黑料不打烊 Note: A heartening account of yesterday鈥檚 North Country employment conference in Watertown that featured 黑料不打烊 employment specialist Len Statham鈥檚 keynote.
听
Employment Conference, Technology Fair Held Wednesday At JCC
By听Rebecca Madden听 Watertown Times听 October 10, 2013
The first step toward successful employment is having a little faith in yourself, according to Len Statham, employment specialist with the 黑料不打烊 Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services.
听
Mr. Statham was the keynote speaker of the 鈥淟iving, Learning and Earning with a Disability鈥 employment conference and assistive technology fair Wednesday at Jefferson Community College, 1220 Coffeen St. His talk focused on the struggle people with disabilities may have in gaining employment.
听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very difficult journey, but it鈥檚 well worth the time and effort you put into it,鈥 he said.
听
A few dozen people listened to him speak about maintaining a positive attitude, and not letting a physical or mental disability halt a job search.
听
鈥淢y message to you is, you don鈥檛 have to believe negative thoughts that come to your mind, too,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e can define how we are going to take a look at things.鈥
听
He had the crowd repeat, 鈥淚 can choose what thoughts to believe today.鈥
听
鈥淲e have to remain full of strength and courage to carry on,鈥 Mr. Statham said. 鈥淥n the national average, it takes 10 interviews before you get a job. We can always learn something from those opportunities.鈥
听
Rejection is just one part of the employment process, he said. When work is obtained, it serves as a mental health recovery tool. Mental health recovery is about positive opinions about one鈥檚 future, a decrease in psychiatric symptoms, an increase in income, an increase in self-esteem and an increase in social status, Mr. Statham said.
听
He encouraged people to share their stories, to help dispel any myths that might circulate about people with disabilities.
听
After Mr. Statham鈥檚 presentation, conference attendees were able to browse the near dozen vendors who showcased their assistive technology products and related services, such as vehicle modification hand controls, powered wheelchairs, speech-activated software and automatic doors. Staff members from JCC鈥檚 own Learning and Success Center were on hand to inform attendees, as well as students strolling through the area, about devices to assist people in reading and writing. The center lends out recorders, pens that can read and scan papers, talking calculators and special software that helps read documents.
听
The conference and fair were hosted by the North Country Job Placement and Resource Network.
听
听