TEAMS Awards Presented to Leaders Preparing Students for Employment

National Disability Employment Awareness Month was established as an annual awareness campaign each October to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year’s national theme was “Celebrating Value and Talent.”

For the fourth year, the Institute for Disability Studies employment program staff presented Together Employing All Mississippi Students (TEAMS) Awards to two special education teachers and two Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS) vocational counselors. These four award recipients were chosen based on their contributions in promoting employment and pre-employment training for youth and young adults with disabilities.

This year’s recipients were:
Suzanne Fulton, MDRS Rehabilitation Specialist, District 10
Tracey Bennett, Hancock High School Special Education Case Manager
Catherine Byrd, MDRS Deputy District Manager, District 9
Amanda Mauldin, Sumrall High School Special Education Teacher

The impact of this year’s recipients’ dedication stretches far and wide. IDS is proud to present these awards to recognize their commitment to promoting employment for youth and young adults with disabilities.

For more information on IDS’s ToTAL (Transition of Teens to Adult Life) program funded by MDRS to provide Pre-Employment Training Services (Pre-ETS) to help students prepare for their futures, contact Beth Robertson (Long Beach campus) at 228-214-3422 or beth.robertson@usm.edu, or Joseph King (Hattiesburg campus) at 601-266-4021 or joseph.a.king@usm.edu.