7 or 8 out of every 100 Americans will experience PTSD in their lifetimes, as will 1 in 10 Canadians.*

The National Institute of Mental Health explains post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  as a mental health disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event and have trouble recovering from the trauma. While it is often associated with combat-related trauma, individuals of all ages and from any background can experience PTSD. Here are some more enlightening facts (via Cheat Sheet): 

A Q&A with 2011 Lime Connect Fellow, Jim SanMarco

Redefining Disability: Aurora Le '19

I’ve put off writing this blog more times than I can actually count. I’ve procrastinated to a degree that I’m positive only I am capable of, formulated a multitude of excuses (all of which sounded bad, even to me), even went to the gym one night instead of sitting and writing. And it’s not because I don’t enjoy writing (I do), or because I’m just that incredibly lazy (at least, I don’t think so).

It’s because I have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, as well as something called Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD. ADHD “is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors... [such as] attention, concentration, memory,” while GAD is a disability in which the people who suffer from it “experience excessive anxiety and worry, often expecting the worst even when there is no apparent reason for concern”. (Super fun, right?) Essentially, my brain is a computer with a million tabs open, and I can never narrow down which tab to focus on, or which tab to close, and when I do figure it out, I tend to shut down because of my anxiety. For years, I have viewed these two disabilities as aspects of myself that I should be ashamed of, but this past week, I learned how to view my disabilities as strengths, rather than weaknesses. For the first time since I was diagnosed, I learned how to accept and own who I am, thanks to something called the Lime Connect Fellowship program.

Captain of My Own Ship

by Rachel Diebner, Fellows Class of 2017

“What’s your conference for, again?” my friend texted me as I slipped a pair of sneakers into my suitcase. I had carefully skirted around the subject earlier, instead choosing to gush about the bright lights of Times Square and the Manhattan bookstore I always dreamed of visiting.

“It’s a symposium for students with disabilities,” I typed back.

A read receipt popped up. Maybe it was just my imagination, but there was a noticeable pause before she typed back. And I could guess exactly what she must have been thinking…

What disability?...(cont.)

A Q&A with 2017 Lime Connect Fellow, Menelaos Mazarakis

Jonathan Goldstein, Cornell Class of 2017

Lime Connect Fellows Class of 2015

One of the best decisions I made during my college career was joining the Lime Connect network, and later applying to become a Lime Connect Fellow. The Lime Connect Fellowship has offered me an incredible amount of opportunities that I would not have been able to receive anywhere else. The Fellowship application helped me to reflect on myself as a person, encouraged me to think about my future goals, but most importantly affirmed the positive feelings I had around being a member of the disability community…

Lime Connect Fellow and Speechify founder, Cliff Weitzman, gave a talk at Brown where he shared his experience as a student and entrepreneur, provided insight on how he developed 36 products while in college, and noted why it was important to never take no for an answer. Check out the fantastic talk and Q&A session below!

30% of the white collar workforce self-identify as having a disability.*

Until this point, very little research has been done to understand how many people with disabilities are in the workforce, what their specific challenges are, and how to better ensure their successful career paths. 

Lime Connect is proud to be a lead sponsor of the Center for Talent Innovation (the leading diversity talent think tank) report, Disabilities and Inclusion, along with our partners Bloomberg, PwC, and Unilever. 

This groundbreaking report explores the unique opportunities and challenges professionals with disabilities face in the professional workplace and highlights ways employers can signal inclusion to employees with disabilities and showcases best practices from companies. We are pleased to share the findings of this extensive report. View the full report here. 

If you haven't noticed, the Lime Connect brand has gotten a refresh! Not only do we have a new look, we've been hard at work on some exciting new things!

Take a look at what we've been working on!