A new job training and placement center has officially opened in Brentwood for people with developmental disabilities and other special needs — a population that has traditionally struggled in the workforce.

The nonprofit Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, or FREE, held a ribbon cutting Friday for its Employment Services Center, located on Third Avenue. Officials were joined by several clients.

“We like to see ourselves as a part of a social solution, for bringing people together who are coming together using their different strengths,” said FREE's senior chief executive, Robert Budd.

FREE provides services to people with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, substance abuse issues and traumatic brain injuries, Budd said.

People with disabilities have higher rates of unemployment, and earn less on average than those without disabilities, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

To address these issues, FREE offers about 11 different vocational programs, said John Gallagher, its senior director of vocational services, in a speech at the opening ceremony. In the Pathways to Employment program, FREE has trained about 70 people in basic office skills, he said. Services are provided in both English and Spanish, he said.

Joey Gleason, of Bay Shore, said he attended FREE’s prevocational program in late 2023, where he learned skills like effective communication and how to dress appropriately for work.

Gleason, who has cerebral palsy, said he learned of an agricultural associate opening at Smile Farms in Oakdale while participating in the program. He started working at the farm this past autumn, and now spends his days watering and harvesting hot peppers, corn, garlic, carrots and potatoes.

“I get to play in dirt and get paid for it,” he joked.

Gallagher, Gleason's job coach, said he does his job well, despite lacking some physical capabilities. Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects movement and posture.

Gleason, for example, said he uses a rolling chair, or cart, to sit on while watering plants.

“Having this job, I’m lucky to have it,” Gleason said. “Getting a paycheck is pretty awesome.”

Gallagher runs FREE’s supported employment program, which focuses on job coaching and placement. He said participants have landed jobs at grocery stores, Amazon and Target, among others.

Kira Indellicati, of Lindenhurst, is a participant in the program. She said she has autism spectrum disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Indellicati also works at Smile Farms, and makes arts and crafts to sell. She said she has made new friends through FREE.

“It makes me feel good," she said. "I get to be my own person."