BRIDGEWATER—Raritan resident Mark Krause is one of the best security guards in the Bridgewater Mall. He also happens to have a learning disability.

“He’s very fair and very reliable,” said Frank Mannion, Krause’s boss, who respects his employee’s abilities enough to allow the 39-year-old to occasionally supervise a work shift.  “He’s really good with people. He’s the guy I go to when I want to know what’s happening in the mall.”

Krause is one of more than 160 clients supported by Bridges to Employment, a division of Alternatives, Inc., a non profit social service agency that provides programs, services and housing for people with special needs. For more than a decade, Bridges has built relationships between its clients and employers throughout Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset and Ocean counties. Through an Employment Specialist, or job coach, Bridges to Employment assesses a person’s skills, abilities and any barriers to employment. It then matches that person with an appropriate employer in the area who needs a qualified employee. Once an employee is placed, Bridges continues to support any vocational or training needs its client might have.

At a time when the nationwide unemployment rate has topped 9 percent, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities has soared to more than 16 percent. But as Bridges clients have proven, workers with disabilities represent a highly skilled talent pool. More than 70 percent of the organization’s clients placed in jobs between June, 2009 and June, 2010, have retained their employment for more than a year.

“During this time of economic uncertainty that’s a considerable achievement,” said Bridges to Employment Director Glori Bine-Callagy. “And it highlights the theme of October’s National Disability Awareness month: ‘Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities.’ These figures prove that people with disabilities can not only find jobs, they can also help employers compete in today’s global market.”

Jeremy Salva, another Bridges client, is an invaluable asset to the Edison branch of UPS. He is also Deaf.

For Michael Urciuoli, Salva’s boss, hiring the 24-year old Perth Amboy resident was a smart decision. Uricuoli wishes he had 100 employees like Jeremy. “He’s one of my best workers,” he said.