{"id":84897,"date":"2017-09-25T01:31:28","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T05:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=84897"},"modified":"2017-09-24T20:28:56","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T00:28:56","slug":"nysid-honors-disabled-central-new-york-workers-for-employment-excellence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=84897","title":{"rendered":"NYSID honors disabled Central New York workers for employment excellence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"NYSID recognizes statewide work on Preferred Source contracts, including\u00a0Gerald Robbins of The Arc of Madison Cortland, who works in food packaging<\/em><\/p>\n

John Humphrey,\u00a0a custodian with The Arc of Onondaga\/ Monarch Industries in Syracuse, has been named a 2017 William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award co-recipient by New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc.<\/p>\n

A veteran with disabilities, Humphrey has overcome schizophrenia and homelessness to become the custodian at the Westcott Day Habilitation Center. He has missed just one day of work\u00a0in four years. Due to his disability, Humphrey does not drive a car, so a bicycle is his sole means of transportation to and from work, four to six miles each way, even through treacherous Syracuse winters.<\/p>\n

He is goal-oriented and says it is important to keep challenging yourself. With the hope of owning his own energy-efficient home and a belief that “something better than what you have now” is attainable, he continues to set higher goals for himself.<\/p>\n

Humphrey cares about his community and is very civic-minded. He recently started an online community through Meetup.com called “Better Onondaga County,” which now has 50 members who exchange ideas about how to make their community a better place to live.<\/p>\n

NYSID’s annual Joslin Awards Program celebrates exceptional job performance and personal growth by New Yorkers with disabilities working on NYSID Preferred Source contracts.<\/p>\n

In its 14th year, NYSID’s Joslin Awards Program has recognized more than 700 Outstanding Performers, and awarded 17 of those individuals with the final William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award.<\/p>\n

Eleven Central New Yorkers with disabilities are among 58 statewide Joslin Outstanding Performers recognized through NYSID’s annual people-centered awards program.<\/p>\n

In addition to Robbins and Humphrey,\u00a0the Joslin Outstanding Performers for 2017 from Central New York are:<\/p>\n