WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) recognized Disability Mentoring Day, a nationwide initiative led by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) with the support of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) that promotes career development for students with disabilities. The program matches students with workplace mentors to spend a day on the job learning about how they can prepare to enter the workforce. Participants in Maine include students from STRIVE U, a post-secondary educational program for high school graduates with developmental disabilities that offers paid internships at a variety of businesses and organizations, including Senator King’s Scarborough office.

“Disability Mentoring Day is a great opportunity for students with disabilities to build on skills they already have and remind employers of the many valuable contributions they make to the workplace when given the chance,” Senator King said. “The students from STRIVE U continue to do outstanding work on behalf of the people of Maine in my office, and I’m proud to join all of Maine in thanking them for their service.”

Disability Mentoring Day falls on the third Wednesday of every October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. President Clinton first proclaimed Disability Mentoring Day in 1999, and the AAPD has served as the initiative’s national coordinator since 2001.

The STRIVE U program is based in South Portland and has been supporting individuals to live independently since 2004. Students receive residential, educational, employment and transition training and attend classes at Kaplan University.  STRIVE U has participated in Disability Mentoring Day for the past few years by partnering with TD Bank, with students shadowing mentors at TD Bank’s Falmouth corporate office and downtown Portland branch.

The newest STRIVE U intern in Senator King’s Scarborough office, Cory Reynolds, will start on Monday, October 20th. His internship will last through May 2015. For more information about the STRIVE U program, call 207-774-6278 and ask to speak with STRIVE U’s Employment Coordinator.

Photo: Senator King with Emile Thomas, a STRIVE U student who interned in King’s Scarborough office from October 2013-May 2014.

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