Transition to Work

Kessler Foundation focuses on increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

August 3, 2009
By working a full- or part-time job, individuals gain the independence and self-sufficiency necessary for improving their quality of life. People with physical disabilities realize that they, too, can lead competitive, profitable, and purposeful lives.

Although individuals with disabilities represent the largest minority group seeking employment in today's marketplace, they are often not considered a component of corporate diversity programs. In 2007, the Foundation awarded $2.7 million to 17 organizations that work to create job opportunities through development, placement, employer education, business networks and social enterprises. The funding has enabled people with disabilities to overcome the discrimination and transportation impediments that often face them and meet the workforce needs of American businesses. With innovative programs such as trip-planning and personalized services through a pilot project at TransOptions in Morris County; employment promotion through a new state chapter of the U.S. Business Leadership Network; and intensive training in the retail arts market, the barriers that once prevented people with disabilities from working are on their way to being knocked down.

By the end of calendar year 2008, Kessler Foundation will have directed over $12 million to organizations dedicated to integrating people with disabilities into today's workplace. Its grants have positively impacted the quality of life for more than 1700 individuals and fostered employment for people with disabilities at more than 1000 businesses.