New Visions Blog

The Peace Of Heart Choir performed for the families residing at BFL's Freedom House domestic violence shelter this past holiday season, raising their voices in joyful song. Read the Peace Of Heart Choir story here.… read more

The  Hunterdon County Democrat reports: Mirror Images Salon in Clinton opened its doors on Sunday, Dec. 7, for a Cuts for Compassion event to benefit The Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Crisis Center (DASACC) of Warren County, based in Washington. Read the story.… read more

An article in The Brooklyn Ink featured BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein: Not all shelter openings are protested. Barrier Free Living, a homeless shelter for mentally ill homeless people in the Lower East Side opened in 1990 and renovated an old, burnt-down building. In essence, the shelter helped the neighborhood look better while helping the homeless, said Paul Feuerstein, the shelter’s CEO. “There was a certain level of sympathy in terms of what we are doing. We so far have been in… read more

Toys donated to Barrier Free Living during the holiday season bring joy and hope to the children at programs like the Secret Garden (pictured here with toys from the FPWA) and Freedom House Emergency Shelter… read more

IPC Athletics Reports: Although the para-athletics season does not get underway fully until February’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, UAE, here are 10 athletes who could make a name for themselves in 2015. Felix Streng (Germany) In 2014 Streng won the 200m T44 European title and won silver in the 100m. He set multiple personal bests over 100m and finished in the top six of the… read more

LinkNYC, a proposal to leverage old payphone infrastructure to build the world’s largest, fastest free municipal Wi-Fi network was announced by Mayor de Blasio last month. LinkNYC would dramatically increase broadband speeds in neighborhoods across all five boroughs, provide free domestic calling at all times, and generate millions of dollars annually to reinvest into additional programs aimed at bridging the digital divide for New Yorkers who need it most. Positive feedback on the LinkNYC proposal has poured in from leaders of… read more

Purge4Peace, a family fair collection drive organized by Heather Borstein and held at the Barrow Street School this December, donated toys, piggy banks and holiday items to the children and families at Freedom House Emergency Shelter this holiday season. "It is through the generosity of groups like Purge4Peace that we can brighten the holiday season for the residents and children at our shelters," said Scott Hess, Organizational Development Manager at Barrier Free Living. Learn more about Purge4Peace. Donate to BFL… read more

For Barrier Free Living this past year has been all about dreams. We have encouraged the dreams of residents at our shelters, ignited dream projects like our new Supportive Housing Program, and applauded dreamers who support our cause, like the reigning Miss America Kira Kazantsev. Read more in our Breaking Barriers Newsletter, here.… read more

The National Council on Disability supports the 2014 United Nations (UN) International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on December 3. According to the UN, the official theme of this year's commemoration is “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.” In 2011, NCD published "The Power of Digital Inclusion: Technology's Impact on Employment and Opportunities for People with Disabilities.” Much of what we detailed then is, arguably, even more true now – if people are provided access and the opportunity, technology can… read more

Human Services Council Executive Director Allison Sesso called for strong advocacy and vision for the Human Services sector at this year's Leadership Awards ceremony on December 2. Speaking to a packed crowd on the 35th floor of Mutual of America's Park Avenue building, Sesso invigorated the crowd and applauded honorees. Honored were: Jason Lilien of Zuckerman Spaeder, Partner & Chair of Nonprofit Organizations Practice; Jose Davila of Hispanic Federation; Michelle Yanche of… read more

BFL debuted its new mission film for 2015, working with filmmaker Blake Drummond. The film reflects the agency's best practice of reviewing the mission, vision and values every two years, and updating it based on the input of staff, consumers, shelter residents, leadership and the Board of Directors. View the film here.… read more

Alex Minsky, featured in the GQ Magazine spread: Active Duty: Alex Minsky Shows You How to Dress for the Gym, continues to inspire people with disabilties world wide. BFL spoke to Minsky last year, about his journey after he lost his leg when his truck rolled over an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan. GQ Writes: Say good-bye to your mesh lacrosse shorts and take your Greek Week shirt to Goodwill. Now fashion designers are making clothes you can work out in (this… read more

From City Limits Gov. Needs to Restore Money for Domestic Violence Victims By: PAUL FEUERSTEIN A recent New York City Council report found that incidents of domestic violence in public housing operated by NYCHA had doubled since 2009. And yet at the same time, our elected officials are cutting funding to groups that help domestic violence victims access legal services, receive counseling and find safe transitional housing. When Governor Cuomo and state Budget Director Robert Megna… read more

Noah Galloway, the Iraq war vet and amputee who beat out 1200 competitors to be Men’s Health magazine’s cover model for November, 2014 is an inspiration to people with disabilities nationwide. We got a chance to talk to Noah about the cover, how he got through challenging times after his accident, and his secrets for a great gym routine. BFL: Your story is a great inspiration to the people we work with… read more

