New Visions Blog

The BFL Speaker's Bureau held its first gala Graduation March 27. Graduates shared empowering stories of healing and their support of the Bureau's mission to continue to educate around the topics of domestic violence and disability.  Founder Theresa McIntosh lead the celebration, which featured poetry and a visit from Victor Calise, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities along with citations of acknowledgement from Council Member Rosie Mendez's office… read more

Theater Breaking Through Barriers  presents the NY Premiere of ACCORDING TO GOLDMAN by Bruce Grah, directed by Ike Schambelan April 6-May 5. ACCORDING TO GOLDMAN is a fresh, funny and eventually fierce look at screenwriting for Hollywood. By studying a mentoring relationship between an old Hollywood hand and an eager young student, it shows the move of major movies from the elegance and grace of Fred Astaire to the… read more

Co-sponsored by Community Access and NYAPRS, the 9th Annual NYC Mental Health Film Festival brings to downtown Brooklyn a vivid selection of thought-provoking films which positively portray the mental health community.  The event also includes Q&A sessions with filmmakers, audience discussions, and a free lunch. EVENT DETAILS WHEN: Sunday, May 5, 2013: 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: St Francis College, 182 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, NY TICKETS: $7 dollars in advance, $10 at the door DIRECTIONS: 2,3 or 4,5 to Borough Hall; A or F to J Street/Borough Hall; R to Court… read more

Support Denim Day to protest sexual violence by wearing denim on April 24.  To learn more click here. Also, In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April) and Denim Day there will be a Citywide Op-ed Writing Contest for college students. A$500 prize for one winner from each Borough will be offered. Denim Day grew out of a 1998 Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore tight jeans. The judges reasoned the victim’s tight jeans… read more

An article in The Wall Street Journal reports that an average of more than 50,000 people slept each night in New York City's homeless shelters for the first time in January, a record that underscores an unsettling national trend: a rising number of families without permanent housing. Read the article here.… read more

Legal Services NYC-Bronx and Queens Legal Services today announced the filing of new federal lawsuit that seeks to reform the New York City Housing Authority’s treatment of domestic violence victims who are seeking emergency public housing in order to escape from their abusers. Click here to read more.… read more

This "Protecting Domestic Violence Victims AND Their Pets" webinar will be held on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Eastern Time and will focus on the barriers to leaving an abusive relationship faced by domestic violence victims with pets. To attend click here for instructions. Many domestic violence victims stay in an abusive relationship, delay leaving, or return to the perpetrator out of fear for their pet's safety. This webinar will provide information on various resources available… read more

GRACE DRUMS is a performance group of 6 spirited women percussionists who share joy and inspiration through the power of the drum and the voice. On SAT. April 20, 2013 at 7 PM, at the Actor’s Fund Theater, Downtown Brooklyn, GRACE DRUMS presents The Women Gather. Buy tickets here. Through the majesty of African & Caribbean inspired drumming, song and movement, The Women Gather is a concert celebrating women, children and… read more

Alan Govenar's intimate new documentary "You Don't Need Feet To Dance" reveals the extraordinary life of African immigrant Sidiki Conde, a man overcoming his disability one day at a time in New York City. Sidiki balances his career as a performing artist with the obstacles of life in New York City, from his fifth-floor walk-up apartment in the East village, down the stairs with his hands and navigating in his wheelchair through Manhattan onto buses and into the… read more

A program to equip survivors of domestic violence with resources to secure sustainable employment launches this month at Freedom House Emergency Shelter. The EASE Program (Economic and Social Empowerment) presented by Dr.  Robert Hawkins and Alisha Ali of New York University helps shelter residents to understand the importance of of becoming economically self -sufficient. The workshops focus on:  Empowerment, Motivation, Developing Skills, Obstacles, Challenges,  Employment and Educational goals.  The workshops range in topic from Social Economic Empowerment, Interviewing, Networking, and Your… read more

BFL rolled out a 360 Evaluation process, beginning with the management team, as a tool to growth and progress in line with the agency's mission. Staff learned about the effectiveness of a well implemented 360 evaluation at the Winter/Spring Town Hall all agency meeting.  360 degree feedback is a method and a tool that provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from his or her supervisor and four to eight peers, reporting staff members, coworkers. Most 360 degree… read more

March 13 is the official NO MORE Day: Together we can end Domestic Violence NO MORE is a simple idea with the power to unleash new, major  attention to the people all around us who are hurt - directly or indirectly - by domestic violence and sexual assault every day and every minute. For more info click here.… read more

Project Papillon NYC brought Spa Day to BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter in February, working with women at the shelter in line with Papillon's mission which is to "rebuild the self-esteem and confidence of homeless women that are victims of Domestic Violence by transforming their outer appearance to match their inner beauty. Bringing them from crisis to possibilities." Make up artist Beluchi Jeanot (pictured, right) was on  hand for the… read more

A thought provoking and stirring article by Pearl Brownstein who writes: I am one of the unlikely homeless. I have a master’s degree and a career in publishing, and I was a co-op owner in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood—yet my 10-month-old son and I now reside in a domestic-violence shelter in an area filled with crumbling tenements and public-housing towers. Oddly enough, our two months here have been a godsend for both of us. Read full article here.… read more

