September 06, 2006
Cafe to open at Children's Museum: Snug Harbor eatery to employ developmentally disabled adults from On Your Mark
Museum-going works up an appetite, especially among small fry. Starting next month, visitors to the Staten Island Children's Museum at Snug Harbor in Livingston will be able to refuel at a brand-new cafe.
Of equal benefit, the cafe will provide employment for 15 developmentally disabled adults from the nonprofit agency On Your Mark of West Brighton.
...Besides the cafe, the grant will provide funding for 15 special-education teen-agers to work at the museum to help with mailings, prepare for workshops, maintain exhibits and assist in the operations department.
It also will help fund various programs geared toward children with anxiety and attention disorders, including painting, sculpting, gardening and cooking with other young people.
Read the rest of "Cafe to open at Children's Museum: Snug Harbor eatery to employ developmentally disabled adults from On Your Mark".Posted by Michelle at 11:23 PM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2006
Agency rescinds plans for disabled adult homes
Community Resources has decided not to go ahead with its plan to house 16 developmentally disabled adults in Mariners Harbor.
Read the rest of "Agency rescinds plans for disabled adult homes".Posted by Michelle at 01:10 AM | Comments (0)
April 05, 2006
Willowbrook State School survivors spurned
Some of them survived the horrors of Willowbrook, and now a group of 16 developmentally disabled adults are looking for a new home in Mariners Harbor.
But neighbors of the proposed Community Resources residences at 16 and 22 DeHart Avenue voted 11-1 against the proposal last night during a meeting of Community Board 1's Mariners Harbor area committee.
Read the rest of "Willowbrook State School survivors spurned".Posted by Michelle at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2006
A push to preserve Willowbrook's legacy
A push is on to secure historic status for the College of Staten Island and an adjacent campus used by the developmentally disabled community, one month after CSI dropped a contentious plan to build dormitories on the land used by disabled young people -- a site many consider sacred ground today.
A new committee is considering historic designation for the entire 350-acre area -- home to the former Willowbrook State School, a sprawling, state-run institution where thousands of developmentally disabled New Yorkers once lived in isolation and squalor.
Read the rest of "A push to preserve Willowbrook's legacy".Posted by Michelle at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2006
Raucous debate over facility for disabled
An evenly divided, standing-room-only crowd filled Community Board 3's Rossville office for a public hearing about the plan to house six women with mild to moderate mental retardation, which may include disabilities like autism and Down syndrome.
Read the rest of "Raucous debate over facility for disabled".Posted by Michelle at 02:32 AM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2006
Audiotape Provides Details of Bus Abuse
A muffled audiotape released to the media yesterday provided a hint of the events that transpired Sept. 30 aboard the bus taking a severely disabled child from his Huguenot home to school in Brooklyn.
Read the rest of "Audiotape Provides Details of Bus Abuse".Posted by Michelle at 07:34 PM | Comments (0)
Autistic Boy Neglected and Mocked
A Staten Island school bus driver and matron are under investigation after allegedly being caught on audio tape alternately taunting and ignoring a disabled 7-year-old boy they were transporting, the Advance has learned.
Read the rest of "Autistic Boy Neglected and Mocked".Posted by Michelle at 12:46 AM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2006
State of the Art Pedestrian Signal for Visually Impaired Staten Islanders
New York City Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall and Staten Island Borough President James P. Molinaro have unveiled a new Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) on the corner of Castleton and Brighton Avenues in Staten Island. The new signal uses the latest in APS technology and can be programmed to play audible messages informing visually impaired users when the "walk" message is displayed for the specific street they are waiting to cross.
Read the rest of "State of the Art Pedestrian Signal for Visually Impaired Staten Islanders".Posted by Michelle at 06:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2006
Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett Announces $400,000 Multi-State Action Against Consultant Accused Of Deceptively Promoting Sweepstakes for PA and Other Charities
[Pennsylvania] Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced a $400,000 multi-state settlement with a Massachusetts-based fundraising consultant accused of devising deceptive and misleading sweepstakes to boost donations for numerous charitable organizations located in Pennsylvania and 18 other states.Among the charities listed as using the bogus sweepstakes to raise money was the American Foundation for Disabled Children Inc., headquartered at 84 New Dorp Plaza, Suite 207, Staten Island, NY. Charity Navigator gives them a rating of 0 stars. Read the rest of "Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett Announces $400,000 Multi-State Action Against Consultant Accused Of Deceptively Promoting Sweepstakes for PA and Other Charities".
Posted by Michelle at 12:24 AM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2006
CSI's $80M dorm plan hits a snag
Last month, CSI unveiled an $80 million conceptual plan to construct residency halls on a portion of state-owned land, currently occupied by buildings and vacant property under the jurisdiction of the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD).
That announcement led to a heated debate between a college trying to expand its services and a passionate people determined to preserve the legacy of the former Willowbrook State School....
"We believe that we have an extraordinary opportunity for CSI and the disabilities community, and for Staten Island overall," said Robert Huber, CSI's communications director, in response to the state spokeswoman's comments. "At the moment, we are engaged in the process of defining the concept of student housing on the CSI campus. We could follow the conventional approach of constructing dormitories for students at the campus that would mirror the basic way student residences are done at virtually all other colleges.
"However, we also would like to explore a broader, more progressive and innovative use of residential housing that would benefit not only our students but people with special needs, as well," he continued, reiterating that the plan calls for units for OMRDD's clients.
Read the rest of "CSI's $80M dorm plan hits a snag".Posted by Michelle at 07:03 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2005
3 non-profit groups receive $60,000 in donations
The North Central Kiwanis Club donated $5,000 to the Getting Resources for Autistic Children's Equality (G.R.A.C.E.) Foundation.
...Assemblymember Matthew Mirones (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) donated $5,000 to the Staten Island Recreation Association.
The funds will be used to support the agency's "Helping Others Overcome Physical Handicaps." program. The program is a spin-off of a nationwide program certified by the Denver-based North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.
Read the rest of "3 non-profit groups receive $60,000 in donations".Posted by Michelle at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2005
Plucky Paul sez go for it
He lost both of his legs in the Staten Island ferry crash, but Paul Esposito is more interested in inspiring others than in assigning blame.
Speaking to a group of disabled people at the Hilton Garden Inn on Staten Island, Esposito, 26, offered tips on how to get the most out of life.
Read the rest of "Plucky Paul sez go for it".Posted by Michelle at 05:02 PM | Comments (0)
November 18, 2005
6 will be honored at IAC holiday brunch
Michael Fortunato, Richard Salinardi, Dorothy Doran, George Fehling and Frank and Luz Captain will be honored at the Holiday Brunch of the Staten Island Inter-Agency Council for Aging (IAC) on Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. in the Crystal Room, South Beach.
Read the rest of "6 will be honored at IAC holiday brunch".Posted by Michelle at 01:05 AM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2005
The Saint of Staten Island: Coping with her own loss, Elissa Montanti found a cause worth her passion: helping war-wounded kids
Since 1996 Montanti, 49, has helped 45 children, most of whom have lost limbs in war zones, by personally arranging visas and shepherding them to the U.S., where she hosts them in a three-bedroom Staten Island facility provided by New York City's Catholic archdiocese. With help from one part-time volunteer, she arranges for free surgery, treatment and prostheses (paid for by the Shriners). Montanti's nonprofit group, Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), subsists on donations from the Richmond County Savings Foundation and others who know her work. Her reputation for saving kids eclipses a shoestring annual budget of $150,000. "Elissa has helped every child I've asked her to help," says Maj. Glenn Rubalcava of the U.S. Military's Humanitarian Operations Center, which deals with Iraq's civilian casualties. "She always has a game plan."
Read the rest of "The Saint of Staten Island: Coping with her own loss, Elissa Montanti found a cause worth her passion: helping war-wounded kids".Posted by Michelle at 04:18 PM | Comments (0)
September 21, 2005
Community Board 2 approves residence for disabled in Bulls Head
A uniformed police officer was among the crowd of 60 at last night's meeting of Community Board 2--a precaution following a similar meeting earlier this month during which the airing of plans to establish a community residence for the disabled in Bulls Head sparked acrimony.
As it turned out, the officer's services were not needed, although those attending heckled board members after the residence was approved with all votes in favor and one abstention.
Read the rest of "Community Board 2 approves residence for disabled in Bulls Head".Posted by Michelle at 05:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2005
Bloomingdale Park will get playground for handicapped kids
Responding to requests from parents of disabled children, the Parks Department will begin construction of a handicapped-accessible playground at Bloomingdale Park this fall.
Read the rest of "Bloomingdale Park will get playground for handicapped kids".Posted by Michelle at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2005
A 52-mile long display of patriotism
...more than 200 riders from Rolling Thunder, a national veterans' advocacy group, rode 52 miles to raise money for disabled veterans.
Read the rest of "A 52-mile long display of patriotism".Posted by Michelle at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
New law blasts illegal fireworks fines to $950
Several other bills also were signed into law by the mayor, including one sponsored by Councilwoman Margarita Lopez (D-Manhattan) that mandates new standards for access to ferry facilities for the disabled.
While the ferry-access law applies largely to private ferry services operating on city docks and piers, it will also require the city-run Staten Island ferry to upgrade ramps for its older ferries. The newer ferries already meet the access requirements, according to Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall.
Read the rest of "New law blasts illegal fireworks fines to $950".Posted by Michelle at 04:21 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2005
A great day on the high seas
Roscigno, of Westfield, N.J., a rigger for the Staten Island Ferry, was one of many volunteers preparing for the 32nd annual Boat Ride for God's Exceptional Children. Sponsored by the Marine and Aviation Anchor Club Branch 119, the boat ride is a highly anticipated event for thousands of disabled people living with muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome.
The 6,000 passenger ferry departs from St. George once a year with a crowd that comes from all around the tri-state area to tour the New York Harbor, enjoy hours of music, and to rock the boat, literally, as they dance and sing along.
Read the rest of "A great day on the high seas".Posted by Michelle at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2005
Babe Ruth figure is damaged in 3rd dolphin attack
The damage done to "America," one of 30 dolphin statues stationed around the Island as part of the first boroughwide public art undertaking, was discovered yesterday by Ann Marie Selzer, project coordinator for the sponsors, Richmond County Savings Foundation.
On the bright side, she said members of Lifestyles for the Disabled had volunteered to form a "dolphin clean-team" to keep the statues shining.
Read the rest of "Babe Ruth figure is damaged in 3rd dolphin attack".Posted by Michelle at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)