New Visions Blog

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

The Supportive Housing Network of New York reports that after several debates in which the word "homeless" was never uttered, moderators at last week's final debate asked candidates to detail their plans to reduce NYC's record level of homelessness, this a result of a United to End Homelessness twitter rally. United to End Homelessness held two Twitter rallies in October to urge New York City's mayoral candidates and debate moderators to discuss homelessness. The Coalition's efforts paid off. Debate moderators… read more

ABCRadio National reports that: A shocking new report conducted by the University of New South Wales has revealed that violent experiences faced by disabled women are not only more common, but will last longer and result in more severe injuries. Dr Leanne Dowse, lead researcher of the ‘Stop the Violence’ project, says a survey conducted as part of the research shows that service providers across the disability, justice and mental health sectors were able to identify that at least a quarter… read more

A special ribbon cutting ceremony was held at BFL's Freedom House program to kick off Heart's of Gold sponsoring the shelter for the next year. The Hearts of Gold mission is to "foster sustainable change in lifestyle and levels of self-sufficiency for homeless mothers and their children. " Hearts of Gold's next event at Freedom House is a Halloween party in October for the children and families residing at the domestic… read more

Georgia teenager Zach Hodskins, a 17-year-old was born without the lower half of his left arm, earned a spot on one of the nation's top teams, the University of Florida. The news was reported nationally on a variety of sources, including CBS News, and has been taken up as a strong new inspiration for people with disabilities. Click here to read the CBS News Story… read more

Toy and gift donations from The Kids Wish Network, FPWA and Manhattan-based Holy Trinity Church brighten the holidays for the children residing at Freedom House Emergency Shelter. This year, Kids Wish included Barrier Free Living in its special Gift Bank delivering 1 pallet (650lbs) of brand new toys, games, educational items and more to the children.  BFL is part of the Kids Wish Hero of the Month program aimed at "children between the ages of 3 and 18… read more

Theresa MacIntosh, founder of BFL's Survivor's Speaker's Bureau, participated in artist Suzanne Lacy's Between the Door and the Street, a political performance that brought together close to 400 women in Brooklyn. "It was an absolutely awesome experience and the first time our Speaker's Bureau participants were able to speak. They made me so proud," said MacIntosh, pictured at center with her group. Barrier Free Living. Inc. Speakers Bureau was founded in May 2012 by… read more

The following article will appear in Barrier Free Living's annual newsletter (Nov. 2013) Breaking Barriers.  To learn more, or receive the free newsletter, contact [email protected] Antoinette Calabretta, a Case Manager at Barrier Free Living’s Secret Garden Program, shares her personal journey dealing with a disability and becoming a powerful force of change in the lives of the people she works with.  Of note: Alejandrina Cruz, who Antoinette works with at the Secret Garden, was featured in a New York Times story… read more

Barrier Free Living's 25 Videos of Hope Campaign is featured in the Oct. 20 Crains New York article  "Making the holidays count". The article notes that: Overall, the Internet has been a major boon to holiday fundraising, especially for smaller organizations that can't afford to host big galas and lack boards crowded with deep-pocketed philanthropists. Barrier Free Living, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that provides services for the disabled, will start a monthlong campaign in December featuring one daily video of… read more

Secret Garden team members will present at the Domestic Violence Awareness Month Conference: Prevention, Intervention, and Collaboration: Effective Strategies to End Domestic Violence that will be held on October 28-30, 2013 in South Carolina. The Secret Garden's Georgette Delionis and Jules Perkel will present Living Practice Considerations for Survivors of Domestic Violence with Disabilities. The annual conference is hosted by the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. Click to… read more

Volunteers from Manhattan's RPG firm will transform the Freedom House Emergency Shelter child care area into a joyful jungle this fall. Lead by Ellen L. Friedman, Executive Vice President at RPG (Ellen is a member of AWARE which took on Freedom House last year as a partner program) the volunteers are planning a dynamic new paint design of the space (image above) which serves 54 kids. "The children we… read more

Barrier Free Living's CEO Paul Feuerstein will receive the Humanitarian Award at the 12th Annual 504 Northstar Town Hall Awards Dinner on October 25th in Harlem. The event, which includes live jazz, a buffet and an open bar, will be held from 6p.m.-10p.m. at the Alhambra Ballroom, 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd between 125th and 126th Street in Harlem, NY.  Feuerstein is one of a host of honorees. Barrier Free Living works with people with disabilities and also survivors of… read more