2012 Annual Report
Thanks to a Community Employment Grant awarded to the Washington Center for Internships & Academic Seminars, Chris Miller interned for the Administration on Intellectual Disabilities and Developmental Disabilities Administration for Community Living, in the nation’s capitol, where he developed airport screening materials for individuals with disabilities and even presented to a visiting Chinese Delegation. “The internship confirmed my professional goals—to live in Washington, DC, and work in an advocacy role for people with disabilities,” he exclaimed.
BRIDGING THE GAP
THROUGH GRANTS
Led by Elaine Katz, Kessler Foundation has distributed more than $28 million in funding to job training and employment initiatives for people with disabilities over the past 7 years. “I’m proud of the diversity in the types of funded programs, as well as the potential of these new collaborations. The impact of our grant funding is clear: When talented individuals with disabilities join the workplace, society sees their abilities instead of their disabilities,” she said. Here are the highlights:
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This year marked the second year that Signature Employment Grants—the Foundation’s largest grants—were available to disability employment and training programs across the nation. More than $1.3 million was awarded to organizations in Maryland, Missouri, and Washington, DC, to support initiatives for people with disabilities in distribution and retail centers, social enterprises, and financial services.
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In 2011, Kessler Foundation awarded the Boston-based National Telecommuting Institute (NTI) a $250,000 Signature Employment Grant to give people with disabilities with transportation challenges a work-from-home option. In one year, NTI hired 300 individuals with disabilities—from 48 states—as home-based call center agents. “The grant from Kessler Foundation allows us to move forward with our overall mission of creating a true 21st century workforce, inclusive of those with disabilities,” stated Alan Hubbard, chief operating officer of NTI.
Kevin Greene found a new career path after a devastating car accident resulted in a
brain injury and paralysis from the waist down. With a love for science, he completed the laboratory assistant training program at JFK Vocational Rehabilitation Department—funded by Kessler Foundation—and quickly landed a job where he maintains the laboratory of a local medical office. He also volunteers for the NJ chapter of ThinkFirst, a national injury prevention program for students, sponsored for more than 20 years by the Foundation.
BRIDGING THE GAP
THROUGH NATIONAL
AWARENESS
Kessler Foundation disseminates best practice strategies to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Kessler Foundation and the Heldrich Center at Rutgers University released an addition to their series of research briefs on disability employment: “Strategies to Support Employer-Driven Initiatives to Recruit and Retain Employees with Disabilities.” Authors Elaine Katz, MS, CCC-SLP of Kessler Foundation, Meg O’Connell, PHR, of the National Organization on Disability (NOD), and Robert Nicholas, PhD, of the Heldrich Center, explored a growing trend among employers to establish initiatives to increase the participation of workers with disabilities in their workplaces. “These initiatives are resulting in integrated workplaces where people with and without disabilities work side by side and employers are reporting benefits in their workplaces and to their bottom lines,” said Katz.
ELAINE KATZ
VP OF GRANTS &
SPECIAL INITIATIVES
