2002 Testimonials
Here's what Scott Bloom had to say
about DMD 2002I am a high school junior who participated in National Disability Mentoring Day on October 16th. I was one of only a handful of Minnesota students who was given the opportunity to spend a day in a workplace learning about career opportunities and being mentored by dynamic individuals both disabled and non-disabled. The organization that gave me this terrific opportunity was the Wellstone campaign. At the height of their busy campaign they took time to schedule me on the green bus, introduce me to famous people including Gloria Steinem, and explain their various jobs to me.
Even more extraordinarily these staffers asked me questions about my life in high school, talked to me about college life with a disability, and shared their passions with me. These fine people were able to offer me this opportunity as a disabled young person because they worked for Paul Wellstone, a just man who encouraged others to be th eir best. When I heard the news of the crash I felt the loss through the hearts of those who worked so hard for Paul.
We all need to continue Senator Wellstone's work. Although not all of us can "Stand Up," we can all "Keep Fighting." One way to keep fighting is to support the work that Senator Wellstone and his staff did to encourage the full employment of people with disabilities. In his memory ask your employer to support National Disability Mentoring Day and ask a student like me onto your bus.
Scott Bloom,
Woodbury, MN
Quotes from DMD Local Coordinators about 2002:
"Thank you so much for your great efforts in looking out for the upcoming 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, 2002 DMD Local Coordinator, Montgomery County, KS.
"AAPD gives fantastic support to Local Coordinators." - Margaret Heiser, Lansing, MI.
"You do an exceptional job. The quality of information and materials you supply to us is excellent. Thank you." - Vonda Evans, Flint, MI.
"This is a great event. Thanks for all the help and work you do to help us at the local level. You're a great support!" - Kevin Jones, Idaho Falls, ID.
"Ollie Cantos and AAPD were very helpful. I think DMD is a wonderful event. I look forward to the future outcome of this year's event. I'm thinking of ways to expand next year's Mentoring Day. Thank you for your support." - Marlene Arndt, Fort Scott, KS.
"Ollie's enthusiasm helped keep this event at the top of my priority list. Because of the legwork done by AAPD, DMD is an easy event to be a part of. It helps create a lot of interest in the work of my organization." - Lynn Lewis, Beaufort County, NC.
"The greatest thing about DMD is that it has the backing of our country's leaders. This gives it a credibility and importance from the beginning." - Lyn Lewis, Local Coordinator, Beaufort County, NC.
"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. 6 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 Karwosky, DMD Massachusetts State Organizing Committee Chair for 2002.
"What I liked best about DMD was the closing reception where the students shared their experiences, what they learned, and their successes. It was great to see the students so excited and inspired." - Vonda Evans, Flint, MI.
"It would further appear that the strategy of pairing the young man with an adult having a similar disability as well as a similar vocational focus was a good one. The mentor has told me he believes the young man came away truly inspired, empowered, and having formed an influencial relationship that may carry on for years." - Steve Burd, Local Coordinator, Northwest Kansas.
Quotes from Mentees from DMD 2002:
"The people were friendly. They 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 them. I would love to do it again. ... [T]he hands-on training is better and more helpful to me than any class will be." - Kari Morrison, Job Seeker, Knoxville, TN.
"I followed a manager at the Visitor's Center at Kennedy Space Center. I was there from 9:30 until 2:30. I had a wonderful time. I observed her doing all the things she does each day. It was a very busy day. She is a very busy person . I had lunch with an astronaut, John McBride. That was the best part of the whole day. Some of the things I got to do were to see all she does on the computer, all the different places she has to go (lots of walking), all the plans she has to make for all the visitors, interviewed a robot, and took pictures of the person dressed up as an astronaut. I asked her lots of questions about being an office manager. This was a great experience. I am now sure that this is the area I want to go into at Brevard Community College." - Kim Robinson, College Student, Brevard County, FL.
High School Mentee Rachel Crawford spent time with Gensee County Circuit Court Judge Duncan Beagle. "I liked getting to meet Judge Beagle. I would like to see him again." About the Judge, another high school mentee, Amanda Nau, said, "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."
"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, Philadelphia, PA.
"My mentor showed great inspiration toward my dream of a lifetime. Assured me that good employees would make all the difference with each function." - P.K. Blair-Manley, Knoxville, TN.
More Extensive Accounts by Mentors Reflecting on their DMD Experience with Mentees:
Two different mentors from the Children's World in Brookfield, WI:
- "Everyone was very friendly. Please call again next year. We look forward to it." - Keley Gichael.
- "The thing I liked best about DMD was to see a young kid so excited about learning a new career. I think you're doing a great job!"
From Mentor Frank Noah, Documentum Systems Administrator, Document Management Team, Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA. "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."
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for your efforts in coordinating Disability Mentoring Day. It was no doubt that this year was the greatest success. I believe that you and your staff made the perfect match. My Mentee and I had a great time. Michael has a great personality. He clearly benefited and learned from participating in this event. I most definitely will participate in next year's DMD." - Richard Ray, Los Angeles County Office of Affirmative Action Compliance.
"The three mentees spent pretty much a full day at the Colorado Department of Personnel. They were there from 8:30am until 3:15pm. We covered a range of things. They got to spend a lot of time amongst the different disciplines that are covered within Human Resources. I think they were surprised at the scope of what is included within Human Resources and what is under that umbrella, and what our responsibilities are.
The staff were real cooperative. We had, of course, created the schedule in advance and they really enjoyed it. I sent them (the staff) a thank you at the end of the day. Several of them instantly responded saying 'thanks for the opportunity. We enjoyed it'. And how I had pitched it to them in advance was that it is a chance to showcase what you do, and I think they really took advantage of that. That is really what it was. It wasn't a boring thing where they just sit and drone on. It gave them a chance to brag about what they do and the difference that they make, which often times gets lost in the paperwork. It was a good opportunity for that. And with that in mind it will be an easy sell next year.
The mentees were great. They all showed a lot of interest. They asked a lot of questions. They were real participatory and involved. They were all adults, people who had some work experience. They could relate on a peer basis with the staff they were meeting with, which was real good. We did spend quite a bit of the day letting them know how to access state employment opportunities because they are all anxious to get a job. They kept that subdued, but it came up on occasion. And that is fine. That is appropriate any chance that they can to get information from people, from our staff, to find out how to better their chances to get a job, that is what it is all about." - Joe Lewis, Colorado Department of Personnel.