New Visions Blog

Disability Pride NYC will hold a Jazz Legends for Disability Pride fund raiser on Thursday, January 5th, 2017, 6:30-9:30pm at The Quaker Friends Meeting Hall 15 Rutherford Place, New York City. Performers include: Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Buster Williams, Jimmie Cobb, Harold Mabern, Eddie Henderson, Louis Hayes, Carl Allen, George Coleman, Jon Faddis, Peter Bernstein, Eric Alexander, Joe Farnsworth, Buster Williams, Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes, Kenny Washington, Peter Washington, John Webber, Donald Vega… read more

NYC Metro RID will hold a Holiday Happy Hour on December 15th  at Slante Bar (304 Bowery NYC) at 6pm and welcomes all in the Deaf community. The mission of Metro RID is to initiate, sponsor, promote and execute practices that will further the profession of the interpretation of American Sign Language and English and the transliteration of English. For Questions, please contact Danielle Piccirilli at [email protected]… read more

Kids living at Barrier Free Living Apartments performed a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving play at the complex's community event in November. The play kicked off the BFL Apartments' community Thanksgiving dinner, and drew a crowd of enthused parents, friends and staff. Tenants and staff pitched in to create the magical set, sew and decorate costumes and set the stage for an unforgettable show. The theatre group hopes to do another show in the near future. BFL Apartments offers permanent homes for survivors of… read more

The National Action Network on behalf of Rev. Al Sharpton is hosting a Thanksgiving event on Thursday, November 24th for homeless- and/or individuals/families living in shelters. The free event is at 106 145th St., NY NY 10039 from 11am-3pm… read more

BFL Apartments held a fun and festive community Halloween party for tenants and staff on October 25. The event included lunch, a costume contest and activities for the kids. BFL Apartments in the Bronx offers permanent homes for survivors of domestic violence with disabilities and veterans with disabilities and includes on site counseling, skill-building… read more

The NYC Commission on Human Rights is an accessible resource for New Yorkers with questions, concerns, and inquiries about their rights under the City Human Rights Law. Looking to add more channels of contact between its agency and partners, community members, and New Yorkers of all walks of life, this Friday will be the first #AskHumanRightsNYC Twitter Question & Answer session. Have any questions about discrimination in housing, employment, or public accommodations; the Commission… read more

Helping Hands for the Disabled of NYC is holding its annual Halloween Party on Monday, October 31, 6pm to 8pm at the Hudson Guild, 441 W. 26th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. The cost is $10, small sandwiches and special treats will be served.  Register to attend by calling 718-606-9712.  Helping Hands for the Disabled NYC is a non-profit organization which has… read more

Photo: BFL's Aeilushi Mistry (at left) with Diana Reyna , Deputy Brooklyn Borough President The Second Annual Surviving & Thriving event took place Friday October 21 from 10AM to 4PM at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Jeralemon St., Brooklyn NY. The event was a "celebration of courage, resilience, and strength from survivors and organizations that are thriving in our communities." The day included breakfast, relaxation and rejuvenation activities and a host of domestic violence organizations… read more

Art made by the kids from Barrier Free Living's (BFL) domestic violence programs was on display at the TD Bank's Bring Change Event Friday Oct. 7 in NYC. BFL works with people with disabilities — both survivors of domestic violence and homeless men, women and children — to thrive in safe, supportive communities. Team members from BFL were on hand to talk about the agency's work, as the bank staff encouraged patrons to… read more

Art created by the children living at Barrier Free Living's Freedom House domestic violence shelter will be on display Monday October 17. The exhibit is presented by the NYC Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence, NYC Human Resources Administration and Gibney Dance Company. The event will be held at 53A Chambers Street on Monday October 17 from 4pm-6pm.… read more

Barrier Free Living was one of the honorees at St. John's Universities' Vincentian Convocation, held on September 22 in St. Thomas More Church at the Queens campus. Each year, the event honors people and organizations whose lives and work mirror the University’s mission. The Caritas Medal was presented to Paul Feuerstein, the President/CEO of  Barrier Free Living, for the agency's powerful work assisting those with disabilities. “As I listened to the citations… read more

BFL Apartments has launched a community newsletter, led by tenants and organized by the occupational therapy team and social worker Sam Finan. The newsletter's first issue is slated to release early fall, and will feature original poetry, listings of area happenings, and community news (including an update on the tenant's garden club, pictured).… read more

Paul Feuerstein, President/CEO of Barrier Free Living was part of a panel on emergency preparedness for NYC Vulnerable Populations hosted by the Human Services Council (HSC). The panel was part of the August 3 forum -- “The Human Services Sector and the Next Big One: Are We Ready for Disaster!?,” --  which included  discussions on how human services organizations can get prepared to coordinate with each other and government to provide services to communities immediately in response to disasters and what… read more

BFL Apartments ha lanzado un boletín comunitario dirigido por los inquilinos y organizado por el equipo de terapia ocupacional y el trabajador social Sam Finan. La primera edición del boletín está programada para salir a principios del otoño, y contará con poesía original, listados de eventos del área y noticias de la comunidad (incluyendo una actualización sobre el club de jardinería del inquilino, en la foto).… read more

