Workshop on housing for people with disabilities

Sinergia cordially invites you to:

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS"

 A workshop on housing options and services for people with disabilities

Learn how to get access to housing-related services, activities and programs including Supportive Housing, SRO’s, NYCHA, Section 8 and others. Get help ensuring compliance with local, state and federal housing laws, ordinances in various developments and new housing constructions.

Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Time: 11:00 am –1:00 pm
Location: Morningside Heights Public Library‘s Community Room, 2900 Broadway @113th Street
Directions:
Train: 1 or B train to 110th Street
Bus: M11-Amsterdam Ave. or M104-Broadway
Contacts: Housing Advocates Michael Cortes & Maria Pabón, (212) 678-4700; email: mcortes at sinergiany.org

Senate Bill Fights to Ban Use of "Mentally Retarded"

Rosa's Law Would Eliminate "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Retarded" From the Federal Lexicon

The ongoing campaign to mainstream individuals with disabilities and reduce the stigma attached to outdated labels such as “mentally retarded”, “retarded”, and “retard” picked up some considerable support with the introduction of “Rosa’s Bill”.   U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) introduced to the Senate a bipartisan bill on November 17, 2009 that would eliminate the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.

The bill is called "Rosa's Law", after a constituent of Sen. Mikulski's, a child diagnosed with an intellectual disability. The bill calls for the terms "mental retardation" and "mentally retarded" to be replaced with "intellectual disability" and "individual with an intellectual disability" in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.  It was the family of 8 year-old Rosa Marcellino, including her 13 year-old brother and 12 and 10 year-old sisters, that provided the impetus for the law as they grew less and less tolerant of the language they heard even their friends use when speaking of Rosa.  The family started the movement locally by insisting that the words “mentally retarded” be removed from Rosa’s school documents.   The issue was then brought to the attention of a local Maryland politician who in turn brought it to the attention of Senator Mikulski.  Sinergia supports legislation such as this and looks forward to the day when all people are looked at as individuals first and foremost.

See video of Sen. Mikulski's speech at the hearing here.

Photo: Del. Bob Costa, R-Deale, poses with Rosa Marcellino, 7 of Edgewater on the photo to the left, at a hearing for “Rosa’s Law” in the Maryland General Assembly in January 2009.

New Workshop for Parents of Toddlers with Speech Delays

The NY City Council Autism Initiative at SINERGIA is holding a workshop entitled “Helping Mothers to Promote Their Child’s Communication Through Play,” on Tuesday Nov. 17, 2009 from 10am to 12noon.
This Parent-Child Center workshop seeks to inform parents of the possibility of transforming playtime into an opportunity to support children with language delays, at risk of developing autism, and/or children already diagnosed with pdd/autism, to develop their communication and social abilities.

►Does your child take an interest in other children?

►Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to indicate interest in something?

►Does your child ever bring objects over to you (parent) to show you something?

►Does your child ever imitate you (e.g. you make a face and your child imitates it?)

►Does your child respond to his/her name when you call?

►If you point at a toy across the room, does your child look at it?

If you answered "no" to several of these questions, you will benefit from the information provided in our workshop.


Date & Time:  Tuesday, November 17, 2009 from 10AM – 12Noon

Place:  Sinergia, 134 West 29 St., 4th Floor, between 6th and 7th Avenues

Transportation:  Subways # 1, N, Q, R, to 28th or 34th Streets

Contact: Call Gina Peña-Campodónico to confirm your attendance at 212-643-2840 x 305

Made possible with funds from The New York City Council.

Note: If you are interested, you may be eligible to participate in a in free Hunter College’s Communication and Play Lab Early Intervention study for parents with 16- to 30-month old children, using playtime to encourage a child's development. It will identify strengths and weaknesses in the the way a child communicates, and determine which techniques work best for the child.

Update: 
The workshop was very successful as evidenced by the large turnout of parents who eagerly participated and had many questions and comments to share.  It was conducted by Michael Siller, Ph.D. an assistant professor of psychology at Hunter College (City University of New York). Dr. Siller studies the development of social and communication skills in young children. He is particularly interested in how parent-child play interactions contribute to the social, emotional, and communication development of young children with autism spectrum disorders. He directs the Communication and Play Lab at Hunter College. For pictures visit our Facebook page.

New housing options for individuals with disabilities

The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities' (OMRDD) 2009 Fall Housing Conference was extremely informative as organizations such as NeighborWorks America, Concepts of Independence, Dunn Development Co., The New York Association on Independent Living, USDA Rural Development and many more gathered to discuss the type of housing services and care their organizations provides.

The focus of the conference was to unify the fragmented world of available housing services provided for individuals with disabilities. The housing divisions of all of these organizations are vital to the our community as many aspire to live a more independent life and ultimately attain their dream of homeownership. This dream can now become a reality through OMRDD's Home of Your Own (HOYO) program.

HOYO was created to not only assist our consumers in purchasing a home, but it is also designed to help income-eligible parents, legal guardians and direct support professionals that care for them to purchase a home as well.

