Enable America Promotes Employment of Disabled Veterans and Wounded Warriors in Washington DC Area

Washington, DC, August 22, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Enable America, a nonprofit working to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, will conduct a series of job-site mentoring activities this summer in the Washington DC area for disabled veterans and wounded warriors. These programs will be held in conjunction with Enable America’s ten-year anniversary recognition events.

Clark Construction and Case Design, along with the Capitol Hill offices of Senator Tom Harkin, (D) Iowa, and Congressman CW Bill Young, (R) Florida, will host the mentees in September, part of Enable America programs that have been hailed as “national best practices” by CAAID, Corporate Achievers for Individuals with Disabilities. In addition, the FBI will also participate in mentoring programs, becoming the first federal agency to do so.

“We have accomplished much over the past decade, but our ultimate goals have not been fulfilled,” said Richard Salem, founder and CEO of Enable America. “Until every person with a disability who wants to work is employed, we will continue to produce programs, develop resources, and open job opportunities. With so many deserving men and women now returning from conflicts overseas, it is only fitting that we use the occasion of our ten-year anniversary to expand these offerings to disabled veterans and wounded warriors in the Washington area.”

Navy veteran Keith Ferguson can attest to the power of Enable America’s employment opportunity programs. The San Antonio resident was immediately hired for construction work after participating in an Enable America event at a Clark-Hunt construction mentoring program at the Brooke Army Medical Center expansion project.

“I think this is probably the best situation for me,” Ferguson said upon being hired. “It fell in line with my military background; it's like a win-win situation.”

In addition to employment mentoring in the Washington area, on September 12th Enable America will conduct an executive discussion on the issue of employment for people with disabilities, in which national stakeholders from business, government, the military and social services will join to share insights. That will be followed by an honorary reception recognizing Senator Harkin and Congressman Young for their ongoing support on these issues.

Founded in 2002, Enable America was the first non-profit solely devoted to improving employment for people with disabilities. A multitude of projects have followed, including Enable America’s VetConnect program, which improves the recovery outcome of wounded warriors by pairing them with similarly wounded peer mentors who have completed or are completing the recovery process. Other programs include Community Connections and Business to Business meetings that build bridges to the disability community, Employment Mentoring to open on-the-job opportunities, and Job Skills Workshops, in which participants work one-on-one and in small groups with HR professionals to improve their ability to find meaningful employment.

Organizations and businesses interested in learning more about these programs are encouraged to contact Enable America through its web site, EnableAmerica.org, or by calling the group toll free at 1-877-ENABLED (1-877-362-2533).

About Enable America: Established in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem, Enable America builds bridges between employers, social service agencies, and people with disabilities, including disabled veterans and wounded warriors, through programs that improve employment opportunities. The organization’s Community Connections, Business Connections, Employment Mentoring, Job Skills Workshops and VetConnect programs unite members of the disability community and business community to raise awareness and increase employment opportunities for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities.