Gateway Employment Resources, Inc.
Partners with Business. . .
Enhancing the Employability of
People with DisAbilities
Welcome to Gateway Employment!
Message from the President
David Giraldi
As the country moves into the mid-months of 2009, it is clear that the need for the employment services that Gateway Employment Resources provides to individuals with disabilities is greater than ever and our capacity to meet these needs grows stronger every year. With my 16 years of experience at Gateway coupled with my experience as a parent of a child with a disability, I fully understand the confusion many parents face when their children move from an entitlement service (such as schools) into an eligibility service (government funded human services). This perspective allows me to ensure that the services we provide are relevant and meet the needs of both individuals with disabilities and their families.
It is our approach to services, coupled with our long term relationships with employers, the quality programs we offer, our team of dedicated, professional employees, the leadership of our Board of Directors, and our ability to supplement government funding with support from private foundations that has enabled Gateway to come of out the uncertainty of the past few years to be an even stronger and more vital organization than we were before.
While funding has decreased at many levels or changed its focus, and the competition for the remaining funds has increased, the needs of individuals with disabilities for obtaining employment that builds their positive sense of self and puts them on the road to self-sufficiency, has also increased. Data indicates that there are over 20,000 individuals with an employment disability in Montgomery County alone. National data estimates that 67% of individuals with disabilities between the ages of 16-64 are unemployed, while approximately 66% of these individuals indicated that they wanted to work. The need for services for individuals under the umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury continue to increase as the number of individuals with these disabilities continues to grow and their needs become more visible to the American public.
Gateway is here to help meet these needs. Gateway stands apart from other area organizations in that our program focuses totally on job placement and retention services to individuals who have disabilities; we are a stand alone organization not associated with any umbrella organization; and our home base is and has always been in Montgomery County. Our local base for services has helped us develop support from community-focused organizations and foundations, county, state, and federal funding and our capabilities were recognized statewide through our first ever grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. We are exploring ways of addressing the needs of individuals who are autistic or who have traumatic brain injury, two rapidly increasing populations in need of assistance.
The future is still a challenge, but I am confident that Gateway will not only continue to provide the needed services we offer, but increase our stature as a premier provider of services that help individuals with disabilities prepare for and maintain the employment they need to be self-sufficient and lead a purposeful life.
The individuals with disabilities we serve never give up on their dreams. I personally promise at Gateway, we will remain committed and never give up helping them reach their dreams.
