Planning for Summer 2014

Part 2: Internships
With the high cost of college and a challenging economic climate, most students are planning from freshman year how they can best position themselves to succeed in a very competitive job market. Many colleges have become proactive in encouraging their students to pursue internships toward that goal. For students with disabilities, that strategy is particularly important and, though not plentiful, there are internships and programs available that help to level the playing field.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAS) sponsors the Entry Point! program that identifies and screens undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities and recommends them for paid summer internships in Science, Engineering, Math, Computer Science and some fields of Business. To learn more about this program, visit http://ehrweb01.aaas.org/entrypoint.
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) offers spring, summer and fall internships that place college students in congressional offices and various agencies in the Federal government. For details, visit AAPD’s website at www.aapd.com.
On the home page of the Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (COSD) website (www.cosdonline.org) there is an entry button that takes a student directly to the Career Gateway site. Career Gateway is a nationwide online job posting and college student resume database system. Students can use this tool to identify employment opportunities and employers who are committed to including disability as part of their diversity efforts.
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, headquartered in Short Hills, N.J., offers summer, fall and spring internships in the areas of Business Development, Event Coordination, and Marketing & Communication. For more information and to apply for an internship, visit www.christopherreeve.org.
The international consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, funds the Emerging Leader program, which is administered by the National Business and Disability Council and provides internships for college students with disabilities. These internships are offered in several geographic locations and within a wide range of companies. For more details, visit their website at www.emerging-leaders.com.
Microsoft has recently launched the Microsoft Disability Scholarship intended to enable high school students with disabilities to go to college, realize the worldwide impact of technology and target a career in technology. These non-renewable $5,000 scholarships are awarded to students pursuing a two- or four- year vocational or academic program. More information is available at www.microsoft.com.
The Smithsonian Institute’s Office of Fellowships and Internships provides paid internship opportunities annually at the Smithsonian for people with disabilities. Applications should be made online using the Smithsonian Online Application System: https://solaa.si.edu
The Washington Center (TWC) for Internships and Academic Seminars offers an academic program combined with internships in Washington, D.C. This program is a fully inclusive one with accessible housing. To learn more about the program, visit their website: www.twc.edu.
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities. It gives these applicants the opportunity to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) manage the program. For more information, visit www.wrp.gov.
DID YOU KNOW??
• The N.J. Division of Developmental Disabilities funds a statewide project, Planning for Adult Life, to assist young adults (ages 16 – 21) with developmental disabilities and their families in charting a life course for adulthood. Informational sessions, webinars (including archived ones) and resource guides/materials are all part of this program. For more information, visit http://planningforadultlife.org.
• The Family Support Center of N.J. has developed a new comprehensive website to help families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ages 14-21) deal with the transition from school to work. Families can access the website at www.transitionmattersnj.org
• Social Security has announced a new expedited disability claims process for veterans with a VA disability compensation rating of 100 percent Permanent & Total (P&T). With this new process, the Social Security Administration will treat these veterans’ applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions, similar to the way disability claims from Wounded Warriors are currently handled. This expedited process should launch in mid-March. For more information, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/pgm/disability-pt.htm.
• A six-week Chronic Disease Self-Management program is being offered at two different locations, starting in March. One will be held on Wednesdays (3/19–4/23) from 11:30–1:30 at Cape Assist in Wildwood (Contact: Temerity Berry at 522-5960); the other, offered by the Parish Nurse Program at Cape Regional Medical Center (Contact: Bonnie at 463-4043), will be held on Thursdays (3/27–5/1) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Conifer Village in North Cape May
Pierson writes from the Cape May County Department of Aging and Disability Services