New Visions Blog

Manhattan Legal Services, the host agency for the Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Services Collaborative, brings the Shine the Light On Domestic Violence message to  Harlem on the evening of October 27, 2014. Four Walks are being organized, one from each direction in Harlem.  The Walks will start at 5:30pm and convene at the State Office Building for a Speak Out.  Lights go purple at 6pm.  The event promises to raise the community’s level of awareness on the prevalence and insidiousness of domestic violence while also… read more

Disability Scoop Reports: The number of characters with disabilities appearing on broadcast television is on the rise, according to a new analysis. Eleven characters with disabilities are expected to be featured regularly on scripted prime-time programs on ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC this season, up from eight last year. The findings come from a report released Wednesday on diversity in television that’s conducted annually by GLAAD, a media advocacy organization for the gay and lesbian community. The review looks at… read more

When Kira Kazantsev (Miss New York) was crowned Miss America 2015, it was not only a win for the Big Apple, but for survivors of domestic violence nationwide. Kira chose domestic violence as her platform and together with the Miss America Organization has launched a bold #VOWtoEndIt campaign during October’s Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness Month. Barrier Free Living caught up with Kira to talk about her platform, her passion… read more

Private Violence is a feature-length documentary film and audience engagement campaign that explores a simple, but deeply disturbing fact of American life: the most dangerous place for a woman in America is her own home. Every day in the US, at least four women are murdered by abusive (and often, ex) partners. The film debuts on HBO on October 20. Learn more.… read more

During this October's Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev and the Miss America Organization launched the #VOWtoEndIt campaign. Learn more.… read more

The Mayor’s Office and the Department of Sanitation will be hosting the Winter Weather Access and Mobility Summit on October 22, 2014 from 11-1PM at the Lighthouse Guild. View info. here.… read more

Andy Mientus (Kyle Bishop in the tv show Smash) has joined the CW's The Flash as hearing impaired (and openly gay) DC Comics villain Hartley Rathaway/Pied Piper. Read more. … read more

Six diverse nonprofit organizations were announced as finalists for the 2014 New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards. The Awards recognize outstanding management practices of nonprofits in New York City, Long Island and Westchester. The six organizations were selected by a panel of 30 nonprofit management experts, from a list of 10 semifinalists recognized earlier this year. The finalist organizations, which vary in size and in the types of programs and services they offer, were chosen by the program's 30-member expert Selection… read more

ThnkProgress Reports: The Star Apartments on Los Angeles’ Skid Row will provide permanent housing to 102 homeless people and the county agency that works to end homelessness. More important than the aesthetics is the good the facility will do for its residents and for Skid Row as a whole. It is three times more expensive to leave homeless people on the street than it is to simply give them housing. The stability that a home provides makes it far easier for… read more

The Wizard of Oz in American Sign Language was made by Eyes Alive!, an elementary school performing arts group at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. The movie was shot over a couple of months on the school campus… read more

The INDY Star reports: Domestic Violence Awareness Month seems to be especially timely this October, and playwright Marcella Goheen is appreciative of the attention. As creator of "The Maria Project" — a one-person play about the 1931 murder of Maria Salazar by the hand of her husband — Goheen took note when the National Domestic Violence Hotline experienced an 84 percent increase in calls after a video leaked in September of football player Ray Rice hitting his then-fiancee in an Atlantic… read more

The  BFL Speaker’s Bureau held its  Moving Beyond Shame special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Spearheaded by Speakers Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh, special guests included  Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities;Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; along with humanitarian/advocate Brett Scudder; and writer… read more

Goldman Sachs’ Community TeamWorks (CTW) supported Barrier Free Living's Freedom House emergency shelter this past year through a variety of volunteer initiatives, including a summer BBQ and  trips to the Bronx Zoo, Victoria Gardens, and the Natural History Museum. CTW released its 2014 Impact Report, thanking the "nearly 900 community partners who engaged our volunteers in over 1,580 service projects this year. Through this partnership, more than 25,000 Goldman Sachs volunteers contributed over 125,000 hours of service to… read more

The  BFL Speaker's Bureau will host Moving Beyond Shame a special Domestic Violence Awareness Month event on Oct. 7, celebrating survivors of domestic violence who have moved beyond shame and found hope. Special guests include Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities;Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence; along with humanitarian/advocate Brett Scudder; writer Claire Cappetta; BFL CEO Paul Feuerstein; and Speaker's Bureau founder Theresa McIntosh. The BFL Speakers Bureau was founded in May… read more

The Daily News reports: A group of world-class wheelchair-bound athletes showed off their competitive spirit Thursday, taking over a parking lot at Citi Field during the 14th Annual Major League Wheelchair Softball Tournament. The event brought together four teams from New England, Chicago and the metropolitan area. And these eclectic mix of players take their sport seriously. Read the story.… read more

The 14th annual Matthew Sapolin Memorial Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (formerly the Mayor’s Cup) will bring the nation’s best wheelchair basketball teams to New York City for two days of non-stop action on October 11 & 12. The tournament, held at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, is one of the largest of its kind in the Northeast and has become one of the premier events on the National Wheelchair… read more