The requirements of each classified individual vary in eligibility for the program, but some common requirements are that you must:

1)    Be a first time homebuyer
2)    Be a New York State resident
3)    Meet the designated income-eligibility requirements
4)    Complete a HUD-Certified First-Time Homebuyer training

One of the main benefits of HOYO is it allows you to open an Asset For Independence Individual Development Account (AFI/IDA). AFI is a federal grant program from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services that finances a five year Individual Development Account (IDA). Through these accounts OMRD and AFI will match your rate of savings 1:4, so that every dollar you place into your IDA account will be matched four times over, up to the account's allotted maximum. The mortgages for these homes will be provided through the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA). SONYMA will finance 100% of these mortgages for a term of 30 to 40 years and have a fixed interest rate of 4%. There are currently 12 counties in New York where AFI/IDA accounts will be available. For more information contact Michael Cortes at (212) 678-4700 or mcortes at sinergiany.org.

The “We Are Parents Too” Quilt Project

This past summer Sinergia launched a quilt project aimed at parents who are disabled and unable to care for their children themselves. Entitled "We Are Parents Too", the project was created to allow participants to express themselves about their children and their parenthood. The idea for the project came from our Executive Director, Myrta Cuadra-Lash, and culminated in a collaborative effort between three of our divisions: the Parenting Training Program, the Residential Program, and the Day Habilitation Program.

The quilt has places for parents to put pictures of their children, and as the project progressed, it increasingly became a real creative expression and therapeutic experience for its 15 participants.

Once completed, we would like to welcome the public to come see and admire the quilt, which will decorate a prominent wall at the new Sinergia offices we'll be moving into by year’s end. Check back to see how it progresses!

Quilt Project Advisors: Isabel Malavet, Coordinator of the “We are Parents Too” Parenting Training Program; Carmen Mejia Boil, Recreation Therapist at Sinergia; and Maria Torres Bird, Expert Quilter and Sinergia Quality Assurance Director.

Moving your special needs child to another school

The fall season is associated with change. Summer ends and autumn begins, bringing with it the majestic change in the color of the leaves. But the biggest change in the fall is the return of our children to school. For most of us this means our children will go back to learning in a safe environment in the company of their friends and teachers whom they love and trust. Unfortunately, not all our children experience school in this manner. Many of our special needs children experience school differently because they encounter basic problems such as getting down five flights of stairs in a wheelchair, having appropriate support on the bus, and receiving the necessary services to ensure a successful school experience. As caretakers we act quickly when we’ve identified a problem and expect, as we should, a quick response from the school to remedy the issue(s).

Often times our response doesn’t come in a timely manner, if at all. Some of us have found creative ways to get schools to comply, while others become increasingly frustrated and resort to changing schools. Changing schools may be a good option and definitely something to consider. However, problems will be encountered with every school -- we know because we work with many schools in Manhattan and the Bronx -- and we need to find ways to make ourselves heard in our current school. This means identifying the problem and articulating it clearly and concisely to the responsible persons. If no results are obtained, make your way over to Sinergia and talk to an educational advocate who will help you present your concerns to the school's special education team. The advocate will even accompany you to a mediation session and/or an impartial hearing if necessary.

If changing schools is still the only option, speak to Sinergia well in advance of the change so we may help you prepare appropriately. Making such a change is difficult for you and your child and preparation is the key. Acquire information about the school by visiting and talking to parents about their experiences. Refrain from changing schools during the months of September and October as it will only complicate your situations. Not only will your current school be unprepared to help you make the transition, but the new school will not be prepared to accept you. Schools need time to adjust to their schedules coming out of summer break and a little patience on your side can go a long way. Evaluate your happiness level various times during the school year and if you’re ready to change schools, attend Sinergia’s “selecting your school” seminar which we offer on the month of August and let us help you through this difficult process.

Education Advocacy for Parents Workshop Series : Some changes in the sequence of workshops

The Education Advocacy for Parents Workshops will start on Tuesday October 2nd at 10 AM. Please note that there has been a change in the sequence of the workshops. Workshop #5 has been shifted from October 22nd to October the 20th and will look at the Dispute Resolution Process. We were able to obtain two wonderful and competent mediators, Michelle Kirschbaum and Lourdes Rivera-Putz, professional mediators from Safe Horizon. They will discuss what the mediation process is and how parents who are encountering problems obtaining, changing or improving services for their children can employ this strategy. This workshop will also look at the impartial hearing/resolution session as another option available to parents regarding dispute resolution.
Workshop #6 (the last workshop) will examine NYC Dept. of Education Discipline Policies and how they affect students with disabilities.
This session will also discuss how Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a Civil Rights law that prohibits discrimination of persons with disabilities in programs that receive federal funds. 504 Plans can be helpful for students who have a disability and do not meet the specific eligibility requirements under special education law—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Please refer to the education advocacy workshop series announcement posted in September in this blog for information about workshops 1-4.