DURYEA, PA – Pride Mobility Products® and Quantum Rehab® offered approximately 20 Luzerne Intermediate Unit students with disabilities an opportunity to be mentored by career professionals in various fields during its 10th Annual Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) on Thursday, Oct. 10 at the company’s Duryea facility.
DMD is designed to bring students with disabilities into the workplace where they can learn about various career paths. Through Pride and Quantum’s 10th Annual DMD event, participants had the opportunity to meet with professionals to learn the typical job responsibilities and the necessary knowledge and skills needed for a specific vocation. Careers in research and development, sales, technical service and production were highlighted. The students were able to tour the production area and see a state-of-the-art test lab.
“We look forward to this day every year because we want to teach young people like yourself about business,” said Scott Meuser, Chairman and CEO of Pride and Quantum. “Just like in sports, there are different positions available here. Find out what you are interested in. We hope that today gives you better insight into what you want to do when you get older.”
Many of the students enjoyed being up close and personal to see how power wheelchairs are made and learned about the vast number of careers at the company, from an assembler to a sales representative.
“I liked learning how they make the wheelchairs and learning that just because you are in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean you can’t do things,” said Richard Breton.
Jacklyn Rose Chmiola shared a similar sentiment.
“I liked everything including how people with disabilities were making wheelchairs better and giving their feedback. I learned there are a lot of opportunities even if you have a disability,” Chmiola said.
DMD originated at the White House in 1999 with less than three dozen local individuals participating. Now hosted by the American Association of People with Disabilities, the nation’s largest cross-disability membership organization, DMD has evolved significantly to encompass participation in all 50 states and many countries around the world. To find out more about DMD, visit http://www.aapd.com/disability-mentoring-day/.
Pride Mobility Products® Corporation is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of mobility products. The Pride family of companies also includes Quantum Rehab®, a leader in complex rehab power chairs. Founded in Pennsylvania in 1986, with a customer-first philosophy, Pride has grown into a global company with distribution centers throughout the U.S. and subsidiaries around the world.