ICD Announces Partnership with Brooklyn’s High School for Youth And Community Development at Erasmus Hall to Grow Pioneering Citywide Initiative

The Initiative Helps Youth with Disabilities Transition from School to Career

 New York, NY – October 3, 2023 – The Institute for Career Development (ICD) announced today a partnership with the High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus Hall in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. The partnership adds a third school to a pioneering initiative, launched with two schools last year, that will grow to be citywide to help youth with disabilities transition from school to career. The initial two schools are Discovery High School in The Bronx and Richmond Hill High School in Queens.

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, is designed to bridge this gap by providing services that will enhance college and career opportunities for youth with disabilities. 

Through this initiative, the 105-year-old Institute for Career Development works with high school students with disabilities to prepare them to make the jump to college or vocational training and start their careers. ICD staff members serve as navigators for individual students to guide them around obstacles and over hurdles as they work toward building the skills needed to launch fulfilling careers.

ICD identified this citywide gap in support for youth with disabilities while working with the nonprofit consulting firm The Bridgespan Group on a new strategic plan and is now shifting its focus to bridge that gap. ICD has similarly adjusted its focus at different intervals in the past, always retaining its commitment to people with disabilities but adapting to contemporary priorities. Most recently it has focused on vocational evaluation, career planning, and job training and placement primarily for adults with disabilities.

“ICD is excited to be working with the High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus Hall to grow 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 continue overcoming the biases and barriers to employment that they will face as adults.”

 “We are excited to help pioneer this evolving citywide initiative,” said Marie Prendergast, Principal of the High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus Hall. “We are pleased that our students will start to see the benefits in the Fall. They will receive long-term, holistic support through their high school years and beyond that we expect will result in 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

ICD - Institute for Career Development is a nonprofit workforce development organization for people with disabilities. Founded in 1917 and based in New York City, ICD helps youth and adults transform their lives through career services and employment. We specialize in assisting individuals as they prepare for and navigate career pathways at all stages of life from high school through adulthood.

About the High School for Youth and Community Development at Erasmus Hall

The High School for Youth and Community Development is a collaborative and inclusive community dedicated to empowering students to become lifelong learners by providing equitable support, fostering personal growth, and developing an innovative mindset to prosper in the global world. We aim to cultivate graduates who are confident in their path to success.