OMRDD Commissioner Ritter Honors National Disability Employment Awareness Month Through Bell-Ringing Event

NEW YORK, NY (10/10/2008)(readMedia)--

New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter will be assisting Commissioner Matthew Sapolin of the New York City Commission of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities as he rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday, October 13, 2008, at 9:30 a.m., in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

“I am honored to be joining Commissioner Sapolin as we work to raise awareness in the Wall Street community of the employability of people with developmental disabilities,” said Ritter. “It’s about talent, and people with disabilities are a great source of it. Now more than ever, people with disabilities have the skills and abilities to succeed in the workplace and help businesses improve their end product. It just makes good business sense to employ people with developmental disabilities.”

Joining Commissioner Ritter at the podium will be Ernesto Franco, a former member of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS). Franco took part in SANYS’ AmeriCorps project, Our Experience is the Best Teacher. He currently works with the Disabilities Network of New York City, and takes part in the OMRDD employment internship program

“If you have a disability, you are not alone,” Franco said. “As an individual with Autism, standing up for the rights of people with developmental disabilities has made me part of a connected community and has given me a voice.”

OMRDD has garnered support for its workforce strategy from Governor David A. Paterson, as well as through its state agency partnerships and its collaboration with the Wall Street Business & Disability Working Group, a consortium of corporate businesses that promote the employ ABILITY of people with developmental disabilities.

Joan McGovern, vice president with JPMorgan Chase Bank in Manhattan, and founder of the Access Ability Resource Center at JPMorgan Chase, and a member of the Wall Street Business & Disability Working Group, said, “We understand that by bringing opportunities to the developmentally disabled, it also brings success to our businesses by attracting a broader pool of qualified candidates, by forming partnerships with the organizations that support these candidates, such as OMRDD, VESID and the associated job coaches, and by weaving this population into our corporate fabric, where they feel empowered to make the firm a better place to work.”

“We are working to combat an 85 percent unemployment rate among people with developmental disabilities who want a job and to earn a paycheck,” said Ritter. “Like any employee, a person with a disability can be productive, given the appropriate training and support. The desire to work and give back to their community is in every one of them, just like you or me.”

In addition, October marks the 18th anniversary the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Communities and workplaces across the nation have become more inclusive and welcoming for America’s nearly 40 million people with disabilities.

“When it comes to doing business, persons with developmental disabilities offer companies a competitive edge. They are qualified problem solvers with a proven ability to adapt—a highly coveted ability to have in today’s rapidly changing workplace,” added Ritter.

A live webcast of The Opening Bell (beginning at 9:29 a.m.) will be available on the homepage of www.nyse.com.

About OMRDD

The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) provides high-quality services, supports and advocacy to approximately 120,000 individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. OMRDD works with a network of nearly 800 not-for-profit providers to help people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives that include meaningful relationships, good health, personal growth and productivity and homes in their communities.

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