Sinergia's La Esquinita Blog

Celebrating MLK Day at Sinergia

2012-01-24T22:52:00.001-05:00

"On January 17th, the Day Hab program had a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Together, we talked about the work of Dr. King and we each learned something we didn’t know about him, such as his birthplace (Atlanta) or primary occupation (a preacher). We had been preparing for the celebration during the previous week and everyone participated by sharing poems or other thoughts on their dreams for the future and peace and equality. It was the perfect opportunity to refer to the conflict resolution training that we did during the Bullying Prevention Week in October. We reviewed tips on avoiding conflict and how to peacefully diffuse a potentially violent situation. The civil rights movement’s use of peaceful demonstrations (speeches, marches, boycotts, etc.) was a great example of how people can make their voices heard without using violence.

Day Hab Artists (above, l. to r.) Vanessa, Mildred and Ivan worked as a team on a portrait of Dr. King.
They spoke about how important King’s work as a leader was, as bringing people together is the best way to make things happen. They demonstrated this point by talking about how they had collaborated to accomplish the drawing, which was too large for any of them to have done alone. We also enjoyed singing some songs, including “We Shall Overcome,” led by Mabel J. who proudly sings in her church choir on the weekends."

For more pictures on art projects that the DayHab artists have been creating visit our Facebook page.

--Erin McSorley, DayHab Art Specialist

Sinergia hosts Meeting for Emerging & Multicultural Providers

2012-01-23T23:22:00.002-05:00

Pictured above: three officials from OPWDD: Tom Holland, 4th from left, Jonathan Pease, 5th from left and Alan Eskenazi, 7th from left, plus Yvette Watts E. D. Assoc., center, and the Board members of NYAEMP.

Sinergia hosted a membership meeting of the New York Association of Emerging & Multicultural Providers on January 18, 2011 in which Yvette Watts, Executive Director of the Association welcomed the members and introduced the guests presenters from the NY Office for Persons With Developmental Disabilities. Allan Eskenazi, Deputy Commissioner of Department of Quality Improvement (DQI), Tom Holland, Regional Director and Jonathan Pease, Area Director presented on the changes within DQI, the Early Alert System for agencies, Fire Safety and the three areas of focus as recommended by the expert panel that reviewed the Wells Fire; building safety and construction , functional level of consumers and staffing and training. Also discussed were MSC and vendor protocols which will include incident management, personal allowance reviews and physical plant reviews.

Power Point presentations , agency overviews and thoughts and concerns around the 1115 waiver were also made by key staff from member agencies and the responses by NYAEMP to the Request for Information issued by OPWDD were disseminated . Overall, the speakers gave a strong message to the membership on the importance of multicultural agencies to form a collective presence in the face of the drastic changes in the system and advised the organizations to band together, maintain quality standards and keep connected to their communities in order to survive these changes.

Farewell to Manny Ortiz

2012-01-23T23:14:00.003-05:00

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Manuel (Manny) Ortiz. He was a former President of the Sinergia Board of Directors in our early years and very committed to our mission of enhancing the well being of individuals with disabilities and families, particularly special populations that traditionally experienced difficulties in accessing services. He was a longtime community organizer and activist for social justice. Richard Lash, Sinergia's founder, and I were very fortunate to count Manny as a friend and supporter of Sinergia and the people we serve.

Also the affordable housing and community development field has lost a great advocate and leader. Manny was a long time Executive Director of the Carroll Gardens Development Corp. and for many years a board member of the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition of NYS. He passed away in Puerto Rico. Our condolences to his friends, family, and wife Isaura.

Workshop: Financial Assistance and Rental Subsidies // Taller: Asistencia Financiera Para Inquilinos

2012-01-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 23rd, 10am-12pm
EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND RENTAL SUBSIDIES
a presentation by
The Human Resources Administration Department (HRA) of Social Services of New York City
Are you falling behind with your rent payments? Are you facing a non-payment eviction? Want to know how you can obtain assistance with your rent?

Come and learn how you can apply for financial assistance to pay rent arrears. Learn who is eligible, the documentation required, charitable organizations, rental subsidy (FEPS) and other services offered by HRA
Presented by: Karina Cuevas, Manhattan Borough Coordinator, NYC Human Resources Administration

Place: Sinergia Inc., 2082 Lexington Avenue between 125th and 126th 4th Floor New York, NY
Directions: Take the 4, 5, or 6 train to the 125th station. Bus: X80, M35, M60, M100, M101, & Bx15 to 125th St.
Date: Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm

Contact: Yesenia Estrella or Maria Pabón, Housing Advocates
(212) 643-2840 ext. 249 & 350
Email: yestrella@sinergiany.org
Spanish Simultaneous Translation is available but you must call to request it.

*****************************

Lunes, 23 de enero, de 10:00am – 12:00pm
Sinergia cordialmente les invita a un taller sobre:
ASISTENCIA FINANCIERA DE EMERGENCIA Y SUBSIDIOS DE RENTA
presentado por
La Administración de Recursos Humanos (HRA), Departamento de Servicios Sociales de la Cuidad de Nueva York

¿Está atrasado(a) con los pagos de su renta?¿Está siendo desalojado(a) por falta de pago? ¿Quiere saber como obtener ayuda con su renta?

Venga y aprenda cómo aplicar para asistencia financiera para pagar sus rentas atrasadas. Aprenda quienes son elegibles, que documentos se requieren, organizaciones de caridad, subsidio de renta (FEPS) y otros servicios ofrecidos por HRA.
Presentado por: Karina Cuevas, Coordinadora del Condado de Manhattan de la Administración de Recursos Humanos de la Cuidad de Nueva York
Lugar: Sinergia Inc., 2082 Avenida Lexington entre las calles 125 y 126, 4to Piso, New York, NY
Dirección: Tome los trenes 4, 5, o 6 hasta la 125.
Buses: X80, M35, M60, M100, M101, & Bx15 hasta la calle 125.

Fecha: Lunes, 23 de enero, 2012
Hora: 10:00am – 12:00pm

Contactos: Yesenia Estrella y Maria Pabón, Defensoras de Viviendas
(212) 643-2840; correo electrónico: yestrella@sinergiany.org
Traducción al Español estará disponible pero debe llamar para pedirla.

Sinergia’s Healthy Families Collaborative: A Team Approach to Service Delivery

2012-01-04T22:42:00.000-05:00

“IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD”

Sinergia’s Healthy Families Collaborative has been moving towards a comprehensive team approach to assist parents with developmental disabilities, which involves bringing together many experts from a wide variety of areas. There is the Intake specialist, nurses, Family Support staff, Medicaid Service Coordination, home visitation by special educator and infant teacher, Program Coordinator and administrative staff. Parents with developmental disabilities need much support if they are to become the parents they hope to be and secure the myriad of services that will help them reach their goals. In this approach the nurses make an assessment of the medical needs, the educator and family support staff make home visits, and the entire team works in a person-centered manner to find individual solutions and services to help the consumer to become a more effective, nurturing parent as well as to meet their own individual needs. It really does take a village in the form of a very committed team to help parents with developmental disabilities to develop a circle of support and find the services they need.

Case in point is that of a 15 year old female with developmental disabilities and her infant. They reside with her mother, who found herself as their sole support system. As a result of the pregnancy, she dropped out of a special education high school. After various meetings and home visits, team members were able to convince her that it was important for her to return to the last school placement although she wished to attend a “regular” school. Today is her first day of school and we are now helping her in the process of registering the infant in a NYC/DOE day care program in the neighborhood where they live. This will allow the grandmother to return to work or receive training to prepare her for alternative job opportunities. The team’s commitment and caring fostered a trusting relationship between its members and the family. This allowed for the development of a circle of services and supports that includes family members, the principal, the teacher, and the health and day care services in the neighborhood in which she lives. Without the trust, hard work and belief that this young mother could succeed, she would remain home without an education or the prospects of a better future for her and her daughter. Her mother would be overwhelmed and frustrated without the time or outlets for her own betterment.

The team will continue to offer parent training and visits to the home to assist and monitor the infant’s and the mother’s progress as well as connect them to needed services. A beautiful handmade quilt made by parents hangs in one of Sinergia’s offices and on it is embroidered, “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”. This particular case is a living example of that axiom.

Sinergia's Annual Christmas Celebration 2011

2012-01-03T23:19:00.000-05:00

Sinergia's Annual Christmas celebration for children and families on December 22, 2011 was the high point of our holiday season. Our Christmas angels, the NYC Department of Sanitation-M7 personnel, again blessed our holidays as the sponsors of the annual event at Lincoln Center's Julliard School. They have faithfully supported this celebration for over a quarter of a century. This year we had great weather and no snow so we had an overflow audience - the greatest attendance ever! We were pleased to have the Commissioner John J. Doherty join the men and women as they helped Santa Claus distribute wonderful gifts to the many children in the beautifully decorated space. Dinner included the traditional dishes: rice and gandules, pernil, hot dogs for the children and cookies, candies and refreshments galore. The accompanying pictures tell the story of the wonder and joy exhibited by so many children for whom this celebration has such significance. We took the opportunity to pay special tribute to Alexander McDonald, former member of the NYC Department of Sanitation-M7, who passed away this year. It was a touching moment when we stopped the festivities to honor his memory. Nancy McDonald, his widow, and his son Mathew were presented with a certificate of appreciation by Sinergia's Executive Director, Myrta Cuadra-Lash, which acknowledged Alex McDonald's contributions. The evening ended with the traditional entrance of Santa Claus and his elves. The staff of the Department of Sanitation and Sinergia felt joyful to be part of a legacy and tradition that brings so much happiness to so many children and families. Special thanks to all the entertainers, to Scott Lancelot and Maria Quintero and the staff of the Department of Sanitation, to Sinergia's own Doris Rodriguez and the rest of the staff for making this event possible.

(click here to view our Photo Album on Facebook)

Recap: 507 Plan & 1115 Waiver Presentation

2012-01-03T22:59:00.000-05:00

On December 7, 2011 Sinergia was very pleased to welcome Katherine Bishop (above) from the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), People First Waiver Unit. Ms. Bishop made a comprehensive presentation to a standing room only audience on the 1115 Waiver at Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center. In collaboration with the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the presentation was taped and it aired on January 1, 2012 on their cable channels. The forum was simultaneously translated into Spanish and power point presentations were available in both languages.

Ms. Bishop led the discussion of the major redesign of the OPWDD system to better support people’s health, life skills and personal outcomes through increased flexibility, person centered services, care coordination and modernization of the financial platform. The lynchpin of the transformation will include development of entities that will be called Developmental Disabilities Individual Support & Care Coordination Organizations (DISCO). They will be not-for-profit fiscal intermediaries and providers of care coordination, which receive all payments and may be direct providers and/or subcontract all needed services, including health care.

There was an extensive question and answer period where parents and providers were able to ask key questions about this future waiver which will have a major impact on the way that services will be delivered. To get more information on People First Waiver visit their webpage: www.opwdd.ny.gov/2011waiver. Our appreciation is extended especially to Katherine Bishop and to MNN, the interpreters and staff at Sinergia for making this event possible so that both English and Spanish speaking parents become aware of these significant changes in the OPWDD system and how they will affect their children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Spotlight on Sinergia's Up-Living Program

2012-01-03T22:28:00.000-05:00

The UpLiving program is a subset of Sinergia's Day Habilitation program (DayHab). Technically it is called Supplemental Habilitation because it takes place mostly in the afternoon, in the hours after DayHab stops providing services. For admission to this program we canvassed 12 individuals with disabilities who were not enrolled in any type of day program, were not working a job and who had rarely ventured out into the community. We asked them what their interests were and how we might assist them in becoming more positively involved in those activities. We received responses such as getting a GED, becoming more involved in their church, enjoying more of the activities that NYC had to offer, becoming more computer literate, and getting healthier through exercise and diet. This program has had great success and we have seen individuals who rarely ventured out into the community increase their visibility tremendously and really increase their involvement in their stated interest.

Bonnie Gardner (above left, with Wilson in Governor's Island) is an UpLiving direct support professional who has been with the program since its inception in 2009. She has been part of the reason that we have seen so much success. Below she describes some of the participants she has worked with.

"Rowan Cahill (above) loves being in the Up-Living Program. His primary area of concentration is studying for his GED. He works very hard on this goal and it shows as he is improving at an impressive rate, particularly in the areas of reading and comprehension. Rowan is also becoming more adept at handling his finances online, learning the ins and outs of Facebook and navigating other forms of electronic communication. Rowan loves trains and collects them as a hobby. His breadth of knowledge in this area is rather impressive. Whether he is in the library learning about trains or visiting places like the Transit Museum, it is all very inspiring to Rowan. It is also Rowan's wish to start creating his own trains as a hobby in order to exhibit and sell in future Sinergia art shows. Rowan is also making terrific strides in the area of socialization and communication, showing more faith in many areas of his life."

"Frank (above) on the other hand, enjoys creating art on the computer and will work diligently on a piece for hours. He is a prolific artist and has created an impressive body of work. In addition, Frank sold many of his art pieces and is hoping to expand to t-shirt and coffee mug design. Frank also loves learning about other artists -- from urban street artists to old masters like Leonardo DaVinci, which he is adept at interpreting. Frank is flourishing in the area of socialization and communication as well. He thoroughly enjoys his forays out in the community, particularly if they are art related."

"Life is full of beginnings and endings" my mother once said. So it is with some sadness that Wilson Sanchez (above) has left the Up-Living Program. However, he successfully acheived one of his goals and has found employment. Congratulations Wilson, well done!"

"A special nod goes out to Anton McIntyre (above). Still relatively new to the Up-Living program, he is flourishing and doing great!"

See more photos in our Facebook Photo Album.

Preventing Homelessness in New York

2011-12-02T18:36:00.001-05:00

The Advantage Program, which was set up to assist families living in shelters by providing rental subsidies for temporary housing, sadly ended earlier this year (read our post: "How do Homeless Families survive without the Advantage Program?"). Since then many people were left with unanswered questions, as was evidenced on a recent morning, when men and women worried about losing their homes attended a lecture entitled “Life After Advantage.” It was held at the Harlem storefront office of HomeBase Palladia, one of 13 HomeBase offices managed by different non-profit groups scattered around the five boroughs of NYC (for a complete list, see below). Their main mission is to prevent homelessness.

The speaker, Romy Martin, posed the question that was bothering every person in that audience: “What are my options when my subsidy ends?” First, she gave them some hard facts: landlords that take the Advantage subsidy will receive their October payments and tenants will be required to pay their share.

Then, she told them, “Depending on court actions, this may be your last month of subsidy. Regardless, the subsidy is coming to an end sooner rather than later. DHS has NO intention of restoring it or replacing it. This does not mean that your lease will terminate. If you have a lease, you will be responsible for paying the whole rent.”

Having established there’s no rescue in sight, Ms. Martin gave her audience good advice about taking steps to protect their own homes.

I CANT AFFORD THE RENT – WHAT DO I DO NOW?
If it is possible to increase your income this is a good time to do it. You could:
• Request additional hours at work
• Change jobs
• Make sure everyone in the household contributes to the rent
• Make sure all household members are receiving all benefits they are eligible to get
• Do budgeting; separate needs from wants
• Find a roommate

Other options:
• Consider moving to a more affordable space
• Explore other boroughs
• Apply for low income, affordable housing in lotteries every week at www.nyc.gov
• Follow up on NYCHA applications
• Check with DHCR to find out your legally registered rent in case the landlord wants to raise it

Meantime, the Legal Aid Society assures you the landlord cannot evict you without taking you to Housing
Court. You should not leave your apartment to reapply at PATH just because your Advantage rent has not been paid. You should know that landlords sometimes look at a person's history in Housing Court before deciding to rent them an apartment. So, if you have never been sued before in Housing Court, you might consider whether to leave your apartment before being sued.

You may be eligible for rent arrears under a rent program called FEPS (“Family Eviction Prevention
Supplement”). The FEPS program is available only to households with minor children with active cash public
assistance cases who have been sued by their landlord in a court case that can result, or did result, in their eviction and one of the elements in the case is/was that excess rent is/was owed.

In addition to facing a nonpayment or holdover case in housing court, you may also meet these requirements if:
• you were evicted within the past 6 months and are in the shelter system,
• you were evicted in the past year and are doubled up,
• you left your apartment due to a government vacate order, or
• you left your apartment because of a foreclosure proceeding.

Your rent must fall within the rent caps for your household size. The rules of FEPS are extremely complicated.

Legal Aid suggests you call HomeBase to talk about your options (see list below). Or walk in to the Crisis Intervention Program of the Coalition for the Homeless at 129 Fulton Street, lower Manhattan. Arrive by 8 am Monday through Friday to be sure you will be seen the day you come in.

If you are being evicted, call the Legal Aid office in your borough.
Bronx (718) 9991-4600
Brooklyn (718) 722-3100
Manhattan (212) 426-3000
Queens (718) 286-2450
Staten Island (347) 422-5333

Excerpted from How...When...Where: Information for homeless and relocated families in New York City
(November 2011)
Photo

Learning to Use the Internet as an Advocacy Tool

2011-11-29T18:47:00.001-05:00

On Thursday November 17, 2011 the Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) conducted a workshop entitled, “Internet 101: Learning to Use the World Wide Web. Presenter Mike Mitchell, Deputy Executive Director of Sinergia with the assistance of Godfrey Rivera, Co-Director of the MPC, taught parents the fundamentals of working with the Internet and how to use it as an advocacy tool. They also learned how it can be used to get informed about issues such as how their children’s disabilities affect their learning in school.

Participants also learned about e-mail communication, and how to search topics by using “web browsers.” Parents were given hands-on opportunities to practice using a number of laptops that were set up for their use. They followed instructions by viewing on a large screen while Mr. Mitchell provided easy-to-understand instructions on how to navigate the Internet. The workshop was also available to the Spanish-speaking parents via the use of simultaneous interpretation. In addition, a list of disability-related Internet resources was provided to them, which you can find below.

Disability-Specific Sites
1.    http://www.add.org/
This site provides information, resources and networking opportunities to help adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by bringing together science and the human experience for both adults with ADHD and professionals who serve them.

2.    http://www.autismconcepts.com/
This site shares information from a variety of sources and provides many links to other sites regarding practical ways to help, plan and manage the lives of children with autism. Information with respect to any treatment, therapy, program, service or provider herein is intended for information and educational purposes only.

3.    http://www.autism.org/
The Center for the Study of Autism provides information about autism to parents and professionals, and conducts research on the efficacy of various therapeutic interventions for children with autism.

Behavior
4.    Behavior Disorders
http://www.behaviordisorder.org/
This website for teens, adults and parents offers information on behavior disorders, conduct disorders, and other behavior problems. Their articles are written to educate the general public about behavior disorders, the warning signs, treatment, and statistics on behavior issues.

5.    Behavioral Disorders in Early Childhood
http://www.brighttots.com/Behavioral_disorders.html
This website discusses factors such as the environmental and genetic influences that may contribute to challenging behaviors in young children. There is also information on treatments and interventions for children with behavioral disorders.

6.    Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/about.html
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is project designed to strengthen the capacity of Head Start and child care programs to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children.

7.    Conduct Disorders-Support for Parents
http://www.conductdisorders.com/
This is a website written by parents who are raising children with many different diagnoses regarding conduct disorders, and who demonstrate oppositional behaviors and are resistant to parenting.

Learning Disabilities
8.    www.chadd.org
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders (CAADD.) This organization advocates for students with ADHD and coexisting disorders.

9.    www.interdys.org
The International Dyslexia Association is the oldest of the organizations that are specifically concerned with learning disabilities. Both a medical and an educational emphasis are maintained in this organization

10.    Learning Disability Resources
http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/ldinfo.html
This website is a directory with links to other websites with information and resources pertaining to learning disabilities.

11.    National Center on Learning Disabilities
http://www.ncld.org/
The National Center for Learning Disabilities works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work, and life.

12.    http://www.ucp.org/
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is the leading source of information on cerebral palsy and is an advocate for the rights of persons with any disability. As one of the largest health charities in America, the UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network.
(Photo)

Bullying Prevention Forum Recap

2011-11-06T13:38:00.001-05:00

Bullying among students with disabilities was the main topic at a forum held last month at Sinergia, who was designated as a champion partner in Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Program. "What we did was unique because we had parents and students participating in separate activities that addressed bullying simultaneously," explains Cassandra Archie, co-director of Sinergia's Metropilitan Parent Center.

