This coalition will help in framing the mission and objectives, and providing materials with concrete suggestions to help people get started. Although we will work to help provide an overall framework for Disability Mentoring Day, we also want to maximize flexibility for local planning to suit local needs and interests. Disability Mentoring Day is an opportunity to help people with disabilities in thinking about career opportunities, and to educate the general public about the potential of a massive resource for sustaining our national well being. Job candidates with disabilities offer a natural solution. As a group so often overlooked, those of us with disabilities numbering 54 million strong are among the most committed and motivated employees.
Small accomplishments lead to huge successes.
The ultimate goal of Disability Mentoring Day is to mobilize the employment of people with disabilities. Ideally, employers can approach the day with a notion of identifying qualified job candidates for future employment, and participants can view the day as an occasion to learn about potential job opportunities and attractive workplaces. Organizations can begin by identifying government agencies and private-sector companies to participate. The U.S. Department of Education has issued a Notice of Policy Guidance to help ensure that students who are blind or visually impaired receive appropriate educational services in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their unique needs. The new Notice updates the 1995 memo to reflect new and revised statutory provisions added by the IDEA Amendments of 1997 and its implementing regulations.