The Autism Insurance Law Signed!

Partners Grad Michael Smith and his son Alexander witness Gov. Andrew Cuomo signing the Autism Insurance Bill into law. For more information (and more pictures!) see this article.

Jan Fitzgerald, Director of Parent to Parent of NY, Class of '94

Another Partner in the news! Click here to read the article.

Partners in Action in Syracuse

You've seen the pictures, now click here to read the article!

Julie Marks '08 and Deanna McManus '06 Networking

The premier meeting of networking group for young professionals with disabilities was held this week in Rochester. And among this group of up-and-comers? Two Partners Grads (of course!) Click here to see the article from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle!

Mike Smith Class of '08: Not Just One...But 2 Interviews!

YouTube - Sabrina Dhammi interviews Mike Smith of FAIR for Channel 13 in Albany. Mike wrote the bill that has recently passed in NY with John Gilmore of the Autism Action Network and Austism Speaks.

And another interview with Phil Bayly also of Channel 13. (Mike is actually the chairman of the Foundation for Autism Information and Research, Inc.)

Partners in the Media: Jim Swart '04

The advocacy and support Jim Swart '04 provides for fathers of kids with disabilities through his job at NY Parent to Parent is featured in an article in The Leader Herald! Click here to view the article!

And Happy Fathers' Day!

Partners in the Media: Julie Buick '06

Partners grad, Julie Buick '06, is interviewed by YNN in Rochester about the Autism Insurance Bill. Click here to view the story!

Tina Fitzgerald Class of '05

Tina Fitzgerald and her husband Rick

Tina Fitzgerald from the Class of 2005 puts her Partners training and her social work background to work for people with disabilities.

Since graduating from Partners Tina has worked as a Medicaid Service Coordinator and later for Americorps until health needs forced her from the workforce.

But her health has not kept Tina from disability advocacy.

Last year Tina and her husband Rick trained to be Election Inspectors and Tina completed further training to become an Election Machine Technician. They worked both the primary and general elections in 2010 in their town of Mattydale.

Tina is Vice President of Disabled in Action, an advocacy group made up of people with a variety of disabilities and people without disabilities. With this organization Tina has organized and participated in many initiatives:

• Advocacy with participants in the Consumer Directed Program with participation from the ACLU to develop oversight for caregivers that is respectful of individuals' civil rights.
• Advocacy with the local paratransit program through recent budget cuts and fare raises to maintain (not lose) current routes and to streamline the application and assessment processes.
• Hosting forums to allow politicians and people with disabilities to dialog about their positions and their needs.
• Recruiting advocates.

Tina is involved in the CNY Community of Practice and is working on compiling a Survival Guide for people with disabilities who are being forced to live with fewer service coordination supports in the current budget crunch. She hopes to make accessing community supports in her region easier for people.

In February Tina was interviewed for The Post-Standard by reporter Sean Kirsh for the article, Unshoveled Sidewalks: Syracuse flunks the 'walkability' test.

While working for Americorp this past March Tina organized a coat drive through One Warm Coat. Over 100 coats were collected for the Salvation Army.

This week Tina and DIA, along with other disability groups and local unions will hold an "Informational Picket Line" at the Federal Building in Syracuse. They will be protesting local lawmakers' efforts to replace Medicare and Medicaid with voucher programs. These program changes will cause hardship for people with disabilities.

"I pull out my Partners training A LOT!! Partners is very empowering.

Partners taught me how to wield my strength as a self-advocate beyond my friends and acquaintances. Partners gave me a lot of confidence!"

Helene Fallon, Class of '06

Helene Fallon and Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education

Helene is a another very active Partners Grad!

In her "day job" Helene is the Training Coordinator for the Long Island Parent Center and also the Training Coordinator for the Long Island Advocacy Center.

And in her "spare" time??

Helene co-facilitates NYS Communities of Practice for Family, School and Community Collaboration. This COP includes many stakeholders including the NYS Education Department and works to support outcomes for children.

She is very involved in Communites of Practice and one of 14 Activity Leaders from around the country for the IDEA Partnership where she represents families. In this role she participated in the Office of Special Education Programs' Thought Leader Forum on Education from Cradle to College and Career in Washington DC last week. This workgroup included stakeholders from around the country and the results of this forum will be reported to the US Department of Education.