The afternoon kicked off with a skit performed by Day Hab Program participants. "Armando, Terri, Trish, Emmanuel, and Vanessa practiced their lines for a full week before the event on the 19th," said Day Habilitation Art Specialist Erin McSorley. "They depicted a scene on a bus where an individual is targeted by a bully, but is encouraged by her friend's words and stands up to the bully. The actors really enjoyed being involved with the event and also had the opportunity to practice what to do if faced with a real bully," she added. The performers in the skit were all young adults, highlighting the fact that bullying and harassment can occur to older people as well.

After that there was a "speak out" for parents, to give them information and resources, while at the same time, the children gathered in the art studio to paint an anti-bullying banner, also organized by Erin.

Finally, everyone came together and the children talked about their experiences with bullying. Parents shared stories and one described how their child didn't want them to come to their school, and instead wanted to work it out themselves. The parent's immediate response was "I'm going to the school," and the child was against that because it would be embarrassing. In the end they called and spoke to the principal.

Another parent talked about her daughter who was bullied not only in school but also in her own neighborhood, so it spilled out onto the community. They contacted the parent of the bully and had a discussion. It worked out so well that now the (former) bully and the woman's daughter get along and there's no more harassment. We'd like to thank our wonderful sponsors for making this event possible: Dunkin Donuts, Subway, McDonald's (Lexington Ave.), Quality Natural Food Restaurant, Affinity Health Plan, the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Fabco Shoes and Pathmark supermarkets.

Visit Sinergia's Facebook page to view the pictures from the event.

Resources
"Respect For All" is NYC Chancellor's piece on anti bullying. It has a poster and brochure available with answers to:

What happens to bullies?
What is considered harassment?
What are some examples of banned behavior?
What should students do if they are being bullied?

To view it click here and this is the version in Spanish

Hotline for students who are experiencing bullying. This service is a result of a collaboration between the teacher's union (UFT) and the NYC Mental Health Association. It will be staffed from 2:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, by professionals from the Mental Health Association of New York City. Students can call for services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese and other languages, translated immediately.

Hotline: 212-709-3222

NYS OPWDD Statewide Plan 2011-2015

2011-11-06T12:10:00.000-05:00

The Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has posted their new State Comprehensive Plan, which will completely change the way services are funded and delivered under the 1115 Research and Demonstration Waiver, called the People First Waiver. All Medicaid services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities will ultimately be funded and managed through the new waiver agreement between New York State and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Once the 1115 waiver is approved by CMS, the planning and testing of project pilots as well as the transition will take place over the next five to ten years.

The new system will incorporate key features:

Informed care coordination for people with complex medical and behavioral needs.
Transformed long term care based on person-centered planning, individual responsibility and self-determination.
New reimbursement models for institutional and community based care systems.
An expanded range of community-based services to allow individuals in institutional settings to transition into the community.
Redesigned assessment tools and eligibility processes.
Improved health and safety outcomes through a transferred quality management system.

Services will be financed and paid differently, and care management will be the responsibility of not for profit managed care organizations authorized by OPWDD, known as Developmental Disabilities Individual Support and Care Coordination Organizations (DISCOs). All Medicaid services would be included in the waiver; both long term developmental disabilities services and medical services. They will perform at least two primary roles: a) care coordination and b) fiscal intermediation, providing services directly to individuals and/or contracts with a group of providers. As fiscal intermediary, the DISCOs will receive a monthly capitation payment to fund all Medicaid covered services and coordinate non-Medicaid services in an individual’s service plan.

The Statewide Comprehensive Plan is a 90-page document which you can find here: 507 Plan. It is important that people read and review it thoroughly.

The 1115 waiver is the lynchpin of the State Plan, so it is crucial for the future of persons with developmental disabilities and their families. The system is at a crossroads, and we are encouraging parents to testify at upcoming hearings on November 9. Go to Public Hearing for full details.

This is a time of transformation in the service system, so we urge you to participate in the various initiatives pertaining to the 1115 People First Waiver and other events as the planning phase progresses during the year.

Insurance Coverage of Autism Therapies Is Expanded

2011-11-06T11:19:00.001-05:00

On Nov. 1st Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed Assembly Bill 8512 into law, one of the most comprehensive autism insurance reform measures in the nation. The new law requires insurance companies to provide coverage of critical autism therapies, including applied behavior analysis (ABA) for both children and adults, and makes New York the 29th state to enact autism insurance reform. The law will take effect in 12 months, on Nov. 1, 2012, and allow up to $45,000 a year in ABA treatments with no limits on age or number of visits. For full details on the new law click here. (Photo)

DOE Finalizes Infant Disabilities Program

2011-10-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

The early childhood special education community received welcome news last month that the U.S. Department of Education finalized regulations for IDEA’s Infant and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, known as Part C. IDEA Part C serves more than 340,000 infants, toddlers and their families each year.

The final Part C regulations contain numerous changes and additions, including:
• Transition requirements have been revised, including provisions related to notification of the local education agency (LEA) and state educational agency (SEA), timelines, an opt-out policy, the transition conference, and the transition plan.
• The 45-day required timeline from referral to the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meeting has been retained with the addition of some provisions permitting documentation of extraordinary circumstances for a delay
• Natural environment provisions have been revised to reflect the 2004 statutory change.
• Changes in the content of the IFSP have been made, including in the “early intervention services” and “other services” components.
• Several changes have been made to procedural safeguards, including provisions related to written prior notice, confidentiality, surrogate parents, and dispute resolution.
• Changes have been made in provisions related to financial responsibility, systems of payment and ability to pay as well as to the use of public benefits, insurance, and private insurance.
• Provisions related to monitoring, enforcement, reporting, and allocation have been included in a new subpart of the Part C regulations.

For a complete list of Part C federal regulations click here.

About IDEA Part C in New York State
The New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) is part of the national Early Intervention Program for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. First created by Congress in 1986 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the EIP is administered by the New York State Department of Health through the Bureau of Early Intervention. In New York State, the Early Intervention Program is established in Article 25 of the Public Health Law and has been in effect since July 1, 1993.

To be eligible for services, children must be under 3 years of age and have a confirmed disability or established developmental delay, as defined by the State, in one or more of the following areas of development: physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional, and/or adaptive.

For more information click here.

Myths About Bullying

2011-10-28T15:05:00.002-04:00

Knowledge is power, and following up on our very successful Anti Bullying Forum, we wanted to share this important information to dispel some notions you might have regarding abuse or harassment at school.

What is Bullying?
The repeated exposure over time to negative actions or acts of intimidation on the part of one or more students. The definition includes three important components:
1.    Aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions
2.    A pattern of behavior repeated over time
3.    An imbalance of power or strength

Some common myths about bullies:
•    Bullies are loners: Research shows that bullies are not socially isolated; have an easy time making friends; they have a small group of friends who support the bullying behaviors.

•    Bullies have low self esteem: Bullies have average or above average self-esteem; interventions that focus on building self esteem in bullies are not effective

•    Bullies are looking for attention: Bullies are looking for control, and the behavior will not stop even if they are ignored.

•    Most bullying happens off school grounds: Most bullying actually occurs in classrooms, hallways, and playgrounds

•    Bullying affects only a small number of students: Research shows that 25% of students are victims of bullying and 20% are engaged in bullying; bullying affects everyone involved, even bystanders.

Source: Equity Alliance - Addressing Bullying & Harassment Matters 2011

Son-Rise: An Innovative Program for Autism

2011-10-06T13:56:00.002-04:00

Fifty Sinergia families attended the Son-Rise Program workshop/lecture on September 20th. Son-Rise was developed by Barry Neil and Samahria Lyte Kaufman, of the Autism Treatment Center Of America in Sheffield- Massachusetts, as a way to work with their son Raun. The Kauffmans created an innovative path which enabled Raun to go from severely autistic to become an intellectually curious, lively and socially engaged young man, bearing no traces of his former condition. The idea behind the program is to help parents meet and engage their child where he or she is, by joining them in their activities until they respond, and then patiently teaching them new ones, for as long as it takes them to come out of the place where they seem to be.

The workshop was a complete success. Susan Humphries, an excellent presenter and great communicator, was able to reach all families present with the help of our simultaneous translator, who we brought in for the high number of Spanish speaking parents that attended. Everyone was left with a sense of wonder and hope, and at least 5 families said they were going to apply for scholarships to Son-Rise's well known retreats in Massachusetts. The Autism Treatment Center will hold a much needed retreat in Spanish during the month of December. For more information on Sinergia's Autism Initiative contact Gina Peña-Campodónico at 212-643-2840 x305 or at gpena at sinergiany.org.

Sinergia hosts Vision Screening Event

2011-10-02T23:03:00.001-04:00

Sinergia hosted a special event on Friday September 23rd which offered free eye health screenings to individuals who did not have any medical insurance and who had not seen an eye doctor in over a year.

Over thirty five parents of children with disabilities showed up to have their eyes examined. The Kress Vision Program of New York Downtown Hospital provided a technician and an eye doctor who checked their vision, checked for cataracts or eye disease, and conducted a glaucoma test.

After the eye exam, participants saw the technician who took measurements for eyeglasses. Parents were able to choose from a large assortment of eyeglasses and will be provided with a pair of glasses, free of charge!

Many of the participants were unemployed and had no medical insurance, so they had not seen an eye doctor in years, and they expressed gratitude to the Kress Vision Program and to Sinergia, who provided the space for this event.

A New Life For Edwin

2011-09-29T11:48:00.000-04:00

Some of you may have seen the television segment that Univision aired in March, which was filmed at Sinergia. It featured Edwin, a young man with polio who was desperately looking for a job. He had become quite despondent because although he pursued many employment alternatives none were successful. Much has changed since then, and we are happy to report that this remarkable young man has achieved his goals of becoming a productive citizen.

After the interview aired, Edwin secured a job in a supermarket in Queens through a referral from the reporter at Univision. However, housing was still an issue. He was sleeping on the floor of a friend's apartment, and within a week's time was going to become homeless. Through the persistent efforts of Ana Baquero, a staff member at Sinergia's Family Support Program, an apartment was found close to his work. She raised funds for his rental deposit and is diligently working to secure furnishings and household items. Our appreciation to the East Harlem Neighborhood Based Alliance, Sinergia's Christine Cuadra Special Fund and the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal for providing the needed funds that enabled Edwin to achieve his goals. Edwin has a job, a car, and a home thanks to the combined efforts of the people and organizations that supported him through his time of need.

National Preparadness Month Resources

2011-09-10T17:04:00.002-04:00

The storms that have hit New York recently highlight the fact that caregivers need to be prepared to handle emergency situations that arise from natural disasters. President Obama has designated September as National Preparedness Month, and the federal government has compiled many helpful resources for individuals with disabilities during a disaster.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services regularly updates their site on various situations of concern. Additionally, the emergency preparedness section of Disability.gov has many tools and resources, including:

Information about emergency kits and supplies.
Preparing for emergencies at work and school.
Accessible shelters and emergency housing.
Help recovering from a disaster.
Tips for people who have pets or service animals.

Other helpful websites include:

New Proposed Amendments to IDEA Part B

2011-09-10T16:46:00.004-04:00

We received the following notice from the Office of Special Education Programs:

This week the Department of Education released a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the IDEA Part B regulations. Changes are being proposed to the regulations regarding when a State or local educational agency seeks to use a child's or parent's public benefits or insurance (e.g., Medicaid) to pay for Part B services. These proposed amendments to the Part B regulations would ensure the protection of the rights of parents and children and ensure that children with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) while addressing concerns raised by State educational agencies and local educational agencies regarding the burdens imposed by the current regulation.

Note that the notice of proposed rulemaking has been delivered to the Office of the Federal Register but has not yet been scheduled for publication. The official version of this document is the document that will be published in the Federal Register in the next couple of weeks. The Part B notice of proposed rulemaking is posted at:

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/news.html

Sinergia Receives Parent Training and Information Award

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

On August 12, the Metropolitan Parent Center at Sinergia received notice from Congressman Charles B. Rangel that we received funding under the Parent Training and Information Center Program to provide information and training to parents in the five boroughs. This funding allows the MPC to continue serving families of infants and toddlers with the full range of disabilities through September 30, 2015.
Congressman Rangel wrote “ I would like to thank Sinergia Inc. on your continued dedication to providing the necessary information and training needed to parents of children with disabilities. Your organization has embraced and fulfilled the ideas set forth in the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and has been a great asset for the 15th Congressional District of the great state of New York. As a strong proponent of providing education to children with disabilities I would like to extend my personal gratitude to Sinergia for continuing to lend support to educating parents who have children with disabilities.”

Celebrating Direct Support Week

2011-09-04T23:35:00.001-04:00

Direct Support Professionals, or DSPs, are care givers that work directly with people with disabilities to help them become integrated into their community and lead a self-directed life. As you can imagine, DSPs play a vital role in assisting those with disabilities and providing support and advocacy. Which is why we were very happy to see that the week of September 11, 2011 has been designated “Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week”. As part of our acknowledgment of this valuable workforce, Sinergia has selected two direct support staff members from the Residential and Day Habilitation Programs for special mention, and award them for their dedicated service.

David Bryant

David Bryant is an exceptional direct support professional who is a team leader at several residential sites. He works steadily and consistently with some consumers who exhibit challenging behaviors. He finds the balance between professionalism and empathy and always responds appropriately, even under extreme circumstances.

Argenis Pierret

Argenis has been with Sinergia’s UpLiving program for just over a year and has been a positive addition since day one. He is a very intelligent and hard-working individual who has routinely demonstrated an innate ability to gauge the mood of the individuals with disabilities that he works with and adapts his interactions with them accordingly. Argenis has demonstrated outstanding initiative and has been able to make the most of out of every situation. His unfailingly cheerful and upbeat attitude is a wonderful influence to all of those around him.

Sinergia is very happy and proud to recognize these two outstanding staff members and demonstrate our appreciation for their outstanding work ethic.

Sinergia's Back to School Open House

2011-09-01T20:54:00.000-04:00

Sinergia held a Back to School Open House on September 1, 2011 and it's hard to capture with words how exceptional the families that attended were. We put together this special event for parents of children with disabilities to help them prepare for the fall semester, and over 100 showed up, some of them from as far as Brooklyn and Queens. Several parents brought their severely disabled children in wheelchairs along with their other children in tow. One mother who lives in a shelter came with a severely disabled child who was on a feeding tube. It was very moving to see how committed these parents are to giving their children a better life, to learning and to connecting with other families. It also speaks to the trust they have to Sinergia.

We screened a video on the 35th Anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) followed by a presentation on education advocacy by Cassandra Archie, co-director of the Metropolitan Parent Center (above, front left). There were also presentations by representatives of the many programs found at Sinergia, including housing assistance, residential services, respite, reimbursement services, We Are Parents Too (a program that offers parenting and other skills for parents with developmental disabilities) and the Day Habilitation and family support services. The parents had the opportunity to meet the different coordinators of programs, ask questions and receive information not only about our programs and services but education in general.

We held a raffle and seven lucky parents won backpacks fully loaded with school supplies and gift certificates to Footlocker, which will come in handy at the start of the school year. Pizza and refreshments rounded out the day. Children delighted in playing with computers in the special activity areas while the parents acquired valuable information.

Our Metropolitan Parent Center worked together with various other departments to make this a resounding success. To view the full album visit our Facebook page.

Back to School: Special Dates in September

2011-08-28T16:55:00.001-04:00

As the new school year gets underway, here are some special dates parents need to take note of in the month of September (from the NYC 2011-2012 School Year Calendar):

September 5, Monday
Labor Day (schools closed)

September 6, Tuesday
Classroom Teachers, Bilingual Teachers in School and Community Relations, Guidance Counselors, Attendance Teachers, Nurses, Therapists, Laboratory Specialists and Technicians, Educational Paraprofessionals (except for School Secretaries, Psychologists and Social Workers) report for work. School Secretaries, Psychologists and Social Workers report for a regular work day.

September 7, Wednesday
SCHOOL SESSIONS BEGIN FOR ALL STUDENTS
Early dismissal for non-District 75 Kindergarten Students only. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 8, Thursday
Early dismissal for non-District 75 Kindergarten Students only. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 9, Friday
First Full day for non-District 75 Kindergarten public school students. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 12, Monday
First Full day for all Prekindergarten public school students.

September 29-30, Thursday and Friday
Rosh Hashanah (schools closed).

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Busing Issues for Special Needs Children

2011-08-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

The Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) announced that on September 8, the first day of the school year, yellow school buses will take 150,000 children to their schools and back home. For children with special needs who will be transported in a mini-van, parents can expect a letter confirming the bus route and pick-up time by August 29th.

OPT has come under fire in recent years because of budget-cutting measures that affected many of the city’s children. Students from multiple schools now share the same bus, bus routes were consolidated and lengthened, and students with special needs were required to provide medical documentation to qualify for a seat in a mini-van. There have been on-going transportation problems with the 60,000 special needs children who ride the smaller mini-van and have often suffered from inferior service, according to Maggie Moroff, special education policy coordinator at Advocates for Children. “In past years we have heard from too many families about children not picked up at all and missing hours, sometimes days, and sometimes more, of critical school time,” she said. In addition, students with limited travel time requirements have been on the bus for way too long. OPT responded that it promises to do better and added that “we are making a big effort to communicate with parents about how the OPT system works, what they should do when there’s a problem and what documentation, including medical documentation, is needed to match the right bus service to each child.”

For more read "DOE answers parents' busing questions."

Do you have a child that needs to travel on the mini-vans? What problems have you encountered with OPT? What suggestions do you have to ensure that children have a safe and speedy trip to school and back home? We would love to hear your comments.

Photo source

Special Ed Checklist

2011-08-12T15:26:00.005-04:00

Here are three things that are crucial for parents to do in the first 30 days of school -- if they're not in place there could be bad consequences later in the semester!

Your child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be in place the first day of school.
Devise a system to monitor your child's progress towards their IEP goals so that you review it at least as often as you receive progress reports or report cards.
Determine whether your child's special education teacher is highly qualified (HQ). All special education teachers must be HQ in special education, which means they must be "certified." In addition, some special education teachers must also be HQ in the subject(s) they teach.

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Sinergia's Back to School Open House

2011-08-12T15:19:00.002-04:00

The annual back to school rush starts in earnest this month, so we wanted to focus our August newsletter on helping parents of children with disabilities to get ready.

This is the time of year when parents are usually running all over town stocking up on backpacks, supplies and other essential items their kids will need for the fall semester. But if your son or daughter has special needs, there are some additional things you need to add to your list. To help parents get prepared, Sinergia will be hosting a Back to School Open House on Thursday, Sept. 1st from 11am to 1pm. We will have program coordinators present that day giving brief introductions about their programs, and parents will be able to:

Meet our Educational Advocates and Educational Attorney
Get educational information
Have an opportunity to ask questions
Learn about Sinergia programs
Tour our beautiful office space
Enjoy a light lunch

At the Open House we will unveil the beautiful quilt that was a project of the "We are Parents Too" program. Under the leadership of staff member Maria Torres Bird, parents with developmental disabilities worked on the quilt and sewed individual patches with tributes depicting the love they feel for their children. We will also be raffling two gift certificates, $50.00 each, from Footlocker. You must be present to win. For more information call 212-643-2840 ext. 307.

Here's a useful web page you might want to keep handy to keep track of all the special dates you'll need to know: 2011-2012 School Year Calendar. (photo: www.lifehack.org)

Flying Solo: A Success Story

2011-08-12T10:29:00.003-04:00

Since 2007 Armando Perez (left) has aspired to travel independently. "He initially was escorted in the Sinergia van when traveling from his home to 134 West 29th Street, our previous location. But then Armando began training to travel on his own and quickly learned how to use the subway," says Day Hab Specialist Robert Maldonado. However, in 2009 Sinergia moved and the route changed, which meant that he had to learn how to arrive at our new location via subway and surface transit. With the help of the Day-Hab Program's persistence and training, along with some inter-agency planning, Armando has demonstrated amazing adaptability. He began traveling back and forth from his Sinergia Day Hab program since Wednesday, July 20th, 2011. For that we salute him, for this great milestone and his skills, perseverance, and patience. He is definitely one of our heroes!

