USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently became a participant in the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Internship Program, which brings students to Washington, DC, to gain valuable working experience. This is the first year that our agency has participated in this program.
AMS is utilizing our relationship with AAPD to create a more diverse workforce, one that includes more employees with disabilities. We understand the importance of designing employment practices that consider the needs of all employees. A diverse workforce introduces everyone to unique perspectives that ultimately help us find innovative approaches to solving problems and solidifying our business model. This is one of the ways AMS can continue to provide services that benefit everyone in the greater public.
This summer, Maya Ariel, an undergraduate student studying business administration at Rochester Institute of Technology, joined AMS as an intern for the agency’s Fruit and Vegetable Programs. In her position, Maya, who is Deaf, helps Christopher Purdy, the program’s business development specialist, identify ways for AMS to partner with other organizations and market the program’s services. By providing Maya with the accommodations she needs to be successful, AMS has gained a truly valuable team member.
AMS values its partnerships with diverse organizations, such as AAPD, that enable us to identify, attract and recruit top-tier talent. We encourage students to take advantage of the internship program so that they can become familiar with the agency and learn about other career opportunities.
We support AAPD’s belief that people with disabilities are an important and intricate part of diversity in the workforce.
AAPD recently came to USDA Headquarters to chronicle a day in the life of an intern. Video footage of Ariel and the rest of the AAPD interns’ summer experiences will be available by visiting the AAPD Internship Program Web site in the early fall.
