All posts by elly.rufer@gmail.com

Staten Island – Elizabeth Connelly Resource Center

September 16, 2020Uncategorizedelly.rufer@gmail.com

Rally Point & Kickoff

Please arrive at the front gate at 930 Willowbrook Road no earlier than 10:45 am. This is the only entry point for car rally participants.

From there, you will be directed where to line up your car. There will be a few brief words from Laura Kennedy, parent advocate, on the significance of September 17^th, the 33^rd anniversary of the closure of Willowbrook State School by Mario Cuomo. She will address the horrendous concerns that advocates and families have about the future of services for the developmentally disabled.

You should remain inside or next to your vehicle. Please wear a mask and do not congregate in groups. At the end of the kickoff, you will be directed on how to exit and to proceed with the Mobile Rally.

Some cars may become separated from the caravan. Do Not Worry. We are there to raise awareness and to pass the front entrance of the College of Staten Island, formerly the entrance to the Willowbrook State School.

On your back car window, please write the following:

A car parked in front of a building

Description automatically generated

Tweet your advocacy and pictures of the rally @NYGovCuomo and use the hashtags

#SaveIDDServices and #WillowbrookNEVERagain

Also consider writing this on the side windows of your car

Staten Island Mobile Rally Route

Beginning at 930 Willowbrook Road, turn right onto Forest Hill Road.

Proceed on Forest Hill Road and pass the Institute for Basic Research at 1050 Forest Hill Road.

Continue on Forest Hill Road and pass OPWDD State Offices at 1150 Forest Hill Road.

Continue to the traffic light at Rockland Avenue. Make a right onto Rockland Avenue and proceed straight.

At the end of Rockland Avenue, make a right onto Richmond Avenue. Stay in your right lane.

Continue along Richmond Avenue. (There is a split in the road, you need to stay on your right.)

At the split, make a right onto Victory Blvd. Stay in your right lane along Victory Blvd. The entrance to the College of Staten Island (former front entrance to Willowbrook State School) will be on your right at 2800 Victory Blvd., SI, NY, 10314. As you drive pass, we invite you to remember the people who lived at Willowbrook and the dignity of all disabled persons for whom and with whom we advocate.

Upon passing the College of Staten Island, you may make a right onto the service road toward the Staten Island Expressway and then make a right onto Willowbrook Road. The rally ends promptly as you arrive at the front gates of 930 Willowbrook Road.

Rally Point & Kickoff

Please arrive at the front gate at 930 Willowbrook Road no earlier than 10:45 am. This is the only entry point for car rally participants.

On your back car window, please write the following:

Tweet your advocacy and pictures of the rally @NYGovCuomo and use the hashtags

#SaveIDDServices and #WillowbrookNEVERagain

Also consider writing this on the side windows of your car

Staten Island Mobile Rally Route

Beginning at 930 Willowbrook Road, turn right onto Forest Hill Road.

Proceed on Forest Hill Road and pass the Institute for Basic Research at 1050 Forest Hill Road.

Continue on Forest Hill Road and pass OPWDD State Offices at 1150 Forest Hill Road.

Continue to the traffic light at Rockland Avenue. Make a right onto Rockland Avenue and proceed straight.

At the end of Rockland Avenue, make a right onto Richmond Avenue. Stay in your right lane.

Continue along Richmond Avenue. (There is a split in the road, you need to stay on your right.)

The event is over once you complete the circle at 930 Willowbrook Road. If it is more convenient, you may continue on Victory Blvd. or onto the highway after you pass the entrance of the College of Staten Island.

REV-SI-Car-Rally-9.17.20

DIRECTIONS FOR CARAVAN: LI TO THE BRIDGE

September 16, 2020UncategorizedCAR PARADE, idd, MOBILE RALLYelly.rufer@gmail.com

Thursday, September 17, 2020

DIRECTIONS for the CARAVANS :PDF BELOW

LONG ISLAND: Join at the most convenient spot

The Caravan will begin AT EXIT 63 – Old K-Mart Lot

WE WILL DEPART AT 8AM SHARP!

Directions to Exit 63 – Eastbound:

Take LIE to exit 63, North Ocean Ave. There are 3 Left turning lanes, use the second and third ones, crossing over the LIE, heading North.

You will see Applebee’s and Mc Donald’s on the right, Starbucks and. CitiMD on the left.

At the light, make a left, you’ll see LA Fitness on the left.

Make a Right into the old K-Mart parking lot. There’s plenty of parking, as the lot is now vacant.

Directions for Exit 63 Heading Westbound:

Take LIE to Exit 63, North Ocean Ave. make a Right at the light. You’ll be heading North. Follow directions as stated above.

STOP # 1 ON LIE:

Exit 52, Commack Rd., North, Westbound Directions:

From K-Mart parking lot, make a right, onto North Ocean Ave. Head south. At the light, make a right onto the LIE service road,

Merge onto the LIE, heading west.

In order to reach Commack Rd., use EXIT 53, continue on the north service road until you reach the traffic light.

Make a right onto Commack Rd.

At the second light, make a right, where you’ll see a Chick-Fil-A, 7-11 and the sign for Lowes.

Follow the road towards the entrance of the Lowes parking lot.

The Garden Center section of the parking lot will allow for many cars to gather and prepare for the next stop, Exit 41.

THE CARAVAN WILL DEPART FROM LOWES AT 8:45 AM, SHARP!

STOP #2 ON LIE:

EXIT 41 To Old Sears Parking Lot

From the LIE Exit 41, head South on North Broadway, for .8 miles. Make a left on Nevada Street (TD BANK on corner) and after TD Bank turn right into SEARS Parking Lot. There will be attendants to guide you on where to park.

Assembly Member Missy Miller will be speaking for a few minutes in the SEARS Parking lot, and there will likely be media coverage, possibly with several media outlets.

WE WILL DEPART SEARS LOT BY 9:50 SHARP AND CARAVAN TO:

ASSEMBLY POINT FOR BRIDGE

Ardsley Rest Stop on the New York Thruway (Rte 87) on the Northbound side.

We’ll be meeting up with others from NYC & Westchester. Then at @ 11:10am we will leave Ardsley and Caravan to:

The Mario Cuomo Bridge, which we’ll cross @ 11:30am.

MOBILE RALLY/CAR PARADE

Thursday, September 17, 2020

DIRECTIONS for the CARAVANS

LONG ISLAND: Join at the most convenient spot

The Caravan will beginAT EXIT 63 – Old K-Mart Lot

WE WILL DEPART AT 8AM SHARP!

Directions to Exit 63 – Eastbound:

Take LIE to exit 63, North Ocean Ave. There are 3 Left turning lanes, use the second and third ones, crossing over the LIE, heading North.

You will see Applebee’s and Mc Donald’s on the right, Starbucks and. CitiMD on the left.

At the light, make a left, you’ll see LA Fitness on the left.

Make a Right into the old K-Mart parking lot. There’s plenty of parking, as the lot is now vacant.

Directions for Exit 63 Heading Westbound:

Take LIE to Exit 63, North Ocean Ave. make a Right at the light. You’ll be heading North. Follow directions as stated above.

STOP # 1 ON LIE:

Exit 52, Commack Rd., North, Westbound Directions:

From K-Mart parking lot, make a right, onto North Ocean Ave. Head south. At the light, make a right onto the LIE service road,

Merge onto the LIE, heading west.

In order to reach Commack Rd., use EXIT 53, continue on the north service road until you reach the traffic light.

Make a right onto Commack Rd.

At the second light, make a right, where you’ll see a Chick-Fil-A, 7-11 and the sign for Lowes.

Follow the road towards the entrance of the Lowes parking lot.

The Garden Center section of the parking lot will allow for many cars to gather and prepare for the next stop, Exit 41.

THE CARAVAN WILL DEPART FROM LOWES AT 8:45 AM, SHARP!

STOP #2 ON LIE:

EXIT 41 To Old Sears Parking Lot

Assembly Member Missy Miller will be speaking for a few minutes in the SEARS Parking lot, and there will likely be media coverage, possibly with several media outlets.

WE WILL DEPART SEARS LOT BY 9:50 SHARP AND CARAVAN TO:

ASSEMBLY POINT FOR BRIDGE

Ardsley Rest Stop on the New York Thruway (Rte 87) on the Northbound side.

We’ll be meeting up with others from NYC & Westchester. Then at @ 11:10am we will leave Ardsley and Caravan to:

The Mario Cuomo Bridge, which we’ll cross @ 11:30am.

All vehicles can turn around at the first exit, Nyack Rte 9W and cross back over bridge.

