Six Hudson Valley business that exemplify innovation in inclusive employment practices were honored during a recognition summit in which speakers advocated for more employment opportunities for this community and outlined the benefits of inclusive employment.
The National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Employer Recognition Summit was coordinated by Hudson Valley Service Providers, a consortium of 22 Hudson Valley agencies that provide quality, community-based support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month each October celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and promotesinclusive employment. The 35th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act also was recognized. This law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and requires employers and service providers to make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.
“People with disabilities can accomplish tremendous things and they’re filling important roles in the workplace all across our great state, but we have so far to go,” said Dr. Jeffery Fox, Chair of Hudson Valley Service Providers and CEO of Abilities First. “There are many more people with disabilities who want to be productive in the workplace and have not had those opportunities. We need to do a better job preparing young people with special needs for employment before they graduate from school. We need to do a better job supporting adults with disabilities by keeping doors of opportunity open. We need to do better at educating our communities to be enlightened and accommodating. However, we can’t accomplish any of these goals without the partnership of businesses in our communities.”
Keynote speaker Lynne Thibdeau, State of the State Project Manager for the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, introduced Employment First, a state initiative advocating employment of people with disabilities. When New York’s program was introduced in 2020, the employment rate for a New Yorker ages 18 to 64 with a disability was 31.2% compared to 72% for a person without a disability.
“Employment First is a national systems-change framework centered on the premise that all individuals, including those with the most significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in competitive integrated employment and community life,” Thibdeau said. “We want to help people with disabilities become employed, but we want to meet the business need. We do think that we have people with unique skills and talents that can help… employment is the ultimate inclusion.”
A lively panel discussion examined “Reflections on Real Life Experiences with Employment for People with Disabilities.” Employers praised employees with developmental disabilities in several areas, including the performance, value, dedication and loyalty they offer.
Price Chopper supermarket in Vails Gate has long employed people with disabilities, with one employee having 26 years of tenure. “People with disabilities come in and are lifetime employees,” said Sarah Randozzo, Store Manager. “We don’t see the challenges; we see the capabilities.”
Melissa Lane, a person with disabilities employed at QuickChek, was asked during the discussion what she would say to the manager who hired her. With a huge smile, she replied, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Businesses honored during the summit:
