This Friday, October 9th is the 5th Annual NJ Disability Pride Parade & Celebration!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Carole Tonks, Executive Director, Alliance
Center for Independence Phone: (732) 738-4388 / E-mail: ctonks@adacil.org
Website: www.adacil.org

THE 5th ANNUAL NEW JERSEY DISABILITY PRIDE PARADE & CELEBRATION SET FOR OCTOBER 9th IN TRENTON, NJ Trenton, NJ (please note: this event was previously scheduled for October 2nd)

October also marks the first ever Disability Pride Month in New Jersey.

More than 600 people with disabilities, supporters, friends and organizations representing a wide variety of services throughout NJ will be converge in downtown Trenton for the NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration. The event will feature a variety of entertainers, all of whom have disabilities. These include folk musician Johnny Crescendo, singer, Mano Hashimoto, a blind dancer and choreographer who has performed internationally and recording artist Lachi. Drummer and dancer Sidiki Conte, from Guinea, West Africa will bring his brand of music to the event as will crowd favorite, Exceptional Dance Team, a troupe made up entirely of children with autism, will be returning for a third year.

POSTPONED: The NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration 2015 will be on Friday, October 9th

Due to pending Hurricane Joaquin, we made the decision to POSTPONE the parade. NEW DATE: Friday, October 9th. Same time, same place.

We appreciate your understanding and support and look forward to you joining us next on the 9th! We anticipate a great event...with lots of sunshine!!

Check our website and Facebook page for updates.

Plan on joining us? Let us know by registering!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under NJDPP.

Join the Roll Call Wheelchair Dance Flash Mob at NJDPP!

Roll Call Wheelchair Dance invites one and all to participate in a dance flash mob at the 5th annual NJ Disability Pride Parade in Trenton!

The flash mob will be dancing to the song Happy by Pharrell Williams. Feel free to join the line dance at ANY point in the song!

Tell Us Why YOU Should be the Parade Marshal for NJDPP 2015!

Let us know why you have what it takes to be the Parade Marshal for #NJDPP 2015! Send us your essay (no more than 100 words) by September 4th and we will choose a Grand Marshal to lead the parade! Please include a picture of yourself with the submission.

You can email your paragraph to NJDisabilityPride@adacil.org with NJDPP Marshal in the subject line or mail a hard copy to ACI. Entries will be chosen by committee.

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under NJDPP.

Thank You for Making the NJ Disability Pride Parade a Success in 2014!

Five hundred people from throughout NJ and neighboring states attended the 4th annual NEW JERSEY DISABILITY PRIDE PARADE & CELEBRATION on Friday, October 3rd, in Trenton, NJ. The event was once again organized by the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI).

NJDPP featured a variety of entertainers, all of whom have disabilities. These included R&B singer Naquela Wright, singer and Hollywood actress Rachel Handler, vocalist Kaleigh Brendle, comedian Damon Rozier, Joy's Exceptional Dancers, a dance troupe made up of children with autism, Shimmying Lotus an integrated modern belly dance troupe, hip-hop dancer Christina "C-Bunny" Sarni and the Arc Mercer's music and drama programs.

Patrice Jetter, the grand marshal, kicked off the event by leading the parade, which began at the steps of the NJ State House. As part of the parade, the Mercer County Special Services School District's drum line performed while they marched alongside other participants. Ryan Henry, a member of the drum line, sang the national anthem to open the celebration portion of the day.

As a tribute to veterans with disabilities, the Army National Guard, based out of Lawrenceville, displayed flags which represented all the branches of the US Armed Forces.

Joseph Amoroso, director of the NJ Division on Disability Services, and Alice Hunnicutt, director of the NJ Division of Rehabilitation Services, were both honored for their support of the NJDPP and ACI.

22 exhibitors representing various state, for profit and not for profit organizations, gave out literature and resources for the event participants. The NJ Division of Disability Services raffled off emergency "go kits" at their emergency preparedness pavilion.

The purpose of the New Jersey Disability Pride Parade is to bring people, organizations and businesses together to celebrate pride with the disability community and to promote the belief that disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity while generating national awareness for the disability community.

NJDPP relies solely on sponsorship, donations and in-kind services. This year's sponsors include Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City, the NJ Division on Disability Services, Fun Truck'n Mobility, BCB Community Bank of Woodbridge, LifeLong Retirement Corp, Community Access Unlimited, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities and Easter Seals.

ACI is proud to have organized and hosted NJDPP for the past 4 years. We would like to thank the all of the volunteers, sponsors, donors, performers, participants and the disability community for making this event a continuing success and showing the world what disability pride really is!

See you next year!

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under NJDPP, Press Release.

Help us spread the word about #NJDPP!

The 4th Annual NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration is only three weeks away! Help us get the word out to your constituents. We are asking for all organizations and agencies to put the following in your newsletters and social network pages:

The 4th New Jersey Disability Pride Parade and Celebration, sponsored by the Alliance Center for Independence, will take place on Friday, October 3rd from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in downtown Trenton, NJ. The purpose of the event is to bring people, organizations and businesses together to celebrate pride with the disability community and to promote the belief that disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity while generating national awareness for the disability community.

The NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration will feature entertainers, singers, dancers, musicians and comics, all with disabilities. The day will also include a parade through downtown Trenton, face painting, t-shirts, exhibitors and giveaways!

For more information, including exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, please visit njdisabilitypride.com.

If you have any questions, send an email to njdisabilitypride@adacil.org or contact Carole or Luke at ACI.

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Brian Mazzarella and filed under NJDPP.

New Telegraph interview with Carole Tonks, ACI Director

Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI, recently sat down with Nigeria-based newspaper, New Telegraph to discuss the issues on rights, privileges and steps needed to change the way people with disabilities are treated around the world.

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As a director in an organization that advocates for people with disability in America, why is it that people with disabilities, especially physically challenged persons, are most times looked at differently?

It is unfortunate that many people see the disability first and not the person. As more and more people with physical disabilities are out and living independently in, and contributing to the community, people’s attitudes will change.

The Alliance Center for Independence is said to recognize disability as a natural and beautiful part of human diversity. Can you explain to me the beauty in disability?

One of the beautiful things about the United States is its unique diversity of her people. We take pride in being a melting pot. Disability is a natural and beautiful part of that diversity. We recognize each other’s beauty in our uniqueness. We are more similar than we are different.

Many persons with disability get into the condition through accidents and it becomes difficult to adapt to the status of being a challenged person, how should family members, the public and the society at large help someone overcome the initial trauma of adjusting to such a life?

For this question I went to Nybil Ghanem. He works at ACI as an Information and Referral Specialist; he is also a young man with a disability.

I asked him to respond to this question: “It takes time to adjust to any disability, sometimes longer when it is acquired through an accident or unexpectedly. When this happens, it is most important to stay positive to the fact when faced with hardships in life that the person is going through. For their family and friends it is also a trying time. Being supportive, listening and remaining positive and giving the person time can be helpful. Remember, it takes time to heal both physically and emotionally.”