Supported Employment Program Celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) raises awareness about disability employment and celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. This year, Eastern Suffolk BOCES Supported Employment Program nominated one of their worksites for the NDEAM employer recognition awards, which honors businesses committed to helping individuals with disabilities achieve and maintain employment through their supportive and inclusive employment practices. Morrison Living Food Services at the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, N.Y., which currently employees several adults from the ESBOCES program, has been named a NDEAM Award Recipient on both the regional and state levels. The annual NDEAM Award Ceremony will be held virtually on October 21.
The Eastern Suffolk BOCES Supported Employment Program transforms lives by providing job coaching and employment-related support services to eligible individuals with disabilities. The program includes intensive jobsite training and support, ongoing assessment of the participant’s performance, and long-term follow-up services geared toward maintaining employment. Building upon an individual’s work ethic by teaching the importance of responsibility, dedication, and the values of hard work are key factors to the program’s success. The program currently supports 104 adults with disabilities and 93% are employed in community-based opportunities earning at or above minimum wage.
ESBOCES Supported Employment Program is coordinated and funded by the Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services – Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). For more information, call (631) 244-5930.