Disability Connection loves an all inclusive event! October 18th, The Buddy Walk®, held by the Gulf Coast Down Syndrome Society, is a one-mile walk in which anyone can participate without special training. It is a wonderful, heart-warming event that celebrates the many abilities and accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. Whether you have Down Syndrome, know someone who does, or just want to show your support, come and join them for their Buddy Walk®!
We are incredibly thankful for our partners, volunteers and supporters. Together, we are creating a connected community. This week, the city of Ocean Springs has partnered with our organization in support of our Community Assist program.
Connie Moran, Ocean Springs Mayor, says, “In order to provide information and resources for people with mental and physical disability, veterans, and for the elderly, a disability staff member will be available 20 hours per week at the new office starting next month.” (Via WXXV)
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If you’re an employer who may have positions available and would consider interviewing our applicants, please contact Deborah Snyder:
office@disabilityconnection.org or (228)-870-7775.
Randy Lewis has an incredible story to tell. “It’s the tale of how a man who led logistics at America’s largest drug-store chain, supporting it as it grew from 1,600 to 8,000 outlets with the most advanced logistics network in its sector, did so while giving job opportunities to thousands of disabled people.”
Randy is an advocate. He understands the benefits that inclusive organizations experience. Think ability, not disability.
This is another quote from the article. It really shows how perseverance and teamwork are so important to the success of any strategy:
“Walgreens had previously employed disabled people to do “ancillary rather than mission-critical work”, cleaning for example, but Lewis wanted to do something more. “We wanted an opportunity to bring people in as our own employees,” he recalls. That opportunity came with the building of a new distribution centre; larger and more automated than any the company had owned before.”
The full article goes in to depth regarding Randy’s personal inspirations and current advocacy work.
DC is extremely proud of these hero community volunteers that have come together to help a fellow neighbor after a fire destroyed her home.
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“I just feel blessed, you know, just blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed,” Silva said.
“We need to all come together and support our friends and neighbors because none of us know when it might be ourselves,” Founder of Disability Connection Janie O’Keefe said.
There are a plethora of online job-search sites available today.
Now there is a job-search site specifically for people with disabilities.
“Online applications are so complicated that they form a barrier to the job market for people with developmental disabilities. When I saw that the McDonald’s application included psychological testing, I knew there was a problem,” says Wade Ogletree, IDD Director, Jackson County.
“Ability.Club is a system “where employers can post jobs for free and prospective employees and their service providers can search for free.”
This is an excellent new resource for the disability community.
I would like to share with you the link to the We Connect Now website.http://weconnectnow.wordpress.com/ The website was created while I was acollege student with a grant to create a website to serve college studentswith disabilities. I developed the website to connect and integrate collegestudents with disabilities as a virtual community with a voice on importantissues with particular emphasis on college students and access to highereducation and employment. The We Connect Now website has been up and servingcollege students with disabilities since April of 2008.
I wanted to share the We Connect Now website with you so that you may postit as a resource on your website or otherwise share it with any studentsthat you serve. The website has been used as a resource by institutions ofhigher learning and has been linked to by colleges and universities andgroups serving people with disabilities in all states and at least 10foreign countries.
I thank you for any and all help that you may give me in promoting thisproject as a service to all college students with disabilities.
![By Knight Foundation (Knight-Crane Convergence Lab) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons](http://disabilityconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/512px-Knight-Crane_Convergence_Lab_-_Flickr_-_Knight_Foundation_2.jpg)
Bring the Family!
