[Njabs-talk] Scholarships and other stuff

Tue Jan 20 20:29:54 UTC 2009

Hello everyone. Here is a list of internships and scholarships that
might be of interest to some of you.
Mary
Subject: Please share this with your students

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation / Microsoft  Corporation and  AAPD
Internship Programs

2009 Summer Congressional and IT Internships for College Students with
Disabilities

NOTE: Application Deadline - JANUARY  9, 2009

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and the American Association of
People with Disabilities (AAPD) are offering, for the fifth consecutive
summer, a congressional internship program for undergraduate students with
disabilities. The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation-AAPD Congressional
Internship Program was created in 2002 to provide an opportunity for
students with disabilities to work on Capitol Hill for eight (8) weeks and
acquire valuable work experience that will enrich their academic studies. As
congressional interns, participants gain insight into congressional office
operations, public policy development, and constituents' roles in the
legislative and political processes.

The 2009 Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation-AAPD Congressional
Internship Program is designed to:

Allow students with disabilities to obtain first-hand knowledge of the
legislative and political processes by working in congressional offices.

Enable students with disabilities to acquire valuable work experience that
will enhance their academic studies and career prospects.

Demonstrate to Members of Congress, their staff, and fellow interns the
talents that students with disabilities can bring to a professional work
environment.

Introduce students to members of the Washington disability policy community
and to national disability leaders through a series of seminars and special
events such as the anniversary observance of the passage of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Eligibility Congressional Internships:  College students with any type of
disability are invited to apply. At the time of application, applicants must
be enrolled as Sophomores or Juniors. (They must have at least one more
academic semester to complete, at the end of the summer internship.)
Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

ALSO -

For the sixth consecutive summer, Microsoft Corporation and the American
Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) are offering a summer
internship program designed specifically for college and university students
with disabilities interested in careers in information technology.

The Microsoft-AAPD Federal Information Technology (I.T.) Internship Program
was created in 2003 to provide undergraduate students with disabilities, who
have a demonstrated interest in I.T. careers, with the opportunity to
participate and benefit from highly sought-after federal internships. The
internship is made possible through a generous grant from Microsoft and will
be administered by AAPD. In 2009, this internship program will provide ten
(10) students with disabilities with the exclusive opportunity to
participate in an eleven (11) week I.T. internship at a federal agency in
Washington, D.C.

The 2009 Microsoft-AAPD Federal I.T. Internship Program is designed to:

Enable students to gain work experience and further enhance employment
opportunities.

Enhance students' skills and interest in I.T. careers.

Increase placement in I.T. jobs for interns who complete the program.

Demonstrate to prospective employers that students with disabilities are
solid prospects for the I.T. workforce.

Introduce students to national disability leaders through a series of
seminars and special events such as the anniversary observance of the
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Eligibility for IT Internships: Applicants must be college or university
students with disabilities, enrolled in an associate's or bachelor's degree
program, when they begin the internship program. They must have completed at
least one semester of college credits at the time of the application.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens who are 18 years or older.

For questions, please contact AAPD at (800) 840-8844 (V/TTY) or email:
internship at aapd.com. . Applications may be submitted electronically or via
U.S. Postal Service, and must be received by 5:00pm (Eastern Time) on
Friday, January 9, 2009.

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2009 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

The American Council of the Blind will present more than two dozen
scholarships and awards to outstanding blind students in 2009. All legally
blind, full-time students admitted to academic and vocational training
programs at the post-secondary level for the 2008-09 school year are
encouraged to apply for one of these scholarships. Part-time students who
are working full-time are also invited to apply for the John Hebner Memorial
Scholarship. A cumulative grade point average of 3.3 is generally required,
but extenuating circumstances may be considered for certain scholarships.
Applicants must be legally blind in both eyes. Applications may be completed
on line, but supporting documentation must be submitted in hard copy print,
post-marked by March 1, 2009.  For more information:
http://www.acb.org/scholapp2009.html

The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) will  award
three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to full-time  entering
freshmen, undergraduate and graduate college students who are  visually
impaired, maintain a strong GPA and are involved in their  school/local
community.

Applications may be submitted beginning January 1st, 2009 and all  materials
must be received by March 1st, 2009.  Scholarship monies  will be awarded
for the 2009 - 2010 academic year. To read the scholarship guidelines and
complete an on-line  application, please visit: www.cclvi.org and click on
the "Scholarship' link

Applications will be available to submit on-line until March 1st at  11:59
pm Eastern Standard Time.  Questions may be directed to CCLVI at  (800)
733-2258.

Lighthouse Awards Foster and Recognize Success in the Academic and Working
Worlds

The Lighthouse Scholarships & Career Awards help students and employed
individuals who are visually impaired fulfill their dreams of higher
education and success in the workplace. All scholarship applicants must be
legally blind, and are judged on academic and personal achievements
(candidates are not required to demonstrate financial need). Lighthouse
International is accepting applications for their 2009 Scholarship Awards
Program. These scholarships reward excellence, recognize accomplishments and
help students who are blind or partially sighted achieve their career goals.
The application deadline for the 2009 Scholarship and Career Awards is
Sunday, March 1, 2009 by 11:59pm. For more information e-mail:
sca at lighthouse.org

Incight's mission is to educate and employ people with disabilities. The
name Incight is a hybrid of the word Incite, to spark a passion, and
Insight, to possess intimate knowledge of a topic or situation.   Through
self-empowerment  resources, Incight  continuously provides the tools and
skills for people with disabilities to advance their education, seek and
obtain employment, and become active participants in their communities.
Through all this, their main goal is achieved; to create contributing
members of society who view life without any thought of limitations.

Students with a documented disability are eligible to apply for the Incite
scholarship, which is renewable for 4 years. Applications for the 2009-2010
semester are due April 1st, 2009.  For more information: Phone: 971.244.0305
or
Email: questions at incight.org

The Foundation for Exceptional Children is accepting applications for the
Stanley E. Jackson Scholarship Awards and Infinitec Scholarship Award to be
applied toward full-time, post-secondary education or training.
Post-secondary education or training includes two-year and four -year
undergraduate college programs or vocational, technical or fine arts
training programs.

The Stanley E. Jackson Scholarship Awards honor Stanley E. Jackson. Mr.
Jackson was a pioneer and leader in the special education community. The
Infinitec Scholarship Award is sponsored by Infinitec, Inc., a joint project
of United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Chicago and UCPA, Inc., the
national organization. The aim of Infinitec, Inc. is to enable people with
disabilities to gain access to technologies that advance independence.

Applicants must be anticipating enrollment for the first time in full-time,
post-secondary education or training and provide evidence of financial need.
Different recipients will be selected for each award category. No person
will receive more than one award, and past recipients are ineligible for
current or future awards.

Multiple scholarship awards will be made in each of the following
categories: Award #1: Scholarship Award for Students with Disabilities ;
Award #2: Scholarship Award for Ethnic Minority Students with Disabilities ;
Award #3: Scholarship Award for Gifted/Talented Students with Disabilities ;
Award #4: Scholarship Award for Ethnic Minority Gifted/Talented Students
with Disabilities ;  and  Award #5: Scholarship Award for Students with
Disabilities using an augmentative communication device or other alternative
communication system.

To obtain the application or for more information on the scholarship
criteria and application process,  visit :
http://www.cec.sped.org/student/  The application deadline is February 1st,
2009.

Centenary College Project ABLE

ABLE stands for Academic Bridges to Learning Effectiveness

Project ABLE is an educationally based, comprehensive learning support
program designed specifically for students with mild emotional and learning
disabilities.  The purpose of the program is to provide a "bridge" between
the structured and sometimes modified secondary-school setting to the
predominantly self-directed college environment.  This is accomplished
through the creation and implementation of a student-centered success plan
developed collaboratively with a Learning Support Specialist that includes
the use of accommodations and services.  Although Centenary College does not
modify its curriculum for students with disabilities, Project ABLE
compliments a tradition of personalized, quality education which creates a
high potential for a successful transition.  Project ABLE emphasizes:
Personal responsibility; Self-advocacy; Independence ; Remediation of Study
Skills & Techniques ; Development of Self-help skills; and Personal
Reflection.

