New Visions Blog

AWARE organized and hosted a Family Carnival for the residents of Freedom House, the country's only domestic violence shelter for disabled residents. The Carnival featured face-painting, glitter tattoos, a photo booth, basketball, live music, cotton-candy and even an appearance by Elmo.  The event hosted nearly 135 residents and approximately 35 AWARE volunteers. AWARE (Assisting Women through Action, Resources & Education) is a grass-roots organization dedicated to promoting awareness and generating funds in order to make meaningful improvements in the… read more

The Human Services Council of New York (HSC) premieres its new weekly, hour-long radio series, Voices of Human Services, on WWRL (1600 AM) on Wednesday, June 26, from 11 pm to 12 midnight. Co-moderated by HSC Executive Director Michael Stoller and Deputy Executive Director Allison Sesso,  the weekly broadcast will explore a range of topics related to the human services needs of New Yorkers and the public policies that have an impact on the effective delivery of nonprofit human… read more

Georgette Delinois, Director of BFL's Secret Garden Program was honored with the Francoise I. Casseus Community Leadership Award at this June's Haitians Unified for Development and Education (HUDE) 2nd Annual Benefit Gala. Proceeds of the HUDE Gala go to a scholarship fund for high school graduates of Haitian descent to assist with college tuition.  HUDE will award a $2,000 scholarship this year. HUDE's mission is to support and empower the Haitian community socially, politically, and academnically by developing programs… read more

This June, the National Council on Disability joins the world in celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month by celebrating their commitment to advancing the rights for all Americans, including LGBT Americans, and LGBT Americans with Disabilities. Read more here.… read more

An article in the Huffington Post reports how a  school photo that depicts a disabled student sitting conspicuously apart from the rest of his classmates was retaken after the boy's outraged parents brought the issue to the attention of the photography company responsible. Read the full story here.… read more

BFL Team member Aeilushi Mistry (pictured, JULIENNE SCHAER photo) was featured in a recent New York Times piece about the upcoming Hindu Lamp Ceremony. The New York Times Wrote: Why not wind down the season back where we started, at Brooklyn Bridge Park, with a pair of intriguing events in August. On Aug. 2, Aeilushi Mistry, a classical Indian dancer and arts educator, will conduct a Hindu aarti lamp-lighting ceremony, a traditional petition… read more

Todd Love is a USMC veteran who lost both of his legs and his left hand to an IED in Afghanistan, who's determined to not let that get in the way of ANYTHING (Watch Todd's story). He has been surfing, skiing, scuba diving, wrestling alligators, and now learning to skydive. After completing his first tandem skydive with Mike Elliott into the start of the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship in Hawaii he was hooked! And since "impossible" and "can't" are… read more

A new report is out: The hidden abuse of disabled people residing in the community: An exploratory study, written by Dr Michael Roguski for Tairawhiti Community Voice. The report is a comprehensive exploration of the kinds of abuse experienced by disabled people and clarifies the range of people who are abusers. Click here to download the report.… read more

Known as The Blind Cook, Christine Ha was the first blind contestant on MasterChef and the winner of the third season. An inspiration to people with disabilities, she also had a new cookbook,  Recipes from My Home Kitchen… read more

The Story of Luke is a new comedy about Luke, a young man with autism who embarks on a quest for a job and a girlfriend. Winner of Best Film at Irvine International Film Festival & San Diego Film Festival, and Audience Awards at Fort Lauderdale Film Festival & Bahamas International Film Festival… read more

The Ground Breaking for BFL's $42 million two building apartment complex in in the Bronx on June 4 drew supporters, officials and was covered by several news networks in NYC including WNBC, WPIX11, News12 and News12 en espanol. New York City's Housing Development Corp. (HDC), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) along with the NY State Homeless Housing and Assistance Corp. (HHAC) joined Barrier Free Living, Alembic Development… read more

The June 4 Ground Breaking for Barrier Free Living Apartments is featured on News12 today. Click here to view the clip.… read more

Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing will hold its 28th Annual Interfaith Convocation Walk & Overnight City Hall vigil for Housing Justice, Blessed Night Out, starting at 6:30PM on May 31 at St. Paul’s Chapel, 209 Broadway at Fulton St. There will be a candlelight procession to City Hall Park for an overnight vigil, culminating in a Press Conference Friday morning at 9AM. More info here.… read more

An effort to revamp the icon that’s long symbolized accessibility on everything from parking lot signs to bathrooms is gaining traction with New York City agreeing to adopt a new look. Read the story here.… read more

The Mobility Resource offers insight into communicating with wheel chair users, and things not to say like: Slow down there. You might get a speeding ticket. Read the article here.… read more

BFL’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter held the annual Handprints of the Heart event this May, working with volunteers from Goldman Sachs. Resident families and children took part in crafts, empowerment activities and enjoyed a live performance… read more

