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Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
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OMRDD Commissioner Praises Westchester Arc
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“Westchester Arc has placed 350 people in meaningful jobs out in the community. Let me repeat that…Westchester Arc has placed 350 people in jobs out in the community!”
exclaimed Diana Jones Ritter, commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD), during a recent statewide conference. Westchester Arc was the only provider cited during “Works for Me,” an OMRDD-sponsored event honoring businesses from across New York State which have demonstrated that hiring individuals with developmental disabilities is great for business, and celebrating the untapped potential of individuals who are eager to work and earn a paycheck. The event was held on October 7 at the Egg Center for the Performing Arts in Albany as part of ongoing festivities celebrating October as National Disability Employment Awarness Month.
“The current unemployment rate among individuals with developmental disabilities, by some sources, approaches 85 percent, which is exponentially higher than that of the general population,” said Commissioner Ritter.“ This is unacceptable. OMRDD has declared its commitment to an ‘Employment First’ policy that presumes that people with developmental disabilities are part of New York’s workforce and labor strategy and is partnering with the business sector and sister state agencies [such as Westchester Arc] to promote job creation and sustainable employment.”
“Westchester Arc has long advocated for community employment for people with developmental disabilities,” adds Tom Hughes, the agency’s associate executive director, and event attendee. “Though our agency receives less funding for supportive employment than other states, we consistently achieve our goals of finding individuals real jobs with real wages in corporate offices, law firms, schools, and other high-profile locations.”
In recent years, Westchester Arc exibited a stronger desire to move away from center-based services to full community inclusion. With the recent closing of its Katzenberg Center in White Plains, which housed a sheltered workshop, and move to the new Gleeson-Israel Gatway Center in Hawthorne, Westchester Arc has placed hundreds people in jobs and volunteer opportunties—marking the first time several of these individuals have worked in the community.
“Works for Me” also featured speakers from The New York State Business Council, Wall Street Disabilities Working Group and self-advocate Chester Finn, president of Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) and longtime friend to Westchester Arc, who recounted his personal experiences in breaking stereotypes to become a valued employee.
“It’s about abilities, not disabilities. Every individuals has a connection, regardless of their cognitive or physical disability,” he said. “We all have the right to work, and show the world what we are capable of.”
In addition, an employment information fair, featuring businesses from around the state that employ individuals with developmental disabilities, highlighted the diversity of skills and resilience that people with developmental disabilities have shown through their employment in a wide range of businesses and industries such as home health care, retail stores and food service.