Project ABLE services include: Individual weekly meetings with a Learning
Support Specialist ; Academic Skill Remediation ; Specific Seminars &
Activities ; Access to Professional Tutors trained in disability issues ;
Group Counseling (Bridges Group); Access to up-to-date Adaptive Technology ;
Close academic monitoring ; Disability Issues Counseling ;  and Peer
mentoring.

Consideration for the Project ABLE program is based on a thorough review of
all educational records.  In the case of a student who is not otherwise
qualified for regular admission to Centenary College, special consideration
can be given to students who understand the necessity of active
participation in the Project Able program. They must agree to the conditions
set forth in an offer of provisional admission to Centenary College which
may include enrolling in Project ABLE and/or the STEP Ahead, Summer
Developmental Program. For more information call Christopher Selena,
Director of Disability Services: 908-852-1400, ext. 2251 or e-mail:
dos at centenarycollege.edu

Through the Looking Glass and its (National Center for Parents with
Disabilities and their Families) have announced the availability of  new
scholarships specifically for high school seniors and college students who
have parents with disabilities. Please note that these awards and have
different application procedures than in the past. There are two separate
scholarship awards, and each has separate eligibility requirements:

High School Seniors - To be eligible, a student must be a high school
graduate (or graduating senior) by Summer 2009, planning to attend college
in Fall 2009 and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate
$1000 awards will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one
application per award period.
College Students - To be eligible, a student must be currently enrolled in a
college or university, be 21 years of age or younger as of March 16, 2009,
and have at least one parent with a disability. Five separate $1000 awards
will be given out in Fall 2009. Individuals may submit only one application
per award period.
Selection criteria for all scholarships include academic performance,
community activities and service, letters of recommendation and an essay
describing the experience of growing up with a parent with a disability. All
application materials must be completed and postmarked by Monday March 16,
2009. For more information: http://lookingglass.org/scholarships/

The Carroll Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired serves the needs  of
blind and visually-impaired persons by providing rehabilitation, skills
training, and educational opportunities to achieve independence,
self-sufficiency, and self-fulfillment and by educating the public regarding
the potential of persons who are blind and visually-impaired. Established in
1936, the Center has pioneered innovative methods for blind persons to gain
independence in their homes, in class settings, and in their work places.
New and evolving technologies, combined with time-tested adaptive methods,
individualized instruction, and personalized therapies developed by the
Carroll Center staff, have provided thousands of blind and vision impaired
persons with diverse opportunities for success and independent living.

Children with blindness or limited vision are often presented with unique
challenges that can limit their education and personal development. The
Carroll Kids and Carroll Teens Programs offer opportunities for students to
improve academic skills and foster social experiences during the summer and
school vacations.

During the Summer  the center offers special opportunities for youth ages 15
and older to develop skills for independent living, computer applications
and employment readiness while enabling them to social interact with their
peers and partake in recreation activities.

The Carroll Center believes that recreation is an important dimension in the
lives of everyone and to that end, developed adaptive techniques for blind
and visually impaired person to participate in a wide variety of outdoor
recreation activities.

The Outdoor Enrichment Program  and the SailBlind Program provide
opportunities to experience the challenge and rewards available in the
outdoor natural environment.

Blind Sailing International (www.blindsailing.org), headquartered at the
Carroll Center, is the governing body for competitive blind sailing
worldwide. The Carroll Center is a founding member and SailBlind teams have
competed in BSI regattas throughout the world since they began in 1992.

For more information call the Carroll Center: 1-800-852-3131

National Camps for Blind ChildrenR/Adults (USA) and National Camps for the
BlindR (Canada) are affiliated with Christian Record Services. This project
began in 1967 with a single camp at Kulaqua in High Springs, Florida. The
camping program has been such a success that we now operate two dozen camps
at various locations across the United States and Canada. Since its
organization, over 43,000 campers have attended these unusual camps. The
camps are FREE  to those who are between the ages of 9 and 65 and whose
corrected vision is no better than 20/200.

