Blog Stories

A prime example of how a simple gesture can make a difference. Sometimes the greatest impact can come from the most unlikely sources. For 19-year-old Ty Coppola — who has Down syndrome — that source was Scott Reynolds, the Fairport, New York bus driver who took him and 11 other students with special needs to school each day. "My son has a sense for people he can trust, and it tends to be based on how they react to him ," Michael Coppola, Ty's father, told TODAY.com. "Are they going to look him...

Families and professionals gained access to new thinking and resources, as YAI, NYSACRA and WIHD hosted a full-day summit "Housing: A Path to Independence," in Manhattan last week. Speakers from throughout the city and state urged professionals and family members to explore local, state and federal affordable housing options and resources for the people we support. Nearly 150 people attended the summit, which was partially funded by a Balancing Incentives Program (BIP) Transformation Fund grant...

Smart partnerships with schools of technology and other colleges is one way all organizations should be expoloring in the current fiscal climate. Not only does it assist the people we support, but it creates awareness about what barriers exist to inclusion, while introducing a new generation to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Barry Culhane is counting the days until he can finally walk unassisted again. “I walked into a herniated disc surgery and woke up paralyzed...

A great article from The Journal News in Westchester, describing the work of our DSPs and why they deserve a living wage.

With an infusion of some new staff at YAI's Elmsford Day/Employment, and creativity, the recent Valentine's Ball exceeded everyone's expectations.

From the Poughkeepsie Journal, an opinion piece by officials from several service providers -- Jeffery Fox, Ph.D., Abilities First; Neil Pollack, Anderson Center for Autism; Gerard Dohrenwend, Cerebral Palsy of Ulster County; Vicki Sylvester, Ph.D., Community Based Services; Samuel Laganaro, New Horizons Resources, and Crys McCuin, The Arc of Dutchess. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plans to increase the minimum wage across New York State to $15 an hour incrementally by 2021 are well-known, and we commend...

Opinion piece by New York State Assemblymember Clifford Crouch is certainly valid. If there is going to be a $15 minimum wage in the not-for-profit sector, it needs to be funded. You could also contend that higher wages spur spending, which grows the economy. One problem with trying to have a discussion on the minimum wage is that most people never get beyond their rightful belief that people deserve to earn more than $7.25 an hour for work (the federal rate). New York ’s minimum wage is $9 an...