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Bronx, NY – In recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, on Tuesday, October 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in the Rotunda of Bronx Borough Hall, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, the New York State Department of Labor, the NYC Department of Education’s ACCES-Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), and others, hosted her administration’s first-ever, DREAM Job Fair. In partnering with Bridging Access to Care, Goodtemps, Hereford Insurance Company, and other businesses, the DREAM Job Fair hopes to assist in matching qualified candidates with organizations looking to hire. Others gathered included the Metropolitan Transportation Authority – MTA, New York Edge, New York Life Insurance, NYC Ferry, and the NYPD.
“Today’s DREAM Job Fair is an opportunity to uplift People with Disabilities and remind them that they are valued, that they are supported, that they are worthy, and at the end of the day, critical to the diversity and flourishing of both our workforce and city,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “As we recognize, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, I want to thank the Bronx Borough President’s Disability Advisory Council and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for their unwavering commitment and pledge to enhance and elevate the lives of People with Disabilities.”
“At the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, we are committed to ensuring all New Yorkers regardless of ability, have equal access to meaningful employment opportunities. Events like the Dream Job Fair highlight the critical role inclusion and diversity play in strengthening our workforce and communities,” said NYC MOPD Commissioner Christina Curry. “We applaud the Bronx Borough President for championing this initiative and look forward to continuing our shared mission of advancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the city.”
A recent study by the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, showed that:
- The high school diploma gap between people with and without disabilities is nearly 20 percent. The employment gap between people with and without disabilities of working age is 41 percent and median yearly earnings lag more than $25,000 behind.
- People with disabilities are more dependent on public coverage than their nondisabled peers.
- People with disabilities are significantly more reliant on Food Stamps than their non-disabled counterparts—there is a Food Stamps gap of 16.0 percentage points.
- Thirty-two percent of people with disabilities are living in poverty. Among people living in poverty, the gap between people with disabilities and those without disabilities is 18 percentage points.
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