Thousands of disabled Queens County residents would probably be jobless if it weren’t for the efforts of the local Vocational and Educational Services (VESID) office.

Located on the 20th floor of One Lefrak Plaza in Corona, the VESID staff help place over 1,000 candidates in various jobs each year.

"We deal with every disability you could think of," said District Office Manager Lois Benjamin. "We try to include people even if they are severely disabled."

In addition to physically disabled people, VESID also takes in people with emotional problems, learning disabilities and recovering substance abusers. Disabled senior citizens are also helped.

"I once had a 70-year-old stroke victim who is now working for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)," Benjamin added.

According to Benjamin, VESID’s goal is to provide potential employers with "pre-screened and pre-trained applicants" who are disabled and find it difficult to get a job on their own.

"We work with the individual client," Benjamin said. "When they have a certain job in mind, we provide them with training to meet this goal."

To be eligible for the VESID program, an applicant has to have a disability that hinders them from easily finding work.

Applicants signing up with VESID first undergo a screening process based on an economic means test. "We look at their income and see whether they meet economic need criteria," explained Benjamin. Applicants on public assistance qualify automatically.

They then attend a group session where they are informed of the eligibility criteria and the purpose of the system.

After the group intake session, applicants are assigned appointments with individual counselors. The counselor works with the clients through the entire training and job search process until the person is employed.

The counselor then stays in contact with the employee for 90 days, checking on his or her progress. If the person loses the job, the counselor then works with the client on finding another job.

"The case is closed after 90 days," Benjamin said, "but clients can call back periodically to check in with their counselors."

Applicants aren’t billed for VESID’s services – it’s a federally funded program which also receives matching funds from New York State. "If clients have to pay, it’s usually for outside training in things like business schools," Benjamin added.

Few applicants are turned away. "Most of the time, they’re generally eligible," she added. "Those that fall through, it’s because they lose interest or because of personal issues."

The constantly changing job market in Queens County keeps the staff of counselors on their toes. Oddly enough, jobs such as low-level clerical positions are not in demand as they were years ago. "We did an analysis of job training and the jobs that people actually got. The biggest number of placement are truck and van drivers, but this doesn’t mean that this is the only thing we’ve got," Benjamin said.

The demand for factory jobs is also dwindling – as are the number of factories and mills themselves. "Generally, the most popular jobs are service, food and retail sales," she added.

To find jobs for its clients, VESID offices have regional marketing representatives that contact medium and large-sized employers and inquire about openings.

The Queens office has lined up hundreds of these employers, including nationwide companies like K-Mart, Price-COSTCO, Home Depot and the AMR service branch of American Airlines.

"You get contacts any way you can," said Harry Reis, marketing representative for VESID-Queens. "Normally you go to a personnel office, human resources director, or even make the contact by telephone." VESID’s staff even go to store openings to inquire about job openings, Reis added.

Often potential employers worry that they are going to have to fork over thousands of dollars for special accommodations after hiring a disabled worker. But VESID tries to allay those fears by telling them that in most cases modifications are not needed. "In cases where modifications are needed, the costs are less than $500," she added.

Even then, companies are resistant. "You never encounter active resistance," Reis added. "It’s usually passive. People are polite, but sometimes nothing happens. Why? People fear the unknown. Something they haven’t done."