A young girl from Cortland raises her hand and tells of her dream to become a police officer.  Some of her class mates giggle, others roll their eyes, and yet others begin to encourage her. While her short stature doesn’t reflect that of a public defender, her attitude and motivation speaks louder.

Is a dream truly unrealistic?  “I want to be an astronaut!” “I want to be a police officer!” “I want to help people!”  No matter what a young person says they want to be when they grow up, or how vague or unrealistic it may seem, all young people deserve the opportunity to explore their dream career. 

Each year, Cortland youth have an opportunity to participate in Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), one component of our area’s celebration of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) in October. 

DMD aims to provide youth with disabilities an opportunity to choose a desired career and to spend a day with a mentor in that field.  DMD allows participants to experience a job first-hand, learn the expectations of that job, learn where they need to improve their skills, and most importantly learn their potential.

This year, DMD is set for October 19th, and more than 30 participants will spend the morning with a mentor.  In the afternoon, they will come together for pizza and to hear about each other’s experiences and listen to guest speakers talk about growing up and working with a disability.  DMD brings pride, empowerment and resources to young people and encourages them to pursue their dreams.

The young deputy police officer participated in DMD and spent her day with a Cortland City police officer on a ride-along.  She saw the real-world side of law enforcement and realized that it was not all about tackling criminals or stopping drunk drivers.  Rather, it was much more, including lots of paperwork.  Afterwards, she stood up to receive her certificate and told her peers, “I WILL be a police officer.”

While Disability Mentoring Day takes place on one day each year, Access to Independence (ATI) and other local organizations and schools offer mentoring and career exploration opportunities for youth throughout the year.  ATI is collaborating with the area’s providers of youth transition services to lead the way in developing and implementing a set of programs that complement existing resources by promoting the development of life and independent living skills, including self-determination, self-advocacy and critical thinking.

ATI is dedicated to empowering youth to overcome barriers, pursue continuing education, secure desirable employment, and lead productive, independent lives within the community.

While Cortland County offers a variety of services for its youth, the 900+ disadvantaged youth and youth with disabilities remain underserved. Fortunately, the Cortland Area Communities That Care (CACTC) coalition provides a forum for a number of key community organizations to work earnestly to close these gaps in services. This is essential in order to ensure that those youth avoid risks that lead to problem behaviors, including substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school drop-out and violence. Access to Independence of Cortland County, Inc. is a proud supporter and contributor to the CACTC Coalition.

For more information on transition services for youth with disabilities, contact Aaron T. Baier at Access to Independence at 607-753-7363 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .