[NFBC-Info] Fwd: [NABS-L] Introducing a New Triad Mentoring Model with the Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring Program

Fri Jul 17 22:48:06 UTC 2020

Hi folks,

This is a great opportunity. Please consider applying! I used to work
for Pearson in accessibility consulting. I'm glad they're taking
blindness more seriously now. You don't have to be a student and
actually, I'm sure this program could use some people with more
experience.

Best,
CXB

-- 
Cricket X. Bidleman (she/her/hers)
Stanford University | Class of 2021
BA Candidate | Communications
Accessibility Consultant | Stanford University Computer Science
Director of Communications | Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU)
President | California Association of Blind Students (CABS)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Lewis, Anil via NABS-L" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2020 19:28:10 +0000
Subject: [NABS-L] Introducing a New Triad Mentoring Model with the
Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring Program
To: "NABS List (nabs-l at nfbnet.org)" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Lewis, Anil" <ALewis at nfb.org>

Read below to learn more and apply for the Pearson Corporate
Disability Mentoring
Program<https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=1zTEjNCX00e1xRT-DjPjSwxR98UJ7wlJlE5WWkZeSSlUMVEyMkZCUk5OQ0pERVlVSVNTT0tJSTRRRS4u>.

Introducing a New Triad Mentoring Model with the Pearson Corporate
Disability Mentoring Program
Monday, July 6, 2020

The National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind
people sharing our lived experiences and pioneering strategies with
one another in an effort to live the lives we want. Every day, through
a variety of acts and deeds, formally and informally, successful blind
adults mentor blind young adults so that they can acquire knowledge
and skills to accomplish their life's ambitions.

In 2017, NFB President Mark Riccobono, during a meeting with Bjarne
Tellmann, then chief legal officer for
Pearson<https://www.pearson.com/en-us.html>, described our NFB career
mentoring program<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/career-mentoring>,
which uses mentoring pairs between successful blind adults and blind
young adults to provide blind young adults with knowledge, skills, and
experiences to attain the careers of their choice. Mr. Tellmann
explained Pearson's commitment to diversity and inclusion, which is
focused on eliminating barriers and increasing opportunities for all,
which includes people with disabilities. As a result of the
discussion, a collaboration between NFB and Pearson emerged.

The Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring Program expands our career
mentoring program through the development of mentoring triads
consisting of blind young adults, blind professionals from the NFB,
and sighted professionals from Pearson. This three-sided approach has
a positive, exponential impact on all participants through the
relationships that are created.

NFB Blind Professional (Mentor) to Blind Young Adults (Mentee)

Our lived experience demonstrates that blind adult role models are
best able to encourage blind young adults to adopt a positive
self-concept about themselves as blind individuals. Successful blind
adults demonstrate:

  *   Benefits of mastering the alternative skills of blindness
  *   Effective methods of coping with negative public attitudes about blindness
  *   Strategies for blending in as equals in any environment

All of these life skills are essential to the personal and
professional success of any blind person.

The NFB career mentoring program recognizes that there is no
substitute for the learning a blind young adult can receive from the
lived experiences of a successful blind professional. There are many
tools and strategies blind professionals use to be competitive in the
workplace. Some are taught by blindness training service programs, but
many are innovated by the blind individuals that need solutions to
problems that emerge on the job. Through their interactions with blind
professionals, mentees observe the problem-solving skills utilized to
develop these strategies, and in turn, they are able to use these same
skills to develop problem-solving strategies of their own. The
mentoring triad helps us adopt a broader intervention to assist in the
career development of the blind young adults.

Pearson Sighted Professional (Mentor) to Blind Young Adult (Mentee)

The Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring Program creates mentoring
relationships between sighted Pearson professionals and our blind
young adults. This pool of sighted professionals offers our blind
young adults greater access to a host of additional beneficial
workplace experiences and strategies. Moreover, a key to their success
is acquiring the ability to interact effectively with their sighted
peers in the workplace. During a six-month-long cohort of mentoring
beginning in August 2020, sighted Pearson professionals will provide:

  *   Knowledge on workplace culture and expectations
  *   Strategies for developing career-specific skills
  *   Access to informational interviews
  *   Professional advice and guidance

In order to plan for success, the NFB provides sensitivity and
awareness training to the Pearson sighted professionals about
blindness, and encourages them to set high expectations for the blind
young adults participating in the program. By working to dispel the
myths and preconceptions that the sighted professionals may have about
blindness and blind people, our mentees are able to access
professionals engaged in a career of interest and to obtain all of the
natural benefits of mentoring from a broader pool of mentors.

NFB Blind Professional (Mentor) to Pearson Sighted Professional (Mentee)

Despite the training we provide to the sighted professional, they may
still be uncertain about how to effectively support a blind mentee.
Therefore, we add a successful blind professional to the mix that can
demonstrate the strategies, techniques, and technologies blind people
use to be competitive in the workplace. The blind professional mentor
provides the following to the sighted professional:

  *   Dispels the myths and preconceptions the sighted professionals
may have about blindness and blind people
  *   Awareness and resources so that the sighted professional can
perpetually educate themselves
  *   A sounding board of advice and support

The Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring Program expands the
opportunity for our blind young adults to have more beneficial,
diverse career-related experiences by adding a sighted professional
mentor to the mix. The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to
be collaborating with Pearson's Corporate Disability Mentoring Program
to create the triad mentoring model, which offers the value-added
component of the development of a collegial relationship between the
blind and sighted professional. Hopefully this will result in a more
welcoming work environment for future blind employees and greater
employment opportunities for all blind people.

Applications Open Until July 31, 2020

If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the triad
mentoring model with the Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring
Program, please complete the mentoring program application by July 31,
2020. Notifications for mentees and the program will be provided in
August 2020. The program is scheduled for August 2020 to February
2021. We look forward to the great opportunities and development made
from this program.

Learn more and apply for the Pearson Corporate Disability Mentoring
Program<https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=1zTEjNCX00e1xRT-DjPjSwxR98UJ7wlJlE5WWkZeSSlUMVEyMkZCUk5OQ0pERVlVSVNTT0tJSTRRRS4u>.

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

[National Federation of the Blind]<https://nfb.org/>

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The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind.
Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they
want.

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