ID: The Career Connections Mentoring Program 2026 Banner with the Disability:IN Minnesota logo, and tagline “Your Business partner for disability inclusion” to the top left, and 2026 in blue to the right. Below is a woman with long, dark hair, and wearing a brown shirt. She is smiling, looking across the desk, and actively engaged in a conversation with a person sitting in front of her. There is a laptop in front of her, but to left side of the picture. To the right of this picture is a green rectangle with a white graphic representing the connection between a mentee and a mentor using two plugs connected by a winding cord. The words "Mentee" and "Mentor" are placed above and below the respective "plug" symbols. At the bottom of the image in white are the words Career Connections Mentoring Program against a light blue background. 

Greetings!

Applications are now open for Disability:IN Minnesota's 2026 Career Connections Mentoring Program and you are invited to apply!

The Career Connections Mentoring Program is a 3-month mentoring experience connecting employers/professionals from Disability:IN Minnesota member companies to:

• College/university students with disabilities
• Recent graduates with disabilities or
• People with disabilities who have completed a specialized training/certification program

The mentoring program offers one-on-one relationships where mentors and mentees can share their insights, perspectives, and experiences related to career development, employment opportunities, and disability-inclusive practices in the workplace. The goal of the program is for the learning to be reciprocal, for mentees and mentors to learn from each other.

As a mentee, you will be paired with a career professional from our Disability:IN Minnesota employer or provider member network. You and your mentor will be sent weekly topics to guide your conversations as you seek information and advice to grow your career.

As a mentor, you will have the opportunity to share your work and professional experiences with your mentee while providing career guidance and support. By participating, you will become more knowledgeable about ways to be more disability-inclusive in your work and relationships, which you can add to your company's best practices and brand.

The 2026 Mentoring Program will run from January 5, 2026 - March 27, 2026, and requires mentors and mentees to connect twice per month either via phone or video call. The estimated time commitment for the mentoring pair is 4 to 6 hours per month.

Key Program Dates for 2026:

ID: Figure depicts Key Program Dates for 2026 Career Connections Mentoring Program: November 17 (Applications Open); December 29 (Application Deadline); January 5 (Mentoring Pairs Announced); January 9 (Virtual Kick-Off Event); January 12-23 (Mentoring Pairs First Meeting); February 20 (Disclosure Training); March 27 (Program Conclusion and Virtual Celebration).

Kevin Connors

Blanche-Nicole Kissambou Tchimambou

Ethan Och

Dennis Stelling

ID: Headshots of Career Connections Mentoring Program graduates from left to right: Kevin Connors, Blanche-Nicole Kissambou Tchimambou (top row), Ethan Och, and Dennis Stelling

Apply today to be a 2026 mentor or mentee!

Please submit your application by December 29, 2025 at 5:00 PM.

ID: A black background with the quote: "A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself." -Oprah Winfrey.

Connect with us