January, 2024

We want to inform and connect with the entire Job Path community

 so we are all on this path together.

Employment highlight: C.A.C Industries

C.A.C Industries, is a family-owned civil contractor that works on some of New York City's biggest commercial construction jobs. With two locations in Queens, they hired two Job Path participants this summer. We caught up with them to see how it's going!

Photo: C.A.C Industries

Devon T. is an office assistant in Jamaica and enjoys how every day is a mix of routine tasks and new challenges. 

“I like the office,” he says. “Everyone knows each other, and it’s really friendly.” 

Asked what skills he brings to the job, Devon says “my professionalism, my organizational skills, and my keen eye for spying something that the team might have missed.” 

In addition to scanning and record-keeping, Devon has cleared outdated license plates from the company’s E-ZPass account and keeps track of equipment recalls. He recently started tracking the company’s parking tickets, says maintenance facility manager Anthony Rangel.

“Devon has such a good work ethic - it’s amazing. He takes a lot of pride in his work, and he cares so much," says Rangel, who notes that Devon started with a 3-day-a-week shift but increased to 5 days a week. 

“That speaks for itself in his value,” Rangel says. “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.”

Cheryl Vawdrey, Job Path Inclusion Advocate, who worked with Employment Specialist Sean McAuliffe to develop the positions at C.A.C says the company was immediately enthusiastic about Job Path’s mission. 

“When I told them what we did they said they had been thinking about this for a long time. It was serendipity because they had a desire to become a more inclusive environment in that way for a long time, but they didn’t know how to do it.” 

Anton K. who assists with office work at the Long Island City location says he loves the job's challenges. 

“My supervisor likes my job; she really likes my work,” says Anton, who is in the process of expanding his skills, given that he has a long work history. 

“She said I should leave some work for tomorrow but I want to get it all done,” he says. “I like it a lot. It doesn’t matter how long it takes; I want to get it all done.” 

Lorraine Marrero, who works with Anton, says he has a great personality and a positive attitude. 

“He’s hardworking, works independently, takes the initiative, and is not afraid to ask for more work daily,” Marrero says. She said that for years the office was overwhelmed with paperwork that needed to be shredded, but they didn’t have the personnel to do it. 

Photo: Cheryl Vawdrey

“In comes Anton. We gave him the nickname: “The Shreddenator” because as of today there are no more boxes to be shredded,” Marrero says. “Anton came in, took his job responsibility head on with so much devotion and enjoyment because he really likes shredding. Our office aisles were once cluttered with a multitude of boxes and are now cleared to walk.”

When the poetry group met in late December, they used the new year as a prompt.

Here are some of their inspiring creations.

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January is always a time when we look back on the year we’ve just completed and look toward the year to come. 

I think the most important milestones are the ones we see every day at Job Path. They may seem like “small” moments, but we all know how important they are and how much work goes into them. There have been new jobs started, work anniversaries celebrated, roles expanded. Our office conference rooms are once again home to lively, in-person participant groups like New Path, which is featured below. There are the everyday routines in peoples’ houses that make each one a home.  

But this New Year’s also has me reflecting on the past even beyond the last 365 days. As we are marking our 45th anniversary, I’m thinking about more than 5,800 days ago (16 years!) in 2007, the year I joined Job Path.

I began as a Medicaid Service Coordinator, and over the years I was proud to lead teams of fantastic people in quality assurance, residential, and day services before stepping up as CEO of this incredible organization in 2022.  

One of the things that inspired me from the start and still does today is Job Path’s fierce commitment to an individualized, customized approach to disability services. The other is how our staff works with such creativity, dedication, intelligence, and heart so New Yorkers with autism and other developmental disabilities can live the lives they deserve every year.   

I look forward to continuing this commitment in 2024 and hope your New Year is filled with this same bright promise. 

Sincerely, 

Carly Teichman 

New Path is one of JP’s oldest Community Connections group. It brings participants together to check in with each other, learn new things, play games, tackle projects, and share a meal or a snack. Along the way, everyone expands their social and communication skills. (And has a ton of fun!) 

“It’s a safe space to come together each week and learn and grow,” says Gabriella Badaracco, staff and community developer. “One thing I love about New Path is seeing people’s growth and connection. It's a place where we uplift each other.” 

The group watches a video on New Years traditions.

Not only does Christopher D. enjoy computer programming. He’s good at it, and now he’s got more to add to his resume to prove it. 

Last month, Christopher graduated from the 6-month Web Programming Fellowship course from Opportunity College. 

“It was a little complicated for me but I'm going to try to spend some more time with it in the new year,” says Christopher. He said it was sometimes a challenge to stay motivated for the course, especially in the hot summer months in the hours after his job, doing agricultural work at Harlem Grown. 

“For the past few years I’ve been doing my own thing in terms of web design, but now I can meet the requirements given to me when it comes to a website.” 

Photo by Christopher D.

You can follow Christopher on social media on his Instagram @inspiringphotos9

“Deep down inside it’s part of my talents, and I like to style things. I like to be creative. I like to design things,” says Christopher, who also is a photographer. “My next goal is to find something that really relates to my talent and something I'm truly good at.” 

Christopher says he appreciated having support from Job Path's Elizabeth Beaubrun, Employment Training Program Manager.

"I think Chris did well because he came to understand his own learning style," she says. "He was able to articulate to his instructors what works (and doesn't work) for him. Instructors made themselves available for 1:1 meetings and additional tutoring. Chris also put new organizational skills into practice when he learned to juggle multiple classes and assignments on top of his part-time jobs." 

"The sense of community at Opportunity College resonated with me when I had the privilege of seeing a video of Chris and some classmates working on a group project. The way they honored each other's ideas and made space for Chris was impressive."

If the U.S. Census continues with a plan to change the way it counts Americans with disabilities, it could reduce the number of people considered to be disabled by 40%.

One round of feedback closed in December, but the agency is expected to open another comment period in the Spring.

Click here for the story.

Staff Anniversaries

Special recognition to staff who celebrated their anniversary at Job Path in December. Thank you for all of the contributions that you have made over the years in making Job Path successful.

Valerie Santana - 12 years

Keeva Sue - 12 years

Nancy Vera - 10 years

Kevin Crooks - 8 years

Neaneh Stephens - 8 years

Tiffany Johnson - 7 years

Rayquan Ethridge - 4 years

Ioanna Papadopoulos - 4 years

Krystal Best - 3 years

Sara Lesch - 2 years

Yismel Vargas - 2 years

Rujean Adolphe - 1 year

Eloim Bastien - 1 year

Anna Boyarko - 1 year

Calum Justice - 1 year

Cheryl Vawdrey - 1 year

Job Path supports people with autism and other developmental disabilities as they find jobs, live in their own homes, and become involved in community life. To learn more, visit our website.

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