Focusing on Their Future

The CVS drugstore and pharmacy chain and New Vision Photography Inc. this week announced an agreement to provide training and photo lab processing jobs for graduates of a photography program for adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Since January 2004, the New Vision photography program has provided prevocational training in digital camera photography to 20 mentally disabled D.C. residents. The program is supported by the D.C. Department of Human Services and its Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration through Medicaid.

The first 10 graduates of the program were honored Tuesday at a ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library. The graduates, who also received certificates from Penn Camera Exchange certifying them as amateur photographers, will be the first to enter the CVS job program.

The graduates will receive nine weeks of training at two CVS centers, 4049 South Capitol St. SW and 4555 Wisconsin Ave. NW. They will then be employed as photo lab assistants in CVS One Hour Photo Processing outlets.

CVS is "committed to the concept of a totally integrated workforce, and we look forward to the good work we know the New Vision graduates will do for us in our photo processing labs," CVS Area Vice President Gordon Howard said in a statement.

Al Price, New Vision president and CEO, said the program will provide supported services and job coaching to the graduates to make sure they succeed at the workeach is successful in his or her employment.

"I am just overwhelmed by the students and the progress they have made in the past year," said Price, a professional photographer. "Many of the case workers didn't believe their clients would be able to do this work, but the students have been able to overcome tremendous obstacles. It's been a transforming experience for many of them."