New Visions Blog

The Blaze reports: Justin Anderson, an Iraq War veteran from Omaha, Nebraska, is not finished serving his fellow citizens. The amputee has found a way to alleviate his neighbors of the burden of heavy Omaha snowfall — all while confined to a wheelchair. Last winter, Anderson converted his off-road wheelchair into a one-man snow plow. He added a blade to the front and used the chair’s on-the-fly tilt as a lever to adjust the blade as he pushed snow. Read the story… read more

Nicolyn Plummer, Social Worker at Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden Domestic Violence Program, was one of three Deaf/Hard of Hearing advocates who testified on communication access for the Deaf/Hard of hearing at the council committee on technology and public safety on 1/14/2016 in New York City. Plummer says part of the mission is "making text to 911 accessible for everyone." View testimony video here.… read more

In the thought provoking article, Why Barrier Free Living,  Christofer Pierson, Director of Member Communications at Independent Care Systems offers insights into Barrier Free Living's long, successful history working with people with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. Read the article here.… read more

Barrier Free Living honored the life of Theresa McIntosh (pictured here) at a special event that drew friends and supporters on January 12, 2016. Read about Theresa here. At the event, poet and tenant of Barrier Free Living apartments Felicia Ridges performed her moving poem, Knock Knock. View a performance of Knock Knock here.… read more

Barrier Free Living's (BFL) Occupational Therapy team kicked off the new year with a grooming program for residents at the Transitional Housing Shelter. Barber Nicholas Naranjo (pictured with resident Carlos Cano) stopped by and set up shop, performing sharp cuts on residents the first week of January. The Occupational Therapy team works… read more

The day Olga found safe haven at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter for herself and her three children is a moment she will forever cherish. That moment, however, was only the beginning of a journey that would take several twists over the next several years. "My abuser beat me up very bad on the street. The police came and took him to jail. That was in 2012,"… read more

  Barrier Free Living Apartments, which opened summer of 2015, held its first tenant holiday event this December. Families who attended made holiday cards and other crafts before food was served. A volunteer singer performed. The room was decorated by the Tenants Association and the event was made possible in part due to a generous GoFundMe campaign coordinated by a… read more

Mrs. New York Alison Trenk made a surprise call to Freedom House Emergency Shelter on the day of the holiday party, offering to supply the domestic violence shelter with bags of toys for the children residing there. Yenely Gomez, Director of Child Care/Recreation at Freedom House, was thrilled to receive the call and even more excited after they arranged for Alison to personally deliver the toys. Alison even allowed several of the kids to wear her crown. The event, which… read more

Spread The Sparkle hosted a spectacular holiday event for all of Barrier Free Living's programs this December 25 at a beautiful loft space in Manhattan. Barrier Free Living works with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities (men, women and children) as well as formerly and currently homeless people with disabilities. Led by Spread the Sparkle founder Abbey LeVine and over 30 volunteers, the afternoon featured singing, a face painter, a… read more

To fight both domestic violence and poverty and homelessness, HRA has partnered with nine community-based organizations to provide a wide variety of services to help survivors rebuild their lives. The organizations involved are Barrier Free Living, HELP USA, New York Asian Women’s Center, Sanctuary for Families, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, the Urban Justice Center, Seamen’s Society, Edwin Gould Services, and the Violence Intervention Program. In addition to standard services like safety planning and counseling, all nine of these organizations… read more

Deaf West’s innovative new production of Spring Awakening on Broadway features Deaf and Hard of Hearing actors. The show also includes the first actor (Ali Stroker) who uses a wheelchair to appear on the Great White Way. The Tony winning musical revival has choreographed sign language into the production. The show runs through January 24. Read more.… read more

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Theresa A. H. McIntosh, founder of the Barrier Free Living (BFL) Speakers Bureau and a BFL Freedom House trustee. Theresa was a survivor of domestic violence who was also an above-the-knee amputee. Theresa was born, raised and educated in England. Following a car accident in 1992, Theresa became a resident at Barrier Free Living’s Transitional Housing Program… read more

LeShan Gaulman, Program Director of Barrier Free Living’s Transition Housing,  took home the Emerging Social Work Leader Award of the National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter at a presentation December 3, 2015. The award was given to a select number of emerging leaders of the social work profession in recognition of visionary and exemplary work. LeShan's team was on hand to cheer him on at the sumptuous awards dinner ceremony in NYC. “It is an honor to be… read more

December toy donations from both individuals and agencies like the FPWA and Second Chance Toys brighten the holiday for the 144 children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter and BFL Apartments as well as our Secret Garden program. Learn more about donating a toy, your time or much needed financial resources to Barrier Free Living here.… read more

