Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino celebrated the first Disability Mentoring Day in Westchester County on Thursday. The event was co-sponsored by the Office for the Disabled, CAREERS for People with Disabilities and ACCESS-VR. Ten county departments provided mentoring opportunities to 11 disabled individuals.
"Teaching and learning can take many different shapes and forms," said Astorino. "Our mentoring program is designed for two-way communication and we're happy to roll it out and get as many participants as possible."
Disability Mentoring Day began in 1999 with about three-dozen students as part of a White House effort to increase the profile of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which is celebrated every October. By 2011, its popularity soared and events took place in over 200 locations across the country. With October serving as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, the County Executive and the Office for the Disabled will honor the county's disabled workforce and employers at the annual National Disability Employment Awareness Month breakfast to be held on Monday, October 28 at the Westchester Marriott.
The primary objectives of Disability Mentoring Day are:
- To enhance internship and employment opportunities for people with disabilities
- To promote disability as a central component of diversity recruitment for a more inclusive workforce
- To dispel employers' fears about hiring people with disabilities
- To increase confidence among students and job seekers with disabilities
- To launch a year-round effort to foster mentoring opportunities.
Private, nonprofit, government and educational employers; people with disabilities; and educators are all encouraged to participate in Disability Mentoring Day.
Photo (left to right): Michael Orth, deputy commissioner, Department of Community Mental Health; Jennifer Berry (mentee), YAI: County Executive Robert P. Astorino; Nathaniel Klein (mentee), CAREERS for People with Disabilities; Tayna Martinez, Human Rights Commission.