When Amanda Caputo walks through the dining room at The Bristal Assisted Living in Garden City, she’s greeted by name. Residents smile as she clears plates, resets tables, and moves confidently from one task to the next. One recent afternoon, when a supervisor paused nearby, a resident immediately spoke up.
“She’s doing a very good job,” said Sondra Cain, a longtime resident at The Bristal. “You don’t need to worry.”
For Caputo, moments like that are deeply meaningful.
“I like helping the residents,” she said. “I love it so much.”
Those moments are the result of a 2025 partnership between YAI and The Bristal Assisted Living, one designed to create real, inclusive employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) while strengthening the community around them. Through hands-on internships, job coaching, and ongoing support, the partnership helps people build skills, confidence, and lasting connections in a real workplace.
Research shows that inclusive workplaces don’t just expand opportunity; they strengthen organizations as a whole. Studies have found that teams that comprise of people with disabilities gain from having more innovative and adaptable employees, bringing diverse perspectives and problem-solving skills. Inclusive organizations are also six times more likely to effectively anticipate and respond to change, while employees with disabilities demonstrate 72% higher retention rates and average or better attendance in 86% of cases.
Partnerships like this one bring those benefits to life, closing long-standing employment gaps by proving what’s possible when employers invest in people, not just positions.
Caputo, 25, works part-time three days a week as dining room waitstaff at The Bristal, her first job. She earned this position after completing a 10-week summer internship last year through YAI’s pre-vocational program.
Each week during the internship, Caputo and a small group of YAI participants came to The Bristal to gain hands-on experience in roles across housekeeping, dining services, and programming departments. They learned practical skills such as cleaning and resetting tables, wiping down chairs, and supporting dining room setup, while also getting to know staff and residents.
From the start, Caputo stood out.
“She bonded with people immediately,” said John Hunt, Executive Director at The Bristal. “You’d see her working alongside a group, laughing, chatting, completely at ease. That’s when you know someone isn’t just doing a job, they’re connecting.”
That connection is especially meaningful to residents like Carolyn Gellar, who sees Caputo regularly in the dining room.
“She’s very pleasant and always smiling,” Gellar said. “You can tell she takes pride in what she’s doing.”
Caputo agrees. “I like folding napkins, helping the residents with full cups, and talking about how everything’s going,” she said.
Her enthusiasm was also evident to Thecla Cleary, Director of Housekeeping at The Bristal, who worked closely with the YAI internship group.
“She stayed right by my side,” Clery said. “She was eager to learn every single thing. She kept saying, ‘I love it here. I want to work here.’”
After the internship ended, Caputo continued building skills with her job coach, Stephen Ferraro. Together, they identified her strengths, interests, and the supports she would need to succeed long term.
When a paid position opened in the dining room, staff already knew who the ideal candidate would be.
“She fit right in,” said Susanna Moquete, Director of Dining Services. “I introduced tasks slowly, one at a time, so she wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. And she just kept growing. Now she’s multitasking and doing everything with a smile.”
Caputo was officially hired in November 2025 and now works four-hour shifts Tuesday through Thursday. Early on, Ferraro provided on-site support to help her learn routines and expectations. As Caputo gained confidence, Ferraro gradually reduced the support.
“Stephen helps me understand the expectations of the job,” Caputo said. “He helps me with respect.”
Today, Caputo works independently in the dining room and continues attending her YAI day program on Fridays. She hasn’t missed a shift and has never been late, something staff and residents alike have noticed.
For Caputo, the job represents far more than a paycheck.
“It helps me be independent,” she said. “It helps me get more work experience.”
That sense of independence resonates with Gellar, who worked for years as a medical secretary at the VA before moving to The Bristal.
“She likes helping people,” Gellar said. “I always believed in helping others, because someday you may need help, too.”
For The Bristal, the partnership with YAI has strengthened not just its workforce, but its sense of community.
“When you give someone the opportunity to succeed, everyone benefits,” Hunt said.
As for Caputo, she’s already thinking ahead.
“I see myself here for a very long time,” she said. “I want to keep doing my best and making the residents feel right at home.”