MONTICELLO — The Sullivan County Center for Workforce Development, in collaboration with the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, is hosting the 2025 Sullivan County Workforce Summit: Employer Educational Forum, on Wednesday, October 15 from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Water Park’s Grand Ballroom in Monticello. This free employer event, held during National Disability Employment Awareness Month, will highlight the importance of inclusive hiring and workplace practices for individuals of differing abilities. Employers will leave with practical strategies, training certifications, and toolkits designed to create stronger, more inclusive workforce systems. 

Highlights of the forum will include a keynote speech by Executive Director of Human Rights Ramone Wilson, an Inclusive Business Panel, and an Ability First Employer Training hosted by the New York State Office of Mental Health. This program will not only educate employers on inclusive hiring and workplace culture, but also give participants tangible action plans to immediately implement into their organizations.

The Sullivan County Center for Workforce Development will provide a complimentary Networking Breakfast at 7:30 a.m., before opening remarks are made by Disability Resource Coordinator Scott Curry. 

Curry said the Employer Educational Forum came about after hosting a similar event last year for service providers in the county; out of that experience, he realized the need for a summit geared towards educating employers on how to adopt inclusive hiring practices. Based on rough disability statistics, Curry estimates that Sullivan County is home to at least 1,250 non-institutionalized individuals with disabilities that are actively looking for work.

Curry said the forum will include education on, “hiring and retaining individuals with differing abilities, provide toolkits around inclusive job descriptions, interviews, and how to support them and retain them through [adaptations in] workplace culture,” and facilities. 

Curry said such adaptations, which may include adaptive screen readers, standing desks, wheelchair ramps, and handicapped bathroom facilities, are often misconstrued as too costly, but that the average cost of accommodating a disabled employee is $500. He maintained that retaining a valuable employee with a disability is far less costly than personnel turnover, which he estimated at $1,000-$5,000 per employee when considering paying unemployment, marketing for new hires, and the cost of on-boarding and training. He added that, “historically, disabled people have an excellent work ethic and show up on time,” ready to engage in their work activities with enthusiasm.

The Employer Educational Forum is free but requires advanced registration at eventbrite.com. For more information, contact the Center for Workforce Development at 845-794-3340 or email sccwd@sullivanny.us.