Champion Award

James (Jim) Thebery, M.A., CSW, began his career with the Division on Disability Services since 1994 and was named Director of the Bergen County Division on Disability Services in September 1999 and retired in December of 2019. He was responsible for overall supervision and evaluation of (9) full time office staff, (9) field evaluators, (4) program facilitators, and manages an annual fiscal budget in excess of 1.5 million dollars. This Division was established in 1978 by the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders as the first office in the state to address and serve the needs of persons with Disability. Division programs include, Post Stroke & Disabled Adult Support Groups, Personal Assistance Services (PASP) for Bergen and Hudson, Statewide Respite Care, Meals on Wheels, In-Home Caregiver Education, Information & Assistance, Speakers/ Advocacy Bureau.

Jim has been involved in self-advocacy for many years and continues in his pursuit of equality and opportunity for all individuals with disabilities. Some of these campaigns include, the statewide Access for All committees focused on addressing concerning residents with disabilities, and the Come & See, All Are Welcome campaign to ensure accessibility in houses of worship, through education and examples.

Along with the DDS advisory board, Jim created the publication It’s ALL About Work, Exploring an Untapped Labor Pool for employers looking for guidance in hiring persons with disabilities, containing valuable information on the low-cost of accommodations, tax credits for companies, proper disability related language and guidance and protocols in the hiring process. He has also created the annual Salute to Champions honoring those with and without disabilities who have a positive impact with regard to individuals with disability.

As Director he presented a series of informal panel discussions on Sensitivity Awareness for Persons with Disabilities in schools and for organizations to educate the public on the issues confronting persons with disability.

Jim has been a member of the Cultural Access Network Project Committee for many years, and collaborated with Bergen County’s Cultural Affairs to ensure accessible venues for cultural events. He serves as Commissioner-Chair of the Casino Revenue Fund Advisory Commission, which holds annual hearings on the service needs of the States aging and disabled populations. He has also served as Chairperson of the NJ State Association on County Disability Services (NJACDS) for over 15 years.

As Chairperson of the Bergen Community College Advisory for Students with Disability for 12 years, he has developed many initiatives aimed at improving the college experience for all students with disabilities and continues to develop seminars and employer fairs to enhance the employment prospects of the students.

He currently serves on numerous State and local advisory commissions including the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and NJ BUDDIES Board of Trustees.

Additional recognition of Jim’s efforts include: Ambassador for Inclusion in “People to Watch in HealthCare” January 2010 issue of 201 Magazine, recipient of the 2010 Government Achiever of the Year Award, 2010 Professional of the Year Award by the Board of Trustees of the Bergen/Passaic ARC, appointed as permanent member to NJ Transit ADA Task Force 2010, and he was appointed in 2011 to Bergen County Board of Elections as representative of persons with Disabilities.