Main Line special needs teens and adults in Delco, Chesco, and Montco can participate in the community and lead more independent lives with the right Main Line inclusive hiring practices. But not every employer makes the proper accommodations for special needs employees. That’s where customized and supported employment comes in.

Customized and Supported Employment

Specialized employment agencies connect people with disabilities to unique job opportunities. Main Line small businesses and corporations implement inclusive hiring practices to help people with varied abilities achieve their employment goals. 

Teens and young adults with disabilities can find vocational opportunities through agencies dedicated to providing customized and supported work solutions. Customized employment focuses on what someone can do. Supported employment offers workers ongoing support services so they can contribute to the workplace. 

Community Integrated Services (CIS)

441 N. 5th Street, Suite 101, Philadelphia, PA | 215-238-7411

Serving Southeastern PA and Delaware, Community Integrated Services (CIS) helps people 18-64 with special needs find meaningful employment. CIS develops supported and customized employment in partnership with large and small businesses. Work is all paid employment, with occasional exceptions for short term trial periods where someone can try out a job. 

“We work with each individual. They could be 17, 18, 20, or an older person who wants to work,” said Susan Schonfeld, executive director of CIS. “We do an assessment, which is all community-based. We get to know the person and figure out what the parameters for success would be for that person.”

Benefits Counseling for Main Line Inclusive Hiring

CIS serves about 2,000 people each year, whether it’s connecting an individual with employment or helping others to maintain their jobs. They also provide benefits counseling, an essential service to help people with disabilities start working without losing social security benefits. 

“A lot of people with disabilities receive social security benefits and as you earn income, those benefits are affected,” said Susan. “We help people navigate that system, so that they continue to bring as much money as possible back into the home.”

From School to the Workplace

For youth 16–24 with disabilities, CIS helps individuals transition from school to the workplace. Young people with disabilities are entitled to school services up until age 21, but many families fall off “the service cliff” after that time. Susan recommends families start working with the school’s transition coordinator early to help lay the groundwork for adult services and employment.

“These systems are difficult to navigate, but we want people to go smoothly from school to work,” said Susan. “It’s a great thing for people to be earning decent wages and supporting themselves. Employment is an identity thing, too. It’s an important pillar of people’s lives.”

Find Out What They Want to Do When They Grow Up

She also encourages parents of young children with disabilities to start asking them what they want to do when they grow up. 

“Even if your child has a disability, everybody has aspirations,” Susan said. “Have those conversations with the little guys and continue until they’re 18 and older, because you have to set the bar. While they’re still in school — that is such a great time to be having conversations about what they want to do.”

Valley Forge Educational Services (VFES)

1777 N. Valley Road, Malvern, PA |610-296-6725

Valley Forge Educational Services (VFES) provides educational, vocational, and social programs for children and adults with disabilities. Individuals with special needs get individualized employment support and training through their Customized Workforce Solutions (CWS). 

With more than 60 years in special education, VFES knows that people with disabilities have many strong, employable characteristics. The CWS program helps people discover their talents and find integrated employment with the right support in place. It’s a “win” for everyone.

Main Line Small Businesses With Inclusive Hiring

These Main Line small businesses value an inclusive workforce. Some offer customized and supported employment. Others provide vocational training for young people with cognitive and physical disabilities.

Game On State

31 W State Street, Media, PA|610-566-7529

Aimee Rubin, founder of Game On State, experienced difficulty when trying to find support services for her teenage son with disabilities. After finding customized and supported employment services with CIS, she helped her son enter the workforce. This experience sparked a unique small business idea.

“My husband always wanted to open an arcade, and I wanted to help people,” she said. “That’s when the lightbulb went off. We decided to open an arcade on State Street in downtown Media and hire customized and supported employees.” 

Affectionately known as “everybody’s arcade,” the nickname for this Delaware County business sums up Aimee’s mission. With Game On State, she offers a fun, safe space for people of all abilities, but also provides Main Line inclusive hiring. When kids and families come into the arcade, they interact with employees with disabilities. 

“Working at Game on State allows those who are differently-abled to see that they are accepted by the community. They have opportunities for normal, social interaction,” she said. “My goal was to have children come into the arcade and interact with employees who may be in a wheelchair and normalize it.”

GET Café

246 Haverford Avenue, Narberth, PA | info@getincluded.org

Folks of all abilities are welcome to drink, dine, hang out — and work at GET Café in Montgomery County. An inclusive coffee shop and community space, the cafe is part of GETincluded. This non-profit organization helps people with disabilities reach their full potential. 

Founder Brooke Goodspeed, whose son has disabilities, strives to provide a community space for meaningful social interaction. Dedicated to Main Line inclusive hiring, Get Café provides employment to individuals with autism or a disability. The cafe also serves as a hub for programming, advocacy, and recreation for all abilities.

