Become a Mentor
Thank you for your interest in being a mentor for Disability Mentoring Day (DMD). DMD is hosted nationally by the American Association of People with Disabilities in an effort to promote disability as a central component of diversity recruitment for a more inclusive workforce. Locally, the Greater Syracuse Disability Mentoring Day Committee matches mentees to a wide variety of employers in the Central New York area.
Download our Mentor Frequently Asked Questions (pdf file)
What happens on Disability Mentoring Day
Disability Mentoring Day begins with a Kick-Off event which includes breakfast. This year it will be held at Drumlin’s, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Mentees and Mentors will have the opportunity to get to know each other during this event. Some employers send representatives; some send the staff members who will be mentoring the mentees. Please make sure to RSVP with the names of those who will be attending!
The mentees will arrive after the Kick-Off Event, between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. Usually they will stay to or through lunchtime. While not required, many mentors choose to provide lunch as it can be a nice way for the mentee and mentors to end the experience.
Mentees will be responsible for their own transportation. However, some employers like to take the mentees from the Kickoff Breakfast to the work site.
Most mentees will have a job coach who may or may not accompany them at the work site, depending on the needs of the mentee. Some mentees may arrive alone. There will always be a contact number for you in case of an emergency.
Although the mentees are job seekers, and some mentees are offered positions by the mentors, this is not an expectation of Disability Mentoring Day.
In many companies, staff members are assigned to be the on-site mentor for the mentee. The mentee experience is up to you, the employer, based on your company’s structure and policies. These are some common things that mentors do:
- Give a tour of the company
- Have the mentee job shadow one of your employees so they can better understand the job
- Let the mentee do some of the tasks of the job
The mentees are there to learn about what your company does and what particular jobs are like. And you will get to know the mentee!
Become a Mentor
Submit our Online Mentor Application now.
Or, print out a Mentor Application (pdf) now. In order to view and print this form, you must have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer (free download).
