CMT Woman to Receive Leadership Award

[Guest guest]

Ohio Resident to be Honored in Washington, DC on March 7

http://digital50.com/news/items/PR/2007/03/04/CLSU010/ohio-resident-

to-be-honored-in-washington-dc-on-march.html

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is

delighted to announce that TyKiah R. of Columbus, Ohio, will

receive one of two 2007 G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards. She

will be an honored guest at the sixth-annual AAPD Leadership Gala on

March 7, 2007 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Rep.

Rangel has been invited to make the award presentation to on

AAPD's behalf.

is a strong advocate who used her personal experience and

entrepreneurial skills to establish Choice, Inc. in Ohio.

http://www.wrightchoice.org/home.html

http://www.wrightchoice.org/public_relations/

grew up with Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, a hereditary

neurological disorder that affects the lower leg and arm muscles.

After receiving a Master's of Business Administration degree, she

found herself unemployed. This experience motivated her to help

other high school and college graduates with disabilities strengthen

their career development skills and successfully find jobs and

internships.

The nonprofit organization she created, Choice, Inc., helps

build bridges between college students with disabilities and the

workforce, complementing their educational experience with on-the-

job training. It also addresses diversity related training needs for

employers, offering seminars focused on disability awareness, the

use of technology in the workplace, and leadership.

's belief in economic empowerment for people with disabilities

has lead to many honors, including being named one of Ebony

Magazine's " 2006 Young Leader of the Future. "

Her top priorities for the next three years include connecting more

companies with qualified college graduates and exploring the concept

of e-internships for individuals who face transportation barriers.

This awards program was established in 1999 to recognize and carry

on the work of G. Hearne, AAPD's founder and a renowned leader

in the national disability community, and to realize 's goal of

cultivating emerging leaders to carry on the disability movement.

AAPD - the largest cross-disability membership organization in the

country — organizes the disability community to be a powerful force

for change...economically, socially, and politically. It was founded

in 1995 by a group of cross-disability leaders to help unite the

diverse community of people with disabilities, including their

family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for

change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities

Act: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent

living, and economic self-sufficiency.

SOURCE The American Association of People with Disabilities