Statement on National Disability Mentoring Day

Today, on National Disability Mentoring Day, I commend the members of my administration and the public and private organizations across the Nation that are conducting mentoring activities to help expand employment opportunities for young people with disabilities. I also applaud the young people participating in Mentoring Day and extend my special congratulations to the winners of the Disability Mentoring Day Essay Contest. Each participant has helped advance the goal of today's effort to expose young people with disabilities to a variety of career options, while acquainting employers with the contributions that this future talent pool can make.

I am pleased to report that my administration is taking specific actions to help more people with disabilities participate in the workforce. These steps include new public-private partnerships to close the digital divide for people with disabilities and a variety of grants to advance the goals of the landmark Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act I signed last year.

I am also glad to report important progress in both Federal and private sector initiatives to hire more people with disabilities. First, the Federal Government is on track to meet the goal I announced on the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act to hire 100,000 more persons with disabilities over 5 years. Second, CEO's of a dozen major companies are leading the way by pledging to support the recruitment, hiring, and promotion of individuals with disabilities.

Together, these important steps represent a powerful statement about what we can accomplish when Federal, State, and private sector partners work together toward the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our Nation's historic economic growth and prosperity. Hiring people with disabilities is not just the right thing to do. It's good for business; it's good for communities; and it's good for all Americans.