Plan to Advance Career Success for People With Disabilities

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About the Plan to Advance Career Success for People with Disabilities

The Plan to Advance Career Success for People with Disabilities includes an investment by the city of $8.8 million over the next three years to transform the City’s approach to helping New Yorkers with disabilities prepare for and connect to jobs and careers. This plan consists of a two-prong strategy:  1) launching the Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion, a city team that will address structural challenges that create obstacles for people with disabilities to pursue a career; and 2) increasing the City’s investment in direct employment services for people with disabilities in innovative ways.  This plan will help 2,500 New Yorkers with disabilities find career-track employment over the next three years.

News and Updates:

  • On July 26th the City of New York announced that City Hall and several other municipal buildings were lit red, yellow, white, blue, and green in honor of Disability Pride Month, which celebrates the achievements and promotes the visibility and awareness of the disability community. Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July to mark the passage of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed on July 26, 1990. This year marks the 34th anniversary of the ADA. Read the press release.
  • On July 29th , the Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion (CWAI) celebrated its first-year anniversary at Microsoft by announcing the following achievements and milestones towards reaching the goal of helping 2,500 New Yorkers with disabilities find career-track employment over the next three years. Read the full press release.
    • In the first year of the plan, over 500 individuals with disabilities have been connected to employment, which exceeded the initial goal of connecting 350, and making the city well on its way towards achieving its overall goals.
    • A $1.5 million investment from the New York State Department of Labor, the city launched the New York Systems Change and Inclusive Opportunities Network (SCION) at 18 Workforce1 Career Centers, sites run by the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to train staff to better serve and prepare individuals with disabilities for careers.
    • Invested $750,000 to expand Partnership for Inclusive Internships (PII Program) through AHRC NYC to place more than 100 additional New Yorkers with disabilities over three years into paid internships with the goal of becoming employed full time within the public and private sectors.
    • The launch of the advisory council, composed of business partners to help advise city agencies on workforce development strategies, identify supportive partners, and elevate best practices to create an accessibility framework and resource toolbox for employers and providers. Download the full list.
      • Chair, Angela Lean, Microsoft

To contact the Center for Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion please email: CWAI@Talent.nyc.gov

The Mayor's Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent) is dedicated to ensuring that all communications originating or shared by our office are accessible to all. Your patience, understanding and cooperation is appreciated as we progress towards the goal of universal access.