Disability Mentoring Day

A group of DMD high school students tour an ambulance at Children's Hospital before meeting up with mentors.

Seventy-five students participated in Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) on October 16, 2006. This event is sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and DO-IT. As the Washington state coordinator, I support the five other local coordinators in Washington.

The sixty-nine high school and six college DMD students visited employers—Starbucks, Microsoft, Boeing, Albertsons, NOAA, Children's Hospital, and the Federal Aviation Administration and learned about many challenging careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

"Research documents the importance of mentors to young people as they contemplate future careers," says DO-IT director Sheryl Burgstahler. "Mentors help students understand specific information about jobs and also answer questions about disability and accommodations. The face-to-face interactions that occur at DMD complement DO-IT's electronic mentoring community, which is supported by email communication, and are great for both the mentee and the mentor."

We encourage our readers to engage in nationwide DMD activities next fall. Contact me at swb3@u.washington.edu for details.