website.