Friday, April 20, 2012

Lives Worth Living documentary

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As we wrap up week one of The Arts Experience, I wanted to give you a heads up about week two.  The next event revolves around a viewing of Lives Worth Living  -- a documentary focusing on the Disability Rights Movement from the early 1970s into the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990. 
People with disabilities are one of the largest minorities in the United States. But for most of American history, they occupied a sub-class of millions without access to everyday things most citizens take for granted: schools, apartment buildings, public transportation, and more. Some were forcibly sterilized under state laws. Others were committed to horrifying institutions where they were left and forgotten.
After World War II, however, things began to change, thanks to a small group of determined people with an unwavering determination to live their lives like anyone else, and to liberate all disabled Americans of the limitations their government refused to accommodate.

Lives Worth Living traces the development of consciousness of these pioneers who realized that in order to change the world they needed to work together. Through demonstrations and inside legislative battles, the disability rights community secured equal civil rights for all people with disabilities. Thanks to their efforts, tens of millions of people's lives have been changed.
This film is an oral history, told by the movement's mythical heroes themselves, and illustrated through the use of rare archival footage. The story features Fred Fay, who suffered a spinal cord injury at age 17 in 1961, and simply refused to be relegated to life’s sidelines just because he couldn’t walk. He fought tirelessly for decades for equal rights, access, and opportunity for the disabled, including advocating for programs allowing the disabled to live independently. (Fred died August 20, 2011; the film is dedicated to him.) Also featured is Ed Roberts, who founded the independent living movement in Berkeley and is also considered a father of the disability rights movement.
Echoing footage of Martin Luther King marching in Selma, we see protestors climb from wheelchairs and drag themselves courageously up courthouse steps; we watch as quadriplegic activists maneuver their chairs in front of public buses that are not equipped to accommodate them.

The film ends with the dramatic battle for the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in America's history. The thousands of individuals who came together to change attitudes and laws demonstrated the power of humanity, cooperation, and self-determination, and what can be accomplished against seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

We just posted a clip of the documentary to our Facebook page (like us today!) and will continue to post about until Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. when the viewing started in the Sanford Room.  Join us and learn about disability rights.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Rescue Healing Dogs

As I've said before, Ontario ARC has always been extremely fortunate in the sense that we have a community that is strong in its support and encouragement.  And as we launch our newest program, Pet Connections, we find that it still remains true.  Kathy Porter from the blog Rescue Healing Dogs has written a lovely post about our newest canine friend Brutus.  I hope you'll read it -- Pet Connections Introduces Brutus, Through Gail's Eyes.  Anyone who is met this friendly dog knows how awesome he is and the strong impact he is making on the people we serve at Ontario ARC.  Check it out and stay tuned for the latest on Pet Connections!

Friday, April 13, 2012

"Wretchers & Jabberers" documentary viewing during arts festival

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As some of you may know, The Arts Experience festival returns to Hobart & William Smith's campus this coming Monday, April 16.  This event gives attendees -- ranging from the college community, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the general public -- the opportunity to explore various means of expression through the arts.  It is a wonderful partnership between the HWS and the Collaborative of the Finger Lakes -- a regional association of 11 chapters of NYSARC, Inc. located in the Finger Lakes (including Ontario ARC).  Obviously, we are very excited for Monday and the festival's kick off! 

We are also excited to announce that on Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m.,  the festival will have a viewing of "Wretchers & Jabberers" -- an awesome documentary featuring two men with autism who embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability.  The film's stars -- Tracey Thresher and Larry Bissonette -- will be on hand afterwards to answer questions and discuss their work.  The discussion will be facilitated by our very own Senior Associate Executive Director Noreen Quinn and The Colleges' associate professor of education Helen McCabe.  We hope you'll join us in the Vandervort Room!!


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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Welcome Happy Tails!


Welcome Happy Tails! Ontario ARC is excited to announce a new partnership between
Pet Connections and our friends at Happy Tails. Starting Tuesday, April 17, dogs from the shelter will begin visiting our Main Facility on Tuesdays and Fridays for socialization and obedience training. These dogs are carefully screened and undergo a test for temperament to ensure everyone’s safety.

