http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-968348.mp3
Albany, NY – OPENING BILLBOARD & EDUCATION HEADLINES - Glenn Busby (1:45)
HONORING THE 2011 NATIONAL AND STATE TEACHERS OF THE YEAR -
Independence Day is here. It's an opportunity to celebrate teachers, students, employers, and veterans. President Barack Obama honored teachers recently with a ceremony at the White House, as he has done his two previous years in office.
The occasion was to announce the National and State Teachers of the Year recipients at a Rose Garden reception. It was a bright, sunny day.
The president remembered his favorite teacher in Hawaii, thanked all teachers for their hard work and dedication, and then introduced Teacher of the Year, Michelle Shearer, a chemistry teacher from Maryland who has also worked extensively with special needs students and students with disabilities.
Glenn Busby reports. (7:36)
SURVEY SHOWS EMPLOYERS NOT HIRING AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
SURVEY REVEALS 79% OF THIS SEGMENT OF WORKFORCE IS UNEMPLOYED -
Our first story with the Teacher of the Year, told of her work among students with disabilities. Once these students graduate, whether it's from high school or college, they'll be looking for jobs, as is a large segment of the U.S. workforce.
With unemployment at near record highs, job seekers face more obstacles than ever in their pursuit of employment.
One segment of the unemployed population that has had even more difficulties obtaining work, is those with disabilities.
Kessler Foundation, in cooperation with the National Organization on Disability, or NOD, and Harris Interactive recently conducted a survey aimed at determining current attitudes of corporate employers toward employees with disabilities.
Overall, findings indicate there has not been an improvement in the environment for hiring people with disabilities since the last employer survey more than 15 years ago, in 1995.
TBOOK gets more details from Kessler Foundation President and CEO, Rodger DeRose. We also speak with The National Organization on Disability President, Carol Glazer.
Glenn Busby reports. (8:54)
*(Attention listeners. The website given at the conclusion of the above story to read full details of the "2010 Survey of Employment of Americans with Disabilities" is: www.disabilitysurveys.org .)*
THE ACADEMIC MINUTE
"STUDENT VETERANS" -
As we just heard in that last story, veterans can represent a growing demographic of college students, and that demographic is likely to grow even further, as more military members return from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Keith Wilson, Director of Education Service for the Department of Veterans Affairs, knows the number of veterans enrolling in college is increasing. Wilson says about 800-thousand returned veterans used GI Bill benefits in 2010. That's a 40% increase from 2009.
As returning veterans struggle to make the transition from military to civilian life on campuses with younger students without their kind of life experience, colleges and universities are increasingly developing programs to address their needs.
This week's Academic Minute professor gives us an on-campus perspective of the unique challenges faced by today's veterans as they enter colleges and universities.
Dr. Jason Scorza is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The Academic Minute is hosted by Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, a celebrated philosopher and medical ethicist, and President of Mount Holyoke College.
Segment Run Time: (2:30)
*(Attention Listeners! For more Academic Minutes, we invite you to visit our archives at: http://www.wamc.org/academic-minute.html .)*
SHOW CLOSE - Glenn Busby. (1:30)