Two JCFS programs – Residential Supports and the Duman Opportunity Center – are working together to help individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) achieve independence and be active members of their communities.

Individuals with disabilities often face challenges when it comes to finding a job... JCFS Chicago’s Duman Opportunity Center offers various degrees of support for job seekers, such as Customized Employment, a job creation strategy based on the skills of the person seeking employment. 

When you have worked your whole life and a progression of circumstances place you in financial distress, some guidance and support go a long way toward security. After more than 20 years as an attorney with the same company, Barbara was laid off. On the recommendation of her rabbi, Barbara came to JVS Career & Employment for help finding a better paying job that was close to home and a good fit for her skills.

Leonard's success highlights the partnership between JVS Career and Employment and Mariano's.

Luba wanted to find a job that she was passionate about, so she came to JVS Career & Employment for assistance finding the perfect part-time job that would align with her skill set and career goals. 

Emily came to JVS Career & Employment looking for a part-time job that was flexible with her school schedule and located in her neighborhood. Her previous work experiences in an office and food service required support from a job coach. Through our customized youth employment program, we were able to identify prospective employers and design an individualized position that would allow for independence and success without needing a job coach.

You enter the labor force, you work until a certain age, and you retire. Or maybe you don’t. More and more people are working into their later years, a trend that is expected to continue. People are working later in life for a number of reasons. In April, Richard Foxman turned to JVS Career & Employment, part of JCFS’s family of services that specializes in career and employment, to help him navigate the job market—something he hasn’t had to do in more than a decade.

A force for social justice, JVS Career & Employment is a 501C(3) non-profit serving more than 5,000 employees, employers and entrepreneurs annually with programs for adults, youth and people with disabilities.

The Opportunity: Employees with disabilities offer a large untapped talent pool for employers. While business is challenged with an aging workforce and a shortage of skilled workers, individuals with disabilities continue to be underemployed. Our goal is to partner with an inspired entrepreneur/business leader to develop a new entity to generate revenue and create employment opportunities for people with disabilities. As an integral part of its value proposition, the social enterprise will commit to creating public benefit in addition to generating profit.

Life presents challenging situations, whether it’s raising a family, searching for a job, locating an appropriate social activity for a child or adult with a disability, coping with the advanced illness of a loved one or facing an unexpected financial or emotional crisis. JCFS Chicago helps children, couples and adults develop positive strategies and solutions to these challenges while strengthening connections to their families and communities.

JCFS Chicago brings its programs and services to people where they live, work, worship and learn, making it that much easier for people to access and benefit from its expertise and resources and those of its affiliate, JVS Career & Employment.