Born and raised as part of a large deaf family in Brooklyn, Michelle Reyes set her sights on giving back to the community after graduating from Gallaudet University. This year, she joined Barrier Free Living’s Secret Garden Domestic Violence program as a social worker, counseling both Deaf/HOH and hearing individuals. We caught up with Michelle to talk about her first year with BFL. How did you learn about Barrier Free… read more

amNewYork reports: The city's transportation network is a massive system of subways and tens of thousands of buses and taxis. But the 800,000 New Yorkers living with disabilities only get to use a fraction of what is available to the average person. Nearly 25 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 became law, more of the transportation network has opened up to people who use wheelchairs, walking aids or are visually impaired. Yet much of it is still off… read more

Manhattan Legal Services, the host agency for the Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Services Collaborative, brings the Shine the Light On Domestic Violence message to  Harlem on the evening of October 27, 2014. Four Walks are being organized, one from each direction in Harlem.  The Walks will start at 5:30pm and convene at the State Office Building for a Speak Out.  Lights go purple at 6pm.  The event promises to raise the community’s level of awareness on the prevalence and insidiousness of domestic violence while also… read more

Disability Scoop Reports: The number of characters with disabilities appearing on broadcast television is on the rise, according to a new analysis. Eleven characters with disabilities are expected to be featured regularly on scripted prime-time programs on ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC this season, up from eight last year. The findings come from a report released Wednesday on diversity in television that’s conducted annually by GLAAD, a media advocacy organization for the gay and lesbian community. The review looks at… read more

When Kira Kazantsev (Miss New York) was crowned Miss America 2015, it was not only a win for the Big Apple, but for survivors of domestic violence nationwide. Kira chose domestic violence as her platform and together with the Miss America Organization has launched a bold #VOWtoEndIt campaign during October’s Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month. Barrier Free Living caught up with Kira to talk about her platform, her passion… read more

Private Violence is a feature-length documentary film and audience engagement campaign that explores a simple, but deeply disturbing fact of American life: the most dangerous place for a woman in America is her own home. Every day in the US, at least four women are murdered by abusive (and often, ex) partners. The film debuts on HBO on October 20. Learn more.… read more

During this October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev and the Miss America Organization launched the #VOWtoEndIt campaign. Learn more.… read more

The Mayor’s Office and the Department of Sanitation will be hosting the Winter Weather Access and Mobility Summit on October 22, 2014 from 11-1PM at the Lighthouse Guild. View info. here.… read more

Andy Mientus (Kyle Bishop in the tv show Smash) has joined the CW's The Flash as hearing impaired (and openly gay) DC Comics villain Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper. Read more. … read more

Six diverse nonprofit organizations were announced as finalists for the 2014 New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards. The Awards recognize outstanding management practices of nonprofits in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. The six organizations were selected by a panel of 30 nonprofit management experts, from a list of 10 semifinalists recognized earlier this year. The finalist organizations, which vary in size and in the types of programs and services they offer, were chosen by the program's 30-member expert Selection… read more

ThnkProgress Reports: The Star Apartments on Los Angeles’ Skid Row will provide permanent housing to 102 homeless people and the county agency that works to end homelessness. More important than the aesthetics is the good the facility will do for its residents and for Skid Row as a whole. It is three times more expensive to leave homeless people on the street than it is to simply give them housing. The stability that a home provides makes it far easier for… read more

The Wizard of Oz in American Sign Language was made by Eyes Alive!, an elementary school performing arts group at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. The movie was shot over a couple of months on the school campus… read more

The INDY Star reports: Domestic Violence Awareness Month seems to be especially timely this October, and playwright Marcella Goheen is appreciative of the attention. As creator of "The Maria Project" — a one-person play about the 1931 murder of Maria Salazar by the hand of her husband — Goheen took note when the National Domestic Violence Hotline experienced an 84 percent increase in calls after a video leaked in September of football player Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancee in an Atlantic… read more

The  BFL Speaker’s Bureau held its  Moving Beyond Shame special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Spearheaded by Speakers Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh, special guests included  Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities;Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; along with humanitarian/advocate Brett Scudder; and writer… read more

Sorenson Communication launched a new Videophone Communication booth for Deaf/HOH participants at Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden Domestic Violence program in October. Sorenson's mission is to "empower the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to communicate with both deaf and hearing family, friends or business contacts using video relay service." Nicolyn Plummer, Secret Garden Social Worker, Services for the Deaf, organized the event, attended by staff and participants of the program. Pictured… read more

Goldman Sachs’ Community TeamWorks (CTW) supported Barrier Free Living's Freedom House emergency shelter this past year through a variety of volunteer initiatives, including a summer BBQ and  trips to the Bronx Zoo, Victoria Gardens, and the Natural History Museum. CTW released its 2014 Impact Report, thanking the "nearly 900 community partners who engaged our volunteers in over 1,580 service projects this year. Through this partnership, more than 25,000 Goldman Sachs volunteers contributed over 125,000 hours of service to… read more