Mr. Schwartz is the founder and served as the first President of AHEDD. He has been an active advocate for persons with disabilities for over 50 years. Mr. Schwartz was at the forefront in designing and demonstrating individualized on-site job training concepts that today comprise what is known as “Supported Employment”. He foresaw a future in which individuals with severe disabilities would be competitively employed, no longer limited to only segregated sheltered workshops.
Prior to AHEDD, Mr. Schwartz was an Assistant Director of the Arc of Pennsylvania and served as Project Director of the largest statewide On-the Job Training Program in the nation. He is a current member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation. He has served on many organizational boards and committees including the President’s Committee of People with Disabities, National Arc’s Vocational Rehabilitation Committee, Pennsylvania Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, United Cerebral Palsy of Central Pennsylvania, Alcoholism Services Inc., and United Way among others. He was a member of the task force charged with drafting the regulations that amended the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, by “prohibiting discrimination because of disability.”
Following retirement from AHEDD, Mr. Schwartz founded, owned, and managed several businesses. He is President of Cleanteam Building Services, Inc., and President of Columbus Supply House, Inc. He also founded Personnel Laboratories Inc., and Human Resource Solutions, Inc. Mr. Schwartz is a graduate of Philadelphia’s Central High School and received a BA from Pennsylvania State University. He was Honorably Discharged from the Army National Guard of Pennsylvania.