SUPPORT #GIVING TUESDAY Support Barrier Free Living this year. We work with over 140 kids like Danielle, age 13, who did our holiday card art at left. Danielle is a resident at our Freedom House domestic violence shelter. We also work with current and formerly homeless men and women with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. DONATE NOW… read more

Barrier Free Living apartments, which opened summer of 2015, held a Thanksgiving dinner celebration for tenants and their families on November 24. Program Director Thomas Obrzut worked with his dedicated staff and the coordinator of BFL's Occupational Therapy program Patricia Motus to create a buffet and celebratory atmosphere. Tenants brought dishes to the community event, which was made possible due to a private donation. Learn more about how to support… read more

I headed to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on November 17 to see the Axis Dance Company, expecting an enjoyable evening out of the city. What I experienced was a jaw-dropping, awe inspiring night of integrated dance performance. The show, which includes performers with and without disabilities working together, featured a trio of moving dances: Dix minutes plus tard by Sonya Delwaide; Divide, by Marc Brew; to go again by Joe Goode. The pieces, both individually and as a program, got at… read more

Axis Dance will perform Nov. 17 at 7pm at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Seen on So You Think You Can Dance! AXIS Dance Company is one of the world’s leading and most innovative ensembles of dancers with and without disabilities.Paving the way for physically integrated dance, each year AXIS shares its cutting-edge artistic and education/outreach work with thousands all over the world.AXIS exists to… read more

LeShan Gaulman, Program Director of Barrier Free Living's Transition Housing,  has been chosen to receive the 9th Annual Emerging Social Work Leader Award of the National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter. This award is being presented to a select number of emerging leaders of the social work profession in recognition of visionary and exemplary work. "It is an honor to be recognized for my service to the profession… read more

A Fair Shake For Youth has launched a 4-week pet therapy program for the children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter. There are over 50 children living at the shelter.  Pet therapy is used as a tool to build esteem and foster confidence in the youths, many who are recovering from trauma. "The children residing at Freedom House have left behind their familiar environment and loved… read more

The Berkeley Carroll School held a Halloween costume drive October 26, collecting trick or treat outfits to donate to the children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Domestic Violence Shelter. Heather Borstein, who helped organize the drive says "We love the work that BFL does. It's our privilege to help others enjoy Halloween as much as we do." The costumes will… read more

The Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Services Collaborative will Shine the Light – Harlem on Monday, October 26 at 5:30pm. Join domestic violence advocates, survivors and allies, as they bring more awareness to domestic violence in their communities. The event begins with a walk through Harlem, beginning from various starting points in the community, culminating at the State Office Building, which will be lit purple. Flyer here.… read more

The NY Daily News reports: The city’s Department of Homeless Services agreed Tuesday to provide sign language interpreters to deaf people living in homeless shelters — ending a pair of lawsuits that charged the city was discriminating against the hearing-impaired. Read the story.… read more

The Matthew Sapolin Memorial Wheelchair Basketball Tournament will take place November 7-8th at Horace Mann High School in the Bronx. The tournament is FREE for all spectators and is one of the largest events of its kind in the Northeast. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see and interact with some of the nation’s finest wheelchair athletes. All of the most up-to-date information about the tournament including the full schedule, team… read more

NEWS12 reports:Local leaders are raising awareness about domestic violence to help keep families safe. There have been new public service announcements inside taxi cabs and online, but Commissioner Rose Pierre-Louis and others are taking the message to the streets. The activists and local leaders passed out fliers and information Thursday as a first step in combating the city's domestic violence issue. Read the story and watch the video here.… read more

The BFL Speakers Bureau and The Voices of Women Organizing Project (VOW) held their domestic violence awareness month event "We Are Victors" on October 8. A standing room only crowd were empowered by inspirational spoken word, dance and several special guest speakers. Theresa McIntosh, Coordinator of the Speaker's Bureau created the event, working with Raquel Singh, Executive Director of VOW. Speakers included: Paul Feuerstein, President/CEO BFL; Gale Brewer, Manhattan Borough… read more

Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden will be presenting at the The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) Annual Domestic Violence Conference November 2-3, 2015 in Columbia, SC. Secret Garden Team member Jules Perkel, LCSW will be part of a roundtable covering "Perspectives of Disability & Domestic Violence: Available resources and overcoming challenges of accessibility." The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault is a statewide coalition made up of the 23 domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organizations in… read more

The night Noah Galloway lifted his Dancing with the Stars partner Sharna Burgess into the air with one arm was a truly triumphant moment.  It was the impact of his performance on a fellow veteran, however, that Galloway counts as his most monumental achievement. “I did the one-handed lift that was never done before on the show. When I picked her up I heard people jump… read more

The Fall 2015 Breaking Barriers newsletter, with a focus on the agency's new BFL apartments and the ribbon cutting event, is available to download. Download the PDF here.… read more