Sinergia Participates in People First Waiver

2011-07-29T22:57:00.004-04:00

The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), in consultation with the State Department of Health and other stakeholders, has begun to seek programmatic and fiscal reforms to the service system through the development of a new 1115 demonstration waiver, the “People First Waiver”. There have been Listening Forums and Public Hearings throughout the state to gather input from individuals, family members, providers and stakeholders on how to restructure the current system of care for individuals with developmental disabilities. A steering committee and five design teams have been established to make reform recommendations, and to help plan the roll out of the waiver and its implementation. Myrta Cuadra Lash, Executive Director of Sinergia, has been nominated to serve on the Benefits Design Team that is charged with “making service and supports reform recommendations that enhance person centered planning and service delivery and increase the system’s capacity to serve people in the most appropriate community setting with an equitable level of resources based on the needs assessment process.” She will contribute to this team’s discussion on specialty populations and the service needs that should be added for people/families who are underserved to successfully participate in the 1115 Waiver. The waiver will transform New York State’s total system of care for persons with developmental disabilities within the next five years. We encourage you to visit the OPWDD website to keep abreast of developments in the People First Waiver and find ongoing information from the design teams.

How Well Do You Know Your Child's School Staff?

2011-07-29T18:43:00.003-04:00

Situations arise all the time at school and often you may be unsure of who to call -- should you speak to the principal or your child's counselor? By getting to know the staff at school you'll also be better prepared for IEP meetings. It's about understanding how the school operates, and knowing what role the different people play in supporting your child. Here's a list that will help you gather all the pertinent contacts you'll need. Keep it handy and update it as needed.

1.    My child’s school principal name is ___________________________________________

2.    The name of the assistant principal is_________________________________________

3.    The school counselor name is _______________________________________________

4.    My child’s Special Education teacher’s name is_________________________________

5.    My child’s general education teacher’s name is_________________________________

6.    What is the name of the school Psychologist___________________________________

7.    The Parent Coordinator is__________________________________________________

8.    The name of the school secretary is__________________________________________

9.    I have the telephone numbers of each of the above    Yes                              No

10.    I know where they are located at the school?               Yes                             No

(photo: www.school-portal.co.uk)

Making The Most of the Parent Teacher Conference

2011-07-29T18:27:00.002-04:00

You and your child’s school have something in common: both of you want your child to learn and do well. Parent Teacher Conferences are an important component of the ongoing dialogue between families and schools, so when talking with your child’s teacher, remember that both of you have valuable information to share, and both of you can learn something new to help your child. The Parent Teacher Conference is a two-way conversation and good outcomes are achieved when both parents and teachers talk and listen. There should be an emphasis on learning and a focus on both how well the child is doing in school, as well as how your child can do better. Opportunities and challenges should also be discussed.

Parent Teacher Conferences typically occur before a child's first marking period, when they receive their report cards. That means the first one will happen just before Thanksgiving, but parents do not have to wait until then. They can ask teachers for a conference at any time. They can also make the request in writing, if they wish to document it.

Cassandra Archie, Co-Director of the Metropolitan Parent Center suggests that the first Parent Teacher Conference be scheduled at the end of September, and below are some questions that parents should ask teachers to understand if their child is starting out properly.

Talk to your child’s teacher about:

Progress – how is your child doing. Is my child performing at grade level? What do you see as his/her strengths? How could he or she improve?
Assignments and assessments. Ask to see examples of your child’s work. Ask how the teacher gives grades.
Your thoughts about your child. Tell the teacher what your child is good at. Explain what your child needs.
Support learning at home. Ask what you can do at home to support your child’s learning.
Support learning at school. Ask how the teacher will both challenge and support your child when they need it.

After the parent teacher conference, Ms. Archie has some additional recommendations:

Make a plan - Write down the things you and your teacher will each do to support your child. Make plans to check in with the teacher in the coming months.
Schedule another time talk – There are many ways to communicate, in-person, by phone, notes, email. Be sure to schedule a time to talk.
Talk to your child. If appropriate talk with your child, don’t forget to include him or her.

For more info visit The Harvard Family Research Project – Parent Teacher Conferences: A Tip Sheet for Parents www.hfp.org

Does The School Fit My Child’s Needs?

2011-07-29T16:40:00.007-04:00

According to Cassandra Archie, co-director of Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center, it's important for parents of children with special needs to think critically about whether the school fits with their child's needs. To that end, she compiled a checklist of questions to help them make an ongoing assessment. It can be used throughout the year, but she says parents should know and understand some of these items immediately, like in the first month -- for example, regarding philosophy and behavior issues.

Checklist

What is my child’s school philosophy?
How is the school guided by that philosophy?
How long has the principal been at my child’s school?
Does the principal have any teaching experience?
What training does a teacher receive for a particular class they are teaching?
What types of opportunities are there for integration with non-disabled students?
Are there any after-school programs offered? If yes, which ones?
How does the school address behavior issues?

As the school year progresses, if it happens that parents need to seek another school, or the district has given them permission and supplied them with a list of alternatives, here's a post we wrote on Changing Schools.
(photo: thedailygreen.com)

The New IEP Forms Are Here – Are You Ready?

2011-07-29T16:08:00.003-04:00

On Sept. 1st during our Back to School Open House we will have a 20-minute session giving hands-on instruction on getting familiar with the new IEP system. Parents will be able to familiarize themselves with the new IEP forms, which were developed by the State to help IEP teams focus on the services that are most important and to reduce variation of forms across the state. Here's what you'll need to know:

The new IEP form is a statewide form that will be used by all school districts in New York State
The new IEP forms are required for the upcoming school year 2011-2012
The expectation – the IEP will be more individualized to each student
Parents will remain vital members of the IEP team

For the first time all new IEP documents will be created and maintained electronically, using the Special Education Student Information System (SESIS), a secure web-based case management system for students with IEP’s.

The chart below compares the old IEP pages (Current IEP "Page") to the new IEP layouts/sections (SESIS "Section"). This is important for parents to know because the IEP meeting will be conducted using the SESIS sections, and most parents will have an old IEP form, which flows differently. For example, at an upcoming IEP meeting the first thing that will be discussed is the Summary Page, which is the same as the current IEP pages. But following that will be the Attendance Page, which would have been the Conference Information on the old IEP, and so on.

Old vs New:

For additional guidance related to the new IEP see:
Answers to Question About Changes on the IEP
New York State Education Department website

Sinergia's 2011 Summer Benefit

2011-07-06T16:01:00.004-04:00

Beautiful setting, beautiful sounds, beautiful people! That's how we would describe our Summer Benefit on June 12th, where we had a chance to pause for a moment and take stock of our accomplishments. Everyone was looking their best and in a celebratory mood as the music of the Ray Santos Orchestra filled the space at the historical Museum of the City of New York.

The event gave us the opportunity to honor Dr. Pedro Noguera (above left), who is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University, for the work he does to champion children and promote student achievement. His immense scholarship and research on urban education prompted us to recognize him with the first ever Dr. Sally Romero Award for distinguished service to children, which was presented to him by Dr. Romero's daughter, Norma Romero-Mitchell.

We also honored New York State Assemblyman Robert J. Rodriguez (above right) with the Community Service Award for his tireless work in building the infrastructure that will ensure access to housing and business development, as well as cultural and social services in East Harlem. Yolanda Sanchez, an institution in the Latino community who has spent over thirty years in human services, presented him with the award. Both honorees also received a citation from the NY State Assembly.

The evening was dedicated to two of our very own heroines who are no longer with us. Dr. Sally Romero was President of Sinergia's Board of Directors until her untimely passing last summer. Christine Cuadra was a beautiful young woman who stood out in her vibrant red dress at our last gala in 2008. She too has passed on but we will never forget her dedication and hard work with the homeless families at Sinergia and her unwavering support to her mother, Executive Director Myrta Cuadra-Lash.

We were also thrilled to announce that June 12th was proclaimed Sinergia Day by the Council of the City of New York. The current President of Sinergia's Board of Directors, Dr. Len Torres (above), read the inscription, which says in part: "On behalf of all New Yorkers we commend Sinergia for its leadership, vision, faith in families and its abiding commitment to and advocacy for children and adults with disabilities." We want to thank the office of New York City Councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito for arranging this proclamation. As we approach our 35th year, we will continue to build on our achievements.

The Ray Santos Orchestra (above) played a mix of Latin salsa and romantic boleros which had everyone congregating on the dance floor.

One of the items in the silent auction was a gorgeous oil painting (above) by artist Dianne Smith, former boardmember of Sinergia.

Dr. Gayle Haines (above left), who organized the silent auction, chats with Myrta Cuadra Lash and Beth Torres (above right).

Zenaida Mendez of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network (far left) and Dr. Marta Moreno Vega of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora (3rd, l. to r.) pose with the honorees.

Essential Services Restored as NYC Budget Passes

2011-07-05T17:58:00.001-04:00

The City Council passed New York City's budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012). Overall, this budget preserves essential services, preventing teacher layoffs, restoring fire companies, day care slots, and library services. A few of the highlights are below, but please click here for more detailed information.

Restoring Essential Services

In his Executive Budget proposal in May, Mayor Bloomberg proposed a wide range of cuts that would have impacted essential services. The City Council worked with the Bloomberg Administration to restore many essential services:

No teacher layoffs, thanks to an agreement between the Council, the City, and the UFT.
No fire company closures
Substantial restorations to child care and thousands of “Priority 5” after-school vouchers for families, albeit at a lower funding level
Neighborhood public libraries will continue to offer 5-day-a-week service
Restorations to the Parks Department will mean public pools are open all summer, and we’ll still have playground associate
The Council also restored many smaller, but still important, programs – like those that help immigrants learn English, prevent homelessness, and offer legal and social services.

Also we are happy to report that the Council’s Autism Initiative was restored, which means Sinergia can continue its services to parents with children with autism. Sadly, even with these restorations, there will still be many painful cuts citywide, including the loss of over 2,500 teaching positions through attrition and the elimination of several thousand summer youth jobs, after-school program slots, small-dollar scholarships to CUNY students and day care slots for low-income working families.

OMIG Legislation Reform

2011-07-05T17:39:00.001-04:00

As the economic downturn continues to make federal dollars to not-for-profit agencies serving people with disabilities more and more difficult to attain, federal offices are taking steps to reduce fraud and waste. The Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) is the investigation and enforcement arm of Medicaid and is responsible for initiating audits and levying penalties when fraud is uncovered. However, many agencies, not for profit service providers and funding agencies like OPWDD consider OMIG audits to be excessively punitive and over-reaching in their zeal to recover or eliminate funds to said agencies. Advocates for reining in the OMIG have complained that agencies found to be guilty of even the minutest instances of mistaken billing have been too severely reprimanded through the imposing of heavy fines and penalties. While acts of blatant and purposeful fraud need to be uncovered and the guilty punished, the OMIG has been accused of being extremely heavy handed and punitive when meting out judgments for alleged mistakes in billing for reimbursements for delivered services. Additionally, allegations of abusive and dismissive treatment towards staff members, not allowing agencies to repair or correct minor and unintentional episodes of mistaken billing and incomplete explanations of alleged violations, have also been of grave concern to agencies under audit.

Legislation to provide due process protections for providers and recipients of Medicaid who come under the scrutiny of OMIG passed both houses of the Legislature in June. The long awaited measure, also known as OMIG reform, will provide for fair practices, procedures and standards for actions if signed by Governor Cuomo. We will be carefully monitoring this situation and will report any additional developments as they occur.
(Photo)

Special Lunch for DayHab Volunteers

2011-07-05T17:14:00.000-04:00

Of the many activities that the adults in our Day Habilitation Program partake in, volunteering is one of the ones they enjoy the most. On June 23rd, DayHab volunteers were honored at a luncheon in the Dr. Nivia Zavala Conference Center. In appreciation for their assistance to such agencies as Meals On Wheels, each participant was presented with a framed certificate along with a gift certificate from Target. Also in attendance was Eve Cook, the Volunteer Coordinator for New York City Meals on Wheels, who stated during her speech that the volunteers from Sinergia were her most reliable and were known for showing up even during inclement weather. It means a great deal for these adults with disabilities to give back to the community through their delivery work for Meals on Wheels, and the horticultural assistance they give at the Rusk Institute and the Carver Gardens on 124th Street.

Sinergia's Family Care Providers Appreciation Luncheon

2011-07-05T16:53:00.002-04:00

On July 22 Sinergia will host a Family Care Appreciation Luncheon, where we acknowledge the invaluable contributions of five dedicated Family Care providers. Our Family Care Program, which has been in operation for 20 years, consists of families living in the community who open their homes to people with developmental disabilities. Presently there are ten individuals living with families in the community. Some have lived in a family care home since infancy while others have lived with the same family for as long as twenty years. Two brothers who are now in their teens consider their family care provider their Mom since they joined the family when they were babies. The individuals with developmental disabilities living in family care homes become integral members of these families; they participate in all family activities and go on vacation with them. It also affords them the opportunity to partake in all aspects of community living. We salute the following Family Care Providers for their nurturance, love and dedicated care: Angela Baez, Guadalupe Guillen, Ana Guzman, Leydi Dominguez, Carmen Ulloa. Pictured above is last year's luncheon.

CPR and First Aid Training for Parents

2011-06-28T00:25:00.001-04:00

Earlier this year one of the mothers in our Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) underwent a very scary experience when her three year old daughter removed a barrette from her hair and placed it into her mouth. The little girl swallowed it and started to choke. Luckily, the mother was able to safely manage the situation and successfully remove the object. After going through such a scary ordeal she suggested that we offer a workshop on first aid techniques so that parents can learn what to do in case of an emergency.

The MPC collaborated with Sinergia’s nursing staff, who were able to recruit a representative from the American Red Cross to conduct a CPR training for parents. Those who attended received first aid information, and they were taught how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, and help choking victims using the Heimlich maneuver. Mr. Antonio Chavez (above) from the Red Cross brought along a number life size dolls of children and adults that were used to practice CPR techniques. It was an intensive, interactive and exciting experience for the parents. They had to pass an on-site test in order to earn the CPR and First Aid certification, which is good for two years. Eighteen participants were able to obtain the certification, and these parents now possess skills that will help their loved ones in case of an emergency.

Would you know what to do if your child gets hurt or is in need of medical attention? Below are some ways that you can start getting prepared.

BASIC TIPS EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE SHOULD FOLLOW TO CREATE A SAFER HOME

1. DOES EVERYONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD INCLUDING YOUR HOME HELP AND CHILDREN KNOW YOUR ADDRESS AND NEAREST LANDMARK? Write your address and nearest landmark down on a wall both upstairs and downstairs in case you need to call for an ambulance. If you panic it’s easier to read off the paper.

2. DO YOU KEEP ALL YOUR FIRST AID ITEMS IN ONE LOCATION OR IN DIFFERENT DRAWERS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE? If an accident happens its easier if everything in one place.

3. DOES EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE KNOW WHERE THE FIRST AID KIT IS ? Ideally on a shelf out of reach or in a locked cupboard.

4. DO YOU HAVE A FIRST AID KIT IN THE CAR? Accidents can happen anywhere, at the beach, shopping mall etc. Make sure you have a back up first aid kit in the car.

5. DO YOU HAVE A LANDLINE IN ADDITION TO YOUR MOBILE? In an emergency you don’t want to be looking for your mobile only to find it’s out of battery or credit.

6. DO YOU AND YOUR HOME HELP KNOW WHERE THE NEAREST HOSPITAL IS FROM YOUR HOME AND THE QUICKEST ROUTE?

7. IF YOUR BABY OR CHILD CHOKES ON FOOD, FOR EXAMPLE A GRAPE, WOULD YOU KNOW HOW TO RESPOND?
Choking is every parent’s worst nightmare and so common amongst infants and young children. A first aid course will demonstrate the most effective way to remove an obstruction in the throat without causing further damage.

8. DOES EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE KNOW THE NUMBER TO CALL FOR AN AMBULANCE?
You would be surprised at the number of parents and home help that have never thought of it. Dial 999 for medical assistance.

9. DO YOU HAVE RULES IN THE HOUSE TO AVOID ACCIDENTS IN THE KITCHEN, BATHROOM etc.?
For example, pan handles should always be facing inwards on the stove, have a "no kids" zone in the kitchen while preparing food, remove knives and sharp utensils from kitchen surfaces immediately after use.

10. DO YOU KEEP YOUR MEDICAL DOCUMENTS IN A CENTRAL LOCATION THAT CAN BE EASILY REACHED SHOULD YOU HAVE TO GO QUICKLY TO THE HOSPITAL? Label a separate folder for everyone in the home and store all medical information in these files in one place so everyone knows where they are in case you have to take them quickly to the doctors or hospital.

WHEN TO GO FOR HELP
Your child needs to go to an emergency room if he or she has:

An injury that causes the child to lose consciousness
A deep laceration
A possible broken bone
A burn
An animal bite
Swallowed something toxic
Extreme difficulty breathing (for instance, because of an asthma attack or choking.
A convulsion
Vomited blood
Bleeding from the ear
A fall followed by a severe headache, persistent vomiting, weakness, or an
abrupt change in mental status (hallucinations, incoherence, irritability or
extreme lethargy) within 24 hours
A fall or head injury and the child is under 1
A fever and the child is under two months old

Courtesy of the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association.

Day Hab Visit to the Rusk Garden

2011-06-01T17:57:00.001-04:00

After finding out about all the wonderful things going on at the Rusk Institute's Glass Garden (which we mentioned before in this post) the DayHab group went on a field trip and participate in their Prevocational Program. "We had a great time learning to plant windowboxes that will be kept in the perennial garden for patients and the public to enjoy," says Day Hab Specialist Erin McSorely. Looks like they had lots of fun "communing with nature," and even getting a little R & R (rest and relaxation)!

Vanessa, Michael, Maritza, Gisselle and Ivan

Mildred and Cindy

William

Sinergia's New Website

2011-06-01T16:58:00.001-04:00

Sinergia has just upgraded its home on the web, www.sinergiany.org, which will also be available in Spanish soon. Our Metropolitan Parent Center, which is a federally funded Parent Training and Information Center, has a section all to its own. Under the "IDEA" tab you'll find information on:

Laws and Regulations
Advocacy Skills for parents
Individualized Education Plan & Family Service Plan (IEP/FSP)Dispute Resolution
IDEA Disabilities categories
Infants and Toddlers and Early Intervention

Under "Information" you will find the following:

State Annual Performance Plan
Annual Performance Report
District Report Cards
ARIS Achievement Reporting and Innovation System

Back on the Home page, under "Services" you will find information on:

Medicaid Service Coordination
Family supports Services
Family Care Program,
Day and Residential and Respite Services
Community Habilitation
Home Care
Housing Assistance Services

Issues of the monthly Newsletters are currently being posted in the Archives in English and Spanish for your review.

Please bear with us as we complete the Spanish translations, tweak content and continue to work on our website to make it as reader friendly as possible, bringing you valuable information and helping individuals and families access the services they need. We hope you'll stop by for a visit soon!

Day Hab Art Sale

2011-06-01T01:30:00.000-04:00

The Day Hab Artists were at it again! They let their creative juices flow and made hand-crafted items for the “Go Green, Spring Clean” art and craft sale. The sale featured artwork that was either made from recycled materials or designed to assist the user to make greener and smarter choices. Among the items for sale were fashionable shopping totes, vintage button picture frames, and reusable lunch dishes.

Corey, Blanca, Maritza and Carlos

House by Carlos

Horse by Ivan

Rosa and Mabel hard at work

Job Opportunities for Teens in the New York Area

2011-05-31T17:14:00.000-04:00

Are you (or someone you know) looking for something productive for your teenager to do this summer? If you need ideas to fill up their free time and keep them busy, here are a few places that are offering internships and/or training for young adults this summer:

The Bronx: YAIP (Young Adult Internship Program) a paid internship for three months that includes work readiness and support services to young adults 16-24. For More Info Visit www.bronxworks.org

Brooklyn: OBT (Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow) Provides on-the-job training/apprenticeship for urban youth in two locations in Brooklyn. For More Info Visit www.obtjobs.org

Manhattan: Year Up provides 6 months of training and a corporate apprenticeship for 18-24 with their High School/GED. For More Info Visit: www.yearup.org

Queens: Elmcor Youth & Adults Activities, Inc. provides various vocational and educational services to young people. For More Info Visit: www.elmcor.org or www.eec.sunyeoc.org

Staten Island/Manhattan: The Way to Work, Inc. provides extensive trainings, internships, and job placement services to young people 17-21. For More Info Visit: www.thewaytoworknyc.org

For New York City-Wide (DYCD's) Programs that connect Urban Youth click on the links below:

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
A seven-week summer employment initiative open to young people between the ages of 14 and 24. Participants work up to 25 hours a week while earning $7.25 per hour in assignments that include government agencies, hospitals, summer camps, nonprofits, small businesses, and retailers. The application process begins April.

