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AAPD announces its 2008 Summer Congressional Interns

posted June 19, 2008
Washington, DC, 2008 — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announces that eight students are participating in the 2008 Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation–AAPD Congressional Internship Program. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF).

This congressional internship program, a paid summer internship program that was launched in 2002 with a grant from MEAF, was designed to provide college and university students with disabilities the opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge of the legislative and political process, and a unique learning experience that enriches their educational endeavors and enhances their future career opportunities.

2008 Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation–AAPD Congressional Internships were awarded to the following students, who were selected on the basis of a written application and a competitive interview process. They began their internships on June 2, following a thorough orientation.

Corbbmacc O’Connor (Corbb) is a rising junior at The George Washington University in Washington, DC double-majoring in Political Communication and Economics. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Corbb came to Washington, DC for its diversity, performing arts, and—of course—politics. Next semester, Corbb will study abroad in the Republic of Ireland and hopes to achieve a career in journalism or lobbying. Corbb is blind, and travels with his guide dog Phoenix, a four-year-old yellow labrador retriever. The duo can frequently be seen walking the streets of Foggy Bottom; riding the Metro, Washington’s subway system; or cooking dinner for friends in his apartment.

This summer, Corbb will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Hilary Clinton (D–NY).

Dana Fink(Dana), originally from Atlanta, GA is a rising junior at the University of Illinois (U of I), Urbana-Champaign. She is currently majoring in International Studies, with a dual minor in French and Mandarin Chinese. She is an athlete for the reigning national champion U of I Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team. She is also actively involved in the International Studies Student Association, Amnesty International, and Delta Sigma Omicron (the disability service fraternity on campus). Dana will be studying abroad in Beijing, China for the 2008 fall semester. She is a passionate advocate for disability rights and hopes to ultimately work for global disability awareness and change.

This summer, Dana will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Sarah Floyd (Sarah) is a rising senior at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin studying international relations and public health. She is originally from upstate New York. Sarah is an active member of the outdoor environmental club and the Beloit College Voter Registration Project, and she also does advocacy work on campus for responsible sexual behavior, STD prevention, use of contraceptives and sexual assault prevention. Sarah enjoys foreign languages, with her focus in Chinese, which she learned while teaching English in China. She hopes to enter the Peace Corps after graduation.

This summer, Sarah will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D- WI).

Kevin Fritz (Kevin) is a rising junior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is majoring in Health Administration and Informatics. Kevin, who aspires to become a Hospital Administrator, hopes to derive skills through this internship that will give him a better sense of government and learn how to implement the knowledge gained in his future fields of interest. As an active member of his campus community, Kevin is currently serving his second term on the Illinois Student Senate as a Senator and Chairman. When he isn't drafting resolutions or advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, Kevin can be found in his other office where he is the Director of Arts for the Illini Union Board, the universities' largest programming unit.

This summer, Kevin will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

Marneet Lewis (Marneet) just completed her sophomore year at Portland Community College (PCC), receiving her Associate of Arts - Oregon Transfer (Psychology), Associate of Science, and Associate of General Studies Degrees. She will return to Oregon to attend a four-year University this fall. Marneet has served PCC as a Student Ambassador, Founder & President of ABLE Club for Students with Disabilities, President of United Tribes, immediate past President of the Black Student Union, and a member of the Psychology Club. Academically, she has been on the Honor’s, Dean’s, & President’s List. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society’s Beta Epsilon Gamma Chapter, and she has also served as a Member at Large Officer. She has also been named to the National Dean’s List.

This summer, Marneet will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

Jonathan Shectman (Jonathan) is a rising senior at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where he is majoring in International Relations with a minor in Communications. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Virginia, he recently returned from a semester abroad studying in Kenya and Tanzania. He has coached learning-challenged students in the Portland public schools system. He has been involved in many community service activities, ranging from the rebuilding of a public school in a small village in Costa Rica to participating in the clean-up of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. An avid rock climber, skier and hiker, Jonathan is also a certified SCUBA instructor who looks forward to teaching diving to persons with disabilities.

This summer, Jonathan will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

Megan Smith (Megan) is a rising junior at Soka University of America, in Aliso Viejo, California where she will receive her Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in International Studies. For the past three years, Megan has volunteered abroad for periods of three months, first in Costa Rica, Peru, and most recently in Nepal, working as a teacher for orphans and the elderly. Within her university, Megan serves as Editor-in-Chief of Soka’s literary magazine, chair of an annual conference on Soka Education, and president of Soka’s student chapter of the United Nations Association, and works with various local disability rights groups. Megan hopes to earn her Masters Degree and then PhD in International Policy and/or Human Development.

This summer, Megan will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman William Delahunt (D-MA).

