Employment
Contact Information
Marilee Boylan, M.S.
Director of Employment
Marilee Boylan
(585) 276-6449
Employment enables individuals with disabilities to participate more fully in their communities and become contributing members of our society. The employment rate for people with disabilities has remained persistently and disproportionately below the rate for individuals without disabilities for decades, despite significant effort at the local, state and federal level. The Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities strives to create a system of supports that makes competitive, integrated employment a reality for all people with disabilities in New York State. Through community collaborations and partnerships, training and technical assistance, and policy and advocacy efforts, SCDD works to ensure people with disabilities can secure and maintain employment opportunities in their community.
SCDD Employment Projects and Initiatives
Advance to Apprenticeship (A2A) is an employment initiative though the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities to improve access to apprenticeship programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) within the manufacturing industry. The project is a collaboration with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), Center for Workforce Development at Monroe 2–Orleans BOCES (CWD) and Rochester Technology & Manufacturing Association (RTMA).
Please contact us for more information.
Project SEARCH®
Project SEARCH® - Project SEARCH® provides employment training and education for young adults with significant disabilities. The program is dedicated to workforce development that benefits the individual, community, and workplace. The Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities serves as the statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH® in New York State. Working in collaboration with the Project SEARCH® team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, we can provide technical assistance to communities interested in starting a Project SEARCH® program. Please contact us for more information.
Employment Equity Coalition
- In October of 2018 SCDD co-hosted an employment summit with Starbridge. The ROC EmployABILITY Summit was born of a recognition that people with disabilities in the City of Rochester are the poorest of any city in the country. To learn more about the summit and the findings, read this report.
- This work continues through the Employment Equity Coalition. To learn more or become involved visit their website.
SCDD Employment Advocacy
SCDD advocates for high expectations related to employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across stakeholder groups (state officials, businesses, schools, families, and provider agencies). We advocate at the state and federal level to design creative and culturally responsive employment services. If you are interested in getting involved in our advocacy efforts, contact our Advocacy Specialist, Jeiri Flores.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month Video Campaign - The video campaign is designed to facilitate a business to business conversation about the benefits of inclusive hiring and advocates for a more inclusive business culture.
SCDD Employment Services
Program Evaluation
SCDD can be contracted to provide program evaluations at the local, state or federal level. Examples include an evaluation of access to career and technical education for students with disabilities at WFL BOCES, and the Pathway to Employment service for the Office for Developmental Disabilities across the state of New York. Contact us to learn more about the services we can provide.
Training and Technical Assistance
SCDD offers training and technical assistance on topics of employment for schools and organizations. Topics can be tailored to fit the needs of the request.
SCDD contracts with businesses to provide training and technical assistance. Content is geared towards creating more inclusive environments and designing better supports for individuals with disabilities in the workforce. Topics can be tailored to fit the needs of unique businesses. Please contact us for further information.
Partners and Collaborators
APSE
SCDD is a proud member of APSE, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to Employment First, a vision that all people with disabilities have a right to competitive employment in an inclusive workforce.
New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation
SCDD is a proud member of the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation’s Employment Council. This council focuses on advanced level, cross systems approaches to employment services for people with disabilities in NY.
Starbridge
Starbridge is a disability service provider located in upstate New York. SCDD collaborated with Starbridge to co-host and employment summit in 2018 that brought together employment experts and community stakeholders to brainstorm barriers to strategies for decreasing poverty and increasing employment for people with disabilities in Rochester, NY. Starbridge continues to be a great partner in a leadership capacity through the ROC EmployABILITY Coalition.
Project SEARCH®
Project SEARCH is a one year training program for people with disabilities that was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. SCDD collaborates with the Project SEARCH national team in Cincinnati to offer technical assistance and support to existing and potential Project SEARH teams across New York State.
RAEN
SCDD is a proud member of the Rochester Area Employment Network (RAEN). RAEN is a coalition of agencies in the Rochester, New York area, that works collectively to promote the employment of people with disabilities through education, outreach, and training opportunities