Mentoring |
What is the Enable America Mentoring Program?
The mentoring program promotes career development for people with disabilities through hands-on career exploration, on-sight job shadowing, and training opportunities.
Who Participates?
The mentees are people with disabilities from the local community; they may be high school students, college students, or adult job seekers with disabilities.
A business’s employees serve as mentors and are matched with a mentee based on the mentee’s career interest.
Gerdau Ameristeel CEO Mario Longhi visits mentees on Disability Mentoring Day
Mentees spend a portion of the day at an employer’s place of business where they learn about the workplace and connect with mentors who share information about their career areas.
To ensure a successful experience, mentors are provided with orientation materials, disability etiquette information, and mentoring tips.
Why Participate in Disability Mentoring?
People with disabilities often don’t have access to the same networking and career-planning channels open to people without disabilities. By bringing people with disabilities into the workplace, they have the opportunity to explore a potential career path, evaluate personal goals, and participate in
training sessions that strengthen their skills and help prepare them for employment.
Mentors also benefit by expanding their management and communications skills, learning more about the experience of disability, and contributing to the success of a person with a disability.
A DMD mentee learns about television production
Mentors should be able to share information in an honest, open, constructive, and nonjudgmental way. Good mentors are:
- Patient
- Knowledgeable
- Good listeners
- Willing to share information
- Willing to demonstrate a sense of humor
- Able to teach
- Able to communicate effectively
- Able to demonstrate high self-esteem
- Encouraging
- Empathetic
How do I interact with a person with a disability?
Etiquette considered appropriate when interacting with people with disabilities is based primarily on respect and courtesy. Here are some basic tips:
- If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted; then, listen to or ask for instructions.
- Treat adults as adults.
- Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about that?” that seem to relate to a person’s disability.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re unsure of what to do.
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| If you'd like more information, please contact Heather Linton at heather.linton@enableamerica.org |
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