By Elyse Merlo

Finding a job after college can be a frustrating and complex endeavor for any student, but for students with disabilities, it just got a little easier.

Equal Opportunity Pub-

lications (EOP) will be hosting a career expo for people with disabilities Nov. 14 to 16 in Washington D.C. that will benefit all undergraduate and graduate students and alumni.

Corporations such as Boeing, Panasonic and Exxon Mobil Corporation, along with government agencies like the FBI, IRS and U.S. Department of Justice, will be in attendance.

Susan Kippen, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas working as an intern at Northeastern, is trying to gain support for the event. She herself is hearing impaired and working on her master’s degree in rehabilitation and counseling for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Kippen said she is familiar with the difficulties of finding a job, especially for people with disabilities, and is passionate about getting the word out about this event.

“Many other colleges are participating,” Kippen said. “It would be wonderful if we can get Northeastern on the list as well.”

Students will need to provide their own transportation. There are several low cost options open to students, including reduced Greyhound, Amtrak and shuttle fairs.

“It is worth the trip,” Kippen said. “Even if you just get connections, it is the networking chance of a lifetime.”

Freshman music industry major Meredith Gardener thinks that the career expo “sounds like a good idea,” but that it “isn’t realistic.”

“In the normal job market, [disabled students] go through the same hiring process as everybody else, so maybe they should go to the same job fair as well,” Gardener said.

Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc. is a corporation that has been the leading source of diversity in publishing since 1968. They have been hosting this career fair for a number of years and it has been a tremendous success.

This year, in conjunction with their sponsors, the Association on Higher Education and Disability and The Gallaudet University Career Center, the expo will take place at the Washington Convention Center. Students are required to dress in business attire and bring multiple copies of their resume to give to employers that they are interested in.

“This is an opportunity for students to spread their wings and look toward the horizon,” Kippen said. “Students should take advantage of it.”

The EOP also offers help with resumes on their Web site, eop.com.

If there are any questions or to sign up for this event, please go to the Disability Resource Center and ask to speak with Susan Kippen.