ROCHESTER, NY – The US Supreme Court held on Olmstead v. LC. that unjustified segregation of persons with disabilities constitutes discrimination in violation of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This enables people with disabilities to integrate into the right steps of their lives. This can look like individuals moving into properly designated group homes, access to needed health care, and employment opportunities.
That court decision was 25 years ago, on June 22, 1999, but people with disabilities still suffer from high levels of unemployment. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 7.2% in 2023, about double that of those without disabilities, which was 3.5%.
That’s why job training is critical for people like Daemon Mack.
“My dream is to work at the Foodlink food pantry you know?” Mack said.
He is interning as a student worker at the Monroe County Community College food pantry, a job offered through the Arc of Monroe and the MCC Experience.
“I spent two more years at MCC before graduating. And I have to figure out my plans, what I’m going to do next year,” he said.
He will enter the workforce, but as a person with developmental disabilities, maintaining employment has been somewhat of a challenge for him in the past.
“They’re like, well, you’re not doing so well. So I’m like, I have to find my plan B,” Mack explained. “I wasn’t crazy. I might have to get another job, or I might have to do another work study or something.”
Two jobs later, he continues to work toward his goals, both physically and mentally.
“It’s part of my disabilities, so it’s more practicing with one hand and things like that,” he said.
MCC Experience has partnered with Arc of Monroe since 2017. The organizations help people, like Mack, find personalized and sometimes non-traditional employment opportunities.
“It really helps our participants. It’s prevocational, so getting ready to work, what are those skills that people need that will help make them successful and then, but also work towards their goals. What kind of interests are they interested in doing? Is it employment? Is it volunteering? Is it just getting out into the community more? So everyone is at a different level of services,” said Linda Riggs, vice president of community and employment services at Arc of Monroe.
“It’s just helping people realize that maybe you’re looking at things in a non-traditional way,” she continued. .but they could do it in 10 hours a week. And it’s so important because it gives people a sense of purpose and mission in life, that, you you know, which are sometimes denied, and indeed ought not to be.”
Employment helps provide a purpose in life for people with disabilities. People with disabilities were officially declared able to seek developmentally appropriate next steps in a 1999 US Supreme Court decision. Olmsted v. LC Mack’s the right to employment can help him find a stronger purpose in life.
“What we do is try to understand different resources, different techniques, different strategies to help them, to help them achieve their goal, whether it’s to get the readiness skills to work, then we will have lectures and as occasional teaching to show them about the things that can influence them in their work life to develop suitable and good work habits along with social habits,” said Daniel. Lee, Mack’s program manager at MCC Experience.
Mack’s supervisors say conversations about his goals have been a big step in his development. They are proud to see it grow every day.
“I think just all the opportunities that Daemon has taken and he’s taken some risks…and he’s just blossomed into such an amazing person and he’s doing things that he never would have done before. We we’re seeing a lot of new ideas and skills coming out of him, too. And I can’t wait to see what he does next year,” said Jean McCrumb, MCC’s Access to College Experiences program coordinator.
Everyone is forming a team – Team Daemon.
“It’s a great program for me, you know?” Mack smiled.
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