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Beth Kolbe, Former Mitsubishi Foundation-AAPD Congressional Intern

posted July 30, 2008
DISABILITY ISSUES newsletter
Interview by Paul Kahn

KAHN: Can you tell me a little bit about your background?
KOLBE: I grew up in Ohio; I was there for twenty years in a middle of nowhere town surrounded by fields of corn. When I was fourteen I was in a car accident. I have a spinal cord injury, so I am quadriplegic. I use a manual wheelchair to get around. My accident happened the week before summer when I was in eighth grade. I was the first person in my high school with a disability, but they were really accommodating. They were great. And then I applied to Harvard. I am the youngest of three: I have an older brother and sister. Both of them stayed in Ohio for college, but I could not pass up the opportunity, when I was accepted. I had come to the east coast before when I was in junior nationals for wheelchair sports....

KAHN: Tell me a little bit about your internship. Who was it sponsored by, and what did you do?
KOLBE: It was sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities and Mitsubishi Electric of America Foundation. I was one of six congressional interns over the summer. You have to apply to different congressional offices. I was accepted into Senator John Kerry’s office first, so I jumped on that. I was so excited, because I respect him. I got to work in his office mostly doing health policy work, then constituent work. It was such an exciting experience. Probably the experience I was most excited about was this: I got to go on the senate floor with him. They don’t let interns on the senate floor, but we were able to get special permission. And I was able to help with his speech a little bit.

KAHN: How do you think your internship contributed to your personal and professional growth?
KOLBE: Professionally it made me much more interested in politics. It was an eye opener that there are so many details: there are so many different policy areas that have to be taken care of. I don’t think I want to run for public office, but I certainly would not mind being a policy staffer. After the internship, there was an opening in Senator Kerry’s Boston office to work specifically on disability issues with one of his
staffers. They invited me to do that. So, throughout my entire school year I worked in his Boston office. It’s completely different, because it is much more focused on his constituents; major policy issues get done in DC. But I really loved that, because you get to talk to people on an individual basis.

KAHN: Did you make important contacts during
your internship?
KOLBE: Oh, definitely. I still keep in touch withmy boss fromthe Boston office, and I am still close with the office manger in DC. They are good contacts for the future and great people. They love their work, and they do it well.

KAHN: Were there other ways that your internship helped you or contributed to your ability to be an advocate for disability rights?
KOLBE: We congressional interns and the IT interns lived with each other.We were all college students who have an interest in pursuing disability issues. Bouncing ideas off the others and learning from them was a really wonderful experience. I am great friends with all of them. And we were able to meet a lot of leaders in the disability community, a lot of people who were very influential with the ADA. My generation has grown up since the ADA. So, it’s easy to take it for granted, because we did not have to fight for ourselves. Learning from the people who did have to fight and listening to their stories was empowering. I would like to work in DC for a few months before starting graduate school.

For the complete story go to www.masschec.org/uploadedFiles/Disability%20Issues%20-%20Summer%202008.pdf

AAPD announces its 2008 Summer Congressional Interns

posted June 19, 2008
Washington, DC, 2008 — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) announces that eight students are participating in the 2008 Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation–AAPD Congressional Internship Program. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF).

This congressional internship program, a paid summer internship program that was launched in 2002 with a grant from MEAF, was designed to provide college and university students with disabilities the opportunity to obtain first-hand knowledge of the legislative and political process, and a unique learning experience that enriches their educational endeavors and enhances their future career opportunities.

2008 Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation–AAPD Congressional Internships were awarded to the following students, who were selected on the basis of a written application and a competitive interview process. They began their internships on June 2, following a thorough orientation.

Corbbmacc O’Connor (Corbb) is a rising junior at The George Washington University in Washington, DC double-majoring in Political Communication and Economics. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Corbb came to Washington, DC for its diversity, performing arts, and—of course—politics. Next semester, Corbb will study abroad in the Republic of Ireland and hopes to achieve a career in journalism or lobbying. Corbb is blind, and travels with his guide dog Phoenix, a four-year-old yellow labrador retriever. The duo can frequently be seen walking the streets of Foggy Bottom; riding the Metro, Washington’s subway system; or cooking dinner for friends in his apartment.

