New Visions Blog

Homeless Services United's letter to the editor regarding the New York Times "Invisible Child" article series  will run on Saturday Dec. 14. The article follows one young girl and her family, as they struggle to leave shelter and find a place to call home. Read the NY Times story here.… read more

BFL's Breaking Barriers in Domestic Violence December Newsletter about holiday safety was highlighted by Futures Without Violence. Read the article here.… read more

The Barrier Free Living Speakers Bureau has released its winter holiday newsletter. The Speakers Bureau was founded in May 2012 by Theresa A.H. Macintosh.  Ms. Macintosh, a survivor of Domestic Violence and an amputee, is a Mayoral Appointee of the Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence and is a Trustee on the Board of Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House.The Speakers Bureau provides training and encouragement to disabled Survivors of Domestic Violence. Click here to view the newsletter.… read more

Singer Blake Drummond debuted Barrier Free, the song he wrote for Barrier Free Living at the agency's holiday event this month. Drummond, who also created the agency's mission film, was part of BFL's 25 Videos of Hope Campaign running in December and was inspired to create the song about the agency… read more

A Teen Art Sale to benefit the children of Barrier Free Living's Freedom House Emergency Shelter will be held December 15, from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Hastings Yoga, 45 Main St., Hastings on Hudson NY. Freedom House  is nationally recognized as the first fully accessible emergency shelter for disabled victims of domestic violence and their families. All proceeds will go toward purchasing art supplies for the shelter kids. View the flyer. To organize an event to benefit… read more

A Whole Lott More : Lott Industries in Toledo, Ohio, employs more than 1200 workers, all with developmental disabilities. For decades the company excelled in assembling car parts. However, with the decline of the auto industry in neighboring Detroit, Lott is threatened with closure. The company has twelve months to reinvent itself and to save the livelihoods of its employees. “A Whole Lott More”, a documentary feature, follows Lott’s critical year from the perspecitives of four unique and unforgettable… read more

Famed Photographer Bruce Weber's latest book “All-American Volume Thirteen: Born Ready: A Journal by Bruce Weber” (teNeues) consists of photos and essays on a number of subjects, most of which he didn’t photograph, from Homeboy Industries to Edie Windsor’s long relationship with her eventual spouse, Thea Spyer. Homeboy Industries serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates seven social enterprises that serve as job-training sites. Women's Wear Daily reports that: For this… read more

A CBS News story reports: Of all the thousands of draft hopefuls on NFL scouts' radars this fall, none has had a more interesting college career than Adham Talaat. You probably have never heard of Talaat or the school he plays for, Gallaudet University, a Division III school in Washington D.C. with an amazing history. Gallaudet, founded by Abraham Lincoln in 1864, is the only university in the world that serves the… read more

One Breath, Then Another: An Interactive Yoga Show chronicles Amanda Miller’s month long experience studying yoga on an ashram in India. The show depicts her quest for healing and empowerment to avoid destroying herself like her father. One Breath, Then Another: An Interactive Yoga Show Written & Performed by Amanda Erin Miller as part of Manhattan Repertory Theatre's STAGECRAFT PLAY FESTIVAL. 303 W. 42nd Street at 8th Avenue, on the 6th Floor.  Wednesday December 4 at 9 pm Friday December 6 at 9 pm Saturday December… read more

The New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence POLICY TEAM reports that on November 13, 2013 marked a significant victory for victims of domestic violence: Chapter 480 of the 2013 Laws of New York clarifies that protected parties cannot "violate" an order in place to protect them. This law is necessary to ensure that the intention of the legislature was upheld and that the value of an order of protection is not undermined. This law amends the domestic… read more

Hearts of Gold, which has taken on BFL's Freedom House emergency shelter as a sponsored program, held its Fiesta Latina Gala this past month. Pictured at the gala are: left to right - Rhonda Ross, Board of Directors of Hearts of Gold; Myra Ricard, Director of Social Services at Freedom House; and Deborah Koenigsberger, Founder and Executive Director of Hearts of Gold… read more

The Waltham reported that the State Senate last month unanimously passed legislation enhancing protections for victims of domestic violence, strengthening penalties for strangulation and establishing new employment rights for victims. “The bill takes steps forward for making sure domestic violence victims and their family members keep their jobs,” said Sen. Mike Barrett, who represents Waltham and serves as Senate chairman of the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. “People in these awful situations should have time to get medical… read more

The New York Times reports: New York City has violated the rights of about 900,000 of its residents with disabilities by failing to accommodate for their needs during emergencies, a federal judge ruled. The ruling arose from a lawsuit filed in 2011 after Tropical Storm Irene, but came into sharper focus after Hurricane Sandy, when many New Yorkers with disabilities were stranded for days. The judge, Jesse M. Furman of Federal District Court in Manhattan, found that the city, through “benign… read more

The AHA Foundation's 3rd Annual Conference will take place on December 4, 2013 in New York City. The AHA Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to prevent violence against women and girls.  The 2013 conference will address the topics of Honor Violence, Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation - issues that affect individuals and youth from a wide variety of immigrant communities, in New York City and beyond. View the conference agenda.… read more