State Legislators Visit USM as Part of Take Your Legislators to Work Day

Thu, 10/24/2019 - 11:31am | By: Liz Hannick

Mississippi Legislators Sen. Joey Fillingane and Rep. Missy McGee took time out of their busy schedules to visit The University of Southern Mississippi as participants in a national initiative, Take Your Legislature to Work Day, on Oct. 21.

Through the Take Your Legislator to Work Day event organized by USM’s Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Sen. Fillingane and Rep. McGee were able to tour the Southern Miss workplace of two young adults with disabilities -- Danielle who works in the IDS front office and Brandon who works in the Fresh Food Company.  

Danielle demonstrated to Sen. Fillingane her responsibilities including answering questions from callers, filing paperwork, making copies and handling mail that help the front office run efficiently. “Danielle started as an intern for us through Project SEARCH Southern Miss. She excelled in all her duties and has become a great asset to IDS,” said IDS Office Manager Chandra Harper.

Rep. McGee met with Brandon and his supervisor, Casey Comfort, Food Service Director-Residential with Aramark. Comfort noted that “Brandon is one of my most reliable workers and he always completes his work.”

Brandon showed Rep. McGee his tasks in dining services and shared his passion for being a Special Olympic athlete. Rep. McGee noted on her Facebook page, “It was great to meet with Brandon and learn about his job responsibilities as well as experience what a day on the job looks like at Fresh Food Company on campus.”

The Take Your Legislator to Work Day event was part of a series of activities coordinated by IDS in conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, an annual awareness campaign that takes place each October.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month is designed to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. This year’s national theme is "The Right Talent, Right Now." The Institute for Disability Studies’ theme for this year is “Preparing Mississippi Leaders Now,” with youth and young adults as the primary focus.

To learn more about the Take Your Legislator to Work Day event or the Institute for Disability Studies, contact Dr. Jerry R. Alliston at 1.601.266.5979 or jerry.allistonFREEMississippi.  You can also visit the IDS website at https://www.usm.edu/ids/.