Goodwill NYNJ and The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) Salute National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Disability Mentoring Day

Searching for a career, your first job, internship or DMD mentor and the proper fashions that reflect who you are? For over 90 years Goodwill has been helping people find "The Right Fit."

You are cordially invited to attend
Goodwill Suits You 
A Fashion Show Celebrating the Power of Work

Tuesday, October 11th
5:30-7:00 PM
Goodwill 3rd Avenue Store
2231 3rd Avenue and E 121 Street
New York, NY 10035

To RSVP, call (646)-576-3485 or e-mail JPOYERD@cityhall.nyc.gov.  Seating is limited. You must have a reservation to attend.

To learn more about DMD, visit www.nyc.gov/mopd.

The Rubin Museum of Art, a cultural and educational institution dedicated to the art of the Himalayas, is now offering Verbal Description and Touch Tours for audiences who are partially sighted and blind. Free with museum admission, tours are one-hour in length and take visitors on a journey that interweaves the arts, history, religion, and culture of the Himalayas. Guides provide participants with close, careful descriptions of images and sculpture, helping them to form visualizations of the pieces.  Participants are then invited to touch objects, including sculpture, art materials, wood blocks, and ritual implements. Visitors also experience some of the sacred sounds and smells of the Himalayas through incense and traditional music.

Upcoming Public Tours:
Thursday October 20, 2011, 2pm
Thursday December 8, 2011, 2pm
Thursday January 12, 2012, 2pm
Thursday February 9, 2012, 2pm

Athletes with physical disabilities, ages 5 and up, have the opportunity to participate in a Paralympic Sport Day. Come learn how you can participate in track, field, archery, and weight lifting. Parents will learn what sports participation can do for their children. Individual sessions will be run by experienced coaches for the disabled. Come meet 3-time Paralympian, Jessica Galli, winner of six Paralympic medals, current national and world record holder in the 400 and 800 meter track events and other Paralympians. For more information contact one of the clubs below.

Date: Saturday, October 1, 2011
Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Location: Astoria Track & Field, Queens, NY
(On–site parking available)

PARALYMPIC SPORT EXPERIENCE
City of New York Parks & Recreation
1234 5th Ave, NY, NY
212-360-3310
accessibility@parks.nyc.gov

Children’s Lightning Wheels
150 New Providence Rd,  Mountainside, NJ
908-301-5424
tyurochko@childrens-specialized.org

North Jersey Navigators
PO Box 1517, Bayonne, NJ 07002
201-435-1688
jcuevas1969@comcast.net

Witness athletes with vision disabilities conquering their challenges and relying on the abilities that lie within at New York City Hear the Ball.  The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Long Island Bombers and WFAN, presents New York City Hear the Ball on September 24, 2011 at Central Park North Meadow.  This event will begin at 1pm and will provide components of education, social networking and an introduction to a sport that benefits those with vision disabilities. 

At New York City Hear the Ball there will be educational vendors showcasing services available for those with vision disabilities, followed by an exhibition game of beep baseball to begin at 3:30pm between the Long Island Bombers and WFAN 660.  Please join us for this memorable event. 

HURRICANE IRENE ALERT FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

People with a disability should begin preparation for Hurricane Irene now and not wait to the last minute. Go directly to the OEM website www.nyc.gov/oem  or call 311 (TTY: 212-504-4115) or go to www.nyc.gov for additional information. The following list should help address the most important questions and provide links for additional information:

• Begin preparation by reading the OEM brochure, Hurricanes and New York City. This will provide: resources,  prepare a disaster plan, know where to go, keep a  Go Bag Ready (for evacuation), assemble an Emergency Supply Kit (if sheltering in-place/staying home), pets, and other important information.
  
  
• Go to the OEM Hurricane Evacuation Zone finder or call 311 to determine if you are in an evacuation zone and to locate your evacuation center: http://gis.nyc.gov/oem/he/index.htm This will require you to provide your address.
  
  
• If evacuation is necessary, there will be public announcements on TV, internet and radio. The Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder will tell you if there is an evacuation order in effect as well.
  
  
• Access-a-Ride accommodation updates will be available on the MTA website http://www.mta.info/ . For all MTA transportation information and updates regarding the hurricane go to their homepage above. Others should make private arrangements now before weather conditions are too severe with the help of friends, family or neighbors.
  
  
• If an evacuation order is in effect, people will be directed to the evacuation centers and if necessary to assigned shelters that will be identified at that time. You are encouraged to stay with family or friends because shelters are a last resort. The Go Bag is important because it should contain minimum necessary personal items for your stay in the shelter  (see the OEM link above for contents).  Most shelters do not have special equipment (e.g., oxygen, mobility aids), but a percentage of them will address special needs. Shelters will take pets and service animals, but you need to bring supplies and food for them. Carriers are strongly recommended to contain pets in a crowded environment.
  
  
• If you do not live in an evacuation zone you may be instructed through public announcements to shelter in place (stay at home) and should have a 3-day emergency supply kit ready (see the OEM link above for contents), especially in case of power outage.
  
  
• We encourage you to make plans to stay with family and friends outside of the flood zones now.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS

It is strongly recommended that a person with a known medical condition make alternate preparations prior to an actual emergency, especially if the person currently requires ongoing treatment, such as, dialysis or has a heart-related illness.

• Notify friends, relatives and neighbors or anyone in your support network that you may need their help during the hurricane.
  
  
• Identify alternate treatment location(s) outside of a flood zone and closest to you.
  
  
• Contact your physician to help arrange accommodations at an alternate facility.
  
  
• Have extra medication in case of emergency.
  
  
• Consider additional supplies and equipment that you may need, such as medical devices and backup equipment.
  
  
• Create a brief one-page document of all your medical conditions and medications with physicians names and emergency phone numbers.
  
  
• As a last resort feasible option, carry with you emergency instructions related to your care, preferably with the help of your physician, that someone can understand, follow and administer.
  
  
• For more information, check out the Ready New York Guide of Emergency Preparedness for Seniors and People with Disabilities, located at www.nyc.gov/mopd