My 15-year-old son had his first job this past summer. He groaned about the schedule and boring tasks. He also loved his paycheck and the taste of independence. He made his first purchase with his own money. He stood taller. He felt proud.
I spend a lot of time these days thinking about his future. How will his interests evolve? What will he do for a living? Are we steering him toward the right experiences? Like all parents, I want him to have opportunities to try new things, learn from failure, develop confidence, and discover what excites him.
Even with myriad resources available to our family, navigating this stage can feel overwhelming.
Families of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) share these hopes and aspirations. They also face a far more complicated journey—navigating education and career decisions alongside eligibility requirements, government bureaucracies, and service providers that don't always communicate with one another.
At The Taft Foundation, we partner with organizations doing innovative work to help people with I/DD prepare for and succeed in employment. Yet outcomes remain stubbornly low. According to a 2024 NYC Comptroller report, just 41% of working-age New Yorkers with disabilities are employed, roughly half the rate of those without disabilities. Employment rates for people with cognitive disabilities are even lower.
And yet, we know what's possible. Among the Foundation’s grantee partners, one-year job retention rates exceed 70%, demonstrating that people with I/DD can succeed in employment when the right supports are in place.
Across NYC and Southeast Florida, Taft invests a significant portion of our grantmaking annually in transition services for young people with I/DD – preparing them for life after high school – and employment supports for people with I/DD, helping upwards of 1000 individuals secure or sustain employment each year. These specialized programs are essential but they can't meet the need alone. Consider that over 200,000 of NYC Public School students – nearly one quarter—have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), representing a wide range of disabilities and support needs.
What if, in addition to growing effective, specialized pathways, we also make existing opportunities accessible to everyone?
We know that many more young people with I/DD want to work. They need the same chances to explore interests, try different jobs, succeed—and fail—as their peers. Yet they have fewer opportunities. Furthermore, an unsuccessful work experience can too easily reinforce low expectations rather than be recognized as a natural part of learning.
The good news is we’re seeing progress. There is growing interest in inclusion among organizations that haven't traditionally focused on disability. The willingness is there, but the know-how isn't always. That’s where the disability field can help. Disability-focused organizations can share their expertise on different support needs, help mainstream youth and workforce development organizations adapt their programs, and connect young people to specialized services when needed.
Encouraging examples are emerging across NYC, both within and beyond Taft’s grantmaking. The Partnership for Inclusive Internships, initially supported by Taft and now sustained with public funding in NYC, creates work experience opportunities for people with disabilities in City government; the new Pathway Gap Initiative is bringing disability providers into efforts to improve career navigation for young people; JobsFirstNYC’s newest collaborative, the RAY Network will build inclusive practices among providers to better serve young people with disabilities on their career journey; and Commonpoint designed a Direct Support Professional Training Program for neurodiverse individuals.
Beyond creating more inclusive internships and work experiences, we also need to connect the dots. Young people often receive services from multiple organizations that don't always coordinate. We’re part of a connected system, even if we don’t operate like one. Better coordination and warm handoffs could make a world of difference for young people and their families.
Not every organization needs to become a disability expert. But with the right partnerships, more organizations can make inclusion part of their work.
Funders have a role to play, too—not only by supporting specialized services, but by encouraging collaboration, sharing knowledge and data across our networks, and investing in partnerships and the capacity of mainstream organizations to become more inclusive.
As National Disability Employment Awareness Month draws to a close this year, I hope we'll broaden the conversation about who is responsible for disability employment. Disability-focused, education, youth development, and workforce providers, as well as funders often serve the same young people, yet rarely work together as closely as we could.
We see an opportunity to change that, and we're ready to partner. To improve services for young people with I/DD, let's work across our traditional lanes, bringing together our networks, expertise, and resources in ways that strengthen pathways for all.
Nina Bershadker is the Executive Director of The Taft Foundation.
