THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 13, 1995 TAG: 9510130508
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By KATE HUNGER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
George Holscher made the rounds of employer booths Thursday at his first job fair.
An electronics, technology and general science student fresh to the job hunt, Holscher's job search coincided with something new to the area. The fair was the first ever held as part of an annual symposium for the disabled.
Holscher, of Chesapeake, was one of more than 100 people who turned out Thursday at the Holiday Inn in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake for the 4th Annual Regional Symposium for Persons with Disabilities.
Also on hand were nine potential employers, who set up tables at the fair and either accepted job applications or provided employment information and hotlines.
Among them were Ford Motor Co., the city of Portsmouth and Chesapeake City Schools.
Holscher said he found the exhibits and discussions at the symposium interesting, though he was qualified for just one of the jobs he liked at the fair. But he was philosophical.
`It's just as hard for the disabled community as it is for anyone out there finding a job,'' said Holscher, who uses a wheelchair. ``If the jobs aren't there, nothing's going to help you.''
Denise Wrushen, a personnel technician with the city of Portsmouth, said she was impressed by the response and enthusiasm shown for the 10 positions she listed.
``I go to a lot of job fairs at colleges, and there, the young adults don't seem as interested in the types of skills required as the people were here today,'' she said.
Twenty-six exhibits lined the walls of the hall outside the meeting room where panel sessions filled the afternoon. Armed with colorful brochures and posterboards, vendors demonstrated the latest in technology for the disabled.
Virginia Beach resident Frida Quindara, who was drawn to the symposium by the job fair, said she was impressed by a systemshe saw that can customize a car so those with disabilities can drive. She uses a cane and thought the device might help her learn to drive.
Another product demonstrated throughout the day was a device that is installed along the wall of a staircase and provides a moving bar that people can hold when using the stairs .
Panel sessions throughout the day summed up the event's theme, ``Forging New Freedoms.''
The symposium satisfied all of planner Nelson Malbone's hopes - except one.
Malbone, chairman of the Chesapeake Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, said he had hoped for a better turnout.
Malbone said he had been aiming for 300 attendees - 115 pre-registered. It was unclear how many came to the fair without registering and paying the $30 fee. But he figured the fee, which included a luncheon, was worth the price.
``If you really seriously want to go to work and you thought there was a chance you could get that job, would you let $30 stand in your way?'' he asked.
KEYWORDS: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES JOB FAIR HANDICAPPED
by CNB