Ruderman Family Foundation grant puts adults with disabilities in jobs

By Globe Staff

Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston will use a $2.5 million grant to fund a new program that places young adults with disabilities in jobs.

The grant is from the Ruderman Family Foundation, and the program is called Young Adult Transitions to Work. The program’s goal is to provide job training, placement, and ongoing support services for young adults with disabilities at Hebrew SeniorLife and other local employers in Boston, the philanthropies group said. Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization devoted to improving the lives of seniors. The program will be run by Jewish Vocational Services as part of a Combined Jewish Philanthropies initiative for people with disabilities.

“There are some 25,000 disabled young adults between in the ages of 18 and 30 in Boston’s Jewish community who are capable of working if jobs can be provided in conjunction with the right training and support,” Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said in a statement.