NYC Ladders for Leaders
An innovative program that offers high school and college students the opportunity to participate in summer internships with some of the most dynamic corporations and businesses in New York City.

Young Adult Internship Program
As part of Mayor Bloomberg's Commission for Economic Opportunity, DYCD is providing the most job-ready disconnected youth with short-term paid internships, job placements, and follow-up services.

In-School Youth (ISY) Program
Provides occupational skills, employment services, and educational opportunities to low-income high school juniors and seniors.

Out-of-School Youth (OSY) Program
Provides extensive job training and employment services to 16-21 year-olds who are not enrolled in school.

Map of Tomorrow

2011-05-18T22:53:00.000-04:00

The face of America is changing.

By 2042, the nation will be a majority people of color.

This decade, the majority of young people will be people of color.

From Southern California to rural Iowa, every corner of America is seeing these changes.
What does this map say about the future of America?

To see how we'll get here visit America's Tomorrow from PolicyLink.

Mother's Day Success Story: Dilia Mieses

2011-05-03T16:31:00.000-04:00

This year for Mother's Day we're featuring Dilia Marina Mieses Mendez, in recognition of her fighting spirit, and as a symbol of all the mother's that struggle to overcome obstacles and care for their children with special needs.

Dilia, who recently became a member of Sinergia's Board of Directors, had a blossoming career in her native Dominican Republic. After graduating from civil engineering, she decided to pursue classical ballet, which was her passion. She trained as a dancer as well as an instructor, and received a diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance in New York. Ms. Mieses later headed up a private dance school back home, became academic director of the National Dance School of Santo Domingo and was one of the founders of the Instituto Superior de Bellas Artes, the first organization focused in fine arts in the capital city. Armed with the self confidence that being a leader had fostered in her, she enrolled in a Master's Program for teaching. It seemed as if nothing could stop this mother of two, but in 2004, her world was turned upside down. Her youngest son, four year old Cesar, was diagnosed with autism. She traveled to the States to get a second opinion, and attended a training program for parents of children with autism. Upon returning home she tried to juggle her new circumstances, but there were few resources available locally, and after 2 years she realized she needed to find better care for her child elsewhere. Leaving behind her career in dance -- and her husband -- in 2007 she came to New York in search of assistance. Since then she has been confronting obstacles every day, but she has dedicated herself to learning about autism and the educational system to help out little Cesar. She credits her mother as being instrumental in her fight.

"When there is a child with special needs all the people around them play a very important role. I am very thankful of my family because without them I could not be here. My mother has been a huge support. She helped to pave the way for me. I could not have done it by myself. It takes a lot of effort to get children with special needs to calm down, and sometimes it feels like the days aren't long enough."

"My child requires attention all day long and the quality of care from parents and family members cannot be compared to those of an outside worker, unless you're lucky to find a special one. That makes the child feel secure, which helps him overcome obstacles. I am happy to be dedicating myself to my two sons, and even though I have sacrificed a career that gave much joy, I feel good."

Rusk Institute's Glass Garden to Shut Down

2011-05-03T15:24:00.002-04:00

It's Spring, and for gardeners, this means planting season! To get geared up, Erin McSorley, Day Habilitation Specialist at Sinergia, recently attended a gardener's club meeting, where she met Gwen Fried, a horticultural therapist at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Center. She told Erin all about the Institute and their Glass Garden, a 1,700 square-foot conservatory that was built in 1959, the first facility of its kind to be fully accessible to people using wheelchairs.

The garden also includes around 15,000 square feet of outdoor garden space that includes a children's PlayGarden and perennial flowers. Aside from being a beautiful public space (open seven days a week), the Glass Garden functions as a rehabilitation and education center. They have a wide variety of programs available ranging from preschool nature classes to cardiac rehabilitation to therapy for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, HIV/AIDS, brain injury, epilepsy, and mental illness. Sinergia's Day Habilitation has plans to visit the Glass Garden very soon and investigate what we might learn through the prevocational training offered there.

Unfortunately, Glass Garden's days are numbered. NYU has plans to bulldoze the area to make room for a new research center. While Gwen and her associates at the Rusk Institute can't do much to fight these changes, there are friends of the garden working hard to gain support to either save or rebuild the greenhouse and gardens. You can show your support for the Rusk Institute and Glass Garden by writing to Mark Thompson, chairman of Community Board 6, and urging him to do what he can to preserve this special place. You can also contact Erin McSorley, 212-643-2840 ext. 343 for copies of a pre-written letter to sign or a list of additional people in office to contact.Visit the Glass Garden as soon as you can, and to check out their programs and calendar of events go to www.med.nyu.edu/rusk/glassgardens.

Speak Out on Services for Children with Special Needs

2011-05-03T14:13:00.001-04:00

On April 12, the MPC co-sponsored a Speak-Out event along with the ARISE coalition. The Speak Out, or ¡Hablando Claro! in Spanish, was an opportunity for parents of children with special education needs to voice their concerns with the provision of special education services before elected officials, the Department of Education and key stakeholders. The event was attended by a diverse parent population who don not often get a chance to speak. In repeated instances, and many trying to withhold long pent-up emotions, the parents reported feeling anguish over their child not having made progress after years of special education services. Others described being treated with disrespect by school staff and/or their child refusing to go to school. One parent told of her son having been in District 75 since the age of 8, when he was classified as emotionally disturbed. She was repeatedly called to pick up her child due to his disruptive behavior and asked to increase his medication. Now 17 years of age, he is still in District 75 with the ED classification, despite having matured and his behavior calmed. When the parent sought a reclassification and move to a community school, to her dismay the school psychologist suggested re-classifying her son as mentally retarded and placing him in a 12:1:4 program (a program for multiply disabled), stating that this way she could continue getting SSI services. Sinergia and the MPC laud the courage and perseverance of the parents who poured their hearts out in testimony and shared their challenging experiences in trying to secure special education services for their children.

NYC Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio made an appearance and heard the parent's stories. Stating that he was very concerned about the issues with special education, the Public Advocate announced that his Office was conducting a survey which parents were invited to complete. The surveys are being collected through the month of May, after which their outcomes will be reported and published.

Sinergia Participates in Autism Awareness Month

2011-04-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

Did you know?

An average of 1 in 110 children in the United States have an Autism Spectrum Disorder

April is Autism Awareness Month, a cause that Sinergia strongly believes in and is continuously looking for ways to support. Our Autism Initiative program recently applied for a $5,000 Irvin Stern Foundation grant. The foundation was looking for innovative ideas to fund and our idea was approved. Through the grant we will be able to buy three laptops for teens with Asperger's Syndrome to teach some mothers who are not computer proficient. Additionally, the youth will have opportunities for social interaction and at the same time some parents will learn about computers and the internet. We are very pleased to provide an opportunity for the teens to contribute to the technology learning of mothers.

We are offering the following autism-related events in April:

April 8th: Breakfast for Spanish Speaking families
April 14th: Implementing Dairy Free Diet for Kids
April 29th: The Role of Art in Autism

Additional Autism resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Libraries and Autism
New York's Initiative for Adults and Children on the Autism Spectrum
OPWDD Autism Calendar of Events
Autism Society
Autism Speaks

The UN also has a new section on their website with resources and UN autism events in April held at their headquarters in New York.

Autism World Views 2011: Help shine the light on global autism by participating in this 10 minute survey.

Success Story: Kenny Berg

2011-04-04T15:07:00.002-04:00

When one first sees Kenny Berg interacting with his mother and father it is easy to see how strong the bond between them is. Kenny glows when he is around his parents and the look of love and caring that emanates from them is almost a physical force you can touch. These strong feelings are obvious even though the 36 year old has severe developmental disabilities, including intensive sight and hearing deficits. Despite his limitations, Kenny has an amazing ability to know exactly who is in his immediate proximity. His parents believe that he can use his sense of smell to identify people and that he has an uncanny ability to determine whether or not he will connect with someone based upon their “vibe.” Kenny’s ability to sense his surroundings without the use of sight or hearing has come in handy as he goes about his chores at the Queens County Farm. Kenny has been working at this unique facility for a number of years now, and has become an expert at collecting and sorting fresh eggs from the farm’s chickens. His colleagues state that the chickens, which can be ornery when disturbed from their egg-sitting, rarely raise a fuss as Kenny gently and quietly collects their eggs and places them in a basket to be sorted and sold in the farm’s store.

Kenny, who currently lives with his parents, is getting older now and his parents are anxiously working with Sinergia and the New York State Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to find a permanent residential placement for him. Kenny’s parents understand that he will need to establish a place to live outside of their home and despite the heartbreak that this separation may cause for all in the short-term, it is the long-term solution that occupies the thoughts of Kenny’s family. As developments occur, we will keep you all abreast of Kenny’s search for a home he can call his own.

Day Hab Celebrates Women's History Month

2011-04-01T17:04:00.000-04:00

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Sinergia's Day HabArtists created a timeline of women through the ages that was installed alongthe hallway on the 3^rd floor. It started with the year 1840, whenwomen were denied the right to participate at an anti-slavery convention inEngland, and continued all the way to the present with a summary of thisyear’s White House report, “Women in America.” The reportfound that while more women than men are getting college degrees, they stillmake only 75% of what their male counterparts earn.

Each Day Hab participanthad the opportunity to go on a guided tour of the timeline and discuss variouskey events. Hot topics of discussion were the fight for women’s suffrage,which was finally granted in 1920 with the 19^th Amendment, and thestruggle for women to be respected in their various fields, like ElizabethBlackwell, the first woman to graduate from an American medical school with aphysician’s license. (She also opened the first medical college forwomen!) The Art Appreciation group also had the chance to take a virtual tourof Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, a tribute to variousinfluential women, both real and mythical, throughout world history. TheDinner Party is a permanent installation at the Brooklyn Museum. Learnmore about the exhibit at www.brooklynmuseum.org.

Health Effects of Consuming Too Much Sugar

2011-04-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

Did you know that Mountain Dew soda contains the equivalent of 17 packets of sugar? And a small can of Red Bull, seven. That's what Sinergia staff and Day Hab participants found out during a seminar held March 28th, 2011 entitled "Health Effects of Consuming Too Much Sugar". The training was brought to Sinergia by the Union Settlement in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and The Public Health Outreach, as a part of their “Take Care New York” campaign to raise awareness about sugar consumption. The presenter, Kathleen Cain, a public health outreach coordinator for Union Settlement, talked about the frighteningly high consumption of sugar in all it’s forms, its lack of nutritional value, and the availability of healthy alternatives. She suggested that when shopping for fruit juice, people should read labels and choose those that are 100% fruit juice and then dilute them with water, because they still contain a significant amount of natural sugars. She promoted a petition to encourage local stores to move healthy beverages and foods to the front of their stores to help the communities choose better. "The forty plus participants that were present answered questions about their daily diets and were astounded to find so many items that were not so beneficial to their health, says Day Hab specialist Rob Maldonado. "Ms. Cain encouraged all of us to drink lots of water as the ultimate replacement for soft drinks."

This insightful workshop will be held again on April 13th for the Up-Living Program participants.

How do Homeless Families survive without the Advantage Program?

2011-03-24T16:00:00.002-04:00

The Advantage Program is a housing subsidy program for homeless families which began in 2007 and is operated by the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Families who go through the shelter system receive a voucher which pays a substantial part of their new rent, making it affordable for people to move to permanent housing (providing a home to house a family is less costly than utilizing the shelter system for the homeless). This arrangement lasted for two years, during which families were expected to become stabilized, find work and begin paying their own full rent.

Unfortunately, after the two year period, about 51% of the families were unable to pay their unsubsidized rent and subsequently returned to the City’s shelter system. Because of its high recidivism rate, the Advantage Program has come under attack and the State has proposed eliminating the program completely. The City responded by ceasing the signing of leases for current shelter families effective March 14, 2011 and will stop rent payments to landlords effective April 1, 2011 (more info on elimination of services). The termination of the Advantage program will affect New York City families and, in turn, some of the families with disabled children served by the Tier II program and Housing Assistance Program at Sinergia. We are already feeling the effects, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

One of our consumers, a mother, along with her non-verbal son with intellectual and developmental disabilities, were living in severely overcrowded conditions. The young boy's behavior in school was affected by this, as was his relationship with everyone in the household. While living under these conditions he regressed substantially and became withdrawn and depressed. The family moved into one of Sinergia’s Tier II apartment, which is meant to be transitional housing until families find permanent, affordable housing. Nevertheless, it provided space for the son to move freely, and he did not have to wait in line to use the bathroom and was able to sleep in his own bed. His teacher noted his behavior and functional progress had improved remarkably. Once her son was stable, Sinergia helped the Mom to secure a job. She then met the requirements for the Advantage voucher, and she identified an affordable apartment that accepted it. Now this dream is on hold.

Another couple with three children, one with developmental disabilities, came to Sinergia’s Housing offices this week with a letter from DHS informing them that beginning April 1, 2011 they would no longer subsidize their $1,600 rent. The couple is devastated. A year and a half ago they entered the shelter system and with the help of Sinergia were able to get an Advantage voucher and rent a three bedroom apartment. The husband works, but doesn’t earn enough to pay the total rent. They are concerned about returning to the shelter system; they remembered how much their kids suffered because of the conditions and instability of being homeless.

Both families are in limbo, overwhelmed by the lack of affordable housing in the city and what the impact of facing an unknown future will have on their children. We hope the City and the State will find alternatives to the Advantage program because low income families have few options for securing affordable housing in the marketplace. Otherwise we will see the return of families living on the streets or forced into inhumane homeless shelters. Children, especially those with disabilities, will suffer the most from the instability of a family adrift without a home.

UPDATE (3/31/11) - Legal Aid believes these terminations are unlawful and filed a lawsuit on behalf of tenants whose benefits were terminated. As a result of this filing, the City was ordered to pay Advantage rents for current Advantage tenants for the month of April pending a hearing later this month. (We don’t know if the lawsuit will resolve anything, but we’re hopeful.)

Related resources:
Legal Aid’s flyers with additional information in English and Spanish, from the New Destiny Housing website.
NYC: 15,000 Ex-homeless Families Losing Rent Help (WSJ)
Updates from the Coalition For the Homeless

Choosing Healthy Foods

2011-03-07T16:53:00.001-05:00

For Asuncion Muyalde, nutrition is an ongoing process. She oversees Sinergia's nursing department, and part of their job is to assist participants of the residential programs with their menu planning and food shopping. "Some of our consumers have problems because of their nutritional intake," explains Ms. Muyalde, "so for individuals with diabetes or other chronic conditions, proper foods are essential to their well being. For example, for consumers with hyper tension we ensure they are on a low salt diet, although sometimes it's difficult to enforce. We educate consumers on food choices and what foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals so that they can maintain their health goals, whether it's low weight or low blood sugars." The nursing staff teaches residents and other staff members about the wide variety of inexpensive food choices available in the market. "They don't have to buy organic products which are costlier. The most important thing is choosing foods wisely to promote health - that's a continuous process, a real nutritional challenge," she adds.

Ms. Muyalde came across this list on cspinet.org. "It's loaded with so much great information about foods that people that might not be aware of," she points out.

TEN Super Foods You Should Eat:

1.) Sweet potatoes= A nutritional all- star, loaded with carotenoids, Vitamin C, Potassium and fiber.

2.) Mangos= Just one cup supplies almost as much Vitamin A and C as most people need in an entire day.

3.) Plain Yogurt= Has more protein, potassium, calcium, zinc, and vitamins B-6 and B-12 than sweetened yogurt.

4.) Broccoli= Lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, and folic acid.

5.) Wild Salmon= The omega-3 fats in salmon can reduce the risk of sudden- death heart attacks.

6.) Crisp Breads= Loaded with fiber and and often fat-free.

7.) Beans= Inexpensive, low in fat, and rich in protein, iron, folic acid, and fiber. Choose garbanzo, pinto, black, navy, kidney or lentils.

8.) Watermelon= Excellent source of Vitamin C and carotenoids, and it tastes great.

9.) Butternut Squash= An easy way to get payloads of vitamins A and C and fiber.

10.) Leafy Greens= Loaded with Vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium & fiber.

March is National Nutrition Month so for more information on staying healthy visit eatright.org. Other articles of interest:
How Much Do Fruits and Vegetables Cost?
The Food Pyramid
Daily Food Planners & Interactive Tools

Sinergia is offering 3 upcoming workshops on the topic of Alternative Nutrition for Children with Disabilities: Gluten Free Diets, on March 3rd, Reading Labels: Choosing Healthier Foods with Less Chemicals, on March 24th and Implementing a Dairy Free Diet for Kids, on April 14th. To register for these FREE events, please call Gina Peña-Campodonico at 212 643-2840, ext. 305 or by e-mail at gpena at sinergiany.org.

Day Hab's Black History Month Celebration

2011-03-01T16:18:00.001-05:00

On February 17, 2011, the participants of Sinergia’s Day Habilitation program presented a Black History Celebration in the Activity Center of our headquarters at 2082 Lexington Ave. The festivities included presentations by individual groups of the Day Habilitation’s participants. One group presented information about Harriet Tubman and the intricacies surrounding the operation of the famous “Underground Railroad” (the hidden routes used by Ms. Tubman to secret runaway slaves from the South to freedom in the North). The presenters educated the audience about how the “conductors” of the “Underground Railroad” often used homemade signs and scraps of fabric or pieces of quilts to indicate various conditions along the route. Some of the signs indicated danger, direction, safe passage, that there had been a death along the route or that safe lodging and food was available to those making their way to the North and freedom. (Below: A Day Hab group presents a biography on Soul Music pioneer, Aretha Franklin – the first African American female artist to win a Grammy.)

Other groups presented information on African-American historical figures, celebrities and politicians. The entire presentation was done very well and was entertaining as well as educational. Thanks to the Day Habilitation staff and participants for a very meaningful, thought-provoking and enjoyable presentation! (Below: Rosie shows the quilt square sample she made that indicates to “Underground Railroad” riders that they should follow the geese to the North.)

The Right to Translation of the IEP into Spanish

2011-03-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

When interviewing a parent who is seeking assistance with their child's special education needs, Liz Pardo, who is an educational advocate for Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center, will always start by making reference to their child's Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. Time and time again she's been confronted with the same response: parents who do not know what she is referring to until she describes it to them in more detail. Most often, it is a parent whose first language is not English who will not know the IEP by name. Some parents will recognize the name and know that it constitutes the whole of child's special education services, however, because they cannot read English, they are unsure of its contents.

What's wrong with this picture? Ms. Pardo says that studies have shown that parent involvement in their child's education is key to their child's academic success. But she adds that if a parent cannot cannot read their child's IEP, they will be unable to meaningfully participate in an IEP meeting or in their child's education. The Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) recognizes the importance of parent involvement, hence provides for the right to translation services (such as the translation of an IEP) and interpretation services (such as at an IEP meeting).

In New York City it is common for an IEP to be in English, despite the parent being an English Language Learner. You must ask for it, and as with all important requests, it should be made in writing!

Sample letter

Date:
Principal:
School:
Address:
City, State:

Requesting Translation of IEP for my child: _______________________________

Dear Mr./Ms.__________________________________,

I write seeking a translation of my child's IEP into Spanish, my primary language. This translation will permit me to more fully understand and participate in the IEP meeting as well as to participate in my child's education throughout the school year. The request is made pursuant to federal, state and local laws.

I thank you for your time and assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

_________________________________________
Parent

Additional Resources
Language Services & Special Education - New York City
Servicios Linguisticos y de Educacion Especial - Cuidad de Nueva York

Metropolitan Parent Center January Highlights

2011-02-09T12:18:00.000-05:00

Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center had a busy month in January! Here are some highlights.

