Employment First In New Jersey – What’s It Mean and How Can It Help You?

July 15, 2026October 29, 2017 by Burt Brooks

Employment First - New Jersey Gets to Work

First Employment – Disability Second

In April of 2012, Governor Chris Christie declared New Jersey an Employment First state. With this simple declaration, New Jersey became a part of a national movement that is “centered on the premise that all citizens, including individuals with significant disabilities, are capable of full participation in integrated employment and community life.” (Via Departement of Labor) This urges local publicly-financed systems to adjust their programs and policies to promote integrated, competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities and special needs.

Phew. That was a lot of three-syllable-words.

In plain-speak though, what does it all mean? It means

Where Does Your NJ Candidate Stand on Disability Issues?

July 15, 2026May 15, 2017 by Burt Brooks

The New Jersey gubernatorial race is in full swing and voting will take place this November 7th. We reached out to all the current candidates (as of May 12, 2017) to find out their stances on issues that are important to people with disabilities and special needs and their families, living in New Jersey. We wanted to share these statements with you, our readers, to ensure you know each candidate’s stance on the issues facing the disability community.

With the federal government proposing sweeping changes to public policies that could have a direct impact on state services for people with disabilities and special needs, it has never been more important to elect a strong leader for New Jersey. Easterseals has advocated for and provided services to people with disabilities and their families for nearly 100 years, helping them to live, learn, work, and play in their communities. That’s why we have gathered these statements for your careful review, as they will help you make an informed decision when entering the voting booth this November.

Click on the photos of your candidate to read the statement they provided. (DISCLAIMER: This does not represent every NJ gubernatorial candidate currently running, as not all gave statements in response to our call.)

Candidates are presented in alphabetical order as not to show any preferential treatment towards any one candidate.

Bill Brennan NJ Governor Candidate — Bill Brennan (D)

Jim Johnson governor candidate — Jim Johnson (D)

Raymond Lesniak Governor NJ — Raymond Lesniak (D)

Phil Murphy Governor Candidate — Phil Murphy (D)

Steven Rogers NJ governor candidate — Steven Rogers (R)

Joseph Rudy Rullo governor candidate — Joseph Rudy Rullo (R)

Hirsh Signh NJ Governor candidate — Hirsh Singh (R)

John Wisniewski governor candidate — John Wisniewski (D)

Mark Zinna governor candidate — Mark Zinna (D)

How Much Do You Really Know Developmental Disability?

July 15, 2026March 16, 2017 by Burt Brooks

Raising a child with Developmental disability

A Time to Learn

In honor of Developmental Disability Awareness Month, we will be exploring what exactly “developmental disability” is. How is it defined? What challenges does it pose? And why do we have the term in the first place? This is the first part of our ongoing series of blog posts that will be diving a bit deeper on individual types and classifications of disabilities. We hope these posts will serve