This summer, Corbb will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Hilary Clinton (D–NY).

Dana Fink(Dana), originally from Atlanta, GA is a rising junior at the University of Illinois (U of I), Urbana-Champaign. She is currently majoring in International Studies, with a dual minor in French and Mandarin Chinese. She is an athlete for the reigning national champion U of I Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team. She is also actively involved in the International Studies Student Association, Amnesty International, and Delta Sigma Omicron (the disability service fraternity on campus). Dana will be studying abroad in Beijing, China for the 2008 fall semester. She is a passionate advocate for disability rights and hopes to ultimately work for global disability awareness and change.

This summer, Dana will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Sarah Floyd (Sarah) is a rising senior at Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin studying international relations and public health. She is originally from upstate New York. Sarah is an active member of the outdoor environmental club and the Beloit College Voter Registration Project, and she also does advocacy work on campus for responsible sexual behavior, STD prevention, use of contraceptives and sexual assault prevention. Sarah enjoys foreign languages, with her focus in Chinese, which she learned while teaching English in China. She hopes to enter the Peace Corps after graduation.

This summer, Sarah will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D- WI).

Kevin Fritz (Kevin) is a rising junior at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is majoring in Health Administration and Informatics. Kevin, who aspires to become a Hospital Administrator, hopes to derive skills through this internship that will give him a better sense of government and learn how to implement the knowledge gained in his future fields of interest. As an active member of his campus community, Kevin is currently serving his second term on the Illinois Student Senate as a Senator and Chairman. When he isn't drafting resolutions or advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, Kevin can be found in his other office where he is the Director of Arts for the Illini Union Board, the universities' largest programming unit.

This summer, Kevin will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

Marneet Lewis (Marneet) just completed her sophomore year at Portland Community College (PCC), receiving her Associate of Arts - Oregon Transfer (Psychology), Associate of Science, and Associate of General Studies Degrees. She will return to Oregon to attend a four-year University this fall. Marneet has served PCC as a Student Ambassador, Founder & President of ABLE Club for Students with Disabilities, President of United Tribes, immediate past President of the Black Student Union, and a member of the Psychology Club. Academically, she has been on the Honor’s, Dean’s, & President’s List. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society’s Beta Epsilon Gamma Chapter, and she has also served as a Member at Large Officer. She has also been named to the National Dean’s List.

This summer, Marneet will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

Jonathan Shectman (Jonathan) is a rising senior at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where he is majoring in International Relations with a minor in Communications. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in Virginia, he recently returned from a semester abroad studying in Kenya and Tanzania. He has coached learning-challenged students in the Portland public schools system. He has been involved in many community service activities, ranging from the rebuilding of a public school in a small village in Costa Rica to participating in the clean-up of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. An avid rock climber, skier and hiker, Jonathan is also a certified SCUBA instructor who looks forward to teaching diving to persons with disabilities.

This summer, Jonathan will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

Megan Smith (Megan) is a rising junior at Soka University of America, in Aliso Viejo, California where she will receive her Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in International Studies. For the past three years, Megan has volunteered abroad for periods of three months, first in Costa Rica, Peru, and most recently in Nepal, working as a teacher for orphans and the elderly. Within her university, Megan serves as Editor-in-Chief of Soka’s literary magazine, chair of an annual conference on Soka Education, and president of Soka’s student chapter of the United Nations Association, and works with various local disability rights groups. Megan hopes to earn her Masters Degree and then PhD in International Policy and/or Human Development.

This summer, Megan will intern on Capitol Hill in the office of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman William Delahunt (D-MA).

