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| January 14, 2009 |
Sent to: Email
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THREE ODEP PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST
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The federal Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has recently released three PDFs that should be of interest to News In Action subscribers offering tips on the inclusion of disabled young people into America's workforce.
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 Creating a Path to Employment: Tips for Parents with Children with Disabilities
Start Early
Starting early is a key component to your child’s future success. Start by exploring the work world together and conveying your expectations that he/she can and will work when he/she grows up. Provide opportunities for your child to gain early work experience through volunteer work in your community. Web sites such as Career Voyages and The Office of Disability Employment Policy’s Youth Page are useful when exploring career options.
Promote Education
Keep your child engaged in classroom activities. When parents expect their children with disabilities to continue their education beyond high school, the children tend to receive better grades than their peers whose parents do not have these expectations. In addition to the basic skills your child learns in the classroom, it is important that the child also learns how and when to tell others about any accommodations he or she may need.
Encourage Work-Based Learning Experiences
Schools and community-based organizations may offer internships, job-shadowing, and mentoring opportunities that focus on employment. While postsecondary education is important, it is also important to remember that it is not the only gateway to well-paying jobs. Vocational education classes can provide another route to a career and preparing them for work. READ MORE...
Soft Skills: The Competitive Edge
What do employers look for in new employees? According to a 2006 report written by key employers in conjunction with Cornell University, it may not be what some young job seekers expect. This in-depth survey of 461 business leaders reveals that while the three ”R’s” (reading, writing, and arithmetic) are still fundamental to every employee’s ability to do the job, employers view “soft” skills as even more important to work readiness. The report also finds that younger workers frequently lack these skills, which include:
• Professionalism or work ethic
• Oral and written communication
• Teamwork and collaboration skills
• Critical thinking or problem-solving skills
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) discussed the importance of such skills with the Circle of Champions, a distinguished group of U.S. businesses that have received the Secretary of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award for innovative and proactive efforts to recruit, hire, and promote people with disabilities.
As part of this dialogue, the companies identified the following competencies as key to the success of young workers in the 21st Century workplace. READ MORE...
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 Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce: Including Talents of Young People with Disabilities
Thanks to advancements in technology, young people with disabilities can do virtually any job that someone without a disability can perform. Expanding your workplace to include young people with and without disabilities is a positive way to help shape the future workforce—and benefit your business.
Why hire young people with disabilities?
In addition to enhancing your workforce, recruiting and hiring young people with disabilities makes good business sense. Youth bring fresh new perspectives on strategies for meeting business challenges and achieving success. Hiring young people with disabilities is also a valuable way to reach out to an important market base. According to the 2005 American Community Survey (ACS), there are approximately 2.4 million young people with disabilities (ages 16-24) in the United States. READ MORE...
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2009 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS WITH PARENTS WITH DISABILITIES
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Through the Looking Glass and its National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families are pleased to announce new scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who have parents with disabilities. These scholarships are part of Through the Looking Glass' new federal grant (New National Center for Parents with Disabilities and their Families). Please note that these are new awards and have different application procedures than in the past.
There are two separate scholarship awards, and each has separate eligibility requirements:
1. High School Seniors: To be eligible, a student must be a high school graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2009, planning to attend college in Fall 2009 and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate $1000 awards will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.
2. College Students: To be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled in a college or university, be 21 years of age or younger as of March 16, 2009, and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate $1000 awards will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one application per award period.
All application materials must be completed and postmarked by Monday March 16, 2009. For more information go to www.lookingglass.org.
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| 12th MAN FOOTBALL CAMP |
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Every child should have the opportunity to learn and play a sport they love. That is why the 12TH Man Football Camp was created. This camp is for those in our communities who depend on wheelchairs, walkers, crutches or have disabilities that prohibit their ability to participate in FOOTBALL or CHEERLEADING at an organized level.
On Saturday, February 21, 2009, we will enable your child to learn and experience the following skills in football or cheerleading:
Football
• Throw and catch a football.
• Go up to a blocking pad to see it first hand and feel the texture that every football player feels.
• How to kick a football.
• Be a part of an offense and defense.
Cheerleading
• Learn a cheer
• Learn a chant
• Perform a routine
• Experience the use of team props such as pom poms and signs
This camp is designed only and specifically for the needs of these children. There are already committed football and cheer coaches that have the desire to help run this program. The participants of the program will be instructed in each aspect of the game from the coaches and their assistants. Volunteers will be assigned to each participant to assist with their participation throughout the camp.
This is a hands-on learning experience so no matter what the need may be, each participant will have the opportunity to learn as each coach will teach according to the needs of each participant.
This camp is free and each participant will receive a jersey or cheer shirt, lunch, snacks, drinks and, most importantly, all the football and cheerleading attention that they ever dreamed of! The camp will be limited to 50 football and 15 cheerleading participants.
For further information or to print an application or to view photos and a video of the 2008 camp, visit our web site at www.12thmanfootballcamp.com. You could also call 305-970-6077 or e-mail twelfthmanfootballcamp@yahoo.com.
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| NEWS ACROSS FLORIDA |
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 Character Counts! A Profile of Michael Mummert
SunSentinel.com, 1/11
Name: Michael Mummert
Age: 9
School: Pine Jog Elementary, West Palm Beach
Grade: Fourth
Hometown: West Palm Beach
Pillar: Responsibility
Michael lights up the room when he walks in, any room, any place. Witty, he might also tell a joke or two, sometimes with a very beneficial effect. He consistently demonstrates a positive attitude and cheers people up. Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he's viewed as an inspiration. He perseveres too, most often with a smile, as he deals with cerebral palsy, including a recent operation that helps him walk better and with a less-noticeable gait.
Once a week, Michael helps in kindergarten by reading to a "buddy" and assists some students in completing their projects. One of his best friends says he cheers her up with jokes when she is feeling sad. Last year, another student was mean to him and instead of being mean back, Michael treated him nice. Now they are friendly with each other.
Once, his sense of humor probably saved his mom, Kandy, a speeding ticket. She says she and Michael had been talking as she returned from a stop in the business she runs when a police officer pulled her over. After running a computer check, he returned to start to write the ticket, but Michael asked the officer if he could tell him a joke. Michael proceeded, the officer laughed heartily and gave her only a warning. READ MORE...
Few things terrify a parent more than finding out that their child has special needs. On the day such a diagnosis is made, most parents know little about their child's condition or challenges, and even less about their rights to get help at school.
Life becomes a jumble of terms to learn, forms to file, meetings to attend. To help untangle the knots, parents of special-needs students and the Hernando County Schools are co-sponsoring a conference next week on special education law and advocacy.
Led by national experts Pete and Pam Wright, the conference on Jan. 16 and 17 will feature 12 hours of presentations on the intricacies of federal special education law, parents' rights, strategies for negotiating with school districts, and plenty of time for questions. READ MORE...
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| NATIONAL NEWS |
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New technology is allowing children with autism to communicate in ways once thought impossible.
"Imagine not being able to talk, but being able to think rationally. It's almost as if you are imprisoned," said pediatrician Dr. Dave Traver.
Traver is working with The Hope Technology Project using Hewlett-Packards' new Touch Smart computer to change the lives of children with autism. A special program samples a student's words and sounds and reproduces their voice to string together sentences. READ MORE...
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