On Thursday, May 16th the HOPE Program hosted its second annual A Taste of HOPE event, a celebration of tastings, toasts and transformations at Steelcase in Manhattan. Barrier Free Living's HR/Organizational Development Team attended, joining a packed crowd at the stunning Steelcase venue overlooking Columbus Circle. Guests included the founder of HOPE Deborah Antoine, (pictured with Dr. Clarel Antoine). Taste of Hope featured a host of award-winning partners, including: Inside Park at… read more

BFL's Secret Garden Domestic Violence Program held its annual Women's Day Celebration this month. The event heralded the courage and triumphs of survivors who have grown and healed through the program. The celebration included a poetry reading, piano recital and lunch. Special gift bags were provided by The Body Shop.… read more

First featured on our website last October, Alex Minsky, the Marine Lance Cpl. who lost his leg when his truck rolled over an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan, has gone onto become a sought after model and inspiration for people with disabilities world wide.  He has been featured this June on both ABC and NBC. See the ABC Good Morning America story click here. See the latest news story on NBC click here. Click here to… read more

The residents of  BFL's Transitional Housing program, formerly homeless men and women with disabilities, were treated to a sumptuous May Day feast this month. The 24 women of the shelter received special Mother's Day gift bags courtesy of The Body Shop. BFL's Occupational Therapy team coordinated the event, which included a baking class and cupcake decorating workshop. The Body Shop choose Transitional Housing as the featured charity in it's 'Another… read more

Prince Harry of Wales attended a recent Warrior Games exhibition volleyball match between the U.S. and U.K. Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor, Missy Franklin and Paralympic medalists Kari Miller and Brad Snyder were in attendance to support the wounded athletes. From May 11-16, more than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from the U.S. Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy, as well as a team representing U.S. Special Operations Command and… read more

After a career as a decorated Marine then working for the Federal Aviation Administration, Dr. Young suddenly went from actively thriving to barely surviving while living out of his car in metro Atlanta. Moving in and out of extended stay motels, and navigating throughout the sometimes dangerous streets of metro Atlanta. Check out Dr. Young's blog here.… read more

The United States Olympic Committee and Deloitte announced that the Warrior Games will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 11-16, 2013. In addition to Deloitte, the presenting sponsor, the six-day event is also supported by the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, USO, Fisher House Foundation, AT&T, BP, Budweiser and the Semper Fi Fund. More than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans are expected to participate in 2013.  They will comprise five U.S. teams representing… read more

The BFL Survivor's Speaker's Bureau released its Mother's Day themed newsletter. The Bureau is  made up of women with disabilities  "some who had been rejected by their families, some had decided to end their  abuse and go into shelter, and many who had to stop pursuing their educational dreams," said Theresa McIntosh, Senior coordinator and founder of the Barrier Free Living Survivor's Speaker's Bureau. The Bureau serves as a platform for survivors to share their stories, and educate the public on issue of… read more

Residents of BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter graduated from the EASE program this April. The ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT (EASE) PROGRAM, created by Robert Hawkins and Alisha Ali of New York University, helps to equip survivors of domestic violence with resources to secure sustainable employment. Pictured at the graduation are: (left to right) Zoila Vargas, Freedom House Entitlements worker; Tysheene Neely, Freedom House, Housing Specialist; Robert Hawkins, Ph.D, NYU professor; Nickeema Coy… read more

The Body Shop at New York City's Grand Central (420 Lexington Ave) has chosen BFL's Transitional Housing program as its charity partner for Mother's Day. The Transitional Housing Program is a shelter for formerly homeless men and women with disabilities who are forging  a new life. Body Shop's "Another for a Mother" campaign encourages customers to purchase items for their mother or loved one, as well as… read more

Freedom House Emergency Shelter launched a vibrant new Adult Poetry Club.  The club allows residents to "express themselves through creative writing in order to promote positive mental health while sharing their creative writing with the members of the group." The group was led by the Occupational Therapy team;  Residents contributed to the booklet which was designed and put together by Patrice C. Queen. View the poetry clubs booklet by clicking here.… read more

Since 2010 the Kids Wish Network has honored more than 30 children at Freedom House Emergency Shelter with a Hero of the Month award. The honorees of this program are children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have faced and overcome difficult circumstances, often enduring a great deal of pain and suffering. "This really speaks to the children's  courage during time of hardship, as their families enter our domestic violence shelter… read more

BFL's Occupational Therapy Program Coordinator Patricia Motus,  OTR/L,  and Christina Marino, MS, OTR/L presented "Occupational Therapy with Survivors of Domestic Violence: An Initial Cross Case Analysis for Determining Factors of Success in a Shelter Setting" at the The American Occupational Therapy Association’s 93rd Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego April 25-28. The AOTA Annual Conference & Expo is "the most dynamic gathering  for occupational therapy professionals each year... Stimulating Presidential… read more

A Resident at BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter sent a letter to staff expressing gratitude about her healing journey and how she gained  strength as she moved through obstacles. Click here to read the inspiring letter… read more