Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of
America
Department of Public Relations
Main Office:
333 Seventh Ave.
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-613-8321
Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: media@ou.org
Sharyn Perlman
Director
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Developmentally
Disabled Receptionist He punches in a half hour early every morning. He is usually the last one to leave the office. And in over a year of employment, he has never taken a sick day. A super-conscientious employee, David Schwartz, a forty-something developmentally disabled receptionist, is among a select group of disabled individuals who were recently honored by the National Jewish Council for the Disabled (NJCD) for their exemplary job performance. The NJCD, an agency of the Orthodox Union, initiated the "Employee/Employer of the Year Award" to pay tribute to individuals with disabilities who make a successful transition into the workforce and the employers who enable them to do so. In order to be eligible for the award, the employee must have a physical or cognitive disability, be employed for at least a year and demonstrate outstanding performance on the job. At SLK Mortgage, Schwartz’s responsibilities include data entry, photocopying and handling a busy switchboard. "He is not support staff. He is staff," said Dr. Jeff Lichtman, National Director of the NJCD. Schwartz found his job through the NJCD’s Vocational Resources and Job Placement Program. An innovative and highly individualized program, the Vocational Resources and Job Placement program places employees in businesses including food manufactures, retail establishments, elementary schools, non-profit organizations and laboratories. In addition, the program provides vocational counseling, employee assessment, job placement, job coaching and ongoing support. "There are thousands of developmentally disabled individuals throughout the country who are sitting home without jobs, with nothing productive to do with their time all day. These are people who are absolutely employable, all they need is the opportunity," said Dr. Lichtman. The Orthodox Union, celebrating 100 years of service to the Jewish community of the United States and other countries, is a foremost leader in youth work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 220,000 products in 59 countries around the globe. The NJCD is an agency of the Orthodox Union. The Orthodox Union, celebrating 100 years of service to the Jewish community of the United States and other countries, is a foremost leader in youth work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 200,000 products in 56 countries around the globe. -30-
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