Improving Spanish Translations for Special Ed
It was selected to participate on a Spanish Glossary Project Review Team that met on January 24 & 25, in Washington, D.C. The intent of this project, which is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), is for team participants to review Spanish translations of special education terms and phrases and come to a consensus of which of the words are the most appropriate that will then compiled and distributed to Parent Centers throughout the United States that work with diverse Spanish speaking communities. It was a demanding task that required that a panel of 16 individuals from diverse areas of the country, working in groups of four to review and revise glossary terms located in a 44-page document. Each group engaged in conversations, discussed their opinions and arrived at a consensus regarding the words assigned to the group. Afterward each group reported on their findings and sought the consensus of the other groups in order to determine which terms and phrases were the most appropriate one.

Technology and Leadership Training
A few days after that Godfrey Rivera and Cassandra Archie, the Co-Directors of the MPC, attended the National Parent Technical Assistance Center's ALLIANCE Technology and Leadership & Management Institutes, which took place in Washington, D.C. on January 26 & 27. Mr. Rivera attended a variety of sessions on website content management systems, webinars and collaborative online workgroups (i.e. Wikis, Big Tent and Ning) at the Technology Institute. Ms. Archie on the other hand learned about effective management leadership strategies, motivating staff, and compliance issues for implementing grants at the IBM Management Institute.

Using Technology to Help Parents
Finally, later in the month, the MPC was also selected to participate in a Technology Leadership Initiative which consisted of representatives from six Parent Training and Information Centers (PTICs) and two Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs). The chosen Parent Centers were from NYC, Tennessee, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, California, Pennsylvania and Colorado. This is a three-year project whose task is to develop a model on how to use technology to enhance Parent Center's ability to meet their missions of helping families of children with disabilities and to serve as mentors to training other parent centers. There was a training session on January 28 where participants met each other, the technology consultant, John Kenyon, and started to outline the project by articulating benchmarks and goals.

EIP - Getting Ready for the Annual Review

2011-02-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

The IEP is a written statement of an Individualized Education Program that each school-aged child with disabilities receives, designed to meet their specific needs. The program must be reviewed annually, and this typically happens between March and May. These annual conferences are scheduled to review and revise the IEP for the upcoming school year. Cassandra Archie, Co-Director of Sinergia's Metropolitan parent Center, has some suggestions on how parents should prepare for their child's annual IEP conference:

Thoroughly review your child's current IEP
Know if your child has made progress, or if there has been a lack of progress. For example, if the child is to receive counseling, three times a week, did he receive it? How well is he responding to it?
Think about what educational and functional goals you want to see your child achieve in the upcoming school year (2011-2012).
Know your options for participation in the annual IEP conference. Participation can be in person or via conference call and you can request that it be in Spanish.

Here are two articles with more information:

Understanding Annual Reviews - What is an IDEA Annual Review?

How to Prepare for an IEP Annual Review

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New Year, New Look for Sinergia

2011-02-07T10:33:00.005-05:00

Sinergia is getting ready to unveil a new website and a new logo to go along with it, and here's a sneak peak. The graphic depicts three shapes coming together to create synergy, emphasizing unity through diversity. Stay tuned for updates on the relaunch!

Our new tag line is "Providing Multicultural, Lifespan Services for People With Disabilities." For the past 34 years Sinergia has served low income, minority families with children and members with disabilities, particularly those limited English language learners whose principal language is Spanish. It has been very important that the members of our organization reflect the diversity and life experiences of the people we serve. Consequently our staff and board of directors have consistently been multilingual and multicultural, many living in the same communities where our consumers reside, and many are parents of children with disabilities.

In its early beginnings Sinergia started offering educational advocacy services for children with disabilities but then blossomed organically into more comprehensive services that extended into adulthood and beyond in order to meet the unique needs of consumers. Our Family Support services were developed so that the child or adult with disabilities would not have to leave their home because families did not have the resources they needed to care for them. We created the Parent Training and Information Center because our core belief is that parent involvement is integral to their children's educational and functional achievements and can lead them to more productive, high quality adult lives.

Finally, as children moved into the adult world, Sinergia met their transition needs head on. We developed residences and support services for adults with intellectual disabilities so they can live as independently as possible in their own safe and secure homes in our neighborhoods. Our Day Habilitation Program has helped persons with disabilities to learn skills that lead them to greater independence, employment, and recreational and artistic opportunities, and have increased their knowledge of community life and resources. Some of our Day Habilitation participants as well as those living in Sinergia-operated residences are now senior citizens.

In this way Sinergia serves people throughout their life span. Over the years we have heard your voices, heeded your needs and were driven to respond. We have truly earned our tag line!

The Diet and Disability Connection

2011-02-04T12:25:00.006-05:00

Is there a connection between disability and the food we eat? That question was very much on Lizette Dunn-Barcelona's mind. The Associate Director of Sinergia had searched for years for different ways to cope with her daughter's severe asthma. "My 14 year old would frequently have bouts of hay fever, and since we were unable to control her asthma at home, she was often hospitalized - for days - until her breathing was normalized," explains Ms. Dunn-Barcelona. She had often wondered about the effects that certain foods had on allergies, and then two years ago she read that gluten accumulates in the body and inhibits its ability to fight environmental toxins. "I decided to limit my daughter's gluten intake during allergy season, between March and May, and noticed a significant difference in her body's response. She still sneezed all the time and got asthma, but we were able to control it from home and she wasn't hospitalized," adds the mother of two.

Last December Ms. Dunn-Barcelona attended a workshop offered by Sinergia entitled "Alternative Nutrition for Children with Disabilities: Gluten Free Diets". Her son had been recently diagnosed with ADHD, and having had such positive results by changing her daughter's diet, she was very interested in the topic. The instructor, Kristin Boncher, who is founder of WhatToFeedYourKids.com, talked about her own child and how through food she got him to be more responsive to his environment, interact with people and break free of whatever had a hold of him. She achieved this by removing gluten, soy and dairy from his diet. Since Ms. Dunn-Barcelona's family was already diary free, and because of the success she had when limiting her daughter's gluten intake, she decided to eliminate all three of those foods from her household, commencing in February 2011. In order to get her family onboard with the idea, she took on the role of guinea pig, and on December 23, 2010 embarked on her food "experiment".

"I felt more energetic and was able to focus more easily at work. I purchased gluten, soy and diary free bread, pasta and cheese and incorporated them into my diet. On January 9, 2011, I was celebrating my birthday and ate a slice of birthday cake; it was regular cake filled with gluten. Within 20 minutes I felt as if someone had given me a sedative. I was unable to concentrate, and lost my focus at work. The entire day I felt sluggish and tired. I began to think about my son and wondered if his inability to concentrate is exacerbated by the cloudiness caused by the food I'm feeding him. All along I've been limiting his sugar intake, but never thought about removing anything else."

Ms. Dunn-Barcelona immediately went back on her diet and can't think about turning back. She has learned what to buy and how to cook it and is feeling better because of the changes she's made. "I'm looking forward to introducing my family to new, healthy ways of eating, and hopefully completely eliminating my daughter's allergy and helping my son on his quest to deal better with his diagnosis," she says.

Sinergia is offering 3 upcoming workshops on the topic of Alternative Nutrition for Children with Disabilities: Gluten Free Diets, on March 3rd, Reading Labels: Choosing Healthier Foods with Less Chemicals, on March 9th and Implementing a Dairy Free Diet for Kids, on April 14th. To register for these FREE events, please call Gina Peña-Campodonico at 212 643-2840, ext. 305 or by e-mail at gpena@sinergiany.org.
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New Workshop For Parents of Deaf-Blind Children

2011-02-03T17:17:00.001-05:00

Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) has entered into collaboration with the New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative (NYDBC) to provide a training space and information on education advocacy for a group of parents of children with Deaf-Blindness. The NYDBC is a federally funded project which provides technical assistance to improve services for children and youth who are deaf-blind (ages 0-21.) The NYDBC has a program called Parent Leadership Training that will teach parent skills to prepare them to be advocates for their children, learn about their rights and how to access/obtain services and resources in their own communities. The MPC has provided the Nivia Zavala Conference Center to the NYDBC so that they can conduct their Parent Leadership Program. The first session took place the weekend of January 22 & 23. Nine parents participated, including three married couples. There will be other weekend sessions taking place in March (for Spanish-speaking parents) and in April. In addition to providing a training space, the MPC will be offering presentations on education advocacy for parents which focus on how parents can be effective advocates for their children and for other families and become empowered in the process.

Day Hab's Annual Dinner Dance

2011-02-03T15:01:00.000-05:00

On the night of Friday, January 14th, the Day Habilitation program held its 4th Annual Dinner Dance at the Julia da Burgos Recreational Center at 1680 Lexington Avenue in East Harlem. As always, this was a night for everyone from Sinergia’s Day Habilitation, Residential, and Family Care programs to dress up and dance the night away to all kinds of exciting music. More than 50 individuals with disabilities attended and enjoyed the dancing, food and entertainment. This year’s festivities included a fashion show, dance music from a DJ and live music from the outstanding singer, Amui Ptah and his band. The food was delicious and was graciously served by members of the Day Hab staff as well as other members of Sinergia’s various departments. Everyone had a fantastic time and there were smiles on all their the faces, from the first dance right up to the time for everyone to begrudgingly call it a night. Many thanks go out to Day Hab Coordinator Lore Barcelona and her staff for the planning and implementation of this event and to the other staff from Sinergia who gave of their time to help this night be a special one for the people with disabilities that we serve. We look forward to next year’s event being just as grand. More pictures and video will be added soon to our Facebook page.

2010 in Review - Sinergia's Department & Program Highlights

2011-01-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC)
Families and parents make our work possible, and as we look back at 2010 we would like to say thank you to the many families who contacted the MPC for information or assistance - your child is our first priority. To the 1,739 parents and professionals who attended our 48 workshops and trainings, we trust that your time was well spent and we provided you with valuable information, tools and strategies along with opportunities to connect and network. To the 35,978 individual parent and professional contacts through calls, letters, e-mails and meetings, we strived to work hard on your behalf. To the parents that attended the 26 parent support group sessions throughout the year, we are so thankful that through the generosity of the Brick Presbyterian Church and skills of William Bird Forteza our facilitator, you were able to share and learn from one another. Thank you to everyone who visited our website in 2010. We hope you will visit our re-designed webpage to be completed in January and which will be made easier for you to find information, and is a one-stop venue for special education and general education information and resources. For the 8,067 parents and professionals who received our newsletter, we thank you for staying informed monthly. To the parent volunteers, your assistance was invaluable and we appreciate the giving of your valuable time. To the 989 infants, children and youth with the full range of disabilities we served in 2010, we will continue to support you as needed. To those families and professionals who find their way to us in 2011, we look forward to providing you with quality service as a Center of Excellence For Latino Family Engagement.

Autism Initiative
Sinergia’s Autism Initiative Program has continued to grow in 2010 and is currently serving almost 300 families of children with autism spectrum disorders, the majority of which are Latino and Spanish-speaking families. The Autism Initiative Program has also developed collaborations with a number of organizations and individuals that have provided our families and parents with productive and effective tools in the areas of resources and workshops. These individuals and organizations include scientists and researchers, art educators, school administrators, therapists and a chef/nutritionist. There were nine workshops conducted in 2010 that offered information on areas including sensory integration therapy, dietary interventions and alternatives, siblings of children with autism issues and transforming everyday activities into learning activities. The Autism Initiative Program also featured monthly events called “Breakfast Encounters” where parents share their stories, challenges and successes regarding raising children with autism spectrum disorders.

Medicaid Service Coordination (MSC)
During the past year the MSC program experienced a major restructuring due to the financial crisis. Nevertheless during this time the program provided 2841 units of service to 327 individuals with intellectual disabilities in the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. The ten MSC staff members helped individuals to meet their goals and desires, to find and keep a home, we linked them to search for jobs, participate in recreational activities, build a circle of friends and to gain access to medical, clinical, and entitlement programs such as Social Security, food stamps. We also assisted families in the guardianship process and in securing other needed services. The MSC staff attended numerous mandated trainings provided through OPWDD and Sinergia, to ensure that disabled individuals as well as their families were able to secure the services and supports they needed. Through these efforts a staff member was able to find a work program for a consumer who had stayed at home the previous six years without engaging in daily activities. Also the program arranged for summer camps for some individuals who had never had a camp experience. Despite having to adapt to new regulations, larger case loads, restructuring (which allows for less time to visit), accompanying and advocating for individuals, the MSC Department continues to engage with and assist individuals with intellectual disabilities to make progress that will lead to more enriched, independent lives.

Residential Services
From January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 the Residential Services Program provided over 60 individuals with developmental disabilities with residential services in 38 residential opportunities. These ranged from supervised and supported certified individualized residential alternatives to less restrictive individualized support services in the community. In addition to the residences, Sinergia provided 78,097 hours of direct service to help individuals enhance their daily living skills, ensure their health and safety , oversaw their nutritional needs, budgeting, medication administration, and promoted their independence and integration into the community. Pursuant to our goals of promoting greater independence and increasing the quality of life of individuals, several relocations were made during the year which provided for persons to have their own bedrooms and to move to better, newly built residences. The staff of approximately 65 employees in this department constantly attends development sessions so that they can meet regulatory demands and most importantly so they can meet the individual needs of the residents and enhance their quality of life in community settings.

Day Habilitation Services
In Sinergia’s Day Habilitation Program, consistency is an important foundation for progress. While changes in scheduling can be disruptive to the program, the participants demonstrated how well they could adapt to a very big change in February 2010. On Monday, February 1st, Day Habilitation began its program at 2082 Lexington Avenue, on 126th street. After much anticipation and fanfare, Sinergia’s brand new building was ready. That day and the several weeks since then, the members have shown that they don’t adapt to new surroundings by trial and error, but by trial and victory! They quickly learned new transportation routes and braved new bus rides home. When the new elevator was being repaired, they climbed the stairs or took the alternate elevator. It’s as though every participant was determined to make 2082 Lexington a new home. While the neighborhood in Harlem is very different than it was at 29th Street, the participants have embraced change and used it as a springboard for adventure. Day Hab. Groups have volunteered at the Carver Garden on East 124th St., growing fresh vegetables and learning how to prepare them. They’ve visited the library, shopped at the Brand New Mall on 116th St. with Manhattan’s first Target, walked to Yankee Stadium, gone swimming at the local public pools, and played basketball and football games at the park on 130th St. The new location hasn’t been an impediment to continuing past activities like Encore Meals on Wheels or exercising at the YMCA and Riverside Park. Life at Lexington Ave. has continued as usual with fun activities and adventurous new excursions. Some participants volunteered at the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition Shelter, walking homeless dogs and caring for lonely cats. In July, some participants went “Walking with the Dinosaurs” at Madison Square Garden. They visited exciting places like Rye Play land, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and Coney Island, also had fun closer to home, barbecuing in a local park and picnicking in the garden. The new spacious conference room on the fourth floor was the perfect place for the first Volunteer Award Ceremony and Spring Art Exhibit, as well as the annual Thanksgiving Lunch on November 24th. Day Hab also observed Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month with informational celebrations, premiered their first Photography Exhibit, and had a costume party for Halloween. The participants are now looking forward to holiday celebrations in December and the Dinner Dance in January. With the coming of the New Year, Day Hab will continue taking on new challenges and adventures in stride. It’s what they do!

Family Care
Family Care is a program in which individuals, including children with developmental disabilities are placed in the care of families in homes within the community. The services are supplemented by a team composed of a Family Care coordinator, Family Care Provider(s), Medicaid Service Coordinators and a nursing team which provides medical care and intervention to consumers in the program. The program currently serves 10 children and adults. Currently there are two prospective consumers that are in the process of being admitted into the program. Out of the ten consumers in the program, only five of them have parents, relatives or legal guardians who are very involved in their care and well being. These family members have expressed great satisfaction with the care that their family members are receiving from the family care providers. Family care providers are unsung heroes; some have opened their homes to individuals since their infancy and have amassed 20 years as providers. The dedication of these families is extraordinary and Sinergia gratefully acknowledges their contribution to the lives of individuals in the Family Care Program. Our annual Family Care luncheon on July 29, 2010 was a testament and expression of gratitude to the five providers and two respite providers for all the care and nurturance they provide throughout the year in their homes and community.

Family Support (FS)
The Family Support Case Management programs “Direction Services and East Harlem Service Coordination” served 139 families and provided over 3556 hours of case management in 2010. Medicaid isn’t required for FS programs, therefore we are able to serve families that do not have Medicaid and would otherwise remain unserved. During this year we were able to obtain medical, clinical, entitlements, special education, recreational and OPWDD services for the individuals served by the program. One family in desperate straits with a physically handicapped mother who had suffered an amputation with a severely disabled child was able to receive emergency services, respite and OPWDD housing after they were evicted from their home. Another family was assisted with funds to pay rent arrears in order to forestall an eviction. We also referred families for reimbursement for clothing, furniture and other necessities. Most recently we assisted families that don’t qualify for Medicaid because of their income with the Medicaid Waiver enrollment. This enables the family to get prescriptions and medical services not covered by their health insurance as well as OPWDD waiver services. After more than 25 years this program still remains a lifeline for families with children or family members with developmental disabilities. Family Support Services are indispensable for families that need help and struggle to maintain their children and adult family members with disabilities in their own homes.

Family Reimbursement
Sinergia’s Family reimbursement Program is a Family Support Service funded by the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and serves families in the Bronx and Brooklyn who have a person with developmental disabilities living at home. The program offers reimbursement funds for the purchase of goods, services and necessities to help the member with disabilities to stay living in the home. In 2010 Sinergia awarded a total of $27,000 in reimbursement funds to 69 families which covered respite care, camp and recreational opportunities, medication, equipment, needed furniture, music therapy. This is a fund of last resort and due to limitations in funding, priority is given to emergencies and to families with very restrictive incomes.

Educational Advocacy
The family support educational advocacy is a program funded by the New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities for families living in Manhattan who have children with developmental disabilities. In 2010 we were tremendously satisfied to have been able to help 25 families and provided over 600 hours of intense advocacy to help parents of children with disabilities obtain a great deal of information and guidance so that their children could receive appropriate educational services. Sinergia’s educational advocate was able to assist parents with issues related to school transfers, behavior problems, busing issues, obtaining paraprofessionals, related services such as occupational, physical, and speech therapies, transition, placement, evaluations and other problems that parents resented.During 2010 we worked closely with parents to determine the suitability of their children’s educational programs. The main goal of this program is to ensure that services provided by the NYC Department of Education to children with disabilities are developed in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and are individualized and reflective of their academic, social and vocational growth. We believe that all children can learn and we promote parental involvement, which is crucial to the progress and achievement of their children with disabilities. We thank those families who contacted Sinergia and became part of our family in 2010 and who allowed us to assist them.

We Are Parents Too
This unique program serves parents with developmental disabilities. It offered 34 workshops throughout the year which covered a range of topics from nutrition, domestic violence, infant development, discipline vs. punishment, child custody issues, etc. The total units of service provided for the year totaled 1,397 to 92 parents. Seventeen parents participated in the recently formed parent support group. This program works to sustain families that are headed by parents with developmental disabilities. We also collaborate with the courts, ACS and legal aid lawyers in helping families with reunification of their children. A recent highlight was our collaboration with the Healthy Families Program of the University Settlement Society of NY.

Home Care
We are so pleased that Home Care Services were once again restored this year. This program has helped 9 families within the past several months and 4 more will start to receive home care services in January that will help them to care for their disabled family member.

Community Habilitation
The At Home Residential Habilitation program (AHRH) was renamed in November of 2010 by OPWDD and is now known as Community Habilitation. Community Habilitation is designed to offer service intervention to people with disabilities either in their homes or out in the community. The program assists consumers with everything from budgeting to healthy meal preparation to guidance with keeping a clean home. The program also underwent some regulatory changes that will make it easier to implement, and the services can now also start in the community as well as the home. This will be helpful on those occasions in which the consumer needs to partake in an activity like shopping or would like to attend a recreational event. At the beginning of the year there were only three consumers who were enrolled in AHRH and they were receiving about 44 hours per week of services. During the year four more persons with disabilities have begun receiving this service and Community Habilitation now provides nearly 95 hours a week of service. We anticipate further growth since this service helps consumers remain in their own homes and in their communities.

