Gov. Hochul makes Employment First for people with disabilities meaningful
When Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order 40 last September, prioritizing the state’s goal of helping people with disabilities find gainful employment, she took a giant step on the path toward treating this important community of New Yorkers with dignity and respect, while also bolstering the state’s economy.
“New York State has a vested interest in eliminating barriers to employment and recognizes that economic stability, including gainful employment, is a social determinant of health,” the Order says (emphasis added).
EO40 makes New York State policy very clear: individuals with disabilities should have employment options first, because there’s no better tool for independence, inclusion and success than a decent-paying job with benefits and opportunities for advancement.
“An individual’s employment results in tangible and intangible benefits, including the enhancement of independence and economic self-sufficiency, as well as purpose, dignity, self-esteem, and a sense of accomplishment and pride,” EO40 says.
Chris Payne, a New Yorker with autism, agrees with the Governor.
“Being employed makes my life better,” says Chris, who works full-time at New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), where I am CEO.
Paul Himes works at the Arc Lexington assembling personal care kits for people living in homeless shelters in New York City, under a contract with the NYC Department of Homeless Services. He also works in the Arc’s janitorial program, showcasing his versatility.
“Packing care kits makes me feel honored to support people in their time of need,” Paul says. “I really like showing how well I can work.”
AVRE in Binghamton is a non-profit that supports people who are blind or visually impaired. As part of its mission, AVRE has a non-profit copy paper manufacturing business that uses New York products and state-of-the-art equipment customized for machine operators with low vision.
AVRE has been serving the Southern Tier for nearly 100 years and is being featured as part of the Business Council of New York State’s Coolest Thing Made in NY competition. Vote for “Blind Made Paper (Binghamton)” here.
All these opportunities came through the Preferred Source Program (PSP), which was created in 1975 as part of New York State’s reform efforts after the scandal at Willowbrook. My organization, NYSID, is the non-profit created to facilitate job-creating PSP contracts between organizations committed to hiring people with disabilities and government agencies (as well as private sector companies).
We at NYSID were elated when Governor Hochul signed EO40 because it means the entirety of New York State’s Executive Branch and its agencies would prioritize jobs for people with disabilities and recognize the value those jobs bring to the state.
“The State of New York values businesses that recognize the talents and skills people with disabilities bring to their workforce,” the Order says.
The value is also financial. The Rockefeller Institute of Government’s most recent study estimates that jobs created through the PSP not only create huge taxpayer savings in safety net programs but also generate $108 in new economic impact for every hour an individual with a disability is working on a NYSID contract.
Rockefeller also found that New York’s nonprofit disability service providers generated $14.3 billion in economic output, supported nearly 200,000 full-time jobs and contributed $2.2 billion in federal and state tax revenue. NYSID alone generated $407.3 million in economic impact.
For the state, it’s a tremendous financial return on the purchase of needed products and services – which it is buying anyway. Plus, the state generates the added and incalculable benefit of improving the quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers with disabilities and their families. We’re talking about people who receive vocational and rehabilitative training, New Yorkers with autism, Down syndrome, vision or mental health impairments, substance use disorder and other physical and developmental disabilities.
In other words, this achieves the exact goals Governor Hochul lays out in EO40. It’s a near-perfect alignment between what our Member Agencies and Corporate Partners do and the policy the Governor has laid out for all Executive agencies.
All for only the roughly one percent of the state’s procurement contracts that are sourced to NYSID for the products and services they provide, while our Member Agencies and Corporate Partners employ thousands of disabled New Yorkers.
That’s a tremendous return on a miniscule investment by the state.
This year we celebrate 50 years since the Willowbrook Consent Judgment was signed and treatment of people with disabilities was changed forever. We also celebrate 25 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted under President George H. W. Bush.
Next month, we celebrate one year since Governor Hochul signed EO40 and made it state policy to prioritize jobs for people with disabilities. It’s an important challenge and at NYSID, we will do everything we can to help make EO40 a rousing success.
Maureen O’Brien is President and CEO of New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID), a 501(c)(3) created in 1975 to advance job and other opportunities for individuals with disabilities and qualified veterans.
Patrick Bardsley is CEO of Spectrum Designs, a non-profit custom apparel and promotional products business with a social mission to create meaningful and inclusive employment and vocational training opportunities for people in a neurodiverse world.
NYSID facilitates job opportunities for more than 6,400 New Yorkers of which 4,820 are individuals with disabilities annually through New York’s Preferred Source Program and in the private sector. NYSID’s community rehabilitation Member Agencies and Corporate Partners are located throughout the state, providing jobs in the community and OPWDD, OMH and OASAS certified services to individuals. For more information, visit www.nysid.org.
