General Information
The Independent Living Research Utilization program (http://www.ilru.org) at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center in Houston, Texas, is seeking mentees for its 2025 mentorship program. The TEAM (TIRR Empowered Advocates Mentoring) program is an initiative that will propel young people with disabilities as leaders of tomorrow. The need for this program arises from the fact that being a person with a disability can be isolating. Many lack a support system, knowledge on the law and their rights, and a sense of community with other people with disabilities. Due to these gaps, TIRR ILRU aims to carry out its mission of implementing self advocacy and develop a positive relationship in an empowering environment with frequent group reflective dialogues so that mentees can reach their full potential as leaders. Mentees will participate in a 12-week program and learn advocacy skills, training and practical exercises in the community that will enable them to be effective, self-confident disability advocates. The mentorship program will be conducted through a hybrid program. The mentees will be supervised by mentors in the disability community and UTHealth Professor Lex Frieden at ILRU. Their experience there will be organized and structured to further the learning in which they are engaged throughout the course. Mentees will assist in conducting “town hall” meetings to secure perspectives of a large sample of centers for independent living. Mentees will participate in formal and informal opportunities to meet with and learn from disability leaders about the disability field and community and about the intersection of health care and disability. The mentees will attend professional events with federal agencies and meet with federal officials in the disability field, the schedules and availability of those officials permitting. The start date of this program is March 3th.