New Visions Blog

A host of events are planned for Denim Day in New York City Wednesday, April 25th.  Denim Day NYC is a coalition of community agencies, elected officials, students, and volunteers united to promote awareness around the issue of sexual assault. Denim Day grew out of a case in which a rape conviction was overturned because the judge reasoned the victim’s tight jeans meant that… read more

Barrier Free Living’s Freedom House domestic violence shelter celebrated it’s 11th year anniversary by honoring staff and celebrating the program’s mission. Staff members were presented with awards during the event as the agency honored the program’s past decade working with survivors of domestic violence with disabilities, and their families. View the ten year anniversary celebration video highlights.… read more

This past April 3-5, two staff members from Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden domestic violence program attended the End Violence Against Women International Conference On Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Gender Bias in Chicago, IL. The annual conference focuses on sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, human trafficking and elder abuse. The conference brought together international members of law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, judges, and health care professionals to collaborate on… read more

Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden domestic violence (DV) program is launching a new support group for DV Survivors to be conducted in Spanish. Potential participants should identify as immigrant women from Latinx countries, be over 18 years old, and speak Spanish. The group will be running from April 9-June 25, once a week, Mondays from 4:30pm-6pm at the Brooklyn Legal Services office, 105 Court Street in downtown Brooklyn. Service providers should refer clients to… read more

Blog contributor Julia Alberino. Julia retired in 2011 after more than thirty years as a health care administrator in both the public and private sectors. She was a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and co-founder of an advocacy group that worked to maintain and improve services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including elderly and disabled individuals. It’s been a little over a week since Apple announced that it has developed a series of accessibility Emojis to… read more

The 33rd Annual New York Crime Victims Vigil is scheduled for this Sunday, April 8, 2-4pm at West End Collegiate Church, 245 West 77th St. NYC The event honors survivors from all types of crimes, along with family members of homicide victims. There are speakers, musical performances, and lighting of candles to remember loved ones affected by violence. Families may also bring photos to display during the ceremony. The event is sponsored by : The Office of the New York State… read more

LeShan Gaulman, program director at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing shelter, will be a panelist on the “Homelessness and Housing Insecurity: Challenges and Solutions” presentation Friday, March 23 at Lehman College. The conference addresses the challenges and solutions related to homelessness  and has been coordinated by the Department of Social Work through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration. LeShan received the 9th Annual Emerging Social Work Leader Award of the National… read more

High school students are bringing the magic of chess to the young residents at Freedom House this spring. Marco Ramdas, a junior at Brooklyn Technical HS, and Andreas Ramdas, a senior at Beacon HS, are offering a chess workshop at Freedom House, a place for the kids to learn and also to engender a sense of community. Their goal is to "teach chess to as many children as possible and hope to impart their… read more

Myra Ricard, Program Director at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House emergency domestic violence shelter was one of the women honored at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agency's (FPWA) Women in Human Services Hall of Fame ceremony on March 13, 2018 in Albany. "I am very honored," says Myra. "I have been doing this work for many years. It's a passion for me and I will continue to do work with domestic violence survivors for years to come,." FPWA… read more

Aeilushi Mistry, HR Manager at Barrier Free Living, will be on hand today at the Lehman College Career and Internship Fair from 11am-3pm. Lehman College is located at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West - Bronx, NY. Learn more about the fair here.  Learn about Barrier Free Living job openings here. Lehman College students and alumni interested in exploring internships, career and post-graduate opportunities in diverse industries can connect with Barrier Free… read more

Guest Blogger Julia Alberino retired in 2011 after more than thirty years as a health care administrator in both the public and private sectors. She was a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and co-founder of an advocacy group that worked to maintain and improve services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including elderly and disabled individuals. The first time I signed onto my search engine on Monday March 9, 2018, it thrilled me to see the… read more

Students from New York City's Convent of the Sacred Heart school have chosen Barrier Free Living Apartments for a school wide community service project competition. BFL Apartments offers permanent housing with support services to survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. The students were drawn to the program's mission and are competing with other classmates in the school's project for a $5000 grant. The students toured BFL Apartments this March, meeting a few young residents.… read more

The ReelAbilities film festival will open on March 8 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street, with the previously announced 2017 Tribeca Film Festival-winner Keep the Change and will close with the New York Premiere of Matan Yair’s Scaffolding, which took the Best Israeli Feature and Best Actor awards at the 2017 Jerusalem Film Festival. Other film highlights include Mad to Be Normal starring Elisabeth Moss, David… read more

Barrier Free Living (BFL) Apartments celebrated Black History Month at its supportive housing complex in the Bronx with an event featuring legendary DJ Kool Herc and Hip Hop Producer/DJ Spazecraft One. BFL Apartments offers permanent homes to survivors of domestic violence with disabilities and their families, as well as to veterans with disabilities. The community event featured food, music… read more

Barrier Free Living's Secret Garden domestic violence program will be on hand at the Feb. 20 Community Resource Fair. The event is from 6pm-8pm at the LGBT Center, 2018 West 13th St. NYC.… read more

