Blog Stories

Kathy T., who resides at Glenwood, has always expressed her desire to travel and one day be able to go on a cruise with her family. Using person center thinking tools, staff members met with Kathy to walk through the process of obtaining a passport. Staff reviewed all the steps with Kathy, which included the passport application, getting a money order for payment, documentation to establish identity, and getting passport photos. Once Kathy understood everything, she and her support staff...

The students at Manhattan Star Academy wanted to give back to the community, and New York Therapy Animals has been volunteering at MSA for the past two years. It seemed like a natural next step that the proceeds from MSA's Valentine's Day dance-a-thon would go to support New York Therapy Animals. The dance-a-thon raised over $700! The students recently gathered to present the check to Nancy George-Michalson, Executive Director of New York Therapy Animals. The students were also excited to see...

Sexuality refers to the total expression of who you are as a human being. Our sexuality begins in the womb and ends at death. (Freud, 1986) Everyone is a sexual being, babies, children, teens, adults and the elderly. Sexuality is therefore experienced throughout the developmental lifespan. So why is social-sexual education for people on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities (DD), still taboo? The American Academy of Pediatrics states, “Sexual development is a...

A wise man once said, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” For Erika Heyliger, this quote embodies her experience working at YAI. While being a DSP is challenging, she also thinks it's one of the most rewarding fields she's ever been in. She loves knowing she's having a positive impact on the lives of other people. In fact, the people she supports motivated Erika to go back to school and pursue an M.S.W. at Adelphi University's School of Social...

Back in 2015, Wendy L. began her journey toward employment. DSP Lorraine Myers and Supervisor Petal Morris worked with Wendy to procure an internship at CVS. After successfully completing the interview and hiring process, Wendy's internship lasted from January 2016 through June 2016. At the end of her internship, she was interviewed again and was hired as a stock clerk! After this accomplishment, Wendy set her sights on her next goal. She asked staffers Siddiqua Alleyne and Licha Leonce to be...

Did you know that falls are a leading cause of injury for seniors and people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD)? Falls cause more than 90% of all hip fractures, and 80% of those who survive a hip fracture lose their ability to perform many of the functions of everyday living.

Last Tuesday, 33 people from across YAI went to Albany to join the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation in their lobbying efforts. With such wide representation from the agency, we were able to meet with 40 different elected officials or their chiefs of staff! The group was able to thank their elected officials for supporting a living wage for Direct Support Professionals. YAI's representatives advocated for our elected officials continue to support the #bFair2DirectCare Campaign and...

Julie M. first moved into a YAI residence in 1978. In 1982, she began fundraising for YAI. Ever since, she’s been one of the biggest individual fundraisers each year for Central Park Challenge , raising an astonishing total of $29,051! In 2017 alone, she raised $4,164.

There are significant upcoming changes to New York State’s Medicaid Service Coordination (MSC) service commencing July 1, 2018, and introduce you to Care Design New York, LLC (CDNY), one of six entities within New York State designated as a Care Coordination Organization / Health Home (CCO). CDNY is a partnership of several I/DD agencies that operate throughout OPWDD Regions 3/4/5. Starting this summer, the CDNY member agencies -- all of which provide quality, person-centered supports to people...

Having a child can be the most rewarding yet scary experience for anyone. Doubt and uncertainty are common feelings that emerge. The idea of being responsible for another life is overwhelming to say the least. Some ask the question, “can I do it?”