Disabilities career fair caters to attendees’ special needs

Legally blind graduate student Tanya Servis, who uses a cane to navigate campus, helps fellow classmates with disabilities with their job searches in her role at the university's Career Services Center.

Servis, 28, who works at the center as a graduate assistant helping students with résumés and cover letters, said Career Services provides tools for students with disabilities in their job searches. One such resource is the annual open house for students with disabilities, in its third year, which Servis helped run Thursday at the center, located at 401 Academy St.

The open house invites business representatives and job recruits to campus to meet students with these disabilities.

"We have the ability to make things a lot easier for people who need assistive technologies, and many do take advantage of what we have," Servis said. "The open house is also a great resource for students with disabilities, and it allows them to get the help they need."

Representatives from Delaware Health and Social Services and Opportunity Center, Inc. were present at the open house. Both provide assistive services for students with disabilities. Also present was a representative from Pepco Holdings, Inc., parent company of Delmarva Power, which has begun an initiative to bring more diversity into its workplace.

"We look for organizations that provide help and resources for students with disabilities who are looking for jobs, as well as recruiters who specifically hire students with disabilities," said Barbara Lewis-Kuszyk, coordinator at the Office of Disabilities Support Services."We basically look for employers who are open and welcome to diversity and are willing to have an employee with a disability."

She said the open house is held in a small, intimate setting to allow the students to feel more comfortable when speaking with recruiters. Each student at the open house spoke with a company representative one-on-one in a meeting room.

Steve Sciscione, associate director of the Career Services Center, said he was been working with students with disabilities for many years, and finally began to work with the Office of Disability Support Services three years ago to create the open house.

"It all began when we decided that we wanted to take a much more proactive stance on helping these students," Sciscione said. "The idea was to collaborate with the DSS office because they are in contact with every student with a disability on campus."

Senior Elizabeth Lodge said she appreciates events like the open house. Lodge has hyperkalemia periodic paralysis, a genetic disorder that results in episodes of muscle weakness and higher than normal levels of potassium in the bloodstream.

"I think they provide a great resource for students with disabilities because employers need to be aware that there are people out there who need jobs just as much as anyone else," Lodge said. "Just because they have a disability, doesn't mean it always hinders them."

She said that the condition can and does affect her ability to attend class.

"Sometimes you can get an attack which is not expected and miss class for even weeks, and for classes with strict attendance policies, it is important for professors to understand what is really going on," Lodge said.

Senior Marchelle Mullings, who was helping at the event, said Career Services has been supportive in her job search.

"It's not just the open house, it's also the mock interviews and résumé building assistance that really makes this place very helpful," Mullings said.

Servis said she wants to be a career counselor after she finishes her graduate degree.

Because she has not lost all of her vision, her life is not much different from a student without a disability.

"It might take me a little longer than most people, but I still do the reading, do the homework and take the exams and quizzes," Servis said.