SAYREVILLE, NJ Oct. 23, 2015 – Today the Christie Administration joined states across the nation to mark the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by President George H.W. Bush. Commissioner Harold J. Wirths of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development celebrated the historic milestone at an event with the New Jersey State Rehabilitation Council (SRC), the New Jersey Rehabilitation Association (NJRA) and the New Jersey Association of Persons in Support of Employment First (APSE). The ADA ensures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities for access to businesses, employment, transportation, state and local government programs and services, and telecommunications.

The observance, appropriately held during National Disability Employment Awareness Month which is celebrated annually in October, featured a keynote address by Commissioner Wirths and a panel with people with disabilities, employers and advocacy groups discussing progress since ADA was signed into law.

“I’m proud to work for Governor Christie who has worked to remove barriers that prevent people with any type of disability from holding jobs by adopting an Employment First strategy,” said Commissioner Wirths. “And I’m proud to lead a department that is dedicated to assisting the talented and motivated consumers who want to work despite facing difficult challenges. This past fiscal year, my Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services successfully placed 3,822 consumers, some with significant disabilities into competitive integrated employment with an average salary of more than $12 an hour.”

The New Jersey Labor Department kicked off National Disability Employment Awareness Month by participating in the state’s fifth annual Disability Pride Parade and Celebration Day held in Trenton. National Disability Employment Awareness Month seeks to promote community awareness of disability employment issues through a variety of activities including highlighting employers who have successfully mainstreamed workers with disabilities into their operations, praising the accomplishments of individual workers with disabilities and touring businesses using assistive technology to accommodate workers with disabilities.

New Jersey receives an average of nearly 12,000 new DVRS cases each year and successfully placed 3,822 consumers into competitive employment this past fiscal year. Employers and job-seekers interested in learning about the programs and services offered by the state Labor Department’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services can:
• Visit: http://careerconnections.nj.gov/careerconnections/plan/foryou/disable/vocational_rehabilitation_services.shtml
• Email: dvradmin@dol.state.nj.us
• Call: (609) 292-5987 or (609) 292-2919 (TTY)
                                                                                   

Commissioner Harold J. Wirths talking with Peggy Englebert, Chairperson of the New Jersey State Rehabilitation
Council, Assistant Director Brian Fitzgibbons and Director Alice Hunnicutt of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Services at an event celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.