la esquinita (li'l corner)

Dear Friends, As you know, we are all facing a difficult public health situation, the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and we know that updates about COVID-19 continue to cause concern and raise questions about how all of us can keep our communities safe and healthy. In support of our city efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, The Autism Initiative Project will postpone the After-School Art Program “We Are Friends!” and the Integrated Transition Program for the following dates: 03/14, 03/21 and 03/28. We will reassess the situation at the end of the month and we will contact you. This temporarily suspension will affect those two programs as well as any other workshop schedule by the Metropolitan Parent Center. Our agency will continue to monitor the situation and update our website calendar and social media regarding our plans to re-schedule the missing sessions. 

Our Integrated Transition Program had a guest speaker today, Ms. Jacqueline Handy from Lincoln Center Education. She presented an opportunity for one of our participants to apply for a 150 hour paid internship opportunity. Next month, our participants will have their job interview, wish them luck!!! 

Sinergia, una organización que ofrece servicios a familias que tienen seres queridos con discapacidad de desarrolloDe acuerdo a Paola Jordán, coordinadora de programas, los beneficios pueden ser obtenidos por niños, jóvenes y adultos. La entidad fue fundada en los años 70 y un 98% de sus clientes son latinos. También ha creado una serie de programas innovadores entre los que se encuentra ayudarle a las familias a conseguir vivienda.

Francine Almash was not especially surprised when an investigator from New York City’s child welfare agency showed up at her door. A few months earlier, her then-10-year-old son, Shawn, who is autistic, had been pinned to a wall by a crisis counselor in his special education classroom and come home with a broken thumb. Almash refused to send him back, and so the school called the State’s child abuse hotline to report her for neglecting Shawn’s education. What shocked Almash was not the phone call—which she saw as retribution for criticizing the school—or even the ensuing investigation, which she was able to counter with proof that Shawn was being homeschooled. The stunning part was what came next: Shortly after her case was closed, Almash received a letter informing her that her name had been added to a registry of people investigated for child abuse or neglect. Though she’d never been proved guilty—or even had her case heard by a judge—the record would last until her youngest child turned 28 years old, and it would show up on background checks for any number of jobs where she might come into contact with children or other vulnerable people.

As we continue to flourish as an organization, we need your support to provide the best service possible to all individuals and their families. Community Habilitation and In-Home Respite is ongoing, we are looking for individuals that are compassionate, top performers that will deliver outstanding service to our clients.                          Job Fair in East HarlemOn-Going Open House at   Urban Upbound Harlem          Every Thursday from 12 noon to 3p.m.        Location:     335 E 111th St, New York, NY 10029 (parking lot entrance)Positions Available in all five boroughsPer Diem (on-call)/Part-Time*Community Habilitation (CH)*In-Home Respite (IHR)Bring updated résumé, valid photo ID, and pen. Business casual dress code. 

May you treasure the good times this holiday season and enjoy the season with family and friends. Happy Holidays from all us here at Sinergia!  

Kaya JacksonKaya Jackson never abused or neglected her children. It all boils down to the fact that the government agency known as Child Protective Services has decided that she doesn't have enough intelligence to care for one of her children. Though a judge ruled months ago that Kaya didn't need to have a neuropsychological evaluation, another judge since then approved the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) request for the test.Now a doctor says that her IQ is too low to care for a special needs child, even though she has taken many classes and learned what she needs to know to care for her daughter.Unsupervised visits had begun in October, and Egypt was supposed to be returned home by February at the latest.This new development unravels the progress that has happened over the last 4 years as Kaya has fought to bring her family back together again. She has jumped through every hoop that DSS has placed before her. Every time that she meets another demand, social workers have managed to get a judge to approve yet another demand. 

#Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving.  We hope you’ll take a moment to support our work. Singergia is a 501-3© non-profit supportive program for adults who are developmentally disabled.  At Sinergia we have been supporting families for forty years.  We have supported and assisted many of our participants from young adulthood through to their golden years.  Providing them with consistent day services, close friendships, residential services, family care, respite, community engagement, housing, and advocacy. This #GivingTuesday we HOPE to raise enough money to purchase and maintain a company transportation van to ensure our now seniors can continue to attend programming at Sinergia and maintain friendships built over decades of being supported at Sinergia.  Thank you for supporting Sinergia in reaching this goal.

Happy ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving to all from Sinergia Inc. Wishing everyone a happy and festive Thanksgiving with all your family and friends! 

  Greetings:Sinergia is a non-profit agency which provides services, housing and advocacy for people with disabilities from the diverse communities of the Bronx, Northern Manhattan. For 40 years, Sinergia has been providing multicultural services to individuals and families whose complex needs go beyond disability-related services. Services provided include: homelessness prevention, immigration services, unemployment services, poverty management and prevention, and support with discrimination based on disability, race, and language status or sexual orientation/gender identity. We operate a range of programs designed to meet the needs of individuals of all ages – and their families.