Housing Assistance Programs
During 2010 the Housing Department served over 200 families who were facing impending evictions, inadequate and overcrowded housing conditions, needed home repairs and access to available housing opportunities, including information about housing lotteries and low income housing.In addition to our housing assistance services the department held nine housing related workshops through the funding from Department of Housing and Community Renewal. The speakers included personnel from NYC Housing Authority, Human Resources Administration, Housing Preservation and Development, the Downstate Office of Housing Initiatives of OPWDD. Speakers helped empower individuals and families as to their rights and possible entitlements they may be eligible to receive. We are very grateful to OPWD and DHCR for their continued funding of this program, especially in this economic downturn when individuals and families are trying to maintain housing and avoid homelessness.

Overnight Respite Program
Sinergia’s Respite Program has served 22 individuals with developmental disabilities with overnight respite services from January 1-December 21, 2010. We provided 2,464 hours of service to 15 males and 7 females ranging in age from 14-42. The length of stay ranged from overnight to 12 days duration. All the guests enjoyed their stay at the respite apartment and their parents expressed their interest in future stays throughout the year. It is an important service for parents who need to take a break from caring for their children. We have received their phone calls expressing appreciation for the care of their loved ones, especially in cases of dire emergencies or hospitalization of parents. Our Respite Program is equipped with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms ensuring privacy and personal space for our guests. During the spring and summer they enjoyed trips to the pool, they attended street fairs, block parties, movie theaters and picnics in the park accompanied by our staff. In colder weather they enjoyed daily walks in the neighborhood, playing board games, coloring with the staff or watching T.V.

Tier II Program
During 2010 Sinergia served five families in our Tier II Program funded through the NYC Department of Homeless Services. As of July 1, 2010 three families with five children moved into our newly renovated and relocated Shelter apartments. Sinergia’s Tier II Program provides temporary shelter, while the families are required to secure permanent housing with the assistance of the Coordinator of the Tier II Program. The homeless housing system is stressful and requires that the head of the household search for adequate and affordable housing. The staff of Sinergia lends support, links families to services and provides relief to the parents so that they can care for their children with special needs as well as meet the mandates of the shelter system. The families have expressed gratitude for Sinergia’s assistance and are all looking forward to moving into their own permanent homes in the near future. Our Tier II Program attempts the utmost to help families who are homeless and have children with disabilities to regain stability and secure affordable and safe housing and support services.

Technology
In the past year much has been going on in Sinergia’s digital world. It takes quite a bit of resources to keep our computers, phones, copiers, fax machines, televisions, projectors, laptops, simultaneous interpretation equipment etc., running smoothly and the following acquisitions and services helped Sinergia keep pace with the Technology:

1. New Front Line Firewall
2. 10 new computers for use in Day Hab and other programs.
3. New printers
4. Top of the line software (Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Office 2010, Norton Ghost)
5. Over 1000 submitted IT requests
6. 2 new flip video recorders
7. Started to replace computers that are 5 to 6 years old.
8. We also purchased new transmitters and microphone headsets which are part of the simultaneous interpretation equipment used for workshops and other events that need translation.

Advances in Information Technology, both positive and negative, occur daily, and keeping pace with them is a job that requires much attention. A single malevolent virus can spell disaster for the agency and it takes a lot of vigilant work to keep such things at bay. Sinergia has more than 80 workstations between the main office and out in the community and close to 100 people who use these stations for research, communication, data collection, entertainment, investigating community events and the like. Additionally, the maintenance of the machines and other elements that manage the display, printing, copying, scanning and electronic storage of documents and data concerning the hundreds of people that we serve is also very intensive and requires daily monitoring.

A very special note of appreciation to all the staff at Sinergia that worked tirelessly through 2010. Your dedication and hard work made all these achievements possible. Your service to several thousand individuals with disabilities and families helped them to survive with dignity and resilience and for some to even thrive in these difficult economic times.

Sinergia: A Look Back at 2010's Accomplishments

2010-12-29T12:30:00.002-05:00

2010 was a year full of change for Sinergia, and before we fully embark into the New Year and start tackling all the challenges it is sure to bring, we’d like to pause for a moment and take stock of some of our accomplishments in the last 12 months. January started out with a flutter of activity because, after much planning and preparation, in early February we finally carried out a major relocation to East Harlem, taking over two floors at 2082 Lexington Avenue. Our sparkling new offices are situated in the heart of a community that is very near and dear to us, and one that is home to a large number of the individuals with disabilities and families we serve. Our new location in El Barrio affords us with better opportunities to connect children and adults with disabilities and their families to community supports. Here we are also well poised to contribute to the capacity building that is bringing many organizations back to East Harlem, including the Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York, the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and the Aprendes Foundation, which is planning on opening a Charter High School in the area. We have active collaborations with all of them and expect to expand that in the future.

In April we hosted a ribbon cutting event which opened our offices to the public and included a ceremony acknowledging the contributions of five pioneer Latino women leaders. Later on, during the summer, we immersed ourselves in the Promise Neighborhood movement to bring wraparound services to at risk children with the aim of reducing the achievement gap of students and which calls for solutions to strengthen the East Harlem community that they call home. More than a dozen organizations collaborated with us in this major effort. Unfortunately Sinergia’s was not one of the winning submissions, but our hope is to leverage the connections we initiated to help lift educational barriers in El Barrio. A follow-up community educational forum was held in November to engage parents, educators and key stakeholders in finding solutions to the problems that are besetting Latino youth, who are at the bottom of education and employment indicators. We hope this will be the first of further ongoing discussions.

Sadly with July came news of the sudden passing of our wonderful leader, Dr. Sally Romero (left), who was President of the Board of Directors for the past five years. Her experience and knowledge in the fields of education and social services were a true asset. We will remember Sally with a great deal of affection and extend our gratitude to her family for sharing her with us. Dr. Len Torres took over the helm of the governance structure of Sinergia upon her untimely death, and in September at our annual meeting, three very accomplished new members were added to the board of directors. We presently have fourteen members on our board and are extremely thankful for all they do to advance our mission.

Our collaborations with the PACER Center’s National Family Advocacy Support and Training Program led Sinergia to pilot four of the program curriculums for parents and translate them into Spanish. The sessions were conducted bilingually at the height of one of the worst snow storms of the year in February and despite that were extremely well attended. This past month we also partnered with the Healthy Families University Settlement Society of NY on a proposed project to help improve the outcomes for parents with intellectual disabilities and their infants, toddlers and young children. We are especially pleased about our relationship building with the Association to Benefit Children.

On the technology front, Sinergia was selected as one of eight Parent Training and Education Centers and Community Parent and Resource Centers to be part of the Technology Leadership Initiative funded by the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education (OSEP). This initiative will increase our technology building capacity to serve people with disabilities and their families. We are also making full use of the social networks by disseminating valuable information through an active Facebook page and a blog as well as a monthly eNewsletter which is also translated into Spanish and reproduced in hard copy for those families without computers. And through the generosity of IBM and the PACER Center, Sinergia received 10 Young Explorer Computers (pictured) and software which were distributed to seven early childhood centers in the area.

Our new space has been graced with two beautiful art exhibitions this year: one by noted Puerto Rican artist, Samuel Lind, and the current one by East Harlem artist Clemente Flores (right). We are very grateful to these two accomplished painters for their generosity and willingness to share their visions of Island and El Barrio life with us.

Myrta Cuadra-Lash, Sinergia’s executive director, has been asked to speak on several occasions, including at a forum on culturally competent programs sponsored by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene at Fordham University, and at the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities - Women of Excellence event. In addition she was interviewed in July by the Harlem World radio program on Sinergia’s Promise Neighborhood submission.

This year we bid a fond farewell to OPWDD Commissioner Diana Ritter Jones, Assoc. Comm. Kathy Broderick and Dr. Hugh Tarpley, Director of Metro DDSO, and our own Rocio Mendez, an Intake Specialist who is pursuing her acting career with the NJ Shakespeare Theatre. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Last but not least, our recap of 2010 wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of our fun activities, and our annual summer family picnic in Central Park was a lively example of that, with over 250 children and parents attending. Then in December Sinergia held its annual Christmas celebration at Lincoln Center’s Julliard School -- now in its 25th year! The Department of Sanitation of the City of NY (Unit M7, below right) has been our ongoing sponsor, and they helped make this the best one yet. The large space was filled to capacity and overflowing with the joy of children playing, singing and anticipating Santa’s arrival. All the happiness and laughter in the room rejuvenated our commitment to our mission: that of helping children, adults and families to realize meaningful, fully inclusive lives. Sinergia wishes to thank all our funders, particularly the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Ed Programs (OSEP) as well as all our friends, families and staff for their unwavering support.

Personalized Appointment Book Helps Sol Keep Track of Time

2010-12-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

Sol G. is an individual with disabilities who has been receiving services from Sinergia for more than 20 years. Recently, Sol himself and the staff that work with him, had begun to notice that he was having trouble recalling the dates and times of his appointments, and who they were with. Additionally, Sol, who also works for Sinergia four days a week as an office assistant, was having trouble keeping track of the days he worked and when to expect to be paid. These issues had begun to cause him a great deal of frustration and anxiety and on several occasions he lamented to the staff working with him that he was very unhappy with this turn of events. Given the anxiety and angst that Sol was demonstrating, we knew that we had to do something that would help to alleviate the stress that he was feeling. Sol’s treatment team met and discussed several options.

Led by Johanna Stieg, LMSW, who is working as a consultant with Sinergia’s UpLiving program, the team devised a communication and appointment book that would help Sol remember tasks, his job schedule and other events in his life. The book is a binder divided into several sections including a To Do list, a communication section for staff and Sol (with staff assistance) to report on various issues, a money management section to help Sol with budgeting and an icon driven weekly calendar. The calendar includes small laminated symbols and pictures of events, people and places that are each backed with a circle of Velcro so that each individual piece can be placed on the hourly grid that corresponds with the time and day that this event occurs. All of the people, places and events portrayed in each laminated icon are regular parts of Sol’s day to day life and their placement on the daily grid makes it much easier for Sol to visualize and grasp his busy schedule. At the beginning of each week the icons are adjusted or replaced by other symbols to indicate recurring or new events for the new week. This allows Sol to graphically review his week by looking at the grid for that particular day. So far, the book has been a great success and both Sol and his staff are enjoying its effectiveness.

2010 Brought Trial and Victory for Sinergia's Day Hab Program

2010-12-21T16:11:00.000-05:00

For Sinergia’s Day Habilitation Program, consistency is an important foundation for progress. As we mentioned in an earlier post, the program helps adults with developmental disabilities to expand their social, recreational and vocational skills. Changes in scheduling can be very disruptive to the Day Hab participants but early in 2010 they demonstrated how well they could handle a big transition. That's when Sinergia packed up and moved to a new location in East Harlem, at 2082 Lexington Avenue on 126th Street. After much anticipation and fanfare, Sinergia’s brand new offices were ready on February 1st. On that day and in the months since then, the Day Hab participants have shown that they don’t adapt to new surroundings by trial and error but by trial and victory! They quickly learned new transportation routes and braved new bus rides home. When the new elevator was being repaired, they climbed the stairs or took an alternate elevator. It’s as though every participant was determined to make 2082 Lexington their new home.

Putting their green thumbs to work at the Carver Garden.

While the neighborhood in Harlem is very different than the one at 29th Street, the Day Hab participants have embraced change and used it as a springboard for adventure. Day Hab groups have volunteered at the Carver Garden on East 124th St., growing fresh vegetables and learning how to prepare them. They’ve visited the library and shopped at the brand new mall on 116th St. which houses Manhattan’s first Target store. They've also walked to Yankee Stadium, gone swimming at the local public pools and played basketball and football games at the park on 130th Street.

Go Yankees!

The new location has not been an impediment to continuing past activities like Encore Meals on Wheels or exercising at the YMCA and Riverside Park. Life on Lexington Avenue has continued as usual with fun activities and adventurous new excursions. Some participants volunteered at the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition Shelter, walking homeless dogs and caring for lonely cats. In July, some of them went “Walking with the Dinosaurs” at Madison Square Garden. They've visited exciting places like Rye Playland, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and Coney Island, and also had fun closer to home, barbecuing in a local park and picnicking in the garden.

Riding the Staten Island Ferry

The new spacious conference room on the fourth floor was the perfect place for the first Volunteer Award Ceremony and Spring Art Exhibit, as well as the annual Thanksgiving Lunch on November 24th. Day Hab also observed Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month with informational celebrations, we premiered our first Photography Exhibit, and had a costume party for Halloween. The participants are now looking forward to holiday celebrations in December and the Dinner Dance in January. With the coming of the New Year, Day Hab will continue taking on new challenges and adventures in stride. It’s what they do!

--Rob, Vianka, and Erin

Spotlight on the We Are Parents Too Program

2010-12-15T15:52:00.001-05:00

Parents with developmental disabilities are frequently considered unable to provide adequately for their children, and as a result the youngsters then end up being placed in the foster care system. According to Through the Looking Glass (TLG), a disability nonprofit agency in Berkeley, California, the out-of-home placement rate in foster care for children of parents with intellectual disabilities is 25 to 60%.

In the 1980’s Sinergia pioneered a parent training and education program for parents with developmental disabilities. It was prompted by our experiences providing community housing and supports for families headed by persons with developmental disabilities who lived with their infants and young children. The premise was that intensive services, supports and parent training were needed in order to help the mothers and fathers become effective parents and keep their families together. This was the beginning of the “We Are Parents Too” program. We are very appreciative that through these many years the NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities has supported and funded this program which has helped countless families that traditionally have been invisible and underserved.

The program continues to train and help parents to preserve their families by offering a 10 week series of workshops which focus on appropriate discipline, custody issues, nutrition, domestic violence and housing topics (the pictures in this article were taken during a graduation ceremony for this course). In addition to the informational workshops, the program coordinator also conducts supervised visits with the parent and child, and assists in the reunification process. The parent coaching we offer is unique to Sinergia.

The “We Are Parents Too” has also formalized a parent support group for parents with developmental disabilities. This support group is especially important for the participants who have lost custody of their children, since the separation can often be traumatic, confusing and distressing. The support group helps parents to become self-advocates, gain insight into their own behavior and establish a network. Studies report that 90% of parents with disabilities are socially isolated. Through the support group parents have an opportunity to meet others that are going through similar experiences. Parents with developmental disabilities, especially those from low socio economic groups, often feel discriminated and judged when assumptions are made about their parenting abilities. A specially designed peer support group brings hope, increases socialization skills and the sharing of information, resources and advocacy strategies.

Isabel Malavet (pictured left in the background), the coordinator of the program, is a tireless advocate on behalf of participating parents and works with the Agency for Children’s Services, Family Court, the Community Partnership Program in East Harlem and the Parent Advocates for the Child Welfare Organizing Project. For more information contact 212-643-2840.

MNN, CCCADI and Aprendes: Making Their Mark in El Barrio

2010-12-06T14:59:00.001-05:00

Three organizations will soon bring much needed services to El Barrio. The Aprendes Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to community engagement and education, strategic partnerships, fundraising and critical interventions for East Harlem and the Bronx. They help organize charter schools and support communities that want to take control of their public education. Aprendes president Tony Lopez (photo left) says they are currently submitting an application for a proposed community grown charter school opening in September 2011.

Founded in 1992, the Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) offers Manhattan residents the ability to create and submit their own videos for air on four Public Access cable TV stations, potentially reaching 620,000 viewers. MNN offers free training and certification classes in video production, editing and broadcasting to Manhattan residents. According to Zenaida Mendez (photo right), who is in charge of Community Outreach & Media Services, this year they trained 11,000 people, 300 of them youths. Their Youth by Youth Media program trains young people with skills they can use to make money, and she says a control room operator can earn around $60,000 a year.

MNN purchased a firehouse on 104th Street between Lexington & 3rd Avenue, turning a building which had been empty for 18 years from an eyesore to a cutting edge facility with 9000 square feet of open multi purpose space that will help break the digital divide in Spanish Harlem.

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute started 34 years ago as a research project and has been awarded a firehouse on 125th Street. "We're in the process of phasing in and should be completed by May 2013," says Director Martha Moreno Vega. "It will be a state of the art cultural center for use by the community. We are cultivating various projects, among them "Mi Querido Barrio," and its accompanying cultural tourism and public campaign. As part of that we are training young people on how to lead a non profit organization. Another project is "University Without Walls", for young people to acquire an arts degree online," she added.

Recap of Community Educational Forum

2010-12-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

Sinergia was very pleased to host a Community Educational Forum on December 1, 2010 at our Metropolitan Parent Center. Community leaders, parents, and stakeholders interested in advancing the academic, employment and career achievements of young people were invited to share information and discuss possible solutions to deal with the educational inequities that impact the lives of Latino children and youth. In one of the heaviest downpours of the year we had an amazing turnout of about twenty six people.

Although Sinergia did not receive the Promise Neighborhood grant this year, we are committed to pursuing collaborations and strategies that will reduce the overall achievement gap between East Harlem children and youth and those residing in more affluent communities. This forum was just one of our efforts to engage the community in improving the quality of life of children and youth throughout their life span and advancing efforts for groups to work together to build and strengthen El Barrio.

Juan Cartagena from the Community Service Society study presented a new of Latino Youth in New York City, which was very propitious to the meeting's agenda. The report, which was recently featured in the New York Times, focuses on youth from 16-24 years in New York City and the trends in school, work and income of this group. The statistics are sobering:

Latinos make up the largest portion 33% of the age groups of children (fewer than 16 years of age) and youth (ages 16-24).
Puerto Ricans, especially males, are the most disadvantaged youth group in New York City, with rates of school enrollment, educational attainment, and employment lower than any comparable group, including black males.
Young Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are the two largest Latino subgroups and have extremely low rates of employment
Latino youth live in poor households (those with annual earnings of $18,000 for a family of three) more than any other ethnic group.
Puerto Ricans face the greatest challenges of all youth sub-groups, despite the fact that they are overwhelming born in New York City.

Dr. Martha Moreno Vega, Director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, stated that the sad truth is that many small to midsized nonprofits have and will be shut down. "The infrastructure that was built is getting decimated and in the absence of action our institutions will continue to erode. We need leadership to give voice to these inequities," she added.

The last agenda item of the meeting was a discussion of next steps to move the conversation along. They include:

Developing a different narrative to deal with the new and grim realities affecting our students, families and communities.
Broadcasting future community forums through the Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
Inviting public and elected officials to the forums.
Soliciting greater youth participation from the communities we serve and getting their perspectives.
Fostering greater parent engagement in the educational status of young people, and helping them understand the data and outcomes that affect their children's future.
Community organizing, community organizing, community organizing!
Greater use of internet and social media to share and disseminate information, studies, reports, data.
Demanding greater access, accountability and responsibility from media, particularly Spanish media, to expose the truth and tell the stories of children and families.
Creating coalitions to salvage small, vulnerable organizations and institutions that face extinction or reductions in vital services to our communities.
Expanding voter registration drives.

This Community Education Forum was an exciting and promising start to conversations dedicated to improving the academic performance and achievement of Latino and other minority students. If you would like to join our efforts please email us at information at sinergiany.org.

During the second part of the meeting we had three organizations who are deeply committed to making significant contributions to East Harlem gave presentations about their relocation plans to the neighborhood. See more below.

Sinergia Gathers Community Leaders to Address Achievement Gap in East Harlem

2010-11-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

As a follow up to the East Harlem Promise Neighborhood grant submitted on June 2010, Sinergia is putting together a very special meeting and inviting the planning team, which includes schools, partners and supportive organizations that participated in this initiative plus other East Harlem stakeholders who are interested in advancing the state of education and the development of the community.

Although Sinergia did not receive an award this year from the U.S. Department of Education for the aforementioned grant, the non-profit is determined to pursue other avenues that address the educational inequities and the achievement gap that exists between the children of East Harlem and other more affluent communities.

A new study released by the Community Service Society makes this even more imperative. The report analyzes data showing that Latino youth have the lowest school enrollment of any ethnicity, and young Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, the two largest Latino sub-groups, have extremely low rates of employment. Puerto Rican youth, in particular, stand out as having alarmingly high rates of disconnection from school and work. These figures reinforce the need to develop comprehensive and sustained solutions that will address this issue.

