Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...

For more information contact:

Regina Moore
Marketing Manager
phone: (914) 428-8330,
ext. 3117
fax: (914) 997-2985
or (914) 428-0322
rmoore@westchesterarc.org

Westchester Arc
Herbert Katzenberg Center
121 Westmoreland Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606
(914) 949-9300
info@westchesterarc.org

24-hour
Crisis Intervention:
(914) 949-8200

Información en EspañolInformación en Español


Sign Up for News & Updates
subscribe

Press Release

Spitzer Outlines Platform for Disability Rights

Westchester Arc Honors Community Employers

»Click here to see highlights

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- April 21, 2006 -- Eliot Spitzer, New York State attorney general and gubernatorial candidate, chose a breakfast honoring nearly two dozen local businesses to outline his plan for updating the state's support system and "building a culture of inclusion, independence and empowerment" for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Two hundred people gathered at the Westchester Marriott, Tarrytown, for Westchester Arc's annual Employer Recognition Breakfast, which showcases organizations that promote the hiring of individuals with disabilities. "About two-thirds of the disabled population are unemployed-a figure that actually worsened during the economic boom of the 1990s," Spitzer pointed out. "This is unacceptable and the next governor must make it a priority to reduce this number…Jobs mean freedom for people living with disabilities-freedom not just from the isolation of a sheltered life, but freedom from costly government services."

Westchester Arc is the largest family-focused agency in the county serving people of all ages who have disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities.

Spitzer pointed out that the State's support system actually discourages the creation of in-community jobs. "We currently offer higher reimbursement rates for agencies that house sheltered workshops than we do for a job coach and finder services that can help move individuals with disabilities into integrated job settings. We must correct these and other backwards incentives… "The State should call on local One-Stop Career Centers to develop a database of people with disabilities seeking employment and employers seeking to hire," he continued. "...Another way the State can encourage employment of the disabled is through its procurement process."

Local businesses shared their experiences as employers of people with disabilities and were honored for their community activism. Raymond Frost, an employee with developmental disabilities, who has worked at Petco in White Plains for the past decade, received the Anthony Cannata Memorial Employee Award for being an inspiration to others.

Pat Dowse, vice president of operations for NYSRA (New York State Rehabilitation Association), presented a regional school partnership award to Tuckahoe Union Free High School because of its collaboration with Westchester Arc in transitioning students with disabilities from school to the workforce.

During the program, Westchester Arc also described a major expansion and technology enhancement of its longstanding document management outsourcing services through which people with developmental disabilities gain business experience prior to working in the community.

In addition, Westchester Arc outlined plans for building a "Gateway to the Community," a new facility in Hawthorne, New York, as well as for a "Fund for the Future." The building is needed to better meet heightened expectations for the involvement of people with disabilities in community life. It will showcase the accomplishments of people with disabilities and will feature adaptable space, additional facilities for career planning and the creative use of technology. The Fund for the Future will ensure that programs remain available to coming generations, regardless of cutbacks in public or private funding. In order to support these initiatives, Westchester Arc has launched its first capital campaign.

Also singled out for recognition were:

  • Doral Arrowwood, Rye Brook - New Business Partnership Award
  • Emilio's Restaurant, Harrison - New Business Partnership Award
  • Food Emporium, Harrison - Employment Development Award
  • Home Depot, Mohegan Lake - New Business Partnership Award
  • MBIA, Armonk - Special Advocate Award
  • Mechtronics, White Plains - Special Advocate Award
  • Motion Labs, Cortlandt - New Business Partnership Award
  • Old Navy,White Plains - Longstanding Employer Award
  • Pappalardo, Tombini & Wolff, Elmsford - Special Partnership Award
  • The Pet Company, Jefferson Valley - Special Advocate Award
  • Pronto Printer, Cortlandt Manor - Special Advocate Award
  • Red Lobster, Scarsdale - Employment Opportunity Award
  • Shoprite, Yonkers - Employment Opportunity Award
  • Starbucks, Briarcliff Manor and Mount Kisco - New Business Partnership Award
  • Stop & Shop Corporation, Briarcliff Manor - Employment Development Award
  • Stop & Shop, North White Plains and Port Chester - Longstanding Employer
    Award
  • T.J. Maxx, Hartsdale - Employment Opportunity Award
  • Tuckahoe Union Free School District - Educational Partnership Award
  • Westchester County Surrogate Court, White Plains - Civic Partnership Award
  • White Plains High School - Educational Partnership Award
  • Zodiac Restaurant, White Plains - Longstanding Employer Award

Established over 55 years ago, Westchester Arc has long advocated community inclusion for individuals with disabilities, consistent with personal wishes and capabilities.

###