Have Questions About COVID-19? Call the ACI COVID-19 Helpline!

The Alliance Center for Independence has recently established a telephone helpline to assist disabled individuals and their families seeking answers about COVID-19, including testing sites and vaccination/booster locations. The helpline will also provide information and referrals to community resources as well as make referrals to resources and organizations in Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties. If you are having difficulty getting a vaccine, please call us at 732-738-1941. The helpline number operates Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Spanish interpreters are available. You can also email us at adacil@adacil.org

The Federal Administration on Community Living has also established the Disability and Access Line, 888-677-1199. This nationwide number operates Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 8 PM (eastern) to help answer your questions about COVID. Individuals can also get assistance through email at DIAL@usaginganddisability.org

ACI CommUnity Market - Coming Soon!

Coming this spring!! The ACI CommUnity Market will be having its grand opening and you're invited!

The ACI CommUnity Market is our reimagined food pantry, emphasizing consumer choice and customer service while continuing to assist disabled individuals and their families facing food insecurity. The CommUnity Market will also offer training to individuals with disabilities interested in working in the retail business.

Look for more details coming soon!

Holiday Celebrations at ACI! 🎄

The holidays were in full swing at ACI! We jammed out, danced, and sang along to the Holiday Express virtual performance. We had fun competing against each other in the holiday games like Pin the Face on the Elf, Jingle Bell Toss, and Holiday Emoji Trivia. Participants also flexed their creativity in making decorative holiday candy holders. The celebration was highlighted by a special guest Santa! Thank you to all who participated and helped make the last few days wonderful!

Having Trouble Getting Your COVID-19 Vaccination or Booster Shots?

Through a grant from the Centers of Disease Control Foundation and Able South Carolina, ACI is partnering with the Disability Vaccine Access Opportunity Center (DVAO) to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccinations among NJ residents with disabilities. Efforts include removing barriers that prevent individuals from obtaining vaccinations and combating vaccine hesitancy.

ACI is working with the Middlesex County Health Department to organize mobile vaccination units and pop up vaccination sites at events throughout the area. If your organization is interested in having a mobile vaccination unit or pop up unit at your event, contact ctonks@adacil.org

Is the lack of accessible and safe transportation preventing you from getting your COVID vaccine or booster shot? ACI may be able to assist. Call us at 732-738-4388

For more information about vaccinations, including where to get your vaccine, contact:

• Disability Information and Access Hotline at 888-667-1199 or acl.gov/dial

• NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: covid19.nj.gov

• Alliance Center for Independence at adacil.org or the ACI helpline at 732-738-1941

Need Help This Holiday Season? Sign Up for a Holiday Food Basket! (UPDATE: ALL BASKETS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED)

(UPDATE 12/8/21: All holiday food baskets have been claimed)

ACI will once again be offering holiday baskets to food insecure families. If you are an individual with a disability or family member residing in Middlesex County, you may be eligible for a basket filled with all of the fixings of a holiday dinner including the turkey!

Due to a limited number of baskets, you will be chosen on a first come first serve basis. Please complete the application below as soon as possible. The earlier you submit your application, the better your chances are. You will be notified once we receive your application.

Baskets need to be picked up on Wednesday, December 15th between 9 AM and 5 PM at the ACI office, 629 Amboy Ave, Edison, NJ.

ACI thanks all of our supporters for their donation of food and help in assembling the baskets. We wish everyone a peaceful, healthy and happy holidays!

Please Support NJ WorkAbility Bills!

The Disability Advocacy Committee, of which ACI is a member, has been working on advocating to make changes to the NJ WorkAbility program. NJ WorkAbility offers people with disabilities who are working, and whose income would otherwise make them ineligible for Medicaid, the opportunity to receive full Medicaid coverage.

Legislation, A5262 and S3455, is pending in the NJ Legislature to make 5 changes that would benefit more people with disabilities who which to return to work but continue to receive Medicaid. These are…

• The removal of the unearned income limit

• The removal of the earned income limit

• The removal of the current upper-age limit of 64

• Continued coverage for 12 months following a job loss

• The exclusion of spousal income and resources in the applicant's eligibility determination

Please click on the link below to send letters to the Senate and Assembly leadership and Governor Murphy before the current legislature expires in January: actionnetwork.org/letters/please-support-nj-workability-bills-a5262-as-introduced-and-s3455