A recent article by Fox News discusses the relationship of the link between domestic violence and traumatic brain injury, noting that: There have been a lot of questions about country singer Mindy McCready’s substance abuse and its association with her recent suicide. But the question we should be asking is: “Did Mindy McCready’s brain injury kill her?” It seems as though every day there is another story about a man abusing his wife or girlfriend. But we rarely hear about… read more

BFL connected with SIAD Tarragona (Town Hall of Tarragona) who organized an event under the support of the civic movement "One Billion Rising", in plaça de la Font, Tarragona last 14th february'13. SIAD sent a shout out to BFL which participated in the NYC Washington Square rising. View the video… read more

The children at BFL's Freedom House Domestic Violence emergency shelter took part in a special pajama party this month, thanks to a donation from the nationally known Pajama Program. The Pajama Program provides new pajamas and new books to children in need… read more

On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013,  the worldwide phenomenon One Billion Rising was kicked off. ONE BILLION women and those who love them joined the call to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to domestic violence.The Washington Square Park, NYC rising supported by Barrier Free Living, Video Below… read more

BFL was awarded a $500,000 Grant for our proposal to establish protocols for Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing individuals who have survived sexual assault and/or domestic violence. This three-year award acknowledges the need to establish protocols, advocacy and coordinated services for a portion of the population that is typically under-served. With BFL as the lead agency, we have formed a Collaborative team with the Harlem Independence Center (HILC), the District Attorney’s Office of New York (DANY), St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital's Crime Victims Treat Center… read more

Barrier Free Living. Inc. 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. To view the latest Speaker's Bureau Newsletter click here. Ms. Macintosh is also a member of the Safe Horizon Domestic Violence Hotline Advisory Committee, Voices of Women Organizing Project (VOW) and… read more

Congressman José E. Serrano announced that he has invited Bronx anti-gun violence activist Gloria Cruz (and Barrier Free Living Freedom House staff member)  to be his guest for the State of the Union. Since losing her niece to gun violence in the Bronx in 2005, Ms. Cruz has worked to bring attention to the need for sensible gun control measures to halt the gun violence that plagues the nation. She is the Bronx president of the Million Mom March… read more

Eve Ensler on One Billion Rising the global phenomenon Thursday Feb. 14 to End Domestic Violence. View the clip… read more

One Billion Rising is a revolution. Today, on the planet, a billion women – one of every three women on the planet – will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION mothers, daughters, sisters, partners, and friends violated. V-Day REFUSES to stand by as more than a billion women experience violence. On February 14th, 2013, V-Day's 15th Anniversary, we are inviting one billion women and those who love them to walk out, DANCE, RISE UP, AND DEMAND an end… read more

ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival coming March 7-12 to NYC, is the largest festival in the country dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities. Tickets are on sale for a host of films, including  Geoffrey Enthoven's quirky road movie about three young men with disabilities on a quest to lose their virginity… read more

The national Office of Violence Against Women has funded a collaborative effort between Barrier Free Living, the Crime Victims Treatment Center of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Harlem Independent Living, CONNECT, the New York County District Attorney’s Office, to increase access to therapeutic and advocacy services for members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community who are survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.  The grant will bring all five organizations together to lend their expertise through partnership… read more

The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs has partnered with FPWA to implement a plan designed specifically to meet the needs of our City’s immigrant communities.  Click here to view PDF. Serving as an intermediary organization, FPWA will work with other agencies over the next several weeks and has started to deploy teams of outreach who will canvass the hardest-hit areas of the City to survey immigrant households about their needs, connect them with services, and provide information on… read more

The Pajama Program, which "delivers warm sleepwear and nurturing books to children in need" has connected with BFL's Freedom House program. The program will drop its first donation this January… read more

Barrier Free Living’s Domestic Violence Program Secret Garden Offers Reiki Sessions for consumers with Practitioner Antoinette Calabretta. Certified in Reiki, Anotinette is also a Case Manager at Secret Garden. Click here for flyer. Reiki session is offered bimonthly, on Wednesdays starting February 6, 2013. For more information contact Antoinette Calabretta at (212) 533-4358. Reiki is a very specific form of energy healing, in which hands are placed… read more

A Support Group where family and loved ones of LGBTQ survivors of Intimate Partner Violence create a safe space filled with education and understanding, and share ways to support themselves, each other, and their loved ones. All sessions will be held at AVP’s Midtown Offices: 240 West 35th Street, 2nd floor. Click here for flyer. To learn more or to schedule an intake session: Call Suzy or Julia at 212-714-1184 x24. Participants must attend an intake session by February 1, 2013… read more

Court Legal Interpreting Coalition (CLIC) is offering assistance and a chance to share your experience and stories. Did you get an interpreter for your day in court? Did you understand your interpreter? Did the interpreter understand you? CLIC wants to collect your information, your experiences and any concerns you may have encountered in the legal process and court system.Tell your story. VIEW THE INFO. VIDEO HERE.… read more