"Just the Way You Are"

By now, a good majority of radio listeners have heard the song, "Just the Way You Are," by Bruno Mars. What I can almost guarantee is that these same radio listeners have not heard the version of the song by Matty B. Matty B gives this song a sweet twist by dedicating the song to his sister with special needs. Here is a link to the video where Matty B raps sweet lyrics such as "when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile because girl, you're amazing just the way you are."

http://www.wimp.com/dedicatessong/

Matty B ends the video by telling its viewers, "if you have anybody in your life that's special, make sure you tell them." A great way to end a great video. So please, follow Matty B's words and tell the special person in your life just how much they mean to you. And, if your conscious pleads you, make a donation to EmpowerTech and enable them to empower many more special people.

Donate to EmpowerTech here:
https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/EmpowerTech/OnlineDonation.html

Visit Matty B here:
facebook.com/MattyBraps

Playing Sports with a Disability

Sometimes, people with disabilities want to play sports but don't believe they can because of their disability. Good news! There are many assistive sports technologies, sports organizations, and resources that can help.

Assistive sports technologies, such as the BeepKickball, which helps blind sports enthusiasts play kickball, or the OTS Interspiro Divator MKII, which helps the blind to scuba dive, are becoming more and more advanced, and financial aid is sometimes available to help with costs. Instead, suppose you wanted to join a sports organization; there are many to join like Disabled Sports USA. Take advantage of resources like your city’s recreation department, your own school, health clubs, YWCA, the local Girls Scout council, and nearby colleges. They may have pools, sports teams, exercise rooms, or more ways for you to be invovled. Your local Chamber of Commerce could also help to find programs in your area. The possibilities are endless, but the initial step must be taken to contact these resources.

For more information on assistive sports technologies, please visit:

http://assistivetechnology.about.com/od/ATCAT1/tp/Assisstive-Sports-Technology-For-Persons-Who-Are-Blind.htm?nl=1

For more information on how to become involved in sports, please visit:

http://www.girlshealth.gov/disability/disbody/sports.html

The Blind Geek Zone

The Blind Geek Zone is a blog that allows people that are blind to keep in touch with the latest technologies available. Here is the link to the blog that includes podcasts and reviews of these technologies:

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0014t-KgSFbzs-zksy42hL0ZVeS7AX2IUcxBnfu077jG2DKeUMBT10kmb-yX9Hg0OW_6NUxenCOUmDXSEshHCEJ14-bWJDQzYyGNv5DNFECpEhpQEr3apgRBGslsr-uhFwLSVAaBrCOKWY=

EmpowerTech Celebrity Bartender FUNdraiser!

Hi all.

Everyone has thought it would be fun bartending for their family and friends behind a real bar before. Now you can make your dream come true! Your family, friends, co-workers, people in your organization and even yourself can work with the finest Bartenders in Westchester! I am going to put you and/or people from your organization behind the bar at Melody Bar and Grill to pour the finest drinks to members of your team and the bar patrons. 100% of the tips go directly to support EmpowerTech’s programs. What I will need from all of you other than bartending, is to make sure you bring people that you know in for the FUNdraiser. The larger the crowd, the more cocktails to be poured the bigger the tips! I will follow up this email with a flyer for you all to send out to your contact lists.

Where: Melody Bar and Grill
9132 S. Sepulveda Blvd Westchester, CA

When: Wednesday March 13^th 5pm-9pm. We will work in shifts.

Why: Because you all are fun and it’s for a good cause!!!

 

***If any of you know any actors or athletes, can you ask if they would like to help out a good cause?

Hiring People with Disabilities

A few months ago, we made a blog post about National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In the post, we discussed the topic of hiring people with disabilities. Many people have misconceptions when it comes to hiring someone with a disability. There is a myth that "Persons with disabilities can’t keep up with other workers." The reality is that it has been conclusively shown that, on average, people with a disability are more loyal, dependable, and productive than their non-disabled colleagues - and that they work more safely. 98% of people with a disability rate average or better in work safety. Employers also often cite "the cost of accommodations as a barrier to hiring persons with disabilities." This has been established as a myth because the vast majority of persons with disabilities, who are currently employed, require no special workplace accommodations whatsoever.

In fact, a recent article by the Chicago Tribune discussed how many companies such as AMC and the investment firm, TIAA-CREF, are agressively hiring people with disabilities. Walgreens is another example of a company that is adament about hiring workers with disabilities. Walgreens opened a distribution center in Anderson, South Carolina, and currently more than 40% of its employees there are people with disabilities who are paid and treated the same as their non-disabled coworkers. More than 100 Fortune 500 companies have toured the distribution center to learn more about the program. It is refreshing to see so many companies including people with disabilities into their workforce.

For the full articles used, please visit:

www.ftmeade.army.mil/pages/eeo/dis_myths.pdf
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-10/business/ct-biz-1210-work-advice-huppke-20121210_1_disabilities-walgreen-distribution-centers

Visit our website to find more information on our T.R.A.D.E. program which helps students increase their employability:

http://empowertech.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=105

NASA Providing Mentorship for Students with Disabilities

Through an agreement with D.C.'s Public School transition program, NASA will be providing mentors to a few lucky students with disabilities. This new program will allow a handful of students with learning difficulties or multiple disabilities to experience what it would be like to work for NASA. James Stofan, the associate administrator for the agency, states "We particularly want to encourage students who are underserved or underrepresented in STEM to explore the many opportunities that pursuing this course of study can offer. This partnership will help us do just that.” From all of us at EmpowerTech, we are thrilled to hear of yet another story where people with disabilities are given the chance to explore the world of technology.

For the full article, please visit:
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/12/18/nasa-mentor-disabilities/16978/

"Through Autistic Eyes" Documentary

People without disabilities often wonder how a disability would impact their lives. Most don't understand what daily obstacles would look like or how to overcome them. There is a documentary called "Through Autistic Eyes" in which Christopher Smith, a man with autism, gives insight into how a life with autism would be.

Here is a link for a documentary clip:
http://videos.disabled-world.com/video/597/the-world-through-autistic-eyes

If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities, please visit:
http://empowertech.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=8&Itemid=65