New Visions Blog

The  BFL Speaker's Bureau will host Moving Beyond Shame a special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Special guests include 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; writer Claire Cappetta; BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein; and Speaker's Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh. The BFL Speakers Bureau was founded in May… read more

The Daily News reports: A group of world-class wheelchair-bound athletes showed off their competitive spirit Thursday, taking over a parking lot at Citi Field during the 14th Annual Major League Wheelchair Softball Tournament. The event brought together four teams from New England, Chicago and the metropolitan area. And these eclectic mix of players take their sport seriously. Read the story.… read more

The 14th annual Matthew Sapolin Memorial Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (formerly the Mayor’s Cup) will bring the nation’s best wheelchair basketball teams to New York City for two days of non-stop action on October 11 & 12. The tournament, held at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, is one of the largest of its kind in the Northeast and has become one of the premier events on the National Wheelchair… read more

Freedom House Team member Lisa Lorenzi will join the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York Oct. 18-19. Lisa joined the walk in memory of her Grandmother (pictured above with Lisa). Lisa says: "My grandmother's cancer taught me to cherish life daily. To love the people in my life with all my heart, and let them know often how much I love them often. It taught me to have no regrets and… read more

The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports: In a press conference today, Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the need for the NFL to “get it right” and work to shift how society responds to domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. In response to media inquiries about the National Football League’s (NFL’s) plans to do this, Commissioner Goodell announced that NFL funds will be donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline to aid in responding to the increased call volume. These funds… read more

Ndidi joined BFL as a marketing and administration intern in 2011. Her goal: to contribute to our mission while building her job skill set. After six exemplary months, Ndidi was hired at Horowitz Associates as a Program Coordinator Assistant. “As an intern at Barrier Free Living, it was not only a rewarding experience, but also the right stepping stone toward a career that I knew I wanted,” said Ndidi. “Without my experience… read more

Ndidi se unió a BFL en el 2011 para la práctica profesional de marketing y administración. Su objetivo: contribuir a nuestra misión mientras construye su conjunto de habilidades de trabajo. Después de seis meses ejemplares, Ndidi fue contratada en Horowitz Associates como Asistente de Coordinador de Programas. "Como estudiante en práctica en Barrier Free Living, no sólo tuve una experiencia gratificante, sino también fue el paso correcto hacia una carrera que yo… read more

CNN Reports: The 23-year-old Miss American 2015 Kira Kazantsev's platform is domestic violence. During the question and answer portion of the pageant -- held Sunday at its birthplace of Atlantic City, New Jersey -- she said sexual assault in the military is a problem that needs the attention of lawmakers. Read more.… read more

http://youtu.be/ZAgXgKQ7viY UNYQ reported: “It’s been crazy,” said Minsky. “People are starting to recognize me so this was the best possible opportunity to show off my freshly designed fairing.” Retired Marine Cpl. Alex Minsky’s life took a surreal and unexpected turn this year as he sat on a couch next to Barbara Walters , Sherri Shepherd, andJenny McCarthy . The ladies of The View were admiring him, not just over his heroic military service or the fact that he’d been… read more

CNN Reports: When a case of domestic violence captures the national headlines like the story of fallen NFL star Ray Rice and his wife, Janay, there's a laser focus on the abuser and the victim. But what about the children? Ray and Janay Rice have a 2-year-old daughter. We don't know if she has ever witnessed domestic violence in her household or ever will. What we do know is more than 3 million children have witnessed it in their homes every year, according to… read more

The Washington Post Reports: It turns out that domestic violence against women doesn't just do short-term damage to a victim's health. It's also associated with diseases, traumas and illnesses that can last a lifetime. Women who have fallen victim to domestic violence are 80 percent more likely to suffer a stroke, 70 percent more likely to have heart disease, 70 percent more likely to become heavy drinkers, and 60 percent more likely to become asthmatic than women who have not, … read more

The New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) cordially invite you to: ACCESS TO INDEPENDENCE “Access to Independence is an Accessible Transportation Expo Designed to Educate the Public About Accessible Transportation Options Available in New York City” Victor Calise, Commissioner, MOPD To participate please register online at: www.nyc.gov/mopd or Call 311 September 30, 2014 10 AM - 2 PM Columbus Park, Brooklyn NY (North side of the park) Columbus Park is adjacent to Brooklyn… read more

AP Reports: At a time when election officials are struggling to convince more Americans to vote, advocates for the disabled say thousands of people with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and other intellectual or developmental disabilities have been systematically denied that basic right in the nation's largest county. Read the story.… read more

Barrier Free Living's Scott Hess speaks to Human Services Council NewsNViews Radio show about the agency's new Project Give Back.(Scott begins at 17 minute mark) Hear the podcast.… read more

Living on the streets and battling addiction, Lourdes found help and new hope at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing program, which works with homeless people with disabilities. After working with her case manager and the BFL housing specialist, today Lourdes is moving into her own home and planning to go back to school to fulfill her dream of being a counselor… read more

http://youtu.be/Ou4AYr-plrE Indigenous Conference Services (Australia) is pleased to host this year's World Indigenous Domestic Violence Conference, focusing on a Brighter Future. The World Indigenous Domestic Violence Conference is scheduled to be held in Cairns, Australia on 8th- 10th December 2014. The event is designed to be the largest international gathering of indigenous and non indigenous people with an interest in stoping Domestic Violence within Indigenous communities.  The aim of the conference is to highlight and showcase successful programs, which has led to positive impacts and outcomes within… read more

