Albany, NY – Eleven Western New Yorkers with disabilities are among 57 statewide Joslin Outstanding Performers honored through New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc.'s (NYSID) annual Joslin Awards Program, which celebrates those who have overcome individual challenges to experience meaningful employment on NYSID Preferred Source contracts.
In its 15th year, NYSID's Joslin Awards Program has recognized 770 Outstanding Performers, and awarded 19 of those individuals with the final William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award.
The Joslin Outstanding Performers for 2018 from Western New York are:
- Brian Button, Allegany Arc (Wellsville), production/assembly
- Shawn Costello, NYSARC, Inc., Cattaraugus County Chapter (Olean), janitorial
- Kevin Danner, The Arc Wayne (Newark), janitorial
- Kevin Head, Lifetime Assistance, Inc. (Rochester), document destruction
- Young Kim, CDS Monarch (Rochester), production/assembly
- Janet Recktenwald, The Arc of Livingston-Wyoming (Mt. Morris), janitorial
- Linda Repka, Southeast Works, Inc. (Depew), janitorial
- Paul Saxton, Ontario ARC (Canandaigua), janitorial
- Andrew Speer, Chautauqua County ARC (Jamestown), janitorial
- Tiana Suttle, The Arc Erie County NY (Buffalo), janitorial
- Jason Zigenfus, The Arc of Steuben (Bath), janitorial
Steven Collins, who works in woodworking production for Mountain Lake Services in Mineville, and Maxine Nelson, a janitor with The Arc of Dutchess in Poughkeepsie, have been named co-recipients of the 2018 William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award.
Jefferson Rehabilitation Center in Watertown has been selected Member Agency of the Year, and eBizDocs in Menands has been selected Corporate Partner of the Year.
New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and Dutchess County have been named the state government and local government Customers of the Year, respectively.
The 2018 William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award co-recipients, Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, eBizDocs, OPWDD and Dutchess County will be honored during NYSID's Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 11 at 5 p.m. at the Albany Capital Center, 55 Eagle Street, Albany.
"Our lives are often shaped by the work we do, the inherent pride that comes from earning a living in our community. This is especially true for the New Yorkers with disabilities who embody Preferred Source employment at NYSID member agencies and corporate partners across our state," said Maureen O'Brien, NYSID president & CEO. "We salute our Joslin Outstanding Performers and our Member Agency, Corporate Partner and Customers of the Year as ambassadors of the wide-ranging abilities of New York State's workforce."
For more information on the Joslin Awards, including videos of previous award recipients, visit https://www.nysid.org/
NYSID is a not-for-profit statewide membership organization based in Albany with a mission of "advancing employment and other opportunities for individuals with disabilities." In 2018, NYSID empowered more than 6,500 people with disabilities who earned $68.7 million in wages on Preferred Source jobs. For more information, visit: https://www.nysid.org.
