Nesbit Elementary Hosting Disability Mentoring Day

The Southeast ADA Center, , the Nesbit Elementary PTA and several other local disability, education and community organizations have joined forces to host a disability mentoring day and career expo on Oct. 12, 2011 from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Gwinnett County’s Nesbit Elementary School.

The “I Have a Dream: Creating Your Life Portfolio” program is a pilot project created by the Southeast ADA Center to celebrate October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month and to break down barriers and introduce students with and without disabilities to individuals with disabilities from the community who have achieved their dreams personally and professionally.

Students will join in a general kick-off assembly, participate in smaller group mentoring sessions with successful adults with disabilities from the community and take part in music and art programs designed to encourage children to dare to dream about their futures. Nesbit Elementary School Principal Clayborn Knight will be joined by two students (one with a disability and one without a disability) in a Principal for a Day job shadowing opportunity, where the children will learn what it takes to be an elementary school principal and all that goes in to balancing the needs of students, parents, families and staff.

In addition to the Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, Nesbit Elementary School and the Nesbit Elementary School Parent Teacher Association (PTA), additional local partners include the Disability Resource Group and ABEL2. Several adults with disabilities from Gwinnett County and throughout the Atlanta-metro area have volunteered their time to mentor the students. Local businesses, including UPS, have provided volunteers to take part in this community initiative.

“Learning that disability is a characteristic like brown eyes or blonde hair and not a definition of who you are is an important lesson at any age,” said Pamela Williamson, project director of the Southeast ADA Center. “The Southeast ADA Center is honored to join with Nesbit Elementary School, Gwinnett County Public Schools and local community organizations to host this event that is dedicated to fostering a better understanding of disability and inspiring all children that anything is possible for their futures.”

To learn more, visit the “I Have a Dream: Creating Your Life Portfolio” website at dreams4mylife.org.

About the Southeast ADA Center
The Southeast ADA Center answers questions, provides training and materials about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Center serves an eight-state geographic region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. As part of the ADA National Network sponsored by grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Southeast ADA Center is one of 10 regional centers offering training and technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA, including information about the rights of people with disabilities and the responsibilities of businesses as well as state and local governments to provide equal opportunity to participate. The Southeast ADA Center is a grant project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. For more information, visit the Southeast ADA Center website [ADAsoutheast.org].

About the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University
BBI reaches around the globe to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities. Launched in 2005, BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, former dean of SU’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. BBI engages in projects on civil and human rights, inclusive entrepreneurship, employment, and economic empowerment. With a staff of more than 50, BBI has offices in Syracuse, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. For more information, visit the BBI website [bbi.syr.edu].