On the evening of August 30th, friends of ACI came together for a night of fun and creativity at the Make Me Take Me Studio in Highland Park. 24 people participated in a guided painting exercise led by gifted painters and the owners of the studio, Dr. and Mrs. Yang. Dr. Yang walked the participants step by step from blank canvas to a beautiful painting of the aurora borealis. While each attendee was following instructions, Dr. Yang encouraged freedom of expression, so each painting came out a bit differently. A huge thank you goes out to the staff of Make Me Take Me Studio for a wonderful experience!
On Saturday, August 19th, REV UP NJ partnered with the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities to present the second part of the What's Your Advocacy? series in Princeton. The conference focused on providing the tools necessary for people with disabilities and families to vote and become more effective advocates. Among the presenters were Bob Kafka, ADAPT and Zach Baldwin, American Association of People with Disabilities. ACI and REV UP NJ look forward to continuing to work with the NJCDD.
Recently, ACI hosted a workshop to help individuals in situations involving an active shooter. Presenters Captain Martin Mogensen, Union County Police Department, and Sheldon Green, Union County Office of Emergency Management gave a run down of recent active shooter incidents and offered advice for people with disabilities can respond in these situations. Thank you to Captian Morgensen and Mr. Green for the informative discussion.
ACI would like to continue meeting on this important issue and get input from the disability community. If you would like to be part of our workgroup, please contact Carole Tonks at ctonks@adacil.org.
On July 18th, approximately 50 people gathered at the State House Annex to kick off National Disability Voter Registration Week. The event, hosted by ACI and REV UP NJ, included speeches by NJ Senate President Stephen M. Sweeny, Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, Rutgers Distinguished Professor, Douglas L. Kruse, NJ Council for Developmental Disabilities, Kevin Casey, and a host of advocates and civil rights activists. The event, also featured resources tables, giveaways, and entertainment by Johnny Crescendo. Thank you to everyone who participated in this important event! ACI and REV UP NJ will be holding voter registration and education events during the months leading up to the November 8th Gubernatorial Election.
This event was made possible by a grant from the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities.
On the evening of Wednesday, July 19th 2017, ACI attended Plays in the Park to see their production of West Side Story. All that attended enjoyed some aspect of the evening, whether it was the music, singing, dancing or just a night out with friends and good conversation. If you haven’t experienced a Plays in the Park production yet, put it on your list of things to do during the summer!
On July 18, dozens of disability advocates and voting rights experts will mark the annual National Disability Voter Registration week with a kickoff event at the NJ Statehouse Annex on 131 West State Street in Trenton. Time is set for 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm. This event is open to the public.
In addition to recognizing National Disability Voter Registration week, the purpose of the day is to underscore the importance of the disability vote in this year’s gubernatorial election. “With nearly 10% of the state’s population identifying themselves as having a disability, we need to show the candidates that our issues need to be addressed,” says Carole Tonks, Executive Director of Alliance Center for Independence.
NJ Senate President Stephen M. Sweeny (D-3) will be the featured speaker.
