Alliance Center for Independence
While we are all practicing social distancing, we could not celebrate Earth Day together. ACI wanted to give you a way to celebrate Earth Day in your own backyard.
Celebrate Earth Day this year by saving our monarch butterfly! Planting milkweed is a great way to spend time with loved ones and give back to our planet. Send us your name and home address and we will send you out a packet of milkweed seeds to plant. It is our way of wishing you a Happy Earth Day.
Stay well, we hope to see you soon!
Were you looking for a job before the coronavirus outbreak? Are you newly out of work and want to spend your time at home applying for new jobs? A professional resume is an important part of your employment application. If you would like assistance with editing your resume, ACI can help. Please email a copy of your resume to Rachel at rgabrilowitz@adacil.org, as well as a 30 minute time slot (between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday) that you would be available for a Zoom chat, and we can help you edit your resume over Zoom screen sharing and/or Google Docs.
If you do not yet have a resume, stay tuned for a Zoom webinar coming up about what resumes are and how to create one.
The Alliance Center for Independence and its allies have compiled a list of some of the most pressing issues facing people with disabilities in NJ (based on our contact with our constituents) and have presented them to state emergency, legislators and human services officials. We recently submitted the list to Governor Murphy. (See below)
We are urging people with disabilities and their family members to write to Governor Phil Murphy to let him know of the issues you are facing during this crisis. During most crises, the issues facing people with disabilities are often crowded out by others...but we can change that!
To better prepare our community during the recent Coronavirus outbreak, we put together this downloadable guide filled with numerous tips and resources for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Download it at the links below!
As many businesses, schools and organizations throughout the state and the country have temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus), the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is staying open as long as it can to respond to the needs of our disabled community.
“We are taking all the necessary precautions to keep our staff safe, while assisting our constituents during these difficult times,” said Carole Tonks, Executive Director of ACI. “We have suspended our programs and activities, and told our volunteers to stay home, but we haven’t stopped helping as many as we can.”
Staff at ACI have been calling every person on their mailing to ask if they are ok, to offer assistance, and provide a much needed reassuring voice. “People really appreciate that we are calling them and that we are thinking about them,” says Rachel Gabrilowitz, Employment Coordinator. “Many people are isolated in their homes and are fearful.” Since Tuesday, ACI has called 382 people.
UPDATE on 3/17/20: To protect our consumers and visitors, there will only be staff at the ACI office as of March 18th. We are taking all precautions to stay well and will be here to assist you as long as we can. We will continue to assist our food pantry customers. Please contact us if you need assistance.
At the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI), our priority is to protect and support our consumers, staff, volunteers and visitors. We have been taking several proactive precautionary measures, including implementing new and rigorous cleaning routines, and staying in close communication with our health officials.
Following the guidelines of the federal government and state officials, we decided to minimize our gatherings in order to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
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.