Jordan Woods (Jordan) is a rising senior at The University of Georgia, majoring in International Affairs with a minor in Arabic. His interest in politics and government began amid the drama of the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election and has continued since. Jordan is an accomplished Eagle Scout who founded the Collins Hill Chapter of the Teenage Republicans, and serves as the House Manager of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta. In 2006, Jordan received the Georgia State Personal Achievement Award from the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Jordan hopes to one day work in the field of national security or counter-terrorism.

This summer, Jordan will intern on Capitol Hill in the offices of both Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R- WI).

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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the country’s largest cross-disability membership organization, promotes the economic and political power for all children and adults living with disabilities in the U.S. AAPD was founded in 1995 to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For information regarding this program and other internship opportunities available through AAPD or to sign up to receive internship announcements, visit the AAPD website at www.aapd.com, or call AAPD 800-840-8844 (V/TTY).

MEAF, grantees featured in ABILITY Magazine

posted June 18, 2008
MEAF Inclusion Champion Award winner Marvin B. Laster and MEAF grantees--Boys & Girls Club of America and Kids Included Together--are featured in ABILITY Magazine

ALL of US
by Lauren A. Hoffman

At the impressionable age of eight, Marvin Laster became a member of the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown, Albany, GA. The popular neighborhood hangout gave him a safe haven from the lures of the streets. With some 4,300 Clubs worldwide, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) makes sure that children who might otherwise be at home after school with no supervision, have a place to go and something productive to do. Academy-Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has often given credit to the club in his old Mount Vernon, NY, neighborhood for keeping him on the straight and narrow during his youth.

“Much of the success that I have achieved I attribute to lessons learned within the club,” says Laster, who’s also enjoyed a life-long relationship with Atlanta-based BGCA. Though he learned a great deal from the older staff back in the day, he received perhaps his most valuable ‘take-away’ from a friend named Shawn Luke, who had a disability. As the two boys played pool and other games at the club, their differences disappeared.

“He taught me acceptance,” Laster says. Now, as director of diversity for BGCA, he helps to make sure that message is imparted not only throughout the organization, but also beyond.

To institute its diversity and inclusion program, BGCA used a “top down/bottom up” approach. From the bottom up, it created a pilot program by identifying five clubs that had marked success serving youths with disabilities. These clubs were teamed with local Easter Seals affiliates, school systems, agencies and community organizations, so that BGCA staff could get additional training or have a place to refer kids in need. The program also tracked progress and captured “best practices.” The pilot sites provided the organization with several unique programming activities for youth with disabilities as well.

From the top down, BGCA took a step back and reviewed its mission statement and policies to help determine how the national office could be more supportive of initiatives to include young people with disabilities. To that end, Laster encouraged local clubs to sign BGCA’s Diversity Pledge. He wrote articles on the subject and also encouraged all Clubs to celebrate National Disability Awareness Month (October).

Laster then sought out alliances with Easter Seals and several like-minded foundations such as Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), based in Arlington, VA, to expand the resources and reach of BGCA’s national-level initiatives. MEAF provides national grants to projects and organizations that are focused on the full inclusion of young people with disabilities. It was serendipitous that they were also looking to team up with a “mainstream” organization.

“The partnership with BGCA represented the perfect intersection of mission, need and opportunity,” says Rayna Aylward, executive director of MEAF. “The right people at the right time are facing in the right direction.”

Previously, BGCA had formally partnered with Kids Included Together (KIT), which had an existing relationship with MEAF. KIT is a San Diego, CA, nonprofit that provides training for after-school organizations committed to servicing children with disabilities. Working together, BGCA and KIT developed Embracing Inclusion: It’s About All of Us, a programming manual that offers tips, activities and events that clubs can easily implement.

“This initiative has led to significant outcomes in the advancement of the Boys & Girls Club mission,” says Julius Lott, BGCA’s vice president of diversity.

Though the formal agreements have expired, BGCA, MEAF and KIT continue to work together and remain committed to the vision. Their partnership with other organizations and agencies has been instrumental in developing Paths to Inclusion, a resource guide for fully including youths of all abilities into community life.

