The DC Department on Disability Services is inviting area employers to join with its Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to provide employment opportunities to those who complete the RSA Vocational Rehabilitation Program, the city’s job training and employment program for people with disabilities.

RSA’s Vocational Rehabilitation Program serves approximately 4,500 District residents each year who have physical, psychiatric or mental disabilities, and who are in various stages of the RSA process.

“We have a number of qualified people seeking employment, and we are working closely with employers to help them get jobs from entry level to professional levels,” said Judith E. Heumann, Director of the Department on Disability Services. “Over the past five years, we have assisted more than 3,000 people with disabilities to achieve and retain successful job outcomes in part-time, full-time, home-based and self employment.”

RSA helps prepare participants to achieve an individual goal for employment through a number of services, including:

• Job Readiness that teaches the consumer how to prepare a resume, interview for a job, properly dress, and properly conduct oneself on the job.
• Job Training
• Job Placement and ongoing support services after the participant is employed.
   

In the past year, RSA has placed persons with disabilities in a wide range of jobs consistent with the individual’s employment goal from entry-level, competitive employment to placement in professional-level positions with area businesses and District and federal government. RSA consumers have been placed as attorneys in law firms, certified addiction counselors, cosmetologists, cafeteria and store managers, educational consultants and theologians. While others operate their own businesses, have home-based employment, are college students and are vocational rehabilitation counselors at RSA itself.

RSA Success Stories

CVS

Mustafa Ndiaye, Training Store Manager at the CVS Store located at 500 12th St, SE, says he has hired persons with disabilities and finds them to be as good or better workers as those without disabilities.

“We hire people with disabilities, and if we need to, we make accommodations for them to do their work. They operate the cash register and perform a number of other duties for us,” he said. Ndiaye encouraged other employers to open their doors to persons with disabilities. “It would be discriminatory not to hire a person just because they have a disability. Everyone deserves a chance to work and earn a living,” Ndiaye added.

Safeway Stores

“Safeway has been a longtime advocate for persons with disabilities and has been able to employ many great people to assist us in serving our customers,” said Craig Muckle, Safeway Eastern Division public affairs manager. "We have found that our employees with disabilities are our most loyal and hard-working because they are appreciative of the opportunity to work, be more independent and support themselves and/or their families.”

Giant Grocery Store

Jack Eaton, Store Manager for the Giant Grocery Store located at 14th & Park Rd, NW, concurred.  “We’ve been very successful working with young adults with disabilities. They are fantastic, our customers love them and they do a great job,” he said. “Work gives meaning to their lives, they are very happy, hard working and grateful to have a job,” he continued. “Given this market, they are a great resource because they come in with a support system that works to ensure they are successful. I think anyone would be fortunate to have these workers.”

For more information, visit or call the DDS Rehabilitation Services Administration, 810 1st St, NE, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20002, or call  (202) 442-8738 or (202) 4442-8613 (TTY).