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ODEP News Release: [10/15/2003]
Contact Name: Michael
Volpe
Phone Number: (202) 693-7909
Assistant Secretary Roy Grizzard Kicks-Off
5th Annual Disability Mentoring Day At U.S. Labor Department
WASHINGTON—Dr. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary of the
Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), was the keynote speaker at a
U.S. Labor Department ceremony kicking off the 5th annual
celebration of Disability Mentoring Day.
Disability Mentoring Day comes during National Disability Employment
Awareness Month. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao selected “America Works
Best When All Americans Work” as the official theme for October to
continue to focus on solutions that ensure the full inclusion of persons with
disabilities into the 21st Century workforce.
“Disability Mentoring Day is an opportunity for young people with
disabilities to gain firsthand exposure to many of the career options available
to them,” Assistant Secretary Grizzard said. “It makes employers and
the general public increasingly aware that people with disabilities represent a
highly talented, largely untapped resource for sustaining our national economy
and well-being.”
The ceremony, held in the department’s Great Hall, also included
remarks from Dr. Robert Pasternack, Assistant Secretary of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education; Kathy Brown, Senior
Vice President/Policy Development, Verizon Communications; and Roslyn
Dickerson, Vice President/Global Diversity, Honeywell.
Disability Mentoring Day is designed to enhance internship and
employment opportunities for young people with disabilities by bringing them
together with employers from the public, private, non-profit, and educational
sectors for a day of job shadowing and other hands-on career exploration
activities. It represents a collaborative partnership between ODEP and the
American Association of People with Disabilities.
Launched in 1999, Disability Mentoring Day promotes career development
for students and job seekers with disabilities. This year marks the first time
young people with disabilities in all 50 states will participate in Disability
Mentoring Day. In addition, youth with disabilities in Guam, American Samoa,
Japan, Italy, Singapore, France, and the United Kingdom will also
participate.
ODEP is the nation’s first assistant secretary-led agency that
specifically addresses policies that impact employment of people with
disabilities. It acts as a catalyst to stimulate new ideas about employment
through research and development, policy analysis, technical assistance, and
the identification and promotion of effective business practices.
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