Residents of Barrier Free Living's Freedom House program and members of the agency's occupational therapy team joined Life Rolls On  at Rockaway Beach, NY on July 23 for a day of adaptive surfing. Life Rolls On sponsors "epic surf and skate events for wheelchair athletes". The residents plan to attend an adaptive water skiing event later this month. Founded by world champion quadriplegic surfer Jesse Billauer, Life Rolls On is… read more

My “encore”€ work is expanding our focus into assisting disabled victims of domestic violence with emergency and permanent barrier-free housing. Thirty years ago, I had no clue that the #1 issue facing women with disabilities nationwide is domestic abuse. Once I realized that the city had no services for this population, I worked to build a totally accessible domestic violence shelter for severely disabled women and their children, as well as victims… read more

Tamara Willis joined  Barrier Free Living (BFL) this summer as an intern working with our Occupational Therapy team. We caught up with Tamara (photo above) while she was participating in a gardening day project on the patio of our transitional housing program to talk about growth in all of its forms. BFL: Tell us a little about you Tamara. Tamara: I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, NY. I attended undergrad at Delaware State University… read more

The BBC's Film The World's Worst Place to Be Disabled? on Youtube looks at disabled journalist Sophie Morgan's heart-wrenching journey. Chained up at prayer camps, exiled from villages for being cursed, forced on the streets and in some cases even killed, this is the reality for many disabled people in Ghana. Disabled journalist Sophie Morgan goes on an immersive journey to discover if Ghana is the World's Worst The World's Worst Place to Be Disabled? Beginning in the country's thriving capital Accra… read more

Nora J. Baladerian, Ph.D and Thomas F. Coleman each received an award from The Arc of Riverside County at its 50th Anniversary awards Dinner in June. Nora was honored for her role as an  advocate of abuse education and prevention for people with disabilities, and  Tom for his role as a rights and justice advocate seeking reform of conservatorship and guardianship systems. The Arc of Riverside County recently produced a two-minute video about the Disability and Abuse Project.  In the video, Nora (Executive… read more

The staff of BFL's Transitional Housing honored father's on June 19 hosting a cook out on the shelter's back patio. The kitchen staff created a BBQ buffet and the BFL team and shelter residents gathered for the celebration… read more

Volunteers from Morgan Stanley spent the day painting and gardening at Barrier Free Living's (BFL) transitional housing shelter for people with disabilities on June 10 as part of the Federation of Protestant Welfare's (FPWA) summer corporate service day. The energetic group painted and refurbished a kitchen area and office, as well as weeding and planting the shelter's garden area where residents gather. "These few hours of service impact the… read more

HSU held its 20th Anniversary gala and leadership awards on June 8. Honorees addressing the enthusiastic crowd were: Sean Delany, on behalf of Lawyers Alliance for New York; Christine C. Quinn, CEO of Win & former New York City Council Speaker and CEO; and Christy Parque. President of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies & former Executive Director of Homeless Services United, Inc. Parque, who was given the Legacy Award… read more

In its second week, the BFL Apartments tenant led garden club grew its numbers. Several new members joined, and planting continued. The group chose to order several new larger planters for the roof garden, as well as discussing its first garden club luncheon, planned for late June.… read more

The BFL Apartments team served up a sizzling BBQ for tenants of the complex kicking off the summer season on June 1. Tenants of the family and singles building mingled on the parking lot turned picnic grounds and enjoyed traditional summer fare. The child care team offered face painting, hopscotch and hoola hoop activity for the kids.… read more

BFL Apartments kicked off its tenant Garden Club this memorial day weekend. Working with the occupational therapy team and Director of Communications Scott Hess, the tenant's garden club began their summer meetings on the roof, planting a variety of blooms. The club plans to plant vegetables and additional flowers, as well as having a summer luncheon for its members.… read more

Barrier Free Living's Occupational Therapy team launched a beading stress management group at the agency's domestic violence programs this May. The group explores "the functions and value of beading as a stress management coping mechanism, to foster creativity, improve communication skills, practice/enhance/develop fine motor-visual perceptual-and cognitive skills, and build a sense of community." There are three bracelet patterns that range from easier to more difficult in order to accommodate each person’s individual skill… read more

Photo of Amanda Deutch: Raymond Adams Parachute Literary Arts has launched a youth poetry library at the Association to Benefit Children in East Harlem. The launch event, held May 16, 2016 4:00-5:30 at the Association's Bistro Room, 1841 Park Avenue at 126th street, will include readings by Poet Sheila Maldonado and ABC Youth. Refreshments will be served. Amanda Deutch , Artistic Director and Founder of Parachute Literary Arts created the youth library. Publishers… read more

Barrier Free Living Transitional Housing shelter residents created floral bouquets for themselves, family and friends this May. The workshop, facilitated by the BFL Occupational Therapy team,  allowed for social engagement and participation, and as a way to celebrate both spring and Mother's Day.… read more

NYU Dental offered an oral health care/dental screening session for tenants of Barrier Free Living Apartments this May. BFL's Nurse Brenda McGriff, who set up the visit, says the session helps stress the importance of dental health and overall self care for families at BFL apartments.… read more

The 8th Annual Handprints of the Heart sponsored by Goldman Sachs took place this month at Freedom House. The event is a celebration of Mother’s Day and includes activities and a lunch with the families at the shelter. The volunteers worked with young shelter residents to create ceramic handprints, t-shirts and jewelry that kids presented to their parents after lunch.… read more