E-Pao.net reports: Emphasizing the significance of organizing awareness programme at the village level, Mangboi Singsit, Project Officer of Manipur North Economic Development Association (MANEDA) has pointed out that most of the disabled people living in villages are victims of domestic violence and they don't enjoyed the rights entitled to them by the Constitution of India. The Project Officer of MANEDA was speaking during a Seminar on the Rights of Persons with Disability jointly organized by All Disabled Union Sadar Hills (ADUSH)… read more

CVS Health (BFL's Freedom House Program is a CVS Caremark Community Grant program participant) has announced the end of tobacco sales at CVS/pharmacy as of September 3, nearly a month ahead of the previously targeted date of October 1, making CVS/pharmacy the first and only national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers. To raise awareness about the benefits of quitting smoking, CVS Health is launching a social campaign –… read more

Cadwalder, Wickersham & Taft announced: This Friday, September 5, donate $10 to wear jeans to work to benefit Barrier Free Living (“BFL”). Barrier Free Living, one of the Firm’s longstanding pro bono clients, began its groundbreaking work with people with disabilities in 1978.  Since then, BFL has gone on to work with thousands of people with disabilities, has launched several successful award-winning programs and has become a leader in working with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. BFL operates the only… read more

Today reports: Eight-year-old Noah Aldrich didn’t want his 6-year-old sibling Lucas — who is confined to a wheelchair — to miss out on a youth triathlon this month, so he pulled and pushed his little brother the whole way as he swam, biked and ran in the sweltering heat. Read the story.… read more

By Cynthia Amodeo, Director of Family Services, Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House Emergency Shelter. July was Purposeful Parenting month, which led to a flurry of articles, Facebook posts and twitter bites regarding the concept.  In general, Purposeful Parenting aims to build healthy relationships with children, to understand a child’s development and to help them grow in a way that emphasizes their potential.  Being “purposeful” in parenting can include meeting a child’s essential needs (bathing, feeding) or involve more complicated issues of… read more

Howard Cain at National Environmental, which supplies janitorial materials to Freedom House, donated uniform shirts to the maintenance team in support of the program's mission. John Macias, Facility Manager at Freedom House, said the new shirts featuring the agency logo were a great addition to team building for his hard working staff.… read more

The Huffington Post Reports: A New Brunswick university professor is calling attention to the need to overcome barriers people with disabilities face in politics after discovering an "extremely low" number of them enter public life. Mario Levesque, a political science professor at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., said his research, which dealt with people with physical, mental and intellectual disabilities, is in its early stages but he is hoping to spark a national conversation on the issue. Read the story… read more

First featured on the BFL New Visions Blog in October 2012 Alex Minsky (image by Tim Cullis) is featured in the August 2014 issue of Out Magazine. Out Reports: Alex Minsky was just a young Marine, less than a month into his first tour in Afghanistan in 2009, when his body was brutally ravaged by a roadside bomb. Minsky lost his leg and fell into a 47-day coma. While in recovery… read more

The Guardian Reports:In Victoria, more than one victim of domestic violence dies every fortnight. There are no quick fixes, but there are some ‘best practice’ pointers which should be followed. On Monday, a group of leading Victorian family violence organisations laid 29 red roses and eight white rosebuds on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne, as a memorial and a challenge. They marked the number of women and children who died through family violence in the state last year. More than one… read more

Barrier Free Living is holding its annual Staff Appreciation Awards Friday Sept. 12. Staff are honored for outstanding work. Categories range from Best Leadership to Best Sense of Humor. Members of all BFL programs gather for the celebration, which culminates with a special rendition of Family Feud… read more

Barrier Free Living kicked off its new Project Give Back, where former residents "give back" by working on a project related to the shelter. Thomas, a former resident, (pictured and in video at top of pressroom page) is painting a dynamic, inspirational mural on the patio of the Transitional Housing program.… read more

The Huffington Post Reports: On August 8, 2014, the Governor of Massachusetts signed into law a statute that, among other provisions, allows an employee of an entity having 50 or more employees to take up to 15 days of leave from work in any 12-month period due to enumerated domestic violence issues. The employer has sole discretion to decide if the leave is paid or unpaid. A number of states already have similar legislation that either specifically addresses domestic violence or… read more

http://youtu.be/pcdFmJp0Oow Mayor Bill de Blasio and Commissioner Victor Calise Celebrate 2014 Sapolin Awards in Honor of the 24th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act August 19, 2014… read more

The Fourteenth Annual Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk/Brides’ March is being held Friday, September 26, 2014 The Brides March site states: If you or someone you know have been touched by family violence or you denounce this antisocial behavior and crime, we invite you to join the 14th Annual Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk/Brides’ March, on Friday, September 26, 2014. Gathering will… read more