In a joint effort, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, the NYC Office of Talent and Workforce Development, together with the NYC Office for People with Disabilities, expanded workforce services for New Yorkers with disabilities.
It all started with an investment of 1.5 million dollars from the New York State Department of Labor which was used by the Adams Administration to launch the New York Systems Change and Inclusive Opportunities Network (SCION) at 18 Workforce1 Career Centers, run by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), to train staff to better serve and prepare individuals with disabilities for careers. Then, the collaboration of the three parties gave birth to the Partnership for Inclusive Internships (PII) program where 100 additional New Yorkers with disabilities will be placed over three years into competitive paid internships in civil service position in order to become employed full time in the future. They will not have to take an exam. People interested in the program can apply at NYC: ATWORK.
“As our city celebrates record economic growth and historic job numbers, all New Yorkers must feel the impact of our shared prosperity. For too long, people with disabilities have either been left behind or entirely forgotten as the city developed its workforce. In our administration, we have brought everyone to the table to learn from the past so we can build a better, more inclusive future. Today’s announcement is a critical step forward as we continue to honor our pledge of creating an economy that serves all,” Mayor Adams said.
The final goal of this collaboration is connecting 2,500 New Yorkers with disabilities to good-paying and qualified jobs. Over 500 individuals have already started their careers.
It is important to know that, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 3,984,636 adults with disabilities in New York State, in terms of mobility, cognition, independent living, hearing, vision, and self-care. No data are available specifically for New York City.
