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About Mentoring the Disabled

Many people have stereotyped people with disabilities as being unable to do a variety of things. As a result, people who grow up with disabilities often limit their own expectations for their lives. Through mentoring, people of all ages and with a variety of disabilities are able to overcome the stigma and take their place as productive and successful members of society.

  1. Overview of Benefits

    • Mentors provide encouragement and courage by setting an example through their own accomplishments. A mentor can encourage young people to stay in school, further their education or pursue a career of their choice. They show the disabled that they can have healthy relationships in their personal lives and in their community. By giving the disabled an opportunity to be self-sufficient, the mentor offers an opportunity to learn and understand their disability, their rights and their ability to live an independent, well-rounded life.

    Community Mentoring Programs

    • In community-based mentoring programs, adult mentors, who are successful members of the community, are matched with young people. They work together on developing social skills and building relationships. Learning to interact and build relationships with teachers, family members, friends and community, the disabled are more likely to get involved in activities outside of the classroom or workplace. Community-based mentoring will help them to see opportunities for their future that they may not have thought were available to them before.

    School Mentoring Programs

    • Programs that focus on mentoring in the school include classroom mentors who assist students in maintaining their grades in areas that may be challenging, whether academic or extracurricular. They help steer impressionable youths away from using alcohol and drugs, and help them see the benefits of continuing their education. Attendance is improved when a disabled student sees improvement in not only his grades, but also his outlook for the future. Relationships with friends and family are stronger as a result of a positive, encouraging mentor.

    Job Mentoring Programs

    • Mentoring programs that focus on the job match employees in a process of job shadowing. This allows the disabled person to have on-the-job access to support and helps build work skills required for success. Working with a mentor may include group meetings to work on building a specific skill set, discussing job-related issues and communicating with employers about the needs and rights of the disabled and their responsibilities as employers. Entrepreneurial mentors are role models for those disabled who want to start their own businesses, offering specific guidance on the obstacles they will face, walking them through the process and following their own success story.

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