Although it remains one of only nine active mayor's committees in South Carolina, the Greater Orangeburg Area Mayor's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities is poised to move ahead with proactive plans and ambitious goals during its second year of existence in 2009.

An offshoot from the governor's committee that seeks to include municipal and county representatives from Orangeburg, Allendale, Bamberg and Calhoun counties, co-chairwoman Dr. Eddie Glenn Bryant says the mayor's committee is working to bring its message to a greater audience.

"We will have a Web page with links to it placed on the city of Orangeburg and Orangeburg County Web sites," Bryant said. "The committee will also be printing a brochure and producing a video to highlight the importance of hiring people with disabilities and begin seeking sponsorships to support its activities and services."

Bryant said collaboration with other community groups in the coming year will offer the mayor's committee new avenues through which the abilities of disabled workers can be highlighted.

"We plan on having a display of art from disabled artists during next spring's Festival of Roses," Bryant said. "That is one of several collaborations we are working on with existing groups and events over the next year to help us with Disability Awareness Month in March, Special Olympics, White Cane Day for the blind and visually impaired at S.C. State University and other public-awareness opportunities."

Other goals of the mayor's committee involve an awards banquet to honor those individuals, companies and agencies who exemplify excellence in hiring, training and disseminating the message about disabled workers and exploring various grants to help pay for other needed services and training.

"We're collaborating with the James Clyburn Transportation Center at SCSU to explore grants to fund transportation for workers with disabilities to get to and from work," Bryant said. "That should involve supplementing and complimenting systems among other agencies, businesses and entities in the greater community. Another possible grant could help develop a training program for persons with disabilities who are interested in pursuing food service careers."

For more information on the Greater Orangeburg Mayor's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities, call Dr. Shirley Madison at S.C. State at 803-533-3956 or Bryant at 803-779-2732.

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