REV-LI-DIRECTIONS-for-the-CARAVANS

WILLOWBROOK FEARS

September 15, 2020Uncategorizedelly.rufer@gmail.com

By, Randy & Michael Bolton

First there have been no increases for agencies for over 10 years. In addition, now there were recently additional cuts to the IDD field with more coming as early as Oct 1. Covid-19 is still raging and agencies are being asked to be creative in their approach to programming. There is a need to improve HVAC systems, increased cleaning protocols and the need for PPE, all costing more money, not to mention the issues of retaining staff or attracting new people at low wages.

How are agencies supposed to do that? Wil they have to decrease their DH or other day program capacities? What about transporting individuals with the new guidelines for 50% capacity on buses? Again these increase costs.

Residential issues also abound. With the edict that there be no more than 4 individuals in a residence it would mean more residences with more staff which costs more money, not to mention that some individuals/families want the CHOICE to live with more than 3 other people. Staffing has the same issues as with DH except here they are responsible 24/7 not 4-8 hours. In addition, openings created due to the passing of over 400 individuals due to Covid-19 remain unfilled with the prospect of NYS NEVER allowing agencies to backfill these openings.

All of this makes me feel that our field is headed back to institutional settings. Large facilities can house large numbers of people and decrease costs which is what is clearly already happening with the financial situation which is briefly outlined. How else will agencies be able to operate with this draconian financial situation?

What happened to the promise NYS made to families that places like Willowbrook and Letchworth Village would be abolished forever and that IDD individuals would be cared for? Didn’t NYS learn from the Willowbrook Consent Decree that we can never return to those days?

I lay awake at night and remember the horrendous conditions I saw and smelled when I worked at Willowbrook in 1980-1981 after it had supposedly been “cleaned up”. The state changed the name to protect the GUILTY and now it was called SI Dev. Center. It was still a hell hole and we sure look like we are heading back that way if these cuts keep coming. Agencies have folded, or are having trouble meeting payroll, or paying rent/mortgage, paying for PPE, cleaning products, and on and on.

I continued to work in this field after my now 32 year old son was born with IDD. I continued helping hundreds of people while raising my son with an expectation that the promises of Mario Cuomo would be honored. After all, due to the then Governor, September 17, 1987 was supposed to mark the birth of a new era for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. As Governor Mario M. Cuomo declared, the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island “officially and forever closed.” Does the current Gov. Cuomo need to be reminded of his father’s legacy? Does he need to be confronted with the reality of where we are headed if these cuts continue unabated?

Is the only recourse for families the consideration of another lawsuit? My hope and prayer is that smarter minds than I can come up with a plan that does not take out the crisis of Covid-19 with it’s unfortunate and understandable financial problems out on the backs of our most vulnerable population, the IDD Community.

History will not be kind to those in power if it comes to pass, and heaven help us and our children and family members if this ever happens.

MOBILE RALLY/CAR PARADE

September 11, 2020Uncategorizedelly.rufer@gmail.com

CHECK FOR MORE DETAILS & UPDATES TUESDAY, 9/15: COMING!

JOIN US FOR OUR MOBILE RALLIES/CAR PARADE

INFO BELOW. SEND ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO MOBILERALLY917@GMAIL.COM.

NOTE 2^ND STOP ON LIE HAS MOVED FROM EXIT 39 TO EXIT 41 !!!

WHEN: Thursday September 17^th

The 33rd anniversary of the closure of Willowbrook by Mario Cuomo.

How: Write this Message w/a washable “Window Marker” *on your rear windshield:

“Gov. Cuomo: Don’t send us back to Willowbrook”

*(Find Washable Window Markers at Dollar Stores, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Staples)

Where: Long Island Expressway, Mario Cuomo Bridge, Willowbrook, Staten Island, Capitol Building, Albany.

Join where you can. Leave when you must.

Downstate – Starting on the Long Island Expressway

Caravan begins at Exit 63 (8am). 1st stop is Exit 52 (8:45am), then continuing to 2^nd stop Exit 41 (9:30), Missy Miller will speak possible media coverage

Caravan continues to the 3^rd Stop, Ardsley Rest Stop on Rte 87 (NY Thruway), meet up with others. Will leave Ardsley at @ 11:10am

Cross the Mario Cuomo Bridge @ 11:30am. First exit after is for Nyack Rte 9W

Suffolk Captains: