“At the beginning of the program, I had some doubts about what I would get from the program because I’ve been in other programs that weren’t helpful for me. This program changed my mind and gave me great information. People don’t know where to go and it gives you a focus place, a place to learn about how to really prepare for getting a job.”— Student J.W. at the April 7, 2022, graduation.
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Naisha Garris, a former Administrative Coordinator at John Jay College’s Office of Accessibility Services, is a role model of perseverance and volunteerism. Starting in 1998 as a student, Naisha came back to her alma mater in the Fall of 2018 in the Office of Accessibility Services. Since the Spring 2019 semester, Naisha has lead John Jay’s involvement with IMPACTability. Read more about her impact on students and our program.
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Mentoring 4 Impact 2021 virtual graduation ceremonies for the City University of New York (CUNY) John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Guttman Community College were held on April 27 and April 29, respectively. Of the 20 student Mentees who attended the program, 17 were awarded scholarships of $250 to further their education. The requirements to earn a scholarship included successfully completing coursework, along with a Mentor recommendation. All students were recognized with certificates of participation. Students engaged in 34 hours of online learning, including resume writing, professional image, interview skills, disability advocacy, LinkedIn, and much more. Attendance at weekly sessions reached 90%, with one student attending 100% of courses, plus make-up sessions!
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IMPACTability has awarded $4,250 to its 2021 scholarships to 17 outstanding City University of New York (CUNY) students who are pursuing their studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Guttman Community College.
Students enrolled in CUNY’s Office of Accessibility Services were selected for the scholarship based on their accomplishments in Image Impact’s career readiness and mentorship online program. Rigorous requirements included successfully completing foundation, core, and elective courses and receiving their Mentor’s letter of recommendation. Student winners will receive $250 to further their education from IMPACTability as part of Recognize College Students with Disabilities Month, which is sponsored by IMPACTability each May. |
We sat with down with Marcus Griffith, Disability Accommodation Specialist at CUNY Guttman to discuss how our program has impacted his students. For students living with disabilities, these workshops and one-on-one mentoring provide an interactive format for students to gain personalized advice. Being with students who are in a similar situation helps them feel more comfortable opening up. The success of this year’s program and recent graduation is sure to create a buzz and excitement for next year.
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We are thrilled to announce that IMPACTability has been approved to expand our career readiness and mentoring certificate program at 3 additional CUNY campuses starting in Fall 2021: City College CCNY, York, and City Tech. Plus, we are launching at John Jay College of Criminal Justice starting in February! Our career readiness courses will be offered virtually across multiple campuses and complemented with personalized one-on-one mentoring. We are excited for the opportunity to impact even more college students with disabilities in the coming years.
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Our gratitude goes to the Focus for Health Foundation for their support. The mission of the Focus for Health Foundation (FFH) is to promote advocacy, education, and research to combat the rise of chronic illness occurring around the world. FFH generously provided IMPACTability with an additional $5,000 grant for our certificate program for college students with disabilities, which helps them to develop a plan, make positive career connections, learn from mentors, and build a more resilient future. Huge thanks to our friends at Focus for Health for helping to make our program better and better!
You can help too - donate today! Please consider donating to IMPACTability to positively impact college students with disabilities. |
Beginning in 2020, our Board formulated a Strategic Plan to articulate IMPACTability's long-term vision and set the framework to achieve our mission. Broadly speaking, our 2021 Strategic Plan paints a narrative around our theory of change, our programming, and most importantly, our measures of success. As we look ahead, we remain confident in our ability to serve our students, fight for equal access to employment opportunities for college students with disabilities, and expand our reach to even more students.
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IMPACTability developed a workshop focused on mock interviews that provided key practice exercises to improve interviewing skills. Click below to learn more about this successful workshop and get interviewing tips.
Look for summaries of our future workshops including Networking, LinkedIn, and Internships in the upcoming newsletters. |
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year is the nation’s 75th observance of NDEAM, which is administered by the Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). The observance culminates the Department’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Out of the 16.6 million undergraduate college students in the United States, 3.3 percent have a disability.
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Student with disabilities, many of them first generation and Veterans, are enrolling in college at rates higher than ever before. Over 11,000 students with disabilities are currently enrolled at City University of New York (CUNY) campuses. Our career readiness and mentoring program helps college students with disabilities to define their career path and stay focused on the road to employment. We are proud to be a non-profit partner of the LEADS program (Linking Employment, Academics, and Disability Services) at CUNY. Our goal is to raise at least $1,500 on #GivingTuesday to support our program.
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