Robert Rosenberg from Queens Village carried 10 resum paper-clipped with business cards under his left arm as he rode the subway to the career fair at LaGuardia Community College. With his right arm, he leaned on a cane to ease the pain of a fully herniated disk in his back, six cervical herniated disks (in his neck), and sciatica.
At the fair, on Friday, June 13, he handed out his resums to several of the 27 companies, who had attended the expo to recruit skilled people with disabilities.
Rosenberg also met with one of the expo's organizers, Cathy Hampton, disability program navigator of Hire Disability Solutions, LLC, to talk about becoming a Certified Microsoft Office Specialist. At 4-feet-tall and 53 years old, Rosenberg is eager to work, although his abilities are limited to non-physical activity.
“I have trouble walking up stairs, lifting and bending. But sitting at a computer,” he said, practice typing with his fingers, “is just perfect for me.”
Hampton estimated that Rosenberg was one of about 300 people to make their way to the 2006 Career Expo - hosted by Hire Disability Solutions, LLC, LaGuardia Community College's Queens Workforce1, and VESID, the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with disabilities of the State Education Department.
Opened in August 2005, LaGuardia's Workforce1 office - one of two in the borough - helps adult jobseekers find careers, and VESID provides a variety of services for people with disabilities - helping them find jobs, doling out career guidance, and giving grants for everything necessary to pursue a career, including education and vehicle modifications.
Visitors, who were told to have their resums in hand and be dressed professionally, also had the opportunity to talk with representatives from the Social Security Administration about ways to gradually decrease aid as they enter the workforce.
However, with the Class of 2006 coming out of college, Rosenberg and the others will be faced with added competition from new graduates this summer.
About 65 percent of the disabled population in New York who are willing to work are unemployed, said Jeff Klare, CEO of Hire Disability Solutions, with job fairs and individual career counseling sessions, the expo's organizers aim to push more disabled people into the workforce.
Matching workers with employers
By Christina Santucci
Posted on