New Avenue Foundation

953 Rocklynn Road, Springfield, PA | 610-246-8939 

Founded in 2011 by two fathers, New Avenue Foundation in Delco creates social programs and volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities. Founder Jim Wurster, the father of an adult daughter with autism, knows firsthand the importance of meaningful social interaction.

“We know what things people with disabilities need to survive and thrive,” said Jim Wurster. “One of those things is being able to socialize with the rest of the community.”

New Avenue Foundation runs two signature programs. People of all abilities socialize at their Community Cup Coffeehouse on Friday nights and at Harmony, their daytime social clubhouses. Their coffee roasting business, Community Cup Coffee, offers volunteer work experience to people with disabilities.

“This business provides valuable skill training for people with disabilities,” said Jim. “And we can always use more people to come in and try to learn the skills.” 

Jakes Baristas

Coffee Closet with Barista Jake (located inside Vinyl Closet Records)​, 2117 W. Main Street, Norristown, PA | 484-686-1188 

Jakes Baristas is a non-profit vocational program for teens and young adults with special needs. Program participants get valuable work experience and socialization working in a small café called Coffee Closet. Founded by Jake’s mom, Angela McFarland, the Montgomery County program offers job readiness training, interview preparation, resume creation, and community engagement.

“My son Jacob, ‘Barista Jake’ is my inspiration for everything I do regarding the special needs population,” said Angela. “We want him to have a purpose and a place in this world and be a contributing member of society. He never showed any interest in anything that we could translate into a career until coffee, so here we are.” 

Angela’s family business, Vinyl Closet Records, provided the ideal host for the coffee business and job training program. Every time a customer orders food or beverages from the café, they give a worker with special needs a sense of purpose. Since its inception in May 2020, Jakes Baristas has worked with more than 35 young adults. 

“Every interaction and engagement we have with the teens, young adults, and families that we have is a success story,” said Angela. “Having families come to us with the desire to have their loved one be a part of our ‘Barista Jake’ team is such a thrill.”

Integrate for Good

3238 W. Germantown Pike, Suite B, Norristown, PA | 484-854-1375

Integrate for Good creates meaningful opportunities for people of all abilities to share their talents and participate in the community. Founder Bev Weinberg worked as an occupational therapist in Montgomery County schools for 25 years. She realized students with autism or other disabilities lacked employment opportunities and social connections after high school. 

“I saw so many students with disabilities with incredible talent, strengths, and abilities graduating to loneliness, unemployment, and social isolation,” said Bev. “I am passionate about empowering people with disabilities to live ‘enviable’ lives filled with positive health outcomes, community connection, economic opportunity, and belonging. 

Integrate For Good welcomes high school graduates with disabilities to become members and participate in their program offerings. Participants start with the 10-week Empowerment Lab, then continue with programs like Leadership Incubator and Raise Your Voice. Rooted in Temple University clinical research, these programs create pathways for leadership, service, and employment. 

“I chose this name because to ‘integrate’ is to make ‘whole,’ said Bev. “When we capture the talent of all people in our community, we make it whole. We don’t see people with disabilities as broken or needing to be fixed. We see them as whole and deserving of the best opportunities to thrive.”

So Much To Give Inclusive Café

3401 W. Skippack Pike, PO Box 111, Cedars, PA | 484-854-3379

So Much To Give Inclusive Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a welcoming environment that champions inclusivity. The Montco business seeks to empower all people, including those with disabilities and their families. Folks with a disability make up part of the staff, contributing their unique gifts and talents to the café.

Inspired by the needs of her adult son with autism, founder Maureen Stanko set out to create opportunities for young adults with disabilities. With the help of a friend, she opened the café in 2023 with accessible systems in place. The business provides equal opportunities to work, dine, socialize, volunteer, and learn.

Corporate Businesses Around the Main Line with Inclusive Hiring

Corporations with Main Line area stores recognize the value of an inclusive workforce and hire employees with disabilities. Find inclusive hiring at the following stores and theaters: 

• AMC Theatres provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities through its FOCUS program. 
• Giant Food Stores practices inclusive hiring for teens and adults with disabilities.
• Goodwill Industries offers meaningful work for people with disabilities.
• Target has an inclusive hiring policy and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities.

Many corporate businesses practice inclusive hiring. When looking for employment for teens and adults with disabilities, contact the general manager at your local store.

Inclusive Main Line Hiring

For teens and adults with special needs, employment provides a sense of purpose, independence, and belonging within the community. Specialized agencies match people with disabilities to customized and supported positions. Individuals with diverse abilities can also find employment with Main Line small businesses and corporations that value inclusivity.

Lead photo courtesy of GET Café in Narberth.