In addition, a report by the National Committee for Responsible Philanthropy evaluated 672 foundations that gave at least 1 million in grants to education from 2006-200. Only about 11 percent of those grants went to "marginalized communities", defined primarily as children in low-income families and minority children. Just 2% of those funds went to fostering long-term change through advocacy efforts and community building. This means that the "alarming inequities in educational opportunities" in America remain unaddressed, as the report charges. Since about half of public school funding comes from the local level, students living in poor areas tend to go to schools that are under-funded, and kids in richer areas go to better funded schools. This feeds the persistent achievement gap between low-income and high-income students and minority and white students.

Agenda
This meeting will be a unique opportunity to construct a collaboration that addresses the student achievement gap and fosters a supportive community that embraces our children and families. During the first hour there will be a discussion about the achievement gap of children in East Harlem and ways we can continue our efforts to establish a Promise Neighborhood in the area. Juan Cartagena from the Community Service Society will speak about their youth report and the status of Latinos.

The second half of the meeting will be a presentation by three organizations: the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Manhattan Neighborhood Network and Hunter College School of Social Work, CUNY (which will be moving to East Harlem). In addition to that, the Avance Charter High School will also present their proposal for a community grown charter school for East Harlem. This will give you an opportunity to meet with their leaders and learn how they will contribute to the community.

What: East Harlem Educational Community Meeting
When: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 from 3-6 pm
Where: Sinergia, 2082 Lexington Avenue (between 125-126 St.), 4th floor
RSVP: 212-643-2840

Sinergia's Board President Gets High Honors

2010-10-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

On October 15th, 2010, Sinergia Executive Director Myrta Cuadra-Lash and Deputy Executive Director Michael Mitchell traveled to Long Beach, NY to attend the 1st Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Dinner Dance sponsored by the Long Beach Latino Civic Association. Created by concerned members of the community, the Long Beach Latino Civic Association developed this event to honor outstanding local citizens who have made notable contributions to the City of Long Beach.

One of the three honorees was Len Torres, Ph.D (pictured above far right, next to fellow honoree, Rosa Marie Goeller, and Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg), who also serves as president of Sinergia’s Board of Directors, and who was selected for the years of public service that he has selflessly dedicated to the people of his hometown. In addition to his years of teaching, working as the Dean of Students at Long Beach High School and serving as an Assistant Principal, Dr. Torres also taught English as a Second Language at Adelphi University and was a Principal and a Superintendent of Schools in Puerto Rico and the Bronx. He has also served on the Long Beach Zoning Board Housing Commission, is the Program Director for the Long Beach Latino Civic Association and is also the first Latino to serve on the City of Long Beach Council.

Sinergia is proud to salute Dr. Torres on his accomplishments and his well deserved acknowledgement on a night that was filled with good food, outstanding music and the company of great friends. Among the celebrants were Harvey Weisenberg, a member of The Assembly of the State of New York (pictured above on the left), and Karen Cerna, also a member of the Sinergia Board of Directors, the Long Beach Latino Civic Association and chairperson of this fabulous event. We feel lucky indeed to have such a well-respected and experienced person as Dr. Len Torres connected to Sinergia and appreciate his efforts on our behalf and for the people with disabilities that we serve.

Sinergia's Quilting Tradition Continues

2010-10-26T19:11:00.000-04:00

Sinergia has developed a tradition of quilt making by parents who have participated in various programs throughout the years. The first quilt, pictured above, was made in 1997 by parent groups that assisted in the formation of advocacy groups of parents with children with disabilities in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. A parent, Cynthia Wallace, took the lead in the design and sewing of the quilt. There are 48 patches surrounding a large square denoting the theme, “It Takes A Village”. The parents embroidered poems, messages in Spanish and English, paintings of flowers, the sun, shooting stars, houses, names of their children and parent groups. A poet, Jean Wood, also inscribed one of her poems, From A Sermon, which reflects on the importance of each one of us and how we are interwoven and inextricably linked with each other. Each patch in this original quilt became a shared message of love for one’s children, home and family and the enveloping circle of community. The quilt is displayed at the Christine Cuadra Conference Room on the 4th floor of Sinergia.

The second quilt (immediately above and below) was started a decade after and was created by fifteen parents with developmental disabilities who participated in the “We Are Parents Too” program, as well as others attending the Day Habilitation and Residential Programs. Under the guidance of Maria Torres Bird, a staff member who is a quilter, the parents created a colorful quilt that focused on parenthood. The project gave parents an artistic and creative expression, allowing them to relive loving memories with stories and pictures, regardless of whether they have custody of their child(ren) or not. This has been especially important for those parents who have lost custody since it is an acknowledgment of their parenthood and their hopes of one day achieving reunification. After completion the participating parents will decide where it will be displayed.

We hope that the quilting tradition at Sinergia will continue for many decades to come since it is a visual representation of stories of families, love and community.

You might also want to read our post last year: "We Are Parents Too" quilt project.

Enlaces en Español sobre "Bullying"

2010-10-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

¿Está su hijo o hija siendo acosado por niños malos? Este comportamiento, conocido por "bullying," es muy dañino y cruel, especialmente para aquellos con incapacidades. Infórmese sobre cómo proteger a su hijos con estos artículos preparados por PACER: Creencias Comunes Acerca de Bullying
Hable con su Hijo acerca de Bullying
Mantenga un Registro
Notificando a los Administradores de Escuela de las Preocupaciones de Acoso
Utilce el Programa Individual Educativo (Individual Education Program - IEP) del Niño

Day Hab Program Participates in Pet Support

2010-10-05T09:02:00.001-04:00

_______________________

Day Hab Volunteers for Pet Support

Over the summer, art specialist Erin McSorley along with some of our Day Hab participants (pictured above: Maritza C., Terri B., and Edith C.) volunteeredto care for animals at the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARCShelter). We had a lot of fun walking the dogs and meeting the cats whoare all waiting for loving homes. They even have a chicken! Volunteeringat BARC was a great opportunity for us to learn how to care for, socialize withand give affection to animals, since many program participants do not have petsin their own homes. Though it was sad to leave them, we will not forgetthe new friends we made. BARC is a 501c3 not-for-profit, no-kill, privatelyrun animal shelter located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To get moreinformation about donating, volunteering, or adopting a pet visit www.barcshelter.org.

Spotlight on Sinergia's Day Hab Program

2010-10-04T15:02:00.000-04:00

Sinergia's Day Habilitation Program is a five-day-a-week program that develops social, recreational and vocational skills of adults with developmental disabilities. While the program is headquartered out of Sinergia's new main office at 2082 Lexington Ave., many of our activities take place off site in the community. The 40+ individuals in the program range in age from 21 to 64, and we tailor the activities to suit their needs and desires. Monday through Friday you will find participants volunteering for "Meals on Wheels", gardening and harvesting vegetables at a local "pocket garden", bowling, visiting museums, photography, working on job skills, writing resumes, engaging in internships, working on computer skills, working out in our gym, visiting amusement parks, partaking in group discussions about current events, learning how to become better self-advocates, creating artwork and needlepoint, learning how to traverse the New York City public transit system and much more. Some individuals take part in groups that work on job related skills that have helped them acquire and maintain actual jobs.

Twice a week in the mornings, the Day Habilitation participants offer light breakfast refreshments and coffee in the ever-popular "Café-Café" program. They walk through our offices taking orders and delivering breakfast sandwiches, fruit, juice and, of course, hot coffee. This provides an opportunity for them to increase their social skills and create friendships that go beyond the program itself.

Recently, one of the participants held a weekend party to celebrate his 25th birthday and many of his Day Hab friends attended. They arranged their own travel and purchased presents all by themselves. The family of the young man celebrating his birthday was very touched that so many of his peers could arrange to come on their own on a Saturday to join in the celebration.

For further information on Sinergia's Day Hab Program call Lore Barcelona at 212-643-2840 ext. 318.

Sinergia Delivers 10 Computers to Local Preschools

2010-10-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

The IBM KidSmart Program is a joint initiative between the PACER Center and IBM that awards Young Explorer computers to preschools. As a partner, Sinergia identified 10 schools in New York City and delivered the kid-friendly PCs with all the software to the sites this past week.

"We received the unit, unpacked it, set it up and started using it the next day. The kids love it!" --Rita Brito, Child Center of New York

The following preschools received the Young Explorer computers:

Association to Benefit Children, 419 E. 86th St., NY, NY 10028
Echo Park Early Childhood Center, 1841 Park Ave. NY, NY 10035
Bilingual Head Start, 440 East 116th Street NY, NY 10029
The Child Center of NY, 60-02 Queens Blvd. Woodside NY 11377
Escalera Head Start, 169 West 87th Street NY, NY 10024
Falu Foundation, 333 East 118th Street NY, NY 10035
LSA Family Health Services, 333 E. 115th Street NY, NY 10029
Union Settlement Head Start Assn. 237 E. 104th St. NY, NY 10029
Sinergia, Inc., 2082 Lexington Ave, 4th Floor NY, NY 10035

Sinergia's Young Explorer (pictured above) will be used by children whose parents attend the educational workshops or await their case managers, or for other staff. The only problem is keeping the big adults away from them since they are so cute!

Promise Neighborhood Grant Update

2010-10-01T17:16:00.001-04:00

We are sad to report that Sinergia was not selected as a recipient of the Promise Neighborhood Grant. Our proposal was to develop a one year planning program that would create solutions that would close the achievement gap of all the children in the East Harlem community, including children with disabilities and English Language Learners. Nevertheless, we wish to express our deepest appreciation to all the organizations that worked together and formed an enthusiastic partnership during the preparation of this important initiative.

Thanks go to the Global Neighborhood Secondary School, Esperanza Preparatory Academy, and Renaissance Charter High School who were our school partners. I cannot adequately express my admiration for these creative and dedicated principals of these schools who are true leaders. The other institutions who continuously serve the community and who responded to our call to work together for the children and community were Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center, Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, Union Settlement Assoc., Hunter College, Hostos Community College, Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Association to Benefit Children and the Committee for Hispanic Children.

It was a great collaborative effort that has solidified relationships that will work together in the future to help children in East Harlem make educational progress that will enable them to achieve successful outcomes into adulthood and strengthen the community. Thanks to all, especially the writers of the Sinergia proposal who worked long and hard in the preparation of this grant and all others for their valuable contributions.

We congratulate the recipient of the grant in the New York area, the Abyssinian Development Corp. as well as the other recipients throughout the U.S. We wish them much success and as their plans unfold we hope for a future full of promise for all children.

“There is only one child in the world and the child’s name is All Children.”
--Carl Sandburg

Sinergia Elects New Board Members

2010-10-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sinergia held its annual meeting and election of members of the Board of Directors and officers on September 16, 2010, and the following are the officers that were elected:
Len Torres, Ed.D.- President
Cecile Vanech - Vice-President
Cecile Vanech - Co-treasurer
Fathima Torres - Co-treasurer
Melissa Toribio-Boughner - Secretary

Sinergia welcomes all members elected to the Board of Directors. We particularly congratulate three members for whom this will be the first year they serve on the Board:

Fathima P. Torres

Founder and President of a grassroots based organization, DONAR, Inc., which is committed to working with the Latino population of Community District 9 and Council District 7 in Manhattan. The core program focuses on adult education and civic engagement. DONAR also provides technical assistance to the Dominican Republic with a focus on special education. Mrs. Torres has served as Director of Public Relations with the Dominican Women’s Caucus and President of the Parents Council for The Oliver Program. She is a member of the National Dominican Women’s Caucus, member of Community Board #9 and is the Finance Chair for the Dominican American National Roundtable, and founder of Northern Manhattan NOW Chapter.

Johnny Rivera
Long time East Harlem activist and Senior Program Director for Mount Sinai Medical Center, formerly Director of the East Harlem District for Congressman Charles B. Rangel. He also worked as Program Director for the Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, and was a community organizer for the Community Service Society and the I Have a Dream Foundation. He is a Board member of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, former President of Community Board #4 and he has served on Manhattan Community Board #11.

Yolanda Sanchez
An institution in the Latino community who has spent over thirty years in the development and management of diverse human services. She serves as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs and is President of the National Latinas Caucus, past president of the East Harlem Council for Human Services and former director of the CUNY Office of Puerto Rican Program Development. Ms. Sanchez is a former National Urban Fellow and a graduate of Harvard University’s School of Business, and holds an MSW degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work.

Sinergia congratulates Dr. Len Torres, President of the Sinergia Board of Directors. We are proud to announce his selection as honoree of the 2010 Community Leadership Award by the Long Beach Latino Civic Association. Sinergia is appreciative of Len’s leadership and his long time dedication to the education of all children. Please contact 516-889-4912 if you wish to attend the dinner dance in Long Beach, NY on October 15, 2010 when Len will be presented with this highly merited award.

Flu Season Q and A with Sinergia's Nursing Staff Coordinator

2010-10-01T14:30:00.001-04:00

As fall gets underway it's that time of the year again when we need to disseminate important information about the Influenza virus, commonly known as the "flu". Last year the H1N1 outbreak caused more illness in young people and pregnant women than usual, and although the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the same virus is expected to circulate again this flu season, along with other seasonal flu viruses.Click her for more on the current situation.

We asked Sinergia's Nursing Coordinator, Asuncion Muyalde BSN-RN, some basic facts to keep in mind.

What is Flu?
As defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it is a contagious illness caused by the influenza viruses. It can be mild to severe and at times lead to hospitalization and even death.

When I should get the Influenza vaccine?
Annual outbreaks of the seasonal flu usually occur during the late fall through early spring. The best time to get the vaccination will be during the month of October and November.

What is the biggest issue for persons with disabilities and their parents?
The dissemination of information is the number one issue – knowing the importance of getting a vaccination and where to get one.
Most people that don’t get flu shots don’t think they need one until the peak of the season when they get sick and sometimes it’s too late.

Where I can get the vaccine?
Your primary care physician will offer shots. However, children and adults with disabilities often have a certain set schedule to visit their doctor and get follow ups, and they have to wait until there is an appointments available in their area. So in addition, the Department of Health has immunization clinics in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that offer flu shots at no cost, and also many pharmacies offer them for a nominal fee. In New York, check out CVS, Duane Reade and Walgreen's. Last year Sinergia was a recipient of donations from the DOH; not only for our consumers but for those in our staff who needed it. I have forwarded our request to Department of Health to receive free flu shots again this year and am awaiting their response.

Some say getting the vaccine has more health risks than not getting it. Is that true?
Some people have heard that flu shots will harm their child or that there will be bad side effects so they won't take the vaccination. There may be minimal side effects - like a low grade fever - but these are not fatal or deadly. Your doctor will explain that to you and they always do a pre-assessment questionnaire beforehand in case you have allergies or have had a bad reaction in the past.

Who needs to get vaccinated?

People 65 years of age and older
Younger people at high risk from influenza and its complications, including children 6 through 23 months of age
Residents of Long Term Care Facilities
People with long-term health problems such as:
-asthma
-lung disease
-anemia, and other blood disorders
-metabolic disease such as diabetes
-heart disease
-kidney disease
People with weakened immune system
Household contacts of people at high risk
Healthcare workers, and
Children younger than 9 years of age getting influenza for the first time

The Nursing Team urges parents and caretakers of the disabled to seek information on getting vaccinations. Any questions please feel free to call us at ext. 361.

For more useful tips and resources visit www.flu.gov.

Reminder: Deadline for Puerto Rico's New Birth Certificates is Sept. 30

2010-09-15T08:54:00.002-04:00

A new law was recently passed that will invalidate all birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico on or before June 30, 2010. It takes effect on September 30, 2010.

This policy was enacted to address the fraudulent use of birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico in order to unlawfully obtain U.S. passports, Social Security benefits and other services. New Yorkers born in Puerto Rico can continue to use their old birth certificates until September 30, 2010.

If you were born in Puerto Rico and use birth certificates as identity documents for program services and other purposes you will need to take action by ordering an updated version of your birth certificate via mail or the Internet.

Additional details can be found in the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website (also available in Spanish.

Sinergia Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Local Artist Exhibit

2010-09-10T00:26:00.000-04:00

To coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, Sinergia and the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute are holding a joint opening reception of "A Nuyorican's Nostalgic Journey," an art exhibit featuring the work of East Harlem artist Clemente Flores.

Flores was born and raised on 112th Street and Madison Avenue and his watercolors depict his childhood experiences growing up in the migrant, urban, mostly Puerto Rican community that was El Barrio in the 1950s. Kites flying from tenement rooftops, an afternoon of dominoes, and rush hour at La Barberia, the local barber shop - Flores has laid a multitude of memories on canvas to depict scenes from his youth.

"We are very pleased to feature a community artist in our exhibit space. There is tremendous talent in El Barrio and we want to do what we can to cultivate creativity," says Ms. Cuadra-Lash, director of Sinergia.

"I am proud that through my eyes and expressions I am able to stimulate interest in my cultural background. I never believed that one day my paintings would help me to be accepted as respected artist in the community, especially in East Harlem where I grew up and still reside," says Flores.

Art Exhibit: "A Nuyorican's Nostalgic Journey"
by Clemente Flores

Date: Tuesday Sept. 21, 2010

Time: 6:00 - 8:30pm

Where: 2082 Lexington Avenue, 4th floor (between 125th & 126th Streets; #6 train to 125th Street)

Contact: 212-843-2840, information at sinergiany.com

Note: The exhibit "Gateway, An Artistic Response to the Immigration Crisis," presented by Art For Change, will also be open for public viewing on the 1st and 2nd floors on that same date and time.

About the artist:
Clemente Flores was born in 1943 to Puerto Rican immigrant parents and raised in East Harlem, El Barrio, within a family of artists and musicians. A self-taught artist, he began to draw and paint in 1985 where upon he began sketching on sheets of paper and realized his hidden gift for art.

Mr. Flores grew up and came of age on 112th Street and Madison Avenue in the 1950s in what he describes as an adventurous life in a colorful vibrant Puerto Rican community caught between American values and those of his immigrant parents. “It was a period much cherished as the entire neighborhood took care of its children. Especially in the summer time, when you stepped out of your house and were bombarded with so much liveliness. You could hear the shouts of kids playing stick ball, fighting over marble games, or arguing about who could spin the top better on the street pavement. I cherish these moments, because as working class kids, we were very crafty about creating our own games or building wooden scooters and go-carts from baby carriages. Likewise we created our own kites that we flew from rooftops. In the 1950’s you could see what seemed to be hundreds of kites floating in the sky.”

At street corners you could see the older men we used to call ‘jibaros,’ proudly wearing their Guayabera shirts, playing dominos, talking about their beautiful island Puerto Rico, politics, baseball or “La Bolita.’ At the same time, you could see the Doo Wop singers on the street corners, singing at house parties called ‘Sets’ and in the hallways, to enhance their songs with the beautiful echo sounds. It was a fun way to attract girls. You could also hear the sounds of Plena and Bomba players and conga drummers playing Latin rhythms of Afro-Cuban beats.”

“The images of this nostalgic journey are the creative forces that continue to be pervasive in my mind reflecting upon a tender period of my life that I thought I lost forever. But I have a reservoir of memories and I am inspired to express them in my art.”

Clemente Flores’ artwork has been exhibited extensively throughout New York City and Puerto Rico since 1988. His work was the subject of a major retrospective “Clemente Flores, Memories of El Barrio” at Museo del Barrio of New York in 2001. Other exhibits have been hosted at Boricua College, Union Settlement, Cuando Gallery and the Spanish Institute among many others.

Mr. Flores holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from City College of New York and continued his studies at Fordham University. His work garnered recognition for his diverse talents and community work including an Award of Appreciation from the school of Medicine of Mount Sinai Hospital of New York and a 2009 East Harlem Arts Grant from the Association of Hispanic Arts.

Spotlight on Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center

2010-09-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) is a federally funded Parent Training Information Center (PTIC) whose mission is to empower parents of children with disabilities by providing them with knowledge and skills. Our aim is to provide them with information and training and connect them with specific educational services and opportunities that will enhance their child's quality of life.

In February we relocated to a new facility at 2082 Lexington Avenue, near 125th Street, which is at the crossroads of the communities we serve: East Harlem, Central Harlem and the Bronx. In this new location we provide one-on-one assistance and advocacy to parents experiencing difficulties with their child's education. Our staff is bilingual (English/Spanish) which is important because a large percentage of our consumers have limited or no English language skills.

We help families in low-income areas who are traditionally under-served or unserved. They are often the most disenfranchised and face many barriers to service. With our help they are able to receive information, navigate the system and secure the most appropriate services for their children.

