Around YAI

No one at YAI’s “You and I” program needs to be reminded that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. To celebrate, 25 people joined Connie Senior, and staff on Friday, February 8 for a night of socializing, sexuality, and speed dating.

Cooking, planning, and meditating. These are the three pillars of YAI’s Transition to Independence (TTI) program, a free group for young adults, ages 17-21, who are diagnosed with autism.

Many good things came to the world in 1994: Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa, The Beastie Boys were on fire with the release of “Sabotage,” The Lion King and Forest Gump were giants in the box office, the Sony PlayStation was born, and a wonderful woman named Janet Channer left her career in banking to begin working with people with disabilities at YAI’s Foothill Residence in Queens.

On June 1, this one-of-a-kind event will bring together people of all abilities to walk, run, have fun, and see beyond disabilities. Hosted at Central Park’s 72nd Street Bandshell, the event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Seven YAI employees with a combined 165 years of experience have been promoted to a newly created role of Regional Deputy Director (RDD). This new role will support our current Regional Directors in managing, enhancing, and developing their respective regions. The seven new RDDs are as follows: Melanie Alexopoulos from our Queens region Liz Annarella from our Long Island region Dawn Bacigalupo-Albit from our Bronx region Cameo Beramsingh from our Brooklyn region Lisa Cornall from our Hudson...

Going to Disney has been one dream that has consistently been brought up over the years by residents at YAI’s Glen Cove residence. As a team that is constantly looking for ways to spread the person-centered mindset within the program, it seemed obvious that when one of the Glen Cove family members generously made a donation to fund a vacation, Disney was the obvious choice. There were significant hesitations given the lack of experience with airplanes among the people we support. When the idea...

This is what I know. On Saturday, October 27, people attended services at Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill suburb of Pittsburgh. Of the nearly 100 attendees, 11 people would not witness that night’s sunset, the symbol of the end of the Jewish Sabbath. In the ensuing days, I turned on the news and stared at pictures of the people who lost their lives. When David and Cecil Rosenthal, two brothers who attended Shabbat services weekly, appeared on the screen, I paused. Cecil, 59, and...

We are excited to have Author, Nutritionist, and Health Educator, Kelly Dorfman, MS. LDN, join us as a guest speaker at this year’s Westchester Autism Conference in Tarrytown. Kelly is one of the world’s foremost experts on nutrition and the author of the award-winning book, Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments, which has been translated in 7 different languages. Kelly has also been featured and quoted in such publications like The Wall...

We are happy to announce that Award-Winning and Internationally Recognized Motivational Speaker, Poet and Author, Russell Lehmann will be a Guest Speaker at this year’s Westchester Autism Conference. Lehmann is an advocate, who happens to have autism, and the personification of seeing beyond disability. Lehman's words have been featured in Autism Speaks, USA Today, LA Times, NPR and many other reputable outlets. When Russell is not writing or serving as a council member for the Autism Society...

In response to the lack of resources offered to male caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), YAI launched the Shoulder to Shoulder program. Shoulder to Shoulder is a behavior management course offered to male-identifying caretakers residing in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. In the evenings, men join in these workshops to build the necessary foundation to support their loved ones. Alongside a male behavior intervention specialist, participants...