In the past five years, over 600 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers, and in the year since our last vigil, our community has lost over 70 more people to filicide.
ACI has held this vigil for the last six years to honor and remember the lives of those lost. We read the victims names and send a message that disability is not justification for violence. We hope for the day when it will no longer be necessary. Thank you to those who attended.
It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of our beloved board treasurer, Bernie Zuckerman. Bernie passed away unexpectedly on Christmas day.
Bernie served on the ACI board for 20+ years. He was very diligent in his role and took it seriously. He was loved by his fellow ACI board members, staff and those whose lives he has touched.
Bernie was a kind and compassionate man and loved to talk about baseball. He was an ardent Mets fan (through thick and thin).
Rest in peace, Bernie....You will be greatly missed by many.
Congratulations to all our members of the ACI Choir for their recent holiday concert! Under the direction of Nancy, the Choir sung some of the best loved holiday classics. Thank you Nancy and everyone who came out to see the performance. Interested in becoming a member of our choir? Visit adacil.org/recurring-events/sing-for-fun-lets-bring-music-to-life and sign up. No experience necessary!
On Saturday, December 14th friends of ACI had a fun afternoon at the annual Holiday Luncheon and Shopping Trip at the Woodbridge Olive Garden and Woodbridge Center Mall. While enjoying a good meal, attendees spent time catching up with old friends, learning about newcomers, and talking about past events. Thank you to the Olive Garden staff for making our afternoon fun and worry free!
ACI has been presenting workshops on making general population shelters inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities and access and functional needs. These workshops covered ACI’s Overnight Shelter Simulations, disability etiquette, how a simulated shelter exercise can be used in your community, and more. Funding for these workshops was provided by PSE&G.
On the evening of November 21st, the holiday season came a little early to the ACI family. Holiday Express and ACI brought the holiday cheer by hosting a wonderful holiday dance party at the Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center. There was a live band playing holiday favorites while we danced the night away and were treated to Jersey Mike's subs! Even some familiar holiday characters made an appearance, that's right, Santa, the Grinch, Frosty The Snowman, Rudolph, and even Elmo joined the party! There were presents for everyone! Thank you to Holiday Express and Travelers for our new donated hearing aids, they will help many people at ACI. Thank you to the army of volunteers from Holiday Express and the Staff of The Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center for a wonderful evening.
We represent a coalition of disabled people, our caregivers, our allies, and other stakeholders who stand together in support of our civil right to live freely in the community. We write to demand that Representative Pallone fulfill his promises to the disability community and stand against institutional bias in our healthcare system.
In August 2018, Representative Pallone promised to cosponsor the Disability Integration Act (DIA) at a campaign event. Today, he is the only NJ representative who has yet to do so. The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is a civil rights bill which aims to end the institutionalization bias of insurance companies and support community living. Representative Pallone has been blocking the movement of the DIA, refusing to set a hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee, which he chairs. Representative Pallone claims that he does not wish to bring this legislation to a vote because he believes it will not pass, though we already have the votes in the House to pass this legislation. We demand that Representative Pallone give the DIA a chance by bringing this bill to a hearing.
