Employment Horizons outlines vocational and training programs for people with disabilities on Wayne Township podcast

Mark Toback, superintendent of Wayne Township Public Schools, opened a podcast episode with representatives from Employment Horizons to spotlight community services that help students and residents move from school into employment.

Samantha Orris, an Employment Horizons representative, said Employment Horizons was founded in 1957 to create vocational opportunities for young adults with disabilities and operates as a social business enterprise with multiple business units, including an on-site fulfillment center, staffing services, janitorial and groundskeeping (including a contract with Picatinny Arsenal), and Cafe Horizons. “Employment Horizons is a not for profit that was founded in 1957 by a group of concerned parents that were looking for new vocational opportunities for their young adult children,” Orris said.

The organization’s work focuses on helping people with barriers to employment obtain and maintain jobs. Jamie Osborne, an Employment Horizons representative, described the populations the agency serves: “Employment Horizons supports individuals 16 years of age and older who have developmental, intellectual, physical, and or emotional disabilities or other barriers to employment that limit their ability to obtain or maintain a job.”

How to get services
Most Employment Horizons programs and services are funded through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS), a state agency under the Department of Labor, and many services require a DVRS referral before the provider can deliver them. Orris said DVRS counselors set up an intake and help develop an individualized employment plan before clients choose a provider. “They’ll then be contacted by a DVRS counselor to set up an intake,” Orris said.

Osborne and Orris outlined the supported-employment pathway: DVRS referral or school/self-referral, an intake and employment plan, pre-placement services (resume help, interview prep, job sampling), on-site job coaching that fades over time, and periodic check-ins to monitor sustained success.

Youth transitions and training
Osborne described RISE (Readiness for Individual Success in Employment), a grant-funded youth transition program for people ages 16–24 that assists with interest and ability evaluations, basic-skills instruction, a job-readiness boot camp, paid job sampling in Passaic, Morris or Sussex counties, job coaching, and guidance on apprenticeships and GED completion. Eligibility includes age, county residence (Passaic, Morris or Sussex), and a documented disability or willingness to self-certify.

Orris also described a 10-week culinary arts training program for people with disabilities that graduated its first cohort in April 2024. The in-house course meets Monday through Thursday for about four hours a day, combines classroom and hands-on instruction, and can lead to ServSafe certification. Orris said the program is eligible for funding through DVRS.

Contact information and next steps
Employment Horizons representatives said individuals interested in vocational evaluations or RISE should first contact DVRS; they also provided direct contact information: Jamie Osborne at josborne@ehorizons.org and Samantha Orris at soras@ehorizons.org, and a phone contact of (973) 538-8822 (extension 249). Their website is www.ehorizons.org.

Toback closed the episode by noting the podcast’s purpose is to raise awareness about supports available after students exit the school system and encouraged families who need help to reach out.