NEWBURGH, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2025 – Six Hudson Valley business that exemplify innovation in inclusive employment practices were honored during a recognition summit in which speakers advocated for more employment opportunities for this community and outlined the benefits of inclusive employment.
The National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Employer Recognition Summit was coordinated by Hudson Valley Service Providers, a consortium of 22 Hudson Valley agencies that provide quality, community-based support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month each October celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and promotes inclusive employment. The 35th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act also was recognized. This law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and requires employers and service providers to make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.
“People with disabilities can accomplish tremendous things and they’re filling important roles in the workplace all across our great state, but we have so far to go,” said Dr. Jeffery Fox, Chair of Hudson Valley Service Providers and CEO of Abilities First. “There are many more people with disabilities who want to be productive in the workplace and have not had those opportunities. We need to do a better job preparing young people with special needs for employment before they graduate from school. We need to do a better job supporting adults with disabilities by keeping doors of opportunity open. We need to do better at educating our communities to be enlightened and accommodating. However, we can’t accomplish any of these goals without the partnership of businesses in our communities.”
Keynote speaker Lynne Thibdeau, State of the State Project Manager for the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, introduced Employment First, a state initiative advocating employment of people with disabilities. When New York’s program was introduced in 2020, the employment rate for a New Yorker ages 18 to 64 with a disability was 31.2% compared to 72% for a person without a disability.
“Employment First is a national systems-change framework centered on the premise that all individuals, including those with the most significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in competitive integrated employment and community life,” Thibdeau said. “We want to help people with disabilities become employed, but we want to meet the business need. We do think that we have people with unique skills and talents that can help… employment is the ultimate inclusion.”
A lively panel discussion examined “Reflections on Real Life Experiences with Employment for People with Disabilities.” Employers praised employees with developmental disabilities in several areas, including the performance, value, dedication and loyalty they offer.
Price Chopper supermarket in Vails Gate has long employed people with disabilities, with one employee having 26 years of tenure. “People with disabilities come in and are lifetime employees,” said Sarah Randozzo, Store Manager. “We don’t see the challenges; we see the capabilities.”
Melissa Lane, a person with disabilities employed at QuickChek, was asked during the discussion what she would say to the manager who hired her. With a huge smile, she replied, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Businesses honored during the summit:
- Employer, Less than 25 Employees: Beck’s Hardware, with five Hudson Valley locations, nominated by Independent Living Inc. Beck’s Hardware has put forth exemplary efforts to accommodate people with disabilities and encourage their success in the workplace.
- Employer, 25 to 99 Employees: AFYA Foundation, which improves health outcomes by rescuing surplus medical supplies and matching them to compromised and under-resourced health systems locally and globally. The AFYA Foundation, nominated by Jawonio, consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment to community, inclusion and global service.
- Employer, 100 to 499 Employees: Resorts World Catskill in Monticello, nominated by New Hope Community of Loch Sheldrake. Resorts World Catskill has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to equitable workplace culture, serving as a model for other employers seeking to build meaningful, representative talent pipelines.
- Employer, 500 or More Employees: Town of Cortlandt Department of Environmental Services, nominated by Community Based Services. The Town of Cortlandt, in Westchester County, is an outstanding partner in creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
- Youth Employment Award: Perkins Restaurant and Bakery in Wappingers Falls, nominated by Abilities First. Perkins has opened its doors to hosting situational assessments and internships, and giving young people with disabilities the chance to explore real-world job settings and build critical workplace skills.
- Employment Innovation Award: Target at the Poughkeepsie Galleria, nominated by Access: Supports for Living. Target is being honored for numerous innovative programs and policies that create a diverse and inclusive workplace culture and inclusive talent pool.
The event was sponsored by Abilities First, Constructive Partnerships Unlimited, Gateway Hudson Valley, Jawonio, Independent Living Inc., Access: Supports for Living, In Flight Innovation for Developmental Achievement and New Home Community Services.
About Hudson Valley Service Providers
Hudson Valley Service Providers, LLC (HVSP) is a group of 22 Hudson Valley agencies that provide quality, community-based support for people, and their families, with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These organizations share a commitment to quality services, the right for people with disabilities to have choices in their lives, and the need for Hudson Valley agencies to effectively collaborate wherever, and whenever possible. HVSP was formed in 2016 to provide advocacy, offer collaboration and support to individuals with disabilities, their circle of support and the organizations who provide services throughout the Hudson Valley region.
From left: Steve Howell, Chairman of the Abilities First Board of Directors; Ron Colavito, CEO of Access: Supports for Living; and Dr. Jeffery Fox, CEO, Abilities First.
From left: Representatives of the award-winning Town of Cortlandt in Westchester County with Abilities First CEO Dr. Jeffery Fox at right.
