About Us

Our mission is to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by introducing CUIMC to talent from this untapped candidate pool. Having fulfilling employment promotes independence and helps people with disabilities become fully integrated members of the community. Project PossABILITY is designed to bring people together with the understanding that everyone has skills to contribute and a role to play in community life. People with neurodevelopmental disabilities have talents, and perspectives that can be distinctly beneficial in many work environments. Yet, they face particular challenges when entering the job market and are often overlooked. When people are hired into jobs that match their interests and abilities, and are given the right support, they can be highly successful, productive workers.

Our program, Project PossABILITY at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is as much about expanding the talent pool and creating real value for CUIMC as it is about fostering inclusivity and erasing stigma. By using a customized employment method that is centered on matching the hiring manager’s needs with a job applicant’s strengths, the team can identify job candidates with the help of disability employment specialists, assist with onboarding, and provide job coaches to help support employee training. The coaches also facilitate the learning and performance of job tasks and assist with interpersonal skill development to ensure that each employee is equipped with the skills necessary to succeed.

To support the program and identify talent, Project PossABILITY has partnered with the Consortium for Customized Employment, a collective of 14 New York City non-profit organizations committed to employment for people with developmental disabilities.

And make no mistake: Project PossABILITY has achieved several successes in providing meaningful and competitive employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program has hired many individuals and provided them with competitive wages and benefits.