As Olympic fever heats up in Pyeonchang South Korea this month, in March the focus will be on the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Barrier Free Living will post regular game updates. Competition includes sled hockey, snowboarding and noridic skiing. NBC Olympics will present coverage of the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 this March, including 94 hours on television, which nearly doubles coverage of Sochi 2014. In all, NBC Olympics will present… read more

Pink's moving performance of her song "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" at the Grammy's this month featured an American Sign Language interpreter delivering the lyrics. Pink was the only performer to do this during the show. The choice was a step toward having those in the deaf and hard of hearing community be a part of understanding each important line from the song. Later in the show, singer Kesha performed "Praying" and her  triumphant… read more

Student Tutors from Stuyvesant High School and Bronx Science High School are working with both children and adults this winter at Barrier Free Living apartments, a complex in the Bronx offering permanent homes to survivors of domestic violence with disabilities. The tutors meet weekly with elementary school kids, offering one on one work in areas like math and science. They also work with adults who are pursuing their high school equivalency… read more

Artist, Thomas Dreamer, a former resident at Barrier Free Living's Transitional Housing shelter for people with disabilities, shares how why he "Gave Back" by painting a dynamic mural at the shelter. The shelter works with formerly homeless people with disabilities to find permanent homes and thrive in their communities.… read more

Deadline Hollywood reports that Sundance Now has given its first straight-to-series order to dramedy This Close, billed as having been written, produced, and created by deaf people. The show features Oscar winner Marlee Matlin (Children of A Lesser God) set to recur, joining series regulars Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Zach Gilford (Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) and Colt Prattes (Dirty Dancing). It’s slated for premiere in 2018. Written by and starring Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman, both of whom are deaf, This Close… read more

Barrier Free Living welcomes Blog contributor Julia Alberino. Julia retired in 2011 after more than thirty years as a health care administrator in both the public and private sectors. She was a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and co-founder of an advocacy group that worked to maintain and improve services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including elderly and disabled individuals. I’ve always been a cat person. When I moved into my lower Manhattan apartment… read more

BFL continues its commitment to “Undoing Racism” in 2018, holding two-day intensive workshops for all new agency staff led by David Peters of MPG Consulting.  The agency also continues to hold affinity groups at program locations, which were formed last year. “BFL has embarked on a deliberate process of introspection to promote racial equity in its delivery system. This is an example of transformative intent during a difficult social and political environment, to bring more humanity to all,” says Peters. MPG… read more

When asked what she wanted for her 10th birthday, Pilar Keton didn't have a list of gifts. She asked instead that family and friends donate to Barrier Free Living. Pilar, a 4th grade student at Brooklyn Prospect Charter School, which has an IB curriculum heavily focused on community service and involvement, was concerned that city shelters might not be designed to accommodate people with disabilities.  She… read more

The Uncomfortable Conversation grew out of the TEDx talk Sarah Beaulieu gave last year and long-time work with organizations supporting survivors of sexual violence. Since then, she's logged hundreds of hours talking to men and others and immersing herself in what makes sexual violence and harassment such a polarizing and uncomfortable topic. The most interesting discovery throughout this journey has been the realization that men and women alike have little idea how to talk about sexual… read more

For the third year in a row, Spread the Sparkle hosted a spectacular holiday party for the residents and tenants of Barrier Free Living's programs for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities, and their families. Dozens of kids received gifts from Santa and participated in games and activities, while adults enjoyed the photo booth and received gift bags.  Spread the Sparkle's team of volunteers provided a sumptuous buffet and entertainment… read more

Barrier Free Living welcomes Blog contributor Julia Alberino. Julia retired in 2011 after more than thirty years as a health care administrator in both the public and private sectors. She was a frequent speaker at professional conferences, and co-founder of an advocacy group that worked to maintain and improve services for Medicaid beneficiaries, including elderly and disabled individuals. I’m as far from a fashionista as a person can be. Since I retired six years ago, my usual attire consists of jeans and… read more

A group of chefs brought food and joy to the tenants at Barrier Free Living (BFL) Apartments in the Bronx, NY last month. BFL Apartments offers permanent homes to survivors of domestic violence with disabilities and their families, as well as to single adults. We caught up with Zack Pozzoboni, who organized the volunteer driven event, to find out what drew him to Barrier Free Living, and to ask… read more

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the first proposal of the 2018 State of the State: remove all firearms from those who commit domestic violence crimes. Given the inextricable link between domestic violence and lethal gun violence, this legislation will require all domestic violence crime convictions, including misdemeanors, to result in the immediate removal of all fire arms and will add measures to keep firearms out of the hands of those who commit domestic violence with the goal of preventing… read more

Community Capital Management recently announced that Barrier Free Living Apartments is the winner of its first annual impact awards for 2017 and will receive a $10,000 donation. CCM’s “Impact Awards 2017” featured five impactful bond stories during the year with participants voting for their favorite over the last month. The contest recognizes fixed income impact investments and their multiple positive environmental and social outcomes. Barrier Free Living Apartments was designed and built for 50 families with a disabled… read more

For the holiday season, Dan Kimbers and his daughter Elina (pictured) wanted to find a way to spread joy beyond their own family this year. The Kimbers had heard about Barrier Free Living, and the agency's programs for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities and their families.  They reached out to BFL and asked if they could create small gift bags, and delivered them this December. Elina and a few friends created… read more