Steve Towler, Vice President of Programs & Business Development and his team at AHRC NYC have developed an innovative concept to promote a customer service-focused program for employing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Steve and his team will share how they use their personal “Hedgehog Concept” to provide the best person-centered services possible to the individuals they serve, and to positively drive change in the business community by creating and maintaining meaningful partnerships with hundreds of businesses throughout New York City.  

The AHRC-NYC team will describe some of the many stereotype-defying, "outside-the-box" positions in which participants in their programs have found success based on their unique interests and abilities, as well as how AHRC-NYC has created two innovative social enterprise companies-a secure document shredding service and a full-service janitorial company.

The team will explain how AHRC-NYC works with employers to carve customized jobs suited to the skills, interests, and needs of workers as well as describe AHRC-NYC's unique job matching process, and the emphasis placed throughout its employment programming on individualized, person-centered service, offering ongoing coaching and assistive technology as needed and necessary for success. 

Presenters: 

Steve Towler, Vice President of Programs & Business Development, AHRC NYC

Shauna Lozada, Director of Corporate Partnerships & Business Development, AHRC NYC

Salvador Moran, Director of Employment & Business Services, AHRC NYC

Michele Shapiro, Assistant Director of Employment & Business Services, AHRC NYC