The 2009 Winter Camp Programs are designed to give visually impaired youth
(ages 14-30) the opportunity to participate in winter activities, including
skiing, sleighing, snowmobiling, and tubing. The camping programs also
nurture independence, physical well-being, and character-building. These
special National Camps for Blind Children are held in Colorado and Michigan.
Registration closes on February 1, 2009. For more information: Keith Elliot
(402) 488-0981 ext. 222

Space Camp & Aviation Challenge For The Blind and Visually Impaired & The
Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Space Camp for Interested and Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS) is a  week
long camp that takes place at the US

Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The  SPACE CAMP and AVIATION CHALENGE programs specifically designed for
blind, visually-impaired, deaf

and/or hard-of-hearing attendees have attracted students from across the
United States and around the world.

Program highlights may include a presentation by blind and/or deaf NASA
professionals on career choices and

working in the space industry. Blind students also benefit from the latest
technology in the field, including tactile Braille

displays and synthetic speech for computers. SCIVIS is actually 4 separate
programs : Space Camp; Space

Academy; Advanced Academy focus on space travel and the Aviation Challenge
Program. For details about programs

for  Visually Impaired Students, contact Dan Oates at (304)822-4883, or
E-mail: scivis at atlanticbb.net   / To learn

more about the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program, contact Amy Newland at (412)
371-7000, or  E-mail:

Deafspacecamp at aol.com or Visit the website at: www.spacecamp.com

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted
class certification in a disability rights action in which plaintiffs argue
that the Social Security Administration (SSA) fails to provide its
communications in alternative formats that would enable people with visual
impairments to have equal access to SSA programs as required by federal
disability civil rights laws and the U.S. Constitution.

The order came in a suit filed against SSA in federal court in 2005 by the
American Council of the Blind and ten individuals who are blind or have
visual impairments alleging that the agency fails to provide communications
in alternative formats such as Braille, audio, large font or electronic
text, to its blind and visually impaired applicants and beneficiaries,
instead communicating vital information in standard 12-point font print that
they cannot read. This failure has resulted in the loss of critical
subsistence benefits, privacy, and dignity.

 "The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have gone without benefits as a result of
SSA's failure to give them effective notice of its actions. Blind people
across the country have been trying for years to get SSA to send notices in
a format we can read, and we have been resoundingly ignored," commented
American Council of the Blind Executive Director Melanie Brunson.

The case is scheduled for trial in April 2009.  Attorneys for the plaintiffs
include the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Heller Ehrman LLP;
the National Senior Citizens Law Center; and Disability Rights Oregon
(formerly the Oregon Advocacy Center).

Web Portal Aims to Find Jobs for the Disabled

NJBIZ.com, 12/15/2008

It's a stubborn fact that the majority of working-age Americans with
disabilities can't find a job, or enjoy the independence a paycheck
delivers. But New Jersey-based GettingHired is hoping to change things with
its just-launched Web portal, a job-search database that encourages
employers to pay an annual fee to get their openings in front of this
under-tapped talent pool.

Retired textile executive Tom Muscalino leads a Bedminster-based team that
has spent the past two years figuring out how to fully load a Web portal for
job hunting by people with disabilities.

The site, GettingHired.com, brings together employers, including Public
Service Enterprise Group, of Newark, and Summit-based Celgene, with
advocates for the disabled, including Easter Seals and Goodwill Industries.

Also signing on to the GettingHired.com community are service providers who
provide training, technology and other services that bridge the gap between
a disability and a job.

"We thought if we could provide a platform where all of these stakeholders
come together and join forces, we could potentially make a huge difference
in this unacceptably high rate of unemployment," said Muscalino, chief
operating officer of GettingHired.

The site offers a video interview coaching program "that is totally
accessible, regardless of disability, type or severity," Muscalino said. "If
you are blind, it turns everything into spoken word; if you're deaf, it
turns everything into script."