Since graduating from Partners in 2006, Helene started the Long Island chapter of the Learning Disabilities Association and she is their Executive Director and on LDA's statewide board.

She was also instrumental in starting the Long Island Community of Practice 3 years ago. The organization was started to bring the not-for-profit organizations of the region together to share resources and disseminate information about each others' events (they have a list-serv that goes to >15,000 people!) The organization also hosts Long Island Regional TRAID (for assistive technology) and hosts free, inclusive recreation events for children with disabilities and their families on the East End of Long Island.

Helene is also on the NYS Task Force for Higher Education and Systems Change working on teacher preparation especially in the area of including families in educational planning and implementation.

Helene teaches a class for graduate students at Long Island University called Schools, Collaboration and Consultation.

"I had had a number of trainings and experiences before I went to Partners,

but it is Partners that made me able to do the work that I do!"

Michelle Appleby, Class of 2006

Ginny Ellis, Kathy Connor ('02), Michelle Appleby ('06),
James Huben, Aldea LaParr

When I was participating in Partners in 2006 as a self advocate, I was serving on the Board of Directors for the Northern Regional Center for Independent Living and I was a stay at home mom to my two daughters. When both my children reached preschool/school age I decided it was time to go back to work.

In December 2007 I stepped down off the Board of Directors at Northern Regional Center for Independent Living and took a position as a Systems Advocate.

My role as a Systems Advocate was to work with a grassroots network of 19 other Systems Advocates in New York State to make changes on the local,State and Federal levels of government.

These changes were to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

As a result of this position, and  in order to make connections and build relationships with policymakers, politicians and various agencies in the community, I was appointed to the Jefferson County Community Services Board and PWDD Subcommittee by the Jefferson County Legislature in April 2008.

I served as PWDD subcommittee Chair in 2010 and I was re-elected as chair for 2011.

In June 2008, I received the Excelsior Award For Excellence from the New York State Assembly for outstanding dedication and committment to my community!

In February 2009, I was appointed by Governor Paterson to the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and to the Systems Change and Community Eduction Subcommittees.

In January 2011, I was appointed by the Watertown City Council to the Watertown, NY Transportion Commission to fill a vacated seat. I was re-appointed in April 2011 to serve in my first 3 year term on theCommission.

Although my position as a Systems Advocate was eliminated due to budget cuts in January 2011, I still remain active in all positions on the city,county and state level.

In February 2011, I accepted a full time position at Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson and Lewis County. In this positon I work as an Intake worker and serve as the contact person for Fair Housing
Discrimination Claims.

As an intake worker I work one on one with low income families to assess what needs they may have in achieving self reliance and refer them to programs and services that might help them achieve that goal.

If it werent for being accepted into Partners in 2006, I don't know how much I would have improved "quality of life" for my children and I.

With the knowledge I obtained thru partners I feel I am able to contribute not only my own personal knowlege and experience of programs and services to the various clients and positions I serve in but also provide a better understanding of how programs and services work to people with disabilities and their families who need this information.

I think Partners definitely empowers people to make a difference whether its personal or professional.

The sky doesn't have to be the limit. There are endless possibilities :)

NYS Partners in Policymaking Class of 2011--It's a Whole New World!



Ann Kurz, Joyce Steel, Nancy Hinkley

 The 2011 NYS Partners in Policymaking class is underway. While many things are familiar to Partners Grads, this year's class gets to do lots of things that are new to Partners in NY: web content, discussion groups and webinars.

Technology has arrived!

The new class has around 70 members. Half of them work on line and meet, and half work entirely on line.


Jim Huben from the DDPC and Partners Working on Vision Boards



The meeting group met last week in Ithaca. Kathy McCarthy-Proulx and Ann Kurz presented on "Vision". The Partners created vision boards for themselves and for their children. Partners presented their vision boards to the group. They shared their stories. They heard "the microphone is your friend!" Al Condeluci presented...

Just like the 'old days.'



Partner Jay Bea In Person!


But it is NOT the old days!!!

The entire program was presented in real time as a webinar to the at-home learners--and when it came time to present, the on-line Partners were able to post a photo of their vision board and speak right in to the room about their own visions.



Sharing Vision On-Line!


Partners on and off line commented about what they had learned--and about how connected they were beginning to feel!

(I have to say, it gave me chills!)