ACI had a table at Edison Family Day and Business Expo on Saturday, June 14th. The Expo was hosted by the Edison Chamber of Commerce. Thank you Barbara Roos, President/CEO for inviting us!
NJ "Getting it Right" Conference
ACI was honored to have participated in the NJ "Getting it Right" Conference - Shelter and Transportation Accessibility for People with Disabilities, held June 27th and 28th in Weehawken, NJ.
Hosted by Portlight Strategies, Inc. and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the conference brought together advocates, emergency preparedness professionals and non-profit organizations involved in disaster relief and recovery work. As part of the event, ACI facilitated a table top exercise on shelter services for people with disabilities.
Kean Design Team Presents ACI Office Redesign
On June 19, Kean University Interior Design students, Amena Alfrak, Theresa Fafara, Paulina Mazur, Yolanda Toledo, and their faculty advisor, Assistant Professor Kristina Junkroft, unveiled their final design proposal for ACI's expanding office space. We are happy to have work with such a creative, professional and hard working team, who really make sure to incorporate our vision into the final product. Thank you to the students and Prof. Junkroft!
It's All About Work Spotlight: Jan Breece
Jan Breece, a participant in ACI's It's All About Work program, recently had an information interview with the Edison Animal Shelter. Jan's career goal is to work with animals. The Interview was with Jay Elliot, Director of Health and Human services at Edison Township. This was Jan's first ever interview, and as a result she was offered a volunteer position at the shelter. Congratulations Jan and thank you Jay!
Home Hygiene & Safety Workshop
On June 3rd, Jay Elliott and Catherine Biondi of Edison Township Health Department, gave a hands on presentation on the importance of hygiene and home safety. 18 people attended the workshop, which covered washing, basic food handling and food safety, control of spreading illness, avoiding accidents in the home, and other important independent living skills.
Accessible Gardening Workshop
ACI hosted an informative Accessible Gardening workshop this past Wednesday, June 18th. Mr. Jeff Cupo of South Plainfield's "Victory Gardening for Hunger" showed us an accessible raised bed and other modified gardens for people with disabilities. Other topics included comparing soils and re-generating kitchen scraps such as fennel, lettuce, potatoes and peppers all in the hopes of preventing excess waste.
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.”