This sense of mission is shared by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, CA, which recently was presented with an award for furthering the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The club’s Physical and Learning Support (PALS) program earned them a $2,000 cash award and acknowledgment for their contributions from Prudential Financial as well as from the National Organization on Disability.

Similar to Laster’s experience with his childhood friend Shawn, PALS pairs a child who has a disability with a typically-developing kid at the club to cultivate a rewarding learning experience and a climate of understanding and acceptance.

Making it all work takes money. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has invested $2 million, while its nonprofit partners have leveraged an additional $4 million towards promoting inclusion. MEAF is now helping to involve other grant makers through the Disability Funders Network... read the entire article at abilitymagazine.com/Boys_and_Girls_Club.html
(subscription required)

Boys & Girls Clubs of America: www.bgca.org, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: www.meaf.org, Kids Included Together: www.kitonline.org,
Paths to Inclusion and other resources can be downloaded from www.includingallkids.org

New publication promotes full participation of youth with disabilities in society

posted May 01, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC—A new publication, Paths to Inclusion, published by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), is a resource guide designed to help youth-serving organizations integrate youth with disabilities into their regular programs.

The 14-page guide was developed by an Inclusion Task Force organized by MEAF, which includes leaders of national and community-based organizations that serve youth and people with disabilities, along with representatives of universities, foundations and government agencies. The publication was unveiled during a nationally broadcast panel discussion featuring representatives from MEAF, Disability Funders Network, Bubel/Aiken Foundation, The Manual D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), KIT, INclusion Network, and A.E. Finley YMCA.

Paths to Inclusion is an outgrowth of MEAF’s Inclusion Initiative launched five years ago. The $2 million invested by MEAF in the Initiative has been leveraged by $4 million raised by program partners, including two dozen youth-serving organizations such as BGCA, the National 4-H Council, and the Girl Scouts.

The publication is available free to the public. It can be ordered in print form or downloaded at the Web site www.IncludingAllKids.org. It can also be found at www.meaf.org under news & publications.

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Boys & Girls Clubs leader honored with Inclusion Champion Award

posted April 24, 2008
SAN DIEGO, CA—Marvin B. Laster, Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Diversity Program, was today named the first Inclusion Champion by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). Laster received the inaugural MEAF Inclusion Champion Award at the annual national conference of the inclusion training organization, Kids Included Together (KIT).

The award, which includes a trophy and a $1000 contribution to the recipient’s organization, was established by MEAF to honor individuals who have made measurable and sustainable impact in promoting the inclusion of youth with disabilities.

In presenting the award, MEAF Executive Director Rayna Aylward highlighted Laster’s inclusion advocacy within the BGCA organization and his efforts to develop programs and training materials to expand inclusion throughout the Clubs nationwide. “Marvin believes passionately in the value of inclusion, and he has an exceptional ability to infuse his passion into the people and programs around him,” stated Aylward.

BGCA Vice President for Diversity Julius Lott, who joined in the award presentation, commented: “Marvin’s leadership has helped to ensure that young people of all abilities can fully participate in Boys & Girls Club activities.”

Once a Club member himself, Laster manages the Boys and Girls Clubs of America Embracing Inclusion Initiative, which was funded by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation. With technical assistance from KIT, he led the development of an Embracing Inclusion Guide & Training Manual, Best Practices Guide, and an assessment tool, which has been disseminated to more than 4000 Clubs, with the potential to benefit 4.8 million youth with and without disabilities who participate in Club programs annually.

In his acceptance remarks, Laster cited the dictionary definition of champion as a winner of a race or competition. “I’m reluctant to call this Inclusion Movement a race. But in a way, it is. We are in a race to speed up that day when all people, regardless of their abilities, are fully included in America.”

Addressing the audience, he went on: “As you are running this race, you may get tired…or feel your progress is insignificant or too slow. DO NOT GIVE UP! For this race will not be won by the quick, but by those who endure to the end.”

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