On April 19, 2012, Governor Chris Christie announced that New Jersey will become the 14th state to adopt the “Employment First” initiative. The Employment First initiative will require the state government to eliminate any barriers or practices that might prevent persons with physical, developmental, and mental disabilities from being employed and will increase the employment opportunities available to persons with disabilities. Both the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Department of Human Services will be instrumental in advancing the goals of the Employment First initiative and encourage private sector employers to improve their efforts to hire persons with developmental disabilities. More information about this Initiative is available here.