CAC Industries
CAC Industries is a Queens-based family-owned civil contractor that works on some of New York City’s biggest commercial construction jobs. They had long wanted to integrate inclusive hiring practices, but needed guidance. Connecting with Job Path in 2023, they created two customized positions in recordkeeping, scanning, shredding, and other vital clerical tasks.
Previously, these tasks were assigned to seasonal interns, but it wasn’t a good fit for those people’s skillsets and interests. The two Job Path-sourced employees relish those duties, and perform them with skill and accuracy, freeing up interns and other staff.
As a CAC supervisor said of one employee: “He’s a big help to everyone. Everyone just feels a sigh of relief that he’s able to take these things off their plates. It helps us keep moving forward and progressing.”
CAC operates under an employee-owned model, and one of their values is: “We always look out for each other and go above and beyond to help our colleagues. Our goal is to succeed together.”
Customized Employment thrives because agencies provide job coaches to support people in the workforce, making it easier for employers to integrate customized jobs into their business. But another key element are “natural supports” – people in the work community who seamlessly provide support on a day-to-day basis. CAC excels at that because their ethos is about acting with integrity for all employees, creating a culture of compassionate, smart, hard-working people.
The Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is home to one of the most prestigious art collections in the world, and is also a leader in disability inclusion in employment. They joined Job Path as an employer partner more than 8 years ago, and currently 4 Job Path participants are excelling in very important roles there. One employee’s customized role in the gift shop was created to address inventory labeling and management needs. Two people work in recordkeeping, organizing digital files and inputting artwork descriptions into the electronic catalog. The fourth works in the HR department on computer-based tasks, answering emails, organizing drive files, and updating documents.
Key to the success of Customized Employment at The Frick has been advocacy and buy-in across all levels, including the museum’s director, Ian Wardropper and Dana Spencer Winfield, who leads the HR department and is here with us today. Their advocacy and enthusiasm allowed this approach to spread across other departments, and the reputation of each win along the way has allowed the process to flourish.
The Bronx Defenders
The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that represents nearly 20,000 low-income Bronx residents in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases each year. For an organization dedicated to justice, a commitment to disability inclusion in hiring was a natural fit.
The organization had needed someone to work in data entry to track client information, and so they decided to create a customized role.
That was 10 years ago and the employee is still a valued member of the Bronx Defenders community. The employee’s role continues to focus on data entry, ensuring that case file information is accurately recorded and stored – tasks that are well-suited for her strengths. In one of Bronx Defenders’ recent newsletters, praise from her colleagues included this testimonial: “Thank you for doing the work that is so necessary. We may not realize it when we see your work product, but many of us rely on the work you do.”