Not everyone can genuinely say that they love their job. Zach, who started his first job this summer, is one of the lucky people who can unabashedly declare, “I love the work I do.”

Thanks to an internship through Adaptations — a program for young adults with developmental or learning disabilities — and UJA-Federation of New York, Zach found work as a hospitality staff assistant after his internship ended. He is among only 18% of adults with disabilities in the U.S. who have a job, a statistic that is a sad reality for far too many.

Adaptations, a social and vocational program for young adults in their 20s and 30s provided by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, is working to change that reality.

Zach first came to Adaptations several years ago because he wanted to develop his social skills. The program offered a lot of ways to do just that. From bowling to Broadway, dining out to couples groups, and much more, Adaptations welcomes 80 – 90 participants monthly, and has served 600 participants since the program began 12 years ago. Zach quickly became active in many groups, and soon became the ambassador for the dining out group that visits local restaurants.

When Zach learned he could apply for an internship that would help him get work experience and build a resume, he knew he wanted to take part. Zach applied, successfully completed several rounds of interviews, and was hired for a six-month internship at UJA.

Office and Hands-On Experience
UJA partnered with Adaptations when we learned that our organization could broaden the types of workplace settings offered to interns. UJA provides both office experience and more hands-on jobs in our print shop, mail room, and conference center.

Employment specialist Robin Drake from Adaptations helped both the interns and supervisors prepare for their roles. She also held brief meetings with the UJA interns at the beginning and end of their work days to provide support as needed.

Zach, one of three interns at UJA this past year, jumped on the chance to participate in 8-week stints with the hands-on tract.

“All of the supervisors in the print shop, mail room, and conference center made me feel welcome,” Zach said. “The conference center team took me under their wing and was there when I needed help, and I learned a lot.”

Zach learned food prep, event set up, and dishwashing, but he wasn’t the only one that benefited from the internship.

“Zach brought a positive energy to our workplace,” says Sam Lott, director of UJA’s conference center. “He’s a gem, able to do many tasks very well, and the entire staff enjoyed working with him because his positive attitude and happiness is great to be around.”

Win-Win
Sam knew he saw a good worker in Zach, so when Zach’s internship ended this past summer, Sam put in a call to his contacts.

Zach got hired at a catering center this past June. He works 16 hours a week and overtime when needed. Zach now uses the skills he learned during his internship at his job.

“My favorite part is working as a team and helping people,” Zach says. “My abilities have grown. I have more responsibility and can handle it. I work well under pressure. I’m proud of myself.”

As Sam sees things, it’s a win-win. “They got a great employee, and Zach’s a great guy. It’s rewarding to see someone wanting to do a job and just needing a jump-start to be capable of doing it.”

The Adaptations internship program at UJA is now in its second year. For more information, contact Robin Drake at rdrake@jccmanhattan.org. For other questions about Adaptations, contact Caitlin McInerney at cmcinerney@jccmanhattan.org.