Freedom House Team member Lisa Lorenzi will join the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York Oct. 18-19. Lisa joined the walk in memory of her Grandmother (pictured above with Lisa). Lisa says: "My grandmother's cancer taught me to cherish life daily. To love the people in my life with all my heart, and let them know often how much I love them often. It taught me to have no regrets and… read more

The National Network to End Domestic Violence reports: In a press conference today, Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated the need for the NFL to “get it right” and work to shift how society responds to domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. In response to media inquiries about the National Football League’s (NFL’s) plans to do this, Commissioner Goodell announced that NFL funds will be donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline to aid in responding to the increased call volume. These funds… read more

CNN Reports: The 23-year-old Miss American 2015 Kira Kazantsev's platform is domestic violence. During the question and answer portion of the pageant -- held Sunday at its birthplace of Atlantic City, New Jersey -- she said sexual assault in the military is a problem that needs the attention of lawmakers. Read more.… read more

http://youtu.be/ZAgXgKQ7viY UNYQ reported: “It’s been crazy,” said Minsky. “People are starting to recognize me so this was the best possible opportunity to show off my freshly designed fairing.” Retired Marine Cpl. Alex Minsky’s life took a surreal and unexpected turn this year as he sat on a couch next to Barbara Walters , Sherri Shepherd, andJenny McCarthy . The ladies of The View were admiring him, not just over his heroic military service or the fact that he’d been… read more

The New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) cordially invite you to: ACCESS TO INDEPENDENCE “Access to Independence is an Accessible Transportation Expo Designed to Educate the Public About Accessible Transportation Options Available in New York City” Victor Calise, Commissioner, MOPD To participate please register online at: www.nyc.gov/mopd or Call 311 September 30, 2014 10 AM - 2 PM Columbus Park, Brooklyn NY (North side of the park) Columbus Park is adjacent to Brooklyn… read more

AP Reports: At a time when election officials are struggling to convince more Americans to vote, advocates for the disabled say thousands of people with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and other intellectual or developmental disabilities have been systematically denied that basic right in the nation's largest county. Read the story.… read more

Barrier Free Living's Scott Hess speaks to Human Services Council NewsNViews Radio show about the agency's new Project Give Back.(Scott begins at 17 minute mark) Hear the podcast.… read more

http://youtu.be/Ou4AYr-plrE Indigenous Conference Services (Australia) is pleased to host this year's World Indigenous Domestic Violence Conference, focusing on a Brighter Future. The World Indigenous Domestic Violence Conference is scheduled to be held in Cairns, Australia on 8th- 10th December 2014. The event is designed to be the largest international gathering of indigenous and non indigenous people with an interest in stoping Domestic Violence within Indigenous communities.  The aim of the conference is to highlight and showcase successful programs, which has led to positive impacts and outcomes within… read more

CVS Health (BFL's Freedom House Program is a CVS Caremark Community Grant program participant) has announced the end of tobacco sales at CVS/pharmacy as of September 3, nearly a month ahead of the previously targeted date of October 1, making CVS/pharmacy the first and only national pharmacy chain to take this step in support of the health and well-being of its patients and customers. To raise awareness about the benefits of quitting smoking, CVS Health is launching a social campaign –… read more

Cadwalder, Wickersham & Taft announced: This Friday, September 5, donate $10 to wear jeans to work to benefit Barrier Free Living (“BFL”). Barrier Free Living, one of the Firm’s longstanding pro bono clients, began its groundbreaking work with people with disabilities in 1978.  Since then, BFL has gone on to work with thousands of people with disabilities, has launched several successful award-winning programs and has become a leader in working with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. BFL operates the only… read more

Today reports: Eight-year-old Noah Aldrich didn’t want his 6-year-old sibling Lucas — who is confined to a wheelchair — to miss out on a youth triathlon this month, so he pulled and pushed his little brother the whole way as he swam, biked and ran in the sweltering heat. Read the story.… read more

The Huffington Post Reports: A New Brunswick university professor is calling attention to the need to overcome barriers people with disabilities face in politics after discovering an "extremely low" number of them enter public life. Mario Levesque, a political science professor at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., said his research, which dealt with people with physical, mental and intellectual disabilities, is in its early stages but he is hoping to spark a national conversation on the issue. Read the story… read more

First featured on the BFL New Visions Blog in October 2012 Alex Minsky (image by Tim Cullis) is featured in the August 2014 issue of Out Magazine. Out Reports: Alex Minsky was just a young Marine, less than a month into his first tour in Afghanistan in 2009, when his body was brutally ravaged by a roadside bomb. Minsky lost his leg and fell into a 47-day coma. While in recovery… read more

Barrier Free Living kicked off its new Project Give Back, where former residents "give back" by working on a project related to the shelter. Thomas, a former resident, (pictured and in video at top of pressroom page) is painting a dynamic, inspirational mural on the patio of the Transitional Housing program.… read more