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Celebrating Digital Inclusion Week: Easterseals Washington and Comcast Volunteers Empower Job Seekers with Disabilities Through Mock Interviews

People sit around a table doing table.

It’s Digital Inclusion Week and each year we like to shine a light on some of the community organizations we support in Washington who we partner with in our mission to support digital inclusion in our communities. Our longtime partner, Easterseals Washington, provided job seekers with mock interviews at the Easterseals Gateway Adult Services Center in Bremerton on October 8 with questions specific to technology and digital skills.

The mock interviews support people with disabilities looking for meaningful work and took place during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. According to Easterseals, 65% of people with disabilities are unemployed and the interviews were designed to address the issue.

The mock interviews took place in the Comcast Lift Zone: Digital Community Learning Space at Easterseals Gateway Adult Services Center which opened in 2021. Easterseals staff and volunteers from Comcast simulated job interviews with job seekers, customizing questions and interactions to what kind of jobs participants are seeking, preparing them for future job interviews. 

The Comcast Lift with a Lift Zone sign with people working inside.
Comcast volunteers providing Easterseals WA job seekers mock interviews at the Easterseals Gateway Adult Services Center, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 in Bremerton, Wash. The mock interviews will support people with disabilities looking for meaningful work. (John Froschauer/AP Content Services for Comcast)

The event was meaningful for volunteers. Comcast Technician and volunteer, Brodie Hoffer, noted an interaction in the mock interview which made him reflect on his work at Comcast:

“I was working with a job seeker, Amanda, who has a sensory disability, and she was struggling as several people asked her questions at the same time. The volunteers conducting the mock interview realized we needed to ask questions one at a time, she was able to shine in the interview. It made me realize in my work at Comcast how many people aren’t fully participating as much as they can because they’re not being communicated with the way which is best for them.”

Easterseals CEO Cathy Bisaillon talks to the job seekers and volunteers.
Easterseals WA CEO Cathy Bisaillon talks about the project of Comcast volunteers providing Easterseals WA job seekers mock interviews at the Easterseals Gateway Adult Services Center, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 in Bremerton, Wash. The mock interviews will support people with disabilities looking for meaningful work. (John Froschauer/AP Content Services for Comcast)

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