NY State Senators Brian Foley and Craig Johnson Team Up with Developmental Disabilities Institute to Benefit Autism
October 15, 2009
Senators Visit DDI School to See First Hand How Recent Grants Benefit Long Island Children with Developmental Disabilities.
(Smithtown, N.Y.)– The Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI), a leading Long Island service provider for children and adults with autism, welcomed New York State Senators Brian X. Foley (3rd district Suffolk) and Craig Johnson (7th district Nassau) to the Air Park School in Ronkonkoma on September 29, 2009. Both legislators have recently secured grants for DDI programs, and this tour provided an opportunity to formally recognize their efforts and demonstrate how the funds benefit Long Island families.
Senator Foley, who serves on the Senate Education Committee, awarded DDI’s Young Autism Program (YAP) a $40,000 legislative member grant for a culturally diverse community outreach program entitled “Project IDEAS.” YAP is a comprehensive educational programming model with the goal of graduating students with a primary diagnosis of autism to their community school district kindergartens by age six. The Institute for Diversity Education in Autism Services (IDEAS) targets Long Island’s Hispanic and other non-English speaking communities and provides free information regarding access to diagnosis, training and services in a parent friendly, person-to-person manner. During the trip to the Air Park School, Senator Foley was able to observe the YAP one-on-one classrooms and meet some of the dedicated instructors who have made this program such a success.
Senator Johnson secured $10,000 in funding for DDI community outreach. This support helps DDI to continue the daily operations needed to serve nearly 1,000 Long Island children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Senator Johnson’s tour of the school included the opportunity to meet a child who travels from his district in Nassau County to Ronkonkoma every day. Each year, preschool students commute to Air Park from school districts throughout Long Island and beyond in order to benefit from one of the most intensive young autism programs in the United States.
“It is obvious that the preschoolers we met today at DDI’s Air Park school are not only accomplishing the hard work of building the skills necessary to enter into mainstream kindergarten, they were also enjoying their classrooms and loved their teachers,” said Senator Johnson. “I am touched by the dedication and professionalism I saw in every classroom, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for families across Long Island and beyond to give their children the very best launch pad for success in school.”
“The children and instructors we met today are an inspiration, and I am proud that the legislative member grant will help reach families who otherwise may have been unaware of the YAP program and other services offered by DDI,” said Senator Foley. “DDI now has bilingual experts in the field of autism speaking to families, schools, civic and religious organizations to ensure that every child has the opportunity to benefit from this program.”
The tour was organized by Robert Flanagan, President of the DDI Foundation. He stated, “It’s wonderful to see that legislators from both Long Island counties are deeply committed to improving the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities. Senator Foley and Senator Johnson both recognize the critical need that DDI serves and have delivered the resources to ensure that our program participants benefit in ways that will positively affect their lives for years to come.”
- Photo #1 Senator Johnson presents check to DDI for $10,000 in funding for community outreach.
- Photo #2 Senator Foley presents DDI’s Young Autism Program (YAP) with a $40,000 legislative member grant for a culturally diverse community outreach program.
- Photo #3 Senator Johnson spends some time with Kelly, a DDI student.
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.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Politics
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