New Visions Blog

The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities kicked off its first Accessible Housing Symposium at John Jay College April 1. The symposium featured panel discussions on the topic of educating New Yorkers with Disabilities on accessible housing options.  The event concluded with an information fair and included participation from Barrier Free Living.  Participating  agencies included NYC Housing Authority and Department of Housing Preservation and Development.… read more

On April 23, 2013, the Kings County District Attorney's Office  will host the Fourth Annual VOICE-Out (Victims on the Impact of Crime Event) at Brooklyn Borough Hall. The event recognizes the strength and celebrates the voices of those Brooklyn residents whose lives have been changed by crime, and to provide them with information about resources that will better assist them in addressing the ongoing trauma created by these crimes. The focus this year will be on the impact of gun violence in… read more

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

A great video to check out: The Deaf Justice Coalition ("DJC") wants to learn about Deaf and hard of hearing individuals' experiences with the NYPD! This video explains the survey the DJC is doing. Click here for video.… read more

The New York Cares 24th Annual Coat Drive delivered over 40 warm coats to residents of BFL's Transitional Housing program for people with disabilities.  Thus far, over 60 thousand coats have been distributed in the NY area.  To find out more about the coat drive, additional information, email [email protected] or call 212.228.5000… read more

The agency's Breaking Barriers newsletter (click here for the latest 2013 edition) is shipping out its last print edition this month, turning to an online version moving foreword.  The shift is part of the agency's overall mission to go green, and continue to ramp up it's social media presence… read more

An article (excerpt below) in  Jan. 14, 2013 NY Times, about Secret Garden consumer Alejandrina Cruz. Click here to read the full article. Alejandrina Cruz may be the only Bronx grandmother with a kung fu movie collection to rival that of a subway salesman laden with cartons of contraband. Ms. Cruz, 65, lived in the city shelter system for more than three years while working to repair wounds left by years of physical and emotional abuse. For the past 100… read more

Barrier Free Living Survivors Speakers Bureau, which started in May 2012, ended 2012 with the third edition of its  newsletter.  The Bureau looks  "forward to meeting your speaker needs for women with Disabilities. Our founding organizers Theresa McIntosh and Patrice C. Queen encourage your inquiries and opportunities to educate your organization, school, university or event on the issues of domestic violence and its intersection with disabilities." Info: [email protected]… read more

ABC News' Lauren Glassberg reports on the journey of a resident at BFL's Freedom House Emergency Shelter for survivors of domestic violence. See Grace's story here.… read more

Institute for Healing of Memories, Director Fr. Michael Lapsley released the groups annual newsletter, noting that: "We have come to the end of the year. For the Restoring Humanity Youth project of the Institute for the Healing of Memories it has been a year of growth. Our last newsletter for the year reflects on some of these activities that allows the young people to explore the impact of our past, and the wounds we have to… read more

LeShan Gaulman spent a good deal of time at Barrier Free Living before signing on this January as the new Transitional Housing Program Director. “For the past three years I have been Independence Care System’s (ICS) Social Service Coordinator for BFL, working on site at BFL’s Transitional Housing Program,” said Leshan, a native of the Bronx and life-time New Yorker.  “ICS provides services for the residents that are enrolled and provides long-term… read more