[blindlaw] Blind Law Professionals Needed for NFB-Pearson Career Exploration Mentorship Program

Mon Apr 17 15:17:10 UTC 2017

Anil - Here is my contact information.  It was good talking with you.  I look forward to working with the program.

Randy

Randal S. Farber
Jackson Walker L.L.P.
1401 McKinney, Suite 1900
Houston, Texas 77010
713-752-4241 - Office
832-588-3207 - Cell 
713-308-4120 - Fax
RFarber at JW.com

Board Certified, Commercial Real Estate Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Since 1996
The statements contained herein are not intended to and do not constitute an opinion as to any tax or other matter.  They are not intended or written to be used, and may not be relied upon, by you or any other person for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under any Federal tax law or otherwise.

-----Original Message-----
From: BlindLaw [mailto:blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lewis, Anil via BlindLaw
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2017 11:17 AM
To: blindlaw at nfbnet.org; BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
Cc: Lewis, Anil
Subject: [blindlaw] Blind Law Professionals Needed for NFB-Pearson Career Exploration Mentorship Program

Attention Blind Law Professionals:

Many of you are aware that we are partnering with Pearson to conduct an innovative mentoring program for blind students/young professionals seeking a career in the legal field. (See the press release below.) In the National Federation of the Blind, mentoring is simply what we do. Our model can be best described as a mentoring matrix where each of us, having been mentored by many members of the organization, serves as mentors for many others. The Pearson collaboration builds on our fundamental mentoring philosophy by adding sighted professionals to the mix to create a triad that consists of the blind Federation professional, the sighted Pearson professional, and the blind student/young professional. This mentoring relationship is mutually beneficial to all participants.

The blind youth will:
*              Learn life strategies for success from a successful blind professional.
*              Acquire relevant career information from a professional in their chosen field.

The Federation professional will:
*              Have a positive impact on the life of a blind youth by sharing life strategies for success.
*              Expand his/her professional network by collaborating with the Pearson professional.

The Pearson professional will:
*              Have a positive impact on the life of a blind youth by sharing relevant career information.
*              Expand his/her professional network through the collaboration with the blind professional.

In order for this partnership to be successful, we need blind lawyers to volunteer to be members of these mentoring triads. Mentees have already begun submitting their applicants to participate. The Pearson program model asks their mentors to commit to communicating with their mentees for at least one hour per month. We would ask that our Federation mentors be willing to commit to interacting with their mentees for at least eight hours per month. This communication can be in-person, by telephone, via text message, and through the use of social media. Moreover, our Federation mentors, with support from our NFB Jernigan Institute staff, will agree to serve as a resource to the Pearson mentor to assist them to address any specific concerns related to blindness, workplace/access technology, and other accommodations.

Please call me if you have any questions. I would appreciate it if you would share this information with other blind law professionals. Individuals who are interested in serving as a mentor should contact me at alewis at nfb.org, or 410-659-9314 ext. 2374.

Sincerely,

Anil

Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
Executive Director
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314, Ext. 2374 | alewis at nfb.org
Twitter: @AnilLife

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               Contact: Scott Overland, (202) 909-4520
March 6, 2017                                                                            Scott.Overland at pearson.com<mailto:Scott.Overland at pearson.com>
                                                                                    Contact: Chris Danielsen, (410) 659-9314, ext 2330
                                                                                                    CDanielsen at nfb.org<mailto:CDanielsen at nfb.org>
Pearson Announces Career Exploration Mentorship Program for Students, Young Professionals with Disabilities

Collaboration with National Federation of the Blind brings decades of experience preparing blind and low vision students for career success
NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) MARCH 06, 2017
Today Pearson, in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), announced the launch<https://mediaplayer.pearsoncmg.com/assets/nfb_mentorship-changing_the_channel> of a new career exploration mentorship program for college students and recent graduates who have disabilities. The program will begin as a pilot, combining the NFB's expertise in mentoring and advocating for career opportunities for blind and low-vision students and Pearson's commitment to providing mentorship to a wide range of students with disabilities. The program will provide participants with access to guidance, advice, and support from experienced professionals working in a variety of legal-related positions at Pearson.
Blind, low vision and students with disabilities often face low expectations or unnecessary roadblocks when identifying and pursuing career paths.  This can result in a 'channeling' into jobs that they are not passionate about or that limit their true potential. Participants in this three-month pilot program will be paired with a mentor who has been specifically trained on how to guide and advise blind or disabled students who may be unfamiliar with the opportunities and preparation necessary to succeed in corporate environments. Mentors work in a variety of functions on the Pearson legal team and will help students access a breadth of resources - from meetings with senior leaders to advice on preparing and tackling education and career goals to building a resume and identifying interesting internships and jobs.
"I am excited and proud at the level of enthusiasm we have seen in Pearson's legal department as we have prepared to announce this program. Our goal is simple, yet incredibly important: to help guide young professionals who are disabled to find the career opportunities that match their passions," said Bjarne Tellmann, general counsel for Pearson. "With the experience and partnership of the NFB, we want to open the door to careers that many young, disabled people didn't know existed or were accessible to them, and support them as they take the next step in their professional lives."
"For over seventy-five years, the National Federation of the Blind has fostered mentoring relationships in order to raise the expectations of the blind and to help them achieve their dreams and live the lives they want. Partnering with Pearson is a natural outgrowth of this important work, allowing aspiring blind professionals to establish mentoring relationships with their peers and obtain career guidance that will increase the odds of success. We look forward to working with Pearson to build this program and get more blind people on the pathway to the board rooms of major corporations around the world," said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind.
Students can begin applying for the pilot program immediately by e-mailing Elizabeth Delfs at elizabeth.delfs(at)pearsoned(dot)com<mailto:elizabeth.delfs at pearsoned.com>. Pearson and the NFB hope to continue and expand the program past the pilot stage.
###
Pearson is the world's learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning.  We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit http://www.pearson.com<http://www.pearson.com/>.
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back. For more information, visit http://www.nfb.org<http://www.nfb.org/>.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.

This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website.
_______________________________________________
BlindLaw mailing list
BlindLaw at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindlaw_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for BlindLaw:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/rfarber%40jw.com

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Farber  Randal S .vcf
Type: text/x-vcard
Size: 1564 bytes
Desc: Farber  Randal S .vcf
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/blindlaw_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170417/66ea1177/attachment.vcf>