Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team - March 2008
Amanda C.: From Internship to Full-Time Job . . . Launching a Career in Human Resources
Growing up in a small Virginia community, Amanda C. was the only deaf member of her family and in her high school. She often found herself up against attitudinal barriers, but they didn’t put any boundaries on this young woman. She graduated as salutatorian of her class of more than 600 students and became the first member of her family to graduate from college. She earned a bachelor of science degree in business management from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Amanda learned about the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) through her college employment counselor. Her academic record, sorority leadership activities and experience she gained as an intern made Amanda an attractive candidate to several federal agencies, each with a temporary position in human resources.
She chose one at the Census Bureau and began work after graduation. Amanda was responsible for preparing vacancy announcements and conducting qualifications analyses. Her original 90-day appointment was extended by another 90 days. At that point, her manager was so pleased with her performance that Amanda was offered a permanent position.
“The WRP helped me to find challenging work in the field in which I wanted to work. It was the sole factor in my getting the job I have today, and I am really grateful,” she says.
So are Amanda’s co-workers. “Amanda has been a stellar performer and mastered every aspect of the job,” says her team leader. “In an emergency she is the person we rely on, and she knows when and how to take action. We are grateful to have Amanda on our staff.”
Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Workforce Recruitment Program is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers with highly motivated postsecondary students with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.
Jessica D: Through Internship Experiences, Finding a Career Path
As a high school dropout with a troubled past and a learning disability, Jessica D. of Michigan faced many obstacles that she thought would be impossible to overcome. Loving support from her grandparents put her back on the path to education. She re-enrolled, graduated with honors and started college. There, she learned about the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP).
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), one of two federal agencies that coordinates the WRP, hired Jessica into its own workforce for two consecutive summers. Her first assignment was to write success stories about youth with disabilities who had participated in various ODEP-funded programs.
“I learned about belonging to a community,” Jessica says. “I finally felt comfortable with accepting my disability.”
Living and working in fast-paced Washington, with the support of fellow staff who have decades of experience with disability issues, Jessica learned coping methods to lower her stress and anxiety levels, and to navigate the city and large crowds of people with more ease. She also learned the importance of communication, organization and hard work.
Jessica’s work with ODEP’s Youth Team changed her career direction: She plans to help children who face many of the same challenges she has faced. She switched her major from special education to creative writing, with minors in sociology and youth services.
Jessica is now active in a club for students with disabilities, tutors international students in English, works at a women’s center and her college’s library, and serves as a campus ambassador who gives tours to prospective students and their parents. She credits the WRP with her confidence.
“Thanks to the WRP, I have a newfound respect for myself and realize what I once considered an impairment has truly been a gift.”
She plans to participate in the WRP again this year – with the hope that she might find a permanent job after she graduates.
Coordinated by ODEP and the U.S. Department of Defense, the Workforce Recruitment Program is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers with highly motivated postsecondary students with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs.
