Brushing Up on Job Skills

Photograph by David Grossman

It can be tough for the disabled to find and keep work. But in New York, Fedcap Rehabilitation Services has spent 67 years providing job help to people whose physical or mental abilities are limited or who are recovering from substance abuse.

The organization helps such people figure out what jobs they are suited for and trains them in the skills they need. Many graduates stay with Fedcap, finding employment through the group’s contracts with federal, state, and local governments. Those contracts include cleaning the Statue of Liberty National Monument, entering data into computers at the city’s parking-violations office, and serving food to U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Travel Service employees.

In recent years, the group has begun to provide training, including basic literacy skills, for people moving from welfare to work. It also offers social and recreational programs for the disabled, including a community center for people with severe mental illnesses.

The organization receives the bulk of its revenue, about $52-million, from its labor contracts, according to its federal information returns. About $3.8-million of its annual operating budget comes from private donations and government grants, mostly to support the training programs.

Government funds have not kept pace with the costs of running the training and support programs, says executive director Susan Fonfa. The organization subsidizes its programs with the money earned from its contracts, but must keep bids low to remain competitive, she says. It is seeking more private support and for the first time has hired a development director.

Here, Edgar Martinez, 32, a custodian and Fedcap work crew leader, dusts an immigration exhibit at the Ellis Island National Monument.