Grads with disabilities find a niche in engineering and IT From: Diversity / Careers in Engineering & Information Technology By: Souad Dajani "Employees with disabilities are not immune to the downturn," says Virginia Stern, director of the Project on Science, Technology and Disability, EntryPoint! and other programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, DC. "But we have great applicants to our internship program, and we’re sure that many of them will find top positions." Stern has seen that internships, long regarded as invaluable tickets to good job opportunities, are not as widely available this year for students with or without disabilities. Like any recent grad entering the workforce, students with disabilities have to contend with competition over jobs and shrinking options in some sectors, along with the unique challenges of their disabilities. But despite gloomy economic forecasts, long-term job prospects for recent grads with disabilities appear to be improving. Career counseling programs at colleges and universities are more likely to offer resources tailored specifically to the disabled. Prominent organizations and programs around the country partner with private and public counterparts to train and place their best and brightest students on a path to rewarding careers in their chosen field. -- Lift, Inc (Warren, NJ) provides career opportunities for IT professionals with disabilities. The nonprofit was established in 1975 when few colleges offered computer programs and fewer still had the necessary accommodations for students with disabilities. The same applied to the workplace. Lift qualifies, trains, hires and places candidates through contracts with major corporations that often wind up hiring them directly. Designed to give IT professionals with disabilities a vocational "lift," the nonprofit combines specialized business experience in IT with expertise in recruitment, assessment and accommodation. -- The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) focuses exclusively on supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT, Rochester, NY). At the core of its well-established co-op program is NTID’s Center on Employment (NCE), which assists students and graduates with job searches and partners with employers to foster successful placements. NCE director John Macko attributes the center’s success in part to the specialized employment advisors (EAs) who work with students on resume writing, cover letters, interviewing skills and networking. The EAs also educate employers on integrating and accommodating deaf employees in the workplace through individual sessions and workshops. "Companies leave our workshops with lots of ideas for integrating deaf employees and more enthusiasm for hiring them," he says. -- CastAble offers seminars and workshops that provide resources, information and support to employees, family members and advocates, as well as Disney cast members with disabilities. "CastAble events offer comfortable settings to share information and ask questions," says Mark Jones, CastAble president. CastAble activities extend beyond the workplace. In 2007 the group collaborated on a "Wounded Warriors Welcome" to assist wounded vets integrate back into civilian life. At the urging of its members, CastAble partnered with "Autism Speaks" to share information and resources on autism. Input into Disney products and experiences led to the deployment of JAWS technology on Disney Web and intranet sites so that Disney visitors who are blind can read image-heavy screens via voice and sound. "CastAble is a resource for inclusiveness that helps give people a better perspective of true diversity at the company," Jones says. "One of the benefits is an increased awareness among colleagues without disabilities." Read the entire article at: http://www.diversitycareers.com/articles/college/09-sumfall/fod_disabilities.htm Links: AAAS http://www.aaas.org Lift, Inc. http://www.lift-inc.org/ NTID http://www.ntid.rit.edu/ NCE http://www.ntid.rit.edu/nce/ CastAble http://www.disability-marketing.com/profiles/disney.php4