Jordan Woods (Jordan) is a rising senior at The University of Georgia, majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Arabic. His interest in politics and government began amid the drama of the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election and has continued since. Jordan is an accomplished Eagle Scout who founded the Collins Hill Chapter of the Teenage Republicans, and serves as the House Manager of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta. In 2006, Jordan received the Georgia State Personal Achievement Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Jordan hopes to one day work in the field of national security or counter-terrorism.

This summer, Jordan will intern on Capitol Hill in the offices of both Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R- WI).

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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the economic and political power for all children and adults living with disabilities in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For information regarding this program and other internship opportunities available through AAPD or to sign up to receive internship announcements, visit the AAPD website at www.aapd.com, or call AAPD 800-840-8844 (V/TTY).

MEAF, grantees featured in ABILITY Magazine

posted June 18, 2008
MEAF Inclusion Champion Award winner Marvin B. Laster and MEAF grantees--Boys & Girls Club of America and Kids Included Together--are featured in ABILITY Magazine

ALL of US
by Lauren A. Hoffman

At the impressionable age of eight, Marvin Laster became a member of the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown, Albany, GA. The popular neighborhood hangout gave him a safe haven from the lures of the streets. With some 4,300 Clubs worldwide, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) makes sure that children who might otherwise be at home after school with no supervision, have a place to go and something productive to do. Academy-Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has often given credit to the club in his old Mount Vernon, NY, neighborhood for keeping him on the straight and narrow during his youth.

“Much of the success that I have achieved I attribute to lessons learned within the club,” says Laster, who’s also enjoyed a life-long relationship with Atlanta-based BGCA. Though he learned a great deal from the older staff back in the day, he received perhaps his most valuable ‘take-away’ from a friend named Shawn Luke, who had a disability. As the two boys played pool and other games at the club, their differences disappeared.

“He taught me acceptance,” Laster says. Now, as director of diversity for BGCA, he helps to make sure that message is imparted not only throughout the organization, but also beyond.

To institute its diversity and inclusion program, BGCA used a “top down/bottom up” approach. From the bottom up, it created a pilot program by identifying five clubs that had marked success serving youths with disabilities. These clubs were teamed with local Easter Seals affiliates, school systems, agencies and community organizations, so that BGCA staff could get additional training or have a place to refer kids in need. The program also tracked progress and captured “best practices.” The pilot sites provided the organization with several unique programming activities for youth with disabilities as well.

From the top down, BGCA took a step back and reviewed its mission statement and policies to help determine how the national office could be more supportive of initiatives to include young people with disabilities. To that end, Laster encouraged local clubs to sign BGCA’s Diversity Pledge. He wrote articles on the subject and also encouraged all Clubs to celebrate National Disability Awareness Month (October).

Laster then sought out alliances with Easter Seals and several like-minded foundations such as Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), based in Arlington, VA, to expand the resources and reach of BGCA’s national-level initiatives. MEAF provides national grants to projects and organizations that are focused on the full inclusion of young people with disabilities. It was serendipitous that they were also looking to team up with a “mainstream” organization.

“The partnership with BGCA represented the perfect intersection of mission, need and opportunity,” says Rayna Aylward, executive director of MEAF. “The right people at the right time are facing in the right direction.”

Previously, BGCA had formally partnered with Kids Included Together (KIT), which had an existing relationship with MEAF. KIT is a San Diego, CA, nonprofit that provides training for after-school organizations committed to servicing children with disabilities. Working together, BGCA and KIT developed Embracing Inclusion: It’s About All of Us, a programming manual that offers tips, activities and events that clubs can easily implement.

“This initiative has led to significant outcomes in the advancement of the Boys & Girls Club mission,” says Julius Lott, BGCA’s vice president of diversity.

Though the formal agreements have expired, BGCA, MEAF and KIT continue to work together and remain committed to the vision. Their partnership with other organizations and agencies has been instrumental in developing Paths to Inclusion, a resource guide for fully including youths of all abilities into community life.

This sense of mission is shared by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, CA, which recently was presented with an award for furthering the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The club’s Physical and Learning Support (PALS) program earned them a $2,000 cash award and acknowledgment for their contributions from Prudential Financial as well as from the National Organization on Disability.

Similar to Laster’s experience with his childhood friend Shawn, PALS pairs a child who has a disability with a typically-developing kid at the club to cultivate a rewarding learning experience and a climate of understanding and acceptance.

Making it all work takes money. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has invested $2 million, while its nonprofit partners have leveraged an additional $4 million towards promoting inclusion. MEAF is now helping to involve other grant makers through the Disability Funders Network... read the entire article at abilitymagazine.com/Boys_and_Girls_Club.html
(subscription required)

Boys & Girls Clubs of America: www.bgca.org, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: www.meaf.org, Kids Included Together: www.kitonline.org,
Paths to Inclusion and other resources can be downloaded from www.includingallkids.org

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