Steven Tirado is a 22-year-old bilingual Hispanic man who lives with his parents in Haledon, NJ. He was diagnosed with Autism, SLD (Specific learning disability), and Reading Impairment. Steven graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in 2019 and is currently enrolled in a Social Services program at the Passaic County Community College.

Steven came to Goodwill NYNJ seeking help to get a stable and competitive job. He had volunteered at the Englewood Hospital in 2017, but he needed to learn how to effectively communicate in the workplace and improve his professional skills. SLD means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations. Conditions include perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

The Goodwill team provided him job leads, interview skills training, mock interviews, and job preparation. The team also help him to complete job application and showed him how to follow-up with potential employers.

On July 18, 2023, the Goodwill team placed Steven in a part-time Deli Clerk position earning $14.13/hr. at the Acme in Midland Park, NJ. But Goodwill stays with program participants as long as they need help to succeed at work. His Job Coach visits Steven regularly to support him.

Story submitted by our Northern NJ Services:
Maria Montalvo, Placement/Employment Services.
LaQuanda McIver, Job Coach.
Zinnia Catala, Assistant Vice President.