Business Services Industry

HP Celebrates Disability Mentoring Day with Career Development Emphasis

Business Wire, Oct 15, 2002

Business & News Editors/High-Tech Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 2002

HP (NYSE:HPQ) will host groups of high school students in Houston, Texas, Boise, Idaho, Fort Collins, Colo., Littleton, Mass., and Rockville, Md., as part of its celebration of National Disability Mentoring Day (NDMD) on Oct. 16.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and companies across the nation are offering a variety of programs to educate employees on the importance of accessibility in the workplace. An estimated 54 million Americans live and work with a visual, hearing, mobility, speech or cognitive disability. HP is a national sponsor of National Disability Mentoring Day.

NDMD enables students to spend part of a day with a volunteer mentor, giving them an opportunity to explore possible career paths and develop lasting mentor relationships. As mentors, employees will learn more about the experience of disability and tap into a pool of potential future employees.

HP employees from disciplines as varied as engineering, human resources, business management, marketing and supply chain management will assist students with career planning tips and an overview of the work environment at HP. This is the third year HP has participated in NDMD.

On the national level, Michael Takemura, director of the HP Accessibility Program Office, will represent HP at an NDMD kickoff event at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., where he'll be joined by the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, United States Secretary of Labor, and Tommy G. Thompson, Health and Human Services Secretary.

"We are proud to open our doors to young people in our communities who hope to work for companies like HP -- companies that recognize and value the skills, hopes and contributions of working people with disabilities," said Takemura. "At HP, we also recognize that accessible technology will go a long way toward helping our young people emerge better prepared to enter the working world, and we are dedicated to making our products compatible with the vast array of accessible computing technology available to our nation's future workforce."

"Economic empowerment is at the heart of disability rights," said Andrew J. Imparato, president and chief executive officer, American Association of People with Disabilities. "Until young people and students gain access to meaningful career opportunities, they cannot truly become full participating members of our society. National Disability Mentoring Day provides an excellent opportunity for students with disabilities to make connections that can provide a competitive edge about how to successfully join the workforce and contribute to our nation's economic growth. We are grateful for companies like HP -- one of our National Corporate Sponsors -- which is making NDMD a reality by hosting students at worksites across the country."

More information about HP's accessibility efforts is available at http://www.hp.com/accessibility.> About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at .