COSD in Action
FULL ACCESS Student Summits for Career Exploration
Bethesda - October 3 - 4, 2009
FULL ACCESS hosted 38 students and recent graduates with disabilities from 15 different insititutions on the East Coast including Bowie State University, Catholic University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Kean University, Montgomery College, North Carolina A&T, University of District of Columbia, University of Maryland, University of New Hampshire, University of South Carolina and Walden University. We also hosted 8 employers including Lockheed Martin (Lead Sponsor), Bureau of Land Management, the IRS, Northrop Grumman, Office of Naval Intelligence, Social Security Administration, SunTrust Bank and Walmart. The Student Summit was also co-sponsored by The HSC Foundation in Washington DC. Our Keynote Speakers were Mr. Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to President Barack Obama on Disability Policy and Ms. Judith Heumann, Director of the Department on Disability Services for Washington DC.
Dallas - November 7 - 8, 2009
FULL ACCESS hosted 37 students from 10 different institiutions including Southern Nazarene University, Texas A&M, Texas A&M Commerce, TCU, Texas State University - San Marcos, University of Memphis, University of North Texas, University of Texas Arlington, University of Texas Dallas and University of Texas Tyler. We also hosted 9 employers including Walmart (Lead Sponsor), AT&T (Co-Lead Sponsor), American Airlines, Bank of America, Dow, Frito Lay, the IRS, Microsoft and Shell. Our Keynote Speaker was Ms. Victoria Maxwell, who presented her story of life with mental illness in a show entitled "Crazy for Life."
Presentations and Exhibits
Louisville, KY - July 2009
Sarah Helm and Alan Muir presented at the Association of Higher Education and Disability Annual National Conference in Louisville, KY. The presentation was entitled "Paving the Career Employment Transition Path: Making the Commitment to Maximize Success," which discussed the role of the Disability Services professional in assisting a student with their career employment preparation and highlighting the benefits of collaboration with Career Services and Employers.
Las Vegas, NV - June 2009
Alan Muir presented at the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas. The presentation was entitled "Career Development for College Students with Disabilities: Collaboration is the Key," which discussed many of the same issues as those in South Carolina. However, there was a special emphasis on collaboration with employers to invite them to be more involved with the Disability Services and Career Services offices on campus.
Alan also had space in the Exhibit Hall for two full days and met with many career services professionals and employers. At the exhibit booth, all of COSD products and services were highlighted including Career Gateway, FULL ACCESS Student Summits, the COSD Annual National Conference and consulting / training services for both higher education and employers.