Mission
The YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network has changed our name to the YAI Network.

We continue working to fulfill our mission of providing the best possible services to people of all ages with developmental disabilities. Our goal is to give each person the best opportunity to reach his or her full potential and lead a productive, independent, and meaningful life.

How the YAI Network will use proceeds from Equity Through Education
The YAI Network will use proceeds from Equity Through Education to provide a broad range of employment services to people with developmental and learning disabilities. We offer comprehensive employment training that goes beyond specific job skills to teach people how to dress, behave, and interact successfully in the workplace. We carefully match program participants with jobs where they are most likely to succeed, and offer ongoing coaching while they are on the job. We also reach out to corporations to educate them on the importance and value of hiring people with disabilities, who are well-trained, dedicated, capable, and eager to work.

About the YAI Network
YAI was established in 1957, at a time when people with developmental disabilities were routinely shut away in institutions, where they were subjected to abuse and neglect and led bleak, hopeless lives.

YAI pioneered the idea that people with developmental disabilities should be given the opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve. YAI created the first community-based residences, and has developed a comprehensive range of services that provide hope and opportunity for people with disabilities. Today the YAI Network continues to lead the field, offering the best, most comprehensive, and most innovative programs for more than 20,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families.

The YAI Network Employment Initiatives Program
Many people with developmental and learning disabilities are able and eager to work. Yet because of prospective employers’ fears and misperceptions, they face tremendous obstacles in finding jobs. The unemployment rate of 76% among people with developmental disabilities represents an enormous waste of ability.

The YAI Network’s Employment Initiatives Program prepares participants to obtain employment and succeed at their jobs. Through internship/volunteer programs, participants learn vocational skills, appropriate on-the-job behavior, and workplace etiquette. Job coaches and developers help them look for jobs and prepare for interviews. Once a participant is hired, the Program provides ongoing support to the employee and the employer.

YAI Network Success
The funds raised through Equity Through Education made possible a much-needed renovation and relocation of the YAI Network’s Manhattan Employment Services Program. The Program’s facilities now include state-of-the-art equipment that helps participants receive the best possible job training and preparation.

The YAI Network secured more than 180 new competitive employment opportunities and developed relationships with more than 25 new companies. Outreach included job development, employer education, and job retention support.

Most graduates of the YAI Network’s employment programs are exemplary employees. They are highly motivated, deeply dedicated and loyal, and take great pride in their work. With the excellent training they receive through the YAI Network, these employees are extraordinarily productive and successful. We are deeply grateful to BMO Capital Markets for giving hundreds of people with developmental disabilities the hope and opportunity to succeed.