Resources from Building Community Connections: Partnerships for Cultural Organizations

By Aliza Greenburg (Museum Access Coalition/Learning Spring School), Josh Taylor (Associate Professor of Special Education, Dept. of Teaching and Learning, Washington State University), and Karen Waltuck (The Consortium for Customized Employment, NYC)

If you missed our live webinar: Building Community Connections: Partnerships for Cultural Organizations presented by Aliza Greenberg, Josh Taylor, and Karen Waltuck, the full recording is now available.

Resources:

The Museum, Arts, & Culture Access Consortium (MAC) -  macaccess.org (check out the Resources page)

Yang Tan Institute on Disability and Employment at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations - https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/yti

Job Accommodation Network -  https://askjan.org/

US Department of Labor -  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/disability

US Department of Labor Customized Employment https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/program-areas/cie/customized-employment

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (from ed.gov) - https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states

ThinkWork! Institute for Community Inclusion, UMass Boston - Community Rehabilitation Providers - https://www.thinkwork.org/topics/community-rehabilitation-providers

Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment  - https://tacqe.com/

Though the following resources are specific to the state and the city of New York, they can also provide guidance when searching for local connections:

NYS Department of Labor SCION (Systems Change & Inclusive Opportunities Network)  -  https://dol.ny.gov/ny-scion-resources

Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)  Information for Community Partners - https://opwdd.ny.gov/community-involvement

ACCES-VR Business Services -  https://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr

NYC Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) - https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/about/about.page

NYC MOPD Employment Program ATWork -  https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/initiatives/employment.page

NYC Center for Workplace Accessibility & Inclusion  -  https://www.nyc.gov/site/wkdev/recent-initiatives/center-for-workplace-accessibiilty-and-inclusion.page

Consortium for Customized Employment; Job Path -  jobpathnyc.org/cce

Our panelists, Aliza Greenberg, Joshua Taylor, and Karen Waltuck, all offered to speak further with anyone interested in creating community connections. Their bios and contact info are below.

Aliza Greenberg - [email protected]

Aliza Greenberg (she/they) is the Community Outreach Coordinator at LearningSpring School, a school for autistic students, where she previously served as the Arts Enrichment Coordinator. Aliza is also a Project Advisor for the Supporting Transitions project with the Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium (MAC), a project she built alongside the MAC board as the Project Leader over the last 10 years. She is an Adjunct Professor at City College of New York and New York University and a Teaching Artist with CO/LAB Theater Group, a theater company for people with developmental disabilities. Aliza has consulted with theaters and museums across the country to develop accessible programming. Aliza earned an Advanced Certificate in School Building Leadership from St. John's University, a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Aliza is currently a doctoral student at the CUNY Graduate Center in the Urban Education program.

Josh Taylor - [email protected]

Josh Taylor is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Washington State University. His research focuses on promoting lifelong success for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities through implementation of evidence-based practices in inclusive school, work, and community settings. Dr. Taylor has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters related to school, transition, and employment experiences and outcomes of individuals with IDD in addition to clinical experience as a K-12 special educator and autism specialist, as well as providing training and technical assistance at the state and national levels. Much of his work focuses on leveraging partnerships with various community, state, and national stakeholders in order to implement research-based recommendations in policy and practice. Dr. Taylor earned a PhD in special education from Virginia Commonwealth University with a focus on research-to-policy implementation, and a Master’s in special education from the University of Virginia.

Karen Waltuck - [email protected]

From 1979-2009 Karen was co-owner of the internationally acclaimed restaurant Chanterelle, responsible for fiscal and front-of-house operations. Recipient of four James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Service and Best Restaurant in the US. Karen set the standard of what has become the widely practiced modern style of service: professionalism without pretension, and the commitment to hiring that reflects New York City’s diverse communities.

With 30 years of business experience, and as the proud parent of a young person with ASD, Karen knew first hand the power of employment, and that workplace diversity makes smart business sense. In 2012, after the restaurant closed, and aware of this enormous untapped resource, Karen jumped at the opportunity to direct a new Job Path initiative, The Consortium for Customized Employment.

The Consortium is composed of fourteen non-profits using the customized employment model to achieve long-term employment for skilled New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. 

As director, Karen’s focus has been twofold: strengthening the community of practice to create lasting job opportunities for this growing population, and establishing partnerships across a broad cross-section of businesses, industries, cultural and educational institutions to create truly inclusive workplaces that reflect the diversity of our great City. 

Full workplace inclusion is an important social justice issue and Karen is thrilled to continue to direct this innovative initiative.