Person Centered
Care Services

Career Supports

People with disabilities are two times more likely to be unemployed than people without disabilities. The lack of access, opportunity, support services needed, and more, increases the likelihood for a person to live without a job. And without work people with disabilities cannot earn a living to provide for their family (when they have one), cannot exercise their independence, and are forced to delay personal and career goals.

Our Career Support programs are changing that. With education and support, people with disabilities are filling intern, part-time, and full time positions where they want to work, earning an income, and getting a step closer to realizing their personal and career goals. 

*In order to receive the service you must already have the HCBS waiver from OPWDD.* 

Download our Career Supports Resource Guide

How are we creating jobs for the people we support?

DISCOVERY

Pathway to Employment

Our dedicated staff spend hours in classroom settings and in the community, working hand in hand with the people we support to help each one of them discover their interests, skills and talents while they work on all other essentials required to get a job. These supports  lay the foundation for a successful pathway to employment.

EXPERIENCE

Supported Employment

Transitioning into a new work environment can be challenging, and sometimes the support services at this stage can make all the difference. Before becoming an active employee, our staff work with each person, as needed, to build on-the-job experience and ensure that the person is not only well supported—by job coaches or other supportive staff—but the work environment is accessible and hassle-free.

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY BASED PREVOCATIONAL

This program is designed for people to learn a variety of different work readiness skills. It prepares people for paid or unpaid employment, by focusing on specific tasks that do not primarily focus on a specific job. Services include but are not limited to professionalism, following directives, attending to task, completion of task, multi-tasking, time management, problem solving, travel training, instruction on the proper use of job-related facilities (lounge/common areas, lunch rooms/cafeteria, and rest rooms), benefits planning, assessing work interests, technology assistance, and safety. There is opportunity for people to learn how to adjust to the productive and social relationship demands of the work place. In addition, people will become familiar with individualized job production and performance requirements. The purpose of the service is to develop work readiness skills while being out in the community rather than teaching a specific job skill.

EMPLOYMENT

Employment Training Program

Transitioning into a new work environment can be challenging, and sometimes the support services at this stage can make all the difference. Before becoming an active employee, our staff work with each person, as needed, to build on-the-job experience and ensure that the person is not only well supported—by job coaches or other supportive staff—but the work environment is accessible and hassle-free.

Turning an internship position into a full-time position is one of the best ways to develop skills in a new job field and transfer those learned skills into a position with the same requirements. The Employment Training Program (ETP) provides people with disabilities with a faster track to becoming employed. Every internship leads to permanent employment at a local business in the community.

EDUCATION

ACCES-VR

Transitioning into a new work environment can be challenging, and sometimes the support services at this stage can make all the difference. Before becoming an active employee, our staff work with each person, as needed, to build on-the-job experience and ensure that the person is not only well supported—by job coaches or other supportive staff—but the work environment is accessible and hassle-free.

In addition to the employment services through OPWDD (Community Based Prevocational, Site Based Prevocational, Pathways to Employment, Supported Employment (SEMP), and Employment Training Program (ETP)), ACCES-VR is an employment program funded by The New York State Education Department, Adult Career & Continuing Ed Services. PCCS is a provider of ACCES-VR, for more information please contact Nicole Molinell.

For additional information and intake, please visit: http://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr

How can you help?

The job opportunities we are able to create for the people we support are possible because of dedicated local partners who are disability allies that share a similar vision.

You can give people with disabilities the opportunity to earn a living and pursue their personal and career goals by partnering with us.