The Initial Phase Consists of a Pilot Program in Partnership with Discovery High School in the Bronx and Richmond Hill High School in Queens

New York, NY – September 28, 2022 – The Institute for Career Development (ICD) announced today the launch of the initial phase of a planned citywide initiative to help youth with disabilities transition from school to career. Tens of thousands of students with disabilities leave public high schools every year only to find themselves face to face with a gap where the services they depended upon to finish school had previously been. This new initiative, created by ICD while working with the nonprofit consulting firm The Bridgespan Group, is designed to bridge this gap by providing services that enhance college and career opportunities for youth with disabilities. 

The initial phase of this initiative consists of a pilot program in partnership with Discovery High School in the Kingsbridge Heights section of The Bronx and Richmond Hill High School in Queens. With the start of the new school year, ICD now has on-site at each school a full-time “Navigator” available to work with any student who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan to prepare the student to make the jump to college or vocational training and embark upon a career. The Navigators, whose services are available at no cost to students or schools, will guide students around obstacles and over hurdles as they work to build skills needed to launch fulfilling careers.

The Navigators are supported by ICD’s full-time Transition Services Manager. She will split her time between school sites, amplifying the services provided by the Navigators and operating as the primary point of contact for school staff and parents of program participants. ICD staff will also work with each school to develop employer partners within their communities to provide work experiences for their students.

“ICD is excited to be working with Discovery High School and Richmond Hill High School to launch this much-needed new initiative,” said Diosdado Gica, ICD President of Programs and Operations.

“This new initiative will help students with disabilities to better understand how to advocate for themselves and successfully navigate their way through the complex systems of services and supports available to them after they leave school,” said Joseph T. McDonald, ICD President of Development and Communications. “It offers enormous potential to build the self-confidence, resilience, and agency that they will need to overcome the biases and barriers to employment that they will face as adults.”

“Discovery High School is excited to be one of the two schools launching this new citywide initiative,” said Rolando Rivera, Principal of Discovery High School. “We are pleased that the benefits are already flowing to our students, and we hope that our school’s participation will enable this pilot program to expand throughout the city.”

“Richmond Hill High School is pleased to help launch this new initiative,” said Neil Ganesh, Principal of Richmond Hill High School. “It offers long-term, holistic support to our students through their high school years and beyond that we believe will lead to greater self-determination, better economic mobility, and improved overall well-being.”

For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com.

About ICD
The Institute for Career Development is a New York City-based, not-for-profit, workforce development organization, whose mission is to help people transform their lives through career development and employment. A leader in the field of vocational rehabilitation since its founding in 1917, ICD specializes in serving people with barriers to employment – providing vocational evaluation, career planning services, job skills training programs, internships, and job placement services to youth and adults with disabilities.

About Discovery High School

Discovery High School’s mission is to prepare students for the rigor of college and life after high school. Students learn how to learn, how to think about their own thinking, and how to acquire the necessary skills they will need to be successful in the world of tomorrow.

About Richmond Hill High School

Richmond Hill High School’s mission is to promote young adults who are happy, goal-oriented, well-adjusted, and academically prepared to face the challenges of the future and to contribute significantly to societal progress.