There's also a 70-question career self-assessment to help applicants decide
which jobs are right for them, plus job-matching technology, volunteer
mentors and social networking. Everything at GettingHired.com is free to the
job seeker.

Applicants are not asked to identify their disability on their
GettingHired.com profile. "It is illegal for employers to inquire about an
applicant's disability," Muscalino said. "Our portal is not about somebody's
disabilities, it's about their talents and backgrounds and interests."

GettingHired.com was funded by private investors "who all have a personal
reason for wanting to help people with disabilities," he said.

The company's revenue will come from the employers, charged on a sliding
scale based on company size. Annual subscriptions range from $250 for firms
with 10 or fewer employees, to $65,000 for firms with 75,000 or more
workers.

Muscalino is the former president of the textile firm West Point Pepperell,
where he worked from 1973 to 1993; he then joined Dan River and retired as
president of the towel and linens maker in 2005. Muscalino said when he was
in the corporate world, his companies had diversity programs for women and
minorities, "but it just never occurred to any of us that we should be also
tapping into this labor force."

Employers will constantly post jobs on the site, because turnover creates
job openings even during a recession. Even companies that are considered
"extraordinarily great places to work" will have annual turnover of 20
percent, Muscalino said. So a firm with 20,000 employees might post as many
as 4,000 jobs a year on GettingHired.com

About 37 percent of adults, aged 21 to 64, with a disability are employed,
according to the 2007 Disability Status Report from Cornell University.

Hannah Rudstam of Cornell's Employment and Disability Institute will be at
GettingHired on Jan. 7, presenting a four-hour workshop for business
managers and human resources people. The workshop will be co-led by the
Garden State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management.

"About 20 percent of the population has a disability, which means that 20
percent of an employer's talent pool has a disability," Rudstam said. "This
is a talent pool that faces tremendous barriers to being taken seriously as
job candidates."

There are many job sites for the disabled, but GettingHired.com is unusual
in that "they have a foot in the disability and the business community,"
Rudstam said. "They are surging ahead at making bridges that are difficult
to make."

Elaine Katz, vice president of grants and special initiatives at the Kessler
Foundation in West Orange, said GettingHired.com "is very good, it's very
accessible and it will benefit people with disabilities." A Kessler grant
funded the Cornell program, which is aimed at getting employers and social
service agencies to collaborate in finding jobs for the disabled.

One of the site's competitors is Accessible Employment, which runs a job
search site funded by a Kessler grant and developed by the New Jersey
Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Dana Egreczky, senior vice president for
work force development at the Chamber, said AccessibleEmployment.org was
launched in August 2007 and, like GettingHired.com, is fully accessible.

"It is difficult for anyone to find a job right now, but it is especially
difficult for people who literally do not have the wherewithal to pound the
pavement," she said.

Leonard Schneider is executive director of Jewish Vocational Services in
East Orange, which provides training and job placement services to 750
people a year, many of whom have disabilities. He's not familiar with
job-search Web sites for the disabled, but instead provides one-on-one
services to the agency's clients.

"It's the small and midsized companies that are hiring today, and we
approach them directly to identify job opportunities," Schneider said.
Jewish Vocational Services also has an on-site supervised workshop, where
about 80 employees with disabilities complete packaging and assembly work
through contracts with businesses. And the agency has received a Kessler
Foundation grant to develop home-based jobs for people with severe
disabilities who can't leave their homes, but can use technology to perform
call center jobs.

Brad Turner-Little, assistant vice president of government relations for
Easter Seals, is on the GettingHired advisory council. "Work force
development is a primary focus of Easter Seals, and there really is a crisis
around the employment of people with disabilities."

He said GettingHired.com's recruiting among employers is significant,
"because these companies are committing themselves to the disability
population and saying 'we really want to tap this population.' "

Public Service Enterprise Group, the Newark-based utility, was one of the
first employers to subscribe to GettingHired, and has posted dozens of jobs.
Randi Casey, director of talent acquisition, said, "Attracting talent is
increasingly important as the baby boomers retire. This is a great pool of
talent that we hope to tap into.