December 2008 | Vol. 6 | Issue 2
Career Journal Published by the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education
Inside this Issue 1 Perspective: Disability Awareness in the Workplace 3 Networking for Success 4 Spring Events Calendar
Congratulations Graduates! By Brandy Kiger This is it. After years of diligently pulling all-nighters, drinking entirely too much coffee and writing more papers than you ever thought possible, you’ve made it. It’s finally over, and you are graduating. Now what? Career Services would like to say, “Congratulations, Seniors. We’re proud of all your hard work!” You have already accomplished a lot, but there’s more ahead. We’d like to help you keep that momentum going as you head out into the “real world.” Our services are still available to you as alumni, and we would like you to take advantage of those resources. We have a ton of career-related material, career testing and resume help at your disposal, free of charge. We also have career fairs happening several times a year where you can network and meet potential employers. JobCat and DISCOVER can be accessed through http://careers.wcu.edu, so feel free to search the job listings there and post your resume as well. Enjoy your graduation! When you are done celebrating, remember that we are still here supporting you 100 percent.
Perspective:
Disability Awareness in the Workplace By Lance Alexis When I was asked to write a piece concerning disability in the workplace, I was happy to oblige. As I was thinking about the topic, I could not help but feel disheartened that there was a definite need to write an article explaining the presence of people with disabilities in the workplace. My hope would be that in the many years since two impactful pieces of legislation concerning the topic, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, this would be a widely-known and accepted concept. While battles against sexism, racism and religious intolerance still occur, at least the basic tenets of these concepts are generally understood, as is the fact that there is recourse for those who experience such prejudices. People with disabilities comprise a group fighting multiple battles against prejudice without mainstream commitment. The basis of bringing about a new understanding lies in three interconnected forms of awareness: self-awareness, awareness of rights and employer awareness. People with disabilities seeking employment must establish a level of comfort with being considered a person with a disability. This is not an easy task because the common model followed by much of society concerning disability is the medical model of disability (Seelman, 2004). This model is based on the perception of disability as a problem in a person’s body in need of medical attention. Authority on disability is believed to be in the hands of professionals rather than those with disabilities. This perception is unfair because it is bound by the biased view of what the medical world deems normal or healthy (Seelman). It further proves unfair because the model objectifies those with disabilities since they are viewed based on their disability rather than their personhood (Smart, 2001). Many want to stop being viewed as patients and be given the opportunity to live their lives as workers, students, parents, etc. Perspective Continued on page 3
Career Journal
Page 1