Long Island Adults with Developmental Disabilities Win Self Advocacy Group of the Year
October 1, 2009
DDI Program Promotes Self Advocacy and Citizenship
(Smithtown, N.Y.) – The Self Advocacy Group of Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI), a leading Long Island service provider for children and adults with autism, has been named Self Advocacy Group of the Year by the Self Advocacy Association of New York (SANYS). Participants in the DDI Self Advocacy Program were recognized, alongside DDI staff members, with a plaque at the Association’s annual conference on September 11, 2009.
DDI’s Self Advocacy Program was created to promote the importance of individual rights and responsibilities for adults receiving services at day and vocational programs. Each person is encouraged to look for opportunities to integrate citizenship into everyday life, and each group selects a cause to support.
As part of this civic outreach, several DDI participants presented a donation to Jigiya, a program for people in Africa with developmental or physical disabilities, at the SANYS conference. Since learning about the African program at last year’s conference, the men and women raised $320 by selling raffle tickets. Other DDI groups have taken on projects including reading books to raise money for Heifer International, establishing a “Pennies for Peace” initiative and creating appreciation baskets for community heroes.
Ian Balter, a DDI Self Advocate, spoke at the SANYS conference about his experience, saying, ”I would like to thank ‘Jigiya’ for inspiring us to fundraise and learn more about how people live in other parts of the world. Knowing that the money we raised will help to feed and clothe people less fortunate around the world is a very proud feeling.”
Elizabeth De Connick, LMSW, DDI Adult Services accompanied the Advocates to the SANYS conference. “It was exciting and fulfilling to see the men and women in our Self Advocacy Program be recognized for their commitment and compassion in this program,” she said. “The Self Advocates explore responsible citizenship on every level, from the individual to people living on the other side of the world. It’s something that we should all bring into our daily lives.”
About DDI
DDI is a not-for-profit agency headquartered in Smithtown, NY, with more than 30 locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Serving nearly 1,000 children and adults with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), DDI is the largest provider of services for individuals with autism on Long Island. It provides educational, vocational, and residential programs, as well as medical and dental services for over 1,500 children and adults with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI also operates family-centered preschool programs for both children with disabilities as well as typically developing students. DDI was founded in 1961 by a group of parents to address the special educational and therapeutic needs of their children with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI is a member agency of the United Way.
For more information about DDI, visit www.ddiny.org.
Photo: Ian Balter (quoted above) and Laura Forbach on their way to the Open Forum Workshop at Statewide Self Advocacy Conference, to meet with Commissioner of OMRDD, Diana Jones Ritter.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Society
Have a press release or local story you would like us to review? Let us know about it!
| You can Bookmark & Share this page by clicking here: |
|
More Long Island News
-
Long Island Exchange is the leading resource on Long Island New York for news and business. Find Long Island news, check local weather, real estate, classifieds, and auto dealer listings for Long Island.
News Comments for this Article
Got something to say? Be sure you've read and understand our (Terms of Service)
You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. More...