We cover the full range of disabilities from moderately to severely disabled, from birth to 26 years of age. Read about a recent success story we had in getting the best care for one of our consumers.

The MPC Team

Co-Director                        Co-Director
Godfrey Rivera                    Cassandra Archie

Educational Advocates
Lizabeth Pardo                     Yesenia Estrella

Facilitator of Parent Support Group
William Bird Forteza

____________________________

Meet the Education Advocates

Yesenia Estrella
"Helping others has brought a great deal of satisfaction to my life.Three and a half years ago when I started working at Sinergia as a Service Coordinator, I discovered a world that was completely unfamiliar to me, the world of children with special needs and their families. I quickly decided that I wanted to learn more about special education and started taking training workshops that were offered through our agency. During these trainings I got to know parents by listening to their stories. I quickly noticed that most of them shared similar challenges and feelings of frustration by having to struggle to constantly obtain adequate services for their children. My first thought was 'I have to do something to help.'

I tried to learn as much as possible about disabilities and about the skills needed to effectively advocate on behalf of parents and their children.

The Metropolitan Parent Center has given me the opportunity to work with many parents that were having difficulties obtaining a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).

When looking for an educational advocate, parents should look for someone who is committed, knowledgeable and who has good negotiation and mediation skills."

Lizabeth Pardo
"Being an advocate allows me to work in the field of education, which I feel very strongly about. I come from parents with little formal schooling but who placed a lot of importance on an education. As a law student, I studied about the right to an education; I took two independent classes because I believed that by having knowledge, issues of poverty could be overcome.

That was ten years ago, and my experience with my son in public school and my work at Sinergia have deepened my convictions. Although that is the background I bring, it is certainly not at the forefront of my mind when meeting with a family about their child's educational needs. For people with disabilities, access to an education is a right that must often be fought for. I enjoy the many levels that my work involves when working with families individually, both within the New York City school system, and in collaboration with community organizations."

____________________________

The Ethics of Advocacy

At Sinergia we practice the role of advocacy with a focus on ethics that ensures the work we do with and on behalf of families and children with disabilities is being delivered with the highest standards. Our advocates must:

    * Ensure the limits of their role are clearly defined
    * Offer honest information and opinions
    * Point out weaknesses and strengths
    * Identify provisions of the law
    * Inform parents of their basic rights
    * Assist parents in obtaining consultation or services from a licensed attorney if necessary
    * Abide by the decision of the parent
    * Use his/her best effort to achieve the goal(s) of the parent
    * Conduct advocacy in a civil and professional manner
    * Maintain confidentiality
    * Work with the family until issues are resolved

____________________________

What Parents and Professionals Are Saying About the MPC

"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your time and dedication, advice and work. May God always bless and protect you. With enormous affection..."

"(Sinergia's) work ethics are outstanding. I have never worked with an advocate agency so efficient and competent before, and believe me I have worked with quite a few".

"I always talk to my friends about Sinergia and I recommend it. A friend of mine is also receiving services now and I know she is very happy with the help she is getting."

"Special thanks to Yesenia Estrella. She always helps me. Any time. She is a wonderful person. Thank you"

Choosing a Special Education Program for Children with Disabilities

2010-09-07T11:42:00.002-04:00

When it comes to education for children with disabilities, there's no "one size fits all." Parents need to look along a continuum of programs provided by the New York City Department of Education to see which ones fit the individual needs of their child best. Once the appropriate program has been selected parents must monitor their child's progress so that if they need to they can transfer him or her to one that ensures educational benefit. That way their child is not locked in an inappropriate setting throughout their years in school.

Which program is right for your child is guided by the least restrictive environment mandate which requires that students be educated with typically developing peers to the maximum extent appropriate. This is important because, as our U.S. Congress discovered, education is more effective when the learning environment has higher expectations of its students.

The programs below are described generally and may be different in your school. The continuum of services listed here are from less restrictive to more restrictive.

From Least to More Restrictive
General Education with SETTS: the student is generally enrolled in their zoned school and attends a general education class. A special education teacher or SETTS provider generally pulls out a student in a small group. The group can be as many as 8 students who share similar academic needs. SETTS services may also be given in the classroom as well.

Collaborative Team Teaching (or Integrated Co-Teaching): is classroom taught by two classroom teachers, one special education and one general education. Students with IEPs are integrated into a classroom of non-disabled students and taught a curriculum that is at grade level. The number of students with IEPs should be less than half the classroom.

12:1 program in a community school: this is a small class, 12 students, in a community school, typically the students have a learning disability and are without disruptive behavior. There may be as many as many as three grade levels in a classroom. Many schools do not have this program and so accepting this program may mean a change of schools. Community schools should be located close to the family's home. This program is offered only in elementary and middle schools.

12:1:1 program in a community school: This class differs from the 12:1 program in that students require the additional supervision of a classroom paraprofessional. The disability of the students is more varied but academically the students must be functioning within 3 grade levels of one another.

15:1 program in a community school: This is a program similar to the 12:1 program but for high school students.

Specialized School or District 75 programs are city-wide programs that services students with disabilities whose needs cannot be met in a community school. Students may reside anywhere within the City but usually live within the same borough. The programs are 12:1:1, 8:1:1, 6:1:1 and 12:1:4, with smaller classroom servicing students with more educational needs. Most of the programs are for students with developmental disabilities, although there are also programs for students with difficult behavioral management needs. The 6:1:1 programs normally serve students with autism and the 12:1:4 serve students with multiple disabilities.

Programs considered more restrictive are approved non-public schools, day treatment programs, residential placements, and home or hospital instruction.

Here's more information about these and other special education services.

(photo: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/cienpies)

Understanding "Related Services" for Children with Disabilities

2010-09-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

Related services are fundamental to meet the educational needs of children with disabilities. They are developed to offer students with disabilities specialized assistance in areas such as speech and language therapies, physical therapies, occupational therapies, counseling, hearing services, mobility services and health services.

Typically, personnel from the Department of Education (DOE) provide these services while the child is in school. However, this is not always possible and a lot of students end up receiving the services elsewhere. The most common reason for this is when schools run out of providers. When this happens, the DOE looks into associated or contracted agencies in order to offer the services within the school. If they are not able to find any, parents should receive a Related Services Authorization (RSA) letter, which allows them to find an independent provider paid by the DOE.

Parents should contact the schools as early as possible during the semester to find out if their children are receiving the mandated related services. They should also know that these services are only mandated if they are written on the child’s Individualized Education Program, or IEP.

If a child is missing some or all of his or her related services, parents need to contact the district office and request RSA letters. The DOE also provides transportation reimbursement to and from the therapist office, and some therapists are able to travel to the child's home to provide the services.

When obtaining RSA letters, parents should also receive the list of independent providers with their contact information. Here's a list of related services providers by borough.

MPC: Real Stories From Real Parents

2010-09-03T15:47:00.000-04:00

Transfer to District 75 Stopped Using Mediation

Daniel was an 8th grade student in a 12:1:1 program in a community school when his parents contacted Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC). They needed our help because their son was being recommended for a more restrictive 8:1:1 program in District 75 with a classification of emotional disturbance (ED). The parents did not know 8:1:1 programs are intended to serve students with autism, but were told that the smaller class would provide Daniel with more assistance.

Daniel’s parents, now represented by the MPC, rejected both the program recommendation and the classification of ED. However, soo after that Daniel was suspended by the school, in what looked like retaliation. Undeterred, the parents requested a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), which they had learned was a document required by law before an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team can consider a more restrictive placement for behavioral reasons. As previous meetings had been very heated, and the FBA and Behavior Plan would halt any school transfer, getting the school to support Daniel in his current program was going to be a challenge.

The MPC suggested the parents consider mediation as a voluntary dispute resolution process and after some convincing both parties agreed to it. Although not a smooth process, mediation allowed both parties to express their concerns and resulted in a redirection of efforts from pushing Daniel from his current school to providing him with the support and services he needed. He received counseling from a school psychologist with whom Daniel was able to develop a trusting relationship with, and was also assisted by his tireless, dedicated teacher. Within months progress was evident. Today Daniel is in a high school for the arts and is doing fantastic work!

A New Beginning for Tania and her Son

2010-09-03T13:24:00.000-04:00

As a precursor to the Puertorican Day Parade, the 116th Street Fair on Saturday, June 12, 2010 was a feast of food, music and very colorful characters. Sinergia participated in the fun and fanfare thanks to a booth donated by Mt. Sinai Hospital. Our staff members were on hand all day long to answer questions and distribute brochures. We offered free blood pressure screenings in the morning which had a huge response, and during the "afternoon shift," Michael Mitchell, Tiffany James, Carmina Perez, Mildred Ramos and Lizette Dunn-Barcelona greeted people walking by to give them information about Sinergia's many services.

A young woman by the name of Tania, her disabled 9 year old son and her cousin were among those that stopped by. The mother and son had just arrived from Puerto Rico within the last two weeks and were staying with their cousin in the Bronx. Tania's son had had several surgeries in Puerto Rico and she was now trying to get special care for him in New York City. She was in need of medical and educational services for her son, and a place to live.

The following Monday Sinergia began working with Tania and within two weeks she and her son were living in one of Sinergia's Tier ll shelters funded by the Department of Homeless Services. She also began receiving case management services through our Family Support Program. Their case manager will ensure that her son's Medicaid services are in place, that all his evaluations are current and that he is enrolled in a district 75 school in time to begin classes this fall.

Both Tania and her son are doing well and are adjusting to life in NYC. Once her son is settled in school Tania hopes to begin looking for work in order to find permanent housing. She is grateful to Sinergia and looks forward to a long rewarding relationship with us.

Sinergia Intern Carries the Message to the Dominican Republic

2010-08-24T08:36:00.002-04:00

For two summers in a row we have had a guest intern, Kirsy Rosado from the Dominican Republic who is from La Asociacion Dominicana de Rehabilitacion. The organization has four schools that focus on special education and rehabilitation. Unfortunately according to Kirsy they do not have much in the way of parent training. Last year she was exposed to many programs at Sinergia and of course the workshops and the work of our Parent Training and Information Center, which she enjoyed immensely. Her internship is sponsored by an organization called DONAR America which provides technical assistance to organizations in the Dominican Republic and NYC, primarily to the Dominican population.

The PACER Center has graciously agreed to share the Spanish translation of their FAST curriculum, which is focused on the development of training modules to teach families and their children to become self-advocates. Kirsy is a wonderful teacher and administrator and we are very pleased that she is bringing this much needed training to people with disabilities in her home country.

Recap of July Events at Sinergia

2010-08-23T08:42:00.001-04:00

On Friday, July 9th Sinergia held its Annual Family Picnic in Central Park. Thanks to the assistance and hard work of the staff this picnic turned out to be just as successful as the ones we have had in the past. Again this year we featured games, gift bags, balloons and prizes for the young kids as well as music, food and good times for the adults. The weather was perfect (well maybe a little hot) but the estimated 250+ guests that the staff entertained all seemed to have a great time. Thanks to our friends at Chem-Rx for their generous donation that once again made the picnic possible. See you all next summer!

On Thursday July 29, 2010, Sinergia celebrated the dedication, hard work and passion of its Family Care providers with an Appreciation
Luncheon. Family Care Coordinator, Kenia Peralta and her team organized a fabulous luncheon and also presented each coordinator with flowers and a framed certificate of appreciation. Sinergia Executive Director, Myrta Cuadra-Lash attended the luncheon and personally thanked these long-term providers for their invaluable contribution to the lives of the people with disabilities in their care. These providers open their homes to these individuals with disabilities and treat them like a member of the family. Many of them have had the same person in their care for more than ten years and in one case, over twenty. The Family Care program is a very unique service provision and the kind of dedication that is required cannot be taught or paid for. We thank the following providers for their continued service:

Regular providers:
ANA GUZMAN
ANGELA BAEZ
GUADALUPE GUILLEN
CARMEN ULLOA
LEYDI DOMINGUEZ

Substitute providers:
ADRIANA POLANCO
SIRIACA BAUTISTA

Our Very Own Secret Garden

2010-08-20T08:52:00.003-04:00

Cindy F., Christine V., Mildred R. and Michael C. put their green thumbs to work.

This summer, some of Sinergia's Day Habilitation participants have been learning to grow in a different way - with soil, water, and sunshine! At the Carver Community Garden on 124th Street we have been planting, tending, and harvesting our very own vegetables. We share a plot with Pathways to Housing, a neighboring non-profit and collaborate with members of their Resource Center to grow a variety of nutritious and tasty plants: tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, basil, collard greens, squash, cabbages, and more! It has been a lot of fun to watch our garden grow, talk about how to prepare different vegetables and learn about the rich nutrients they provide us with.

As novices, we often learn tips from some of our fellow gardeners, like James, a gentleman who has gardened at Carver for a number of years and has been a great help. On the other side of our plot, The Nourishing Kitchen grows vegetables for their soup kitchen. They are also experienced gardeners and offer cooking and gardening workshops.

This gardening opportunity has been provided by Urban Garden Connections, a Partnership of the Bronx and Manhattan Land Trusts. They operate a number of community gardens in Manhattan and the Bronx. For a list of garden locations visit The Manhattan Land Trust website.

I look upon the pleasure we take in a garden
as one of the most innocent delights in human life.
--Cicero

Staff Spotlight: Michael Cortes, Esquire

2010-08-19T12:40:00.000-04:00

It is with much pleasure that the Sinergia family congratulates Michael Angel Cortes on being admitted to the New York State bar on August 4th 2010. Mr. Cortes joined the Sinergia family a year ago as a Housing Advocate and has proved to be an invaluable asset to the organization. With Mr. Cortes becoming a licensed attorney, Sinergia can now offer legal advice and representation to our consumers when those services are needed. Sinergia looks forward to many more years of working with Mr. Cortes and in continuing to provide quality services to our community.

Education and Advocacy for the Deaf and Blind

2010-07-22T14:39:00.001-04:00

Sinergia will be offering a new program in association with the New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative (NYSDBC), an organization that is funded by the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and is housed at Queens College in Flushing, NY. The NYSDBC’s goal is to improve services for children and youth from the ages of 0-21, who are deaf and blind. They provide technical assistance that includes needs assessment, negotiation of goals, and decision-making about services in a collaborative environment.

The NYSDBC is interested in our Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) hosting a series of Parent Leadership Training sessions to English and Spanish speaking parents of children who are deaf-blind and who live in the metropolitan area. The intent of the series is to train parents to be effective advocates for their children by providing them with useful and valuable leadership tools and skills. The NYSDBC has conducted highly successful trainings in Rochester, NY and will offer trainings in Westchester, NY and on Long Island. Sinergia will be providing the space and the MPC will be in charge of the trainings, which will focus on education advocacy and information about resources available from the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, Medicaid/Medicare, SSI, Legislation, etc.

There will be two trainings offered: one to English speaking families in January 2011, and another one for Spanish speaking families next year at a time yet to be determined. Training sessions will take place over a three week-end period. For more information please contact Godfrey Rivera at 212-643-2840.

Sinergia's Day Habilitation Volunteer Recognition and Art Show

2010-07-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

On June 22nd, 2010, the Sinergia Day Habilitation program participants took part in two events. The first was an acknowledgement of the volunteer work that many of the participants engage in on behalf of Sinergia. These activities include delivering meals to seniors for the “Meals on Wheels” program and assisting staff at Senior Centers and at local hospitals. Each volunteer was honored for his or her work by receiving a framed certificate of appreciation and a gift certificate from Target stores. Many of the volunteers have been engaged in their respective activities for years and really enjoy the sense of “giving back” that they get from participating in this effort.

The second part of the event centered around the kick-off of the Day Habilitation Art Show & Sale. The Dr. Nivia Zavala Conference Center was filled with artwork, jewelry and photos created by the participants of the Day Habilitation and UpLiving programs, who had been working with staff members for a number weeks preparing works that expressed their artistic feelings and creativity. The event also included the viewing of a video that had been created by the participants, along with Recreational Therapist Carmen Meija-Boil and the assistance of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. The video was a celebration of the city of New York that featured the participants visiting and enjoying many local attractions. The artwork was open for viewing and for purchase to interested parties for the remainder of the week.

Photos:
Top left: Day Habilitation participant Kenneth F. receives his certificate of appreciation for his volunteer work with “Meals on Wheels”.

Bottom right: UpLiving Program participant Lillian R. poses with the mosaic wall hanging that she created.

Below: Computer art by Frank Ferrieras (prints available for sale; contact Erin at Sinergia at 212-643-2840 for info).

New Book by the President of Sinergia's Board

2010-07-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

The Double Life of a Snowbird
by Sally L. Romero Ph.D

Dr. Sally L. Romero, who up until her untimely death last week was President of the Board of Directors of Sinergia, Inc., left behind a wonderful gift in the shape of a new book of personal memoirs, aptly named “The Double Life of a Snowbird.” In it, as a "Nuyorican," she described the full life she led in Puerto Rico during the winter months as a commuting retiree and in New York for the remaining months of the year.

Her short stories and poems are prefaced by the poignant descriptions written by both her parents prior to their deaths about their own memories of an impoverished childhood on the island and subsequent migration to New York as young adults, an experience shared by many other Puerto Ricans who left seeking a better life for themselves and their families in the mainland.

For a copy of the book please contact Sinergia at 212-643-2840.

Bio
Sally Lebron Romero, CSW, PhD, is a native New Yorker of Puerto Rican parentage who is sometimes referred to as a "Nuyorican," since she was not born on the island. She has worked in New York City and in Puerto Rico as a social worker in medical settings and in private agencies that provided mental health and social services to children and their families. She also worked for the Board of Education as a school social worker and supervisor of other social workers in the South Bronx and elsewhere before her retirement in 1991. During her tenure with the Board of Education, Sally earned her PhD in Educational Administration and Supervision in 1989 at Fordham University.

Since then she spent five years advising graduate students at the New York University School of Social Work until 1995. Currently she does occasional consulting regarding educational and social welfare issues on a volunteer basis and serves as President of the Board of Directors of Sinergia, Inc., a non-profit agency for developmentally disabled and mentally challenged children.

Sally has always been interested in writing ever since her fourth grade teacher told her she wrote well. Now she feels she has something to write about. Being in a writer’s workshop over the past 9 years has enabled her to stretch herself and try her hand at poetry as well. She enjoys the best of two worlds by spending several months of the year in Puerto Rico and the rest of the time in New York City or in Philadelphia visiting her daughter Norma, and her two grandsons, Marcus and Justin.

Promoting East Harlem's Artistic Talents

2010-06-21T16:09:00.000-04:00

Sadly our beautiful exhibit of Puertorican artist Samuel Lind's work is coming to a close,

but Sinergia is looking for more talented artists in our community to showcase their art in our gallery space.

If you or someone you know would like to be considered for an exhibit,

please join our Facebook page and submit pictures of your artwork with your contact info on our Event page or on the wall.

We'll be accepting submissions until Friday, July 16th.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/sinergiany.

Saluting El Barrio's History

2010-06-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

Come and tell us your "Barrio" stories! The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, in collaboration with StoryCorps Historias, is recording El Barrio elders as they tell their stories, to ensure that future generations know the rich history of this community. Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito will host the launch reception of "Mi Querido Barrio" (My Beloved Neighborhood).

Launch Reception of "Mi Querido Barrio"

Friday, June 11, 6-8pm
Sinergia
2082 Lexington Avenue, 4th floor

Summer Art Exhibit at Sinergia

2010-06-01T13:20:00.000-04:00

The Day Habilitation and UpLiving programs are hosting a Summer Art Exhibition! The opening reception on June 22nd will feature two films that the Day Hab participants have been working on: one, a documentary chronicling their training as film-makers, and the other, a musical production entitled “The New York Experience”, a presentation depicting how the Day Hab program enhances our participant's lives. Art on display will range from paintings and drawings to limited edition prints and needlecraft. Events will be as follows:

Tuesday, June 22^nd, 1pm Exhibition Opening Reception with Film Presentation

Wed-Thu, June 23-24 Gallery open for viewing, 3-5 pm

Friday, June 25^th, 10-3pm Art Sale (art can be purchased and taken home)

Proceeds from the art sale will directly benefit the artists, with a small portion being used to purchase supplies for future projects.

(Photo: Artist Carlos Borja poses with a sample of his artwork and with Art Instructor Erin McSorley.)