Meet ACI's new project director, Sue Pniewski! Sue will be implementing the new ACI Sandy Relief Project. Recently, ACI received the Sandy NJ Relief Grant to continue the good work that Portlight Strategies did in NJ, which involved assisting Sandy victims in making their homes accessible. Sue has worked for Portlight for the past year. We are happy to have her joining our team to continue this important project. Welcome to ACI, Sue!
Survey: Food Deserts & People with Disabilities
A message from Montclair State University:
Food Deserts & People with Disabilities
Recruitment Notice
Do you live in a food desert? Are you a person with a disability? Tell us your stories!!!
This project is part of a community-based initiative to understand how common it is for people with disabilities in the United States to experience difficulty accessing sufficient amounts of healthy, nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food. In this exploratory phase, we want to know what “access” and “food security” mean to you. Tell us your stories and help us modify or “crip”* the standard measures used by Food Studies scholars, so that they include perspectives of people with disabilities.
If you choose to participate, simply follow the link below to an online survey: surveymonkey.com/s/foodanddisability. If you do not want to complete the survey, you can also submit your stories anonymously via this link: surveymonkey.com/s/foodanddisability
The survey is brief and should take less than a half hour. All information will be kept completely confidential. The findings will not be associated with you in any way. All people who participate can enter a raffle to win a $50 electronic gift card. (There will be one $50 gift card for every 50 surveys submitted.)
To learn more about this IRB-approved study and/or to participate in the survey, click here: montclair.edu/chss/anthropology/research/food-disability-research
Please share widely!!! The more perspectives and different points of view that we can gather, the better! Feel free to re-post to Facebook, Twitter, etc. Help us make this project truly representative of our disability community……
Thanks in advance to all of you!
ACI, in a partnership with Montclair State University, will be hosting focus group on food deserts and people with disabilities this August. This is your opportunity to share your concerns and experiences! Your input will help devise solutions that create greater access to healthy, affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people, including people with disabilities.
Accessible Housing Expert, Steve Gold, Speaks at ACI
Steve Gold, Esq. of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP) spoke at our recent ACI Housing Resources meeting. Steve is a nationally recognized expert on accessible housing for people with disabilities. ACI has been working with Steve on accessibility issues for the past year.
ACI's Middlesex Advocacy Group conducts Advocacy Tour
Members of ACI's Middlesex Advocacy Group recently conducted an accessibility tour of the Shop Rite Shopping Plaza on Route 1 in Edison. The goal of the tour was to ensure that the stores in the plaza were accessible and to advocate to make the necessary changes. Armed with tape measures, door pressure scales, and the ADA Checklist for for Existing Facilities, the group looked at the parking lot, aisle space, counter tops and curb cuts. Nybil Ghanem, Christine Hines, Lois Lebbing and Luke Koppisch participated in the event.
Interested in joining our efforts? Contact Nybil, Advocacy Group facilitator, at 732-738-4388 ext. 121 or nghanem@adacil.org.
"The tour was a good opportunity to educate business owners about the Americans with Disabilities Act, but also a great way to ensure that they comply with it." - Lois Lebbing, Advocacy Group Participant
Edison Family Day and Business Expo
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!
