Cairo/Grady County Employer Committee
Cairo Career Center and Vocational Rehabilitation
Host NDEAM Lunch and Learn
City Proclamation signing, Debra Hancock, Mayor Van Landingham, Lashunda Williams
Health Fair
October 2011 was declared National Disability Employment Awareness Month and in recognition of this, The Cairo/Grady County Employer Committee, Cairo Career Center and Vocational Rehabilitation organized and participated in several events in Grady County.
The first was the Mayor for the City of Cairo proclaiming the month of October as Disability Awareness Month and urged everyone to join in reaffirming determination to achieve a society that affords independence, justice and dignity for all and signed on the fifth day of October, 2011.
A delicious lunch and learn was held October 19, 2011 at Mr. Chick in Cairo. Many employers gathered to have lunch and learn more of employing persons with disabilities.
Our guest speakers were Luis Narimatsu, Recruiter/PR Coordinator, Georgia Industries for the Blind and LaShunda Williams, Rehabilitation Employment Specialist, GDOL, Department of Labor.
Lashunda Williams of GDOL, Vocational Rehabilitation spoke on Rehabilitation Services and the 2011 theme of National Disability Employment Awareness Month – Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities. Mrs. Williams explained to the audience who is eligible for VR services, how the process works and what services are available. She also explained that VR does not provide permanent support but is available as needed for people with disabilities to seek, secure, and sustain employment.
Luis Narimatsu, Recruiter/PR Coordinator with Georgia Industries for the Blind, Department of Labor spoke on behalf of Georgia Industries for the Blind. In keeping with the charge to Georgia and the entire country to employ people with disabilities, Georgia Industries for the Blind continues to work with the community to foster employment opportunities for people who are blind. As a nonprofit agency under the Georgia Department of Labor’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services and affiliated with National Industries for the Blind and the AbilityOne Program, GIB works with small businesses, individuals, federal agencies and the like to provide high quality products and services that result in increased employment opportunities for people who are blind.
Mr. Narimatsu also spoke on “pursuing excellence”, being the best that you can be all the time. Mr. Narimatsu stated we are part of an always changing chain of events, and suggested to draw from your past experiences, good and bad. After going blind, Mr. Narimatsu was on the verge of suicide and he learned the following three words that helped him, love, learn and grow.
Love – love God, myself, family and friends, life and strangers.
Learn – Feed the mind, successes (yours and others), unexpected outcomes (failure doesn’t exist for me) and Listening.
Grow – spiritually, accept others even if different, help others grow, be a mentor.
Mr. Narimatsu said “at the end of the day” when it is your turn to go before the creator…it is not about if you were number 1, or top of the class, or how much money you had or how many cars or diplomas on the wall…it is about what did you do to be the best that you could be all the time…what did you do to help others do the same.” “It is about what you did to have a positive impact on yourself and those around you, what did you do every day in your pursuit of excellence to love, learn and grow, what did you do to help others do the same.”