This new partnership has many wonderful benefits for both Ontario ARC and Happy Tails:

  • Individuals who are interested in finding employment as a dog walker, pet sitter or kennel assistant can boost their resumes
  • Potential adopters will know that the dog has been around people and receive training as a result of Pet Connections
  • The people in our programs will continue to feel the powerful impact pets can have on their physical and social skills 
  • Kennels at the shelter will have a picture of the participants who worked with that dog, fostering a sense of pride and accomplishment

We are very excitied about this new opportunity and the potential it offers to the people we support at Ontario ARC. If you have any question about this partnership or Pet Connections, please contact Gail Furst at gfurst@ontarioarc.org or (585) 919-2146.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Ontario ARC's county-wide food drive nets 500 lbs. of groceries for Foodlink

The Community Experience stands proudly around their donation
to the Foodlink food drive.  The group pooled their resources to
collect $30of soda cans and used the proceeds to purchase groceries
and delivered them to the agency.
More than 500 lbs. of non-perishable food items were donated to Foodlink, a regional food bank that distributes to local organizations that assist people in need with groceries. The food was collected during a month-long food drive hosted by Ontario ARC’s programs located throughout Ontario County.

“Thank you to our staff and everyone in the community who stopped by and made this possible,” said Donna Auria, director of community relations for Ontario ARC. “We are excited to make this contribution to a great organization like Foodlink that supports food cupboards in our area.”

Community members weren’t the only ones who stepped up to the plate. Ontario ARC’s Community Experience program collected and redeemed soda cans and used the proceeds to purchase approximately $30 of food to donate.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Open Our Bottle Night raises $20,000 for Pet Connections!

Doug Emblidge with honorary co-chairs Ginny Clark and Lauren Dixon.
Ontario ARC’s inaugural fundraiser – Open Our Bottle Night – raised $20,000 for the agency’s newest offering, Pet Connections – an innovative program connecting pets and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“This was a great event for us that raised funds for Pet Connections, as well as introduced new people to our agency,” says Bill Castiglione, executive director at Ontario ARC. “Everyone seemed to have a good time and we are already looking forward to next year.”

More than 200 attendees participated in Open Our Bottle Night, which included a live auction emceed by Channel 13’s Ginny Ryan, entertainment by the U of R YellowJackets and tastings of rare and fine wines. The event was led by honorary chairs Ginny Clark, Lauren Dixon, Linda Farchione, Mayor Ellen Polimeni and Dr. Barbara Risser.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Autism Center celebrates its one year anniversary!

Last year to commemorate Autism Awareness Month, Ontario ARC held a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Autism Center right here in Canandaigua.  Housed within the Main Facility, The Autism Center is now celebrating its one year anniversary and its many accomplishments.  This includes...

  • Providing14 community training opportunities to law enforcement personnel, college faculty, families, education professionals and people with autism spectrum disorders using our own clinical services staff and presenters that are nationally and regionally renowned for their expertise
  • Giving 24 children with autism and other developmental disabilities the opportunity to attend 4-H Camp Bristol Hills
  • Partnering with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb for a sensory friendly movie viewing of How To Train Your Dragon at Smith Opera House 
  • Starting an Autism Advisory Board consisting of parents, relatives, and other professionals to help shape and guide The Autism Center as it progresses
  • Supporting an Autism Awareness Fair at Walmart of Geneva 
  • Hosting 64 sessions of NextStep Prep -- an innovative social skills group for young adults with autism spectrum disorders
  • Holding 16 SibShops -- a support group for children who have a sibling with autism or other developmental disabilities
  • Loaning out countless books, DVDs and magazines through our Resource Library, which currently houses about 246 items focusing on autism.
  • Offering 16 session of group play therapy sessions and hundreds of one-on-one play therapy sessions
 It is amazing to see how much has been done in just 365 days.  A big thank you goes out to our wonderful and highly trained professional staff who make this possible -- Noreen Quinn, Maggi Sullivan, Judy DeMyda, Dan DeClerck, Tonya Finn, Cheryl Cramer, Mike Kephart, Trudy Wyman, and Cyndee Jepsen.  Their hard work and effort have made The Autism Center a place where families can get the support they need.