7th Annual People Inc. Foundation Drive Fore Disabilities Golf Tournament

The 7th Annual People Inc. Foundation Drive Fore Disabilities Golf Tournament will be Monday, August 25, 2008 at the East Aurora Country Club. Space is still available for golfers and sponsorship opportunities. There will be great prizes, a vacation raffle, and complimentary golfer gifts. In-kind donations are welcome for the silent and live auctions! For more information and to reserve your foursome, call the People Inc. Foundation at 716.817.7461. Click here for the brochure! Click here for sponsorship and registration information!

A 6,000-Mile Journey through America for the Change of a Lifetime

People Inc.’s Guys Group embarks on experiential learning trip, encouraging development of similar programs for the developmentally disabled What: On May 30, four guys will begin their journey of traveling 6,000 miles – an experience that will change them for a lifetime. It may seem like just another cross-country road trip, but it couldn’t be further from ordinary. These four guys are part of People Inc.’s Guys Group, a social group for young men with developmental disabilities (DD). Developed by People Inc.’s Life Quality Coaching Department, the Guys Group helps participants discover and nurture their passions, build lasting friendships and develop important life skills so that they have increased opportunities to live and work independently. With the assistance and support of two People Inc. life quality coaches, this trip is their chance to learn in action everything from planning and budgeting to safety and social skills – and at the same time enjoy the everyday tourist experience of visiting the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and Hollywood! Not only are these guys embarking on an incredible learning experience, but they will also stop throughout the country and visit other DD agencies, sharing the kids coaching philosophy and encouraging the organizations to create programs similar to People Inc.’s Guys Group. The agencies they plan to visit are Bethesda Lutheran Communities in Fort Collins, Colorado; Opportunity Village in Las Vegas, Nevada; TERI Inc. in Oceanside, California; and New Horizons in San Fernando Valley, California.  This trip is the first sponsored trip of its kind for People Inc., and Western New Yorkers are invited to wish the group well as they depart for their 17-day journey. While on the road, their action can be followed in real time on the Facebook page “Crossing Borders WNY.” When:                                                           Where: Well Wishers Send-Off                       People Inc. Headquarters Saturday, May 30, 2015                     1219 North Forest Road 12 Noon                                             Williamsville, NY People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human services agency providing programs and services to more than 12,000 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.

A Fight Worth Fighting For, by Rhonda Frederick

It’s no secret that state governments throughout the United States are experiencing significant budget challenges and deficits. This has been all the more complicated with the sequestration debacle in Washington.  While the budget cuts at the national level are across the board and will impact almost every federal government program, in New York the proposed cuts to balance its budget is being placed squarely on the backs of our most vulnerable population – people with developmental disabilities. In one word this is unconscionable. The proposed cuts put forth by Governor Cuomo in his 2013-2014 budget are beyond comprehension for those of us who provide desperately needed programs and services for people with developmental disabilities. We implore the New York State Senate and Assembly to restore these devastating cuts when they unveil their respective budget proposals on or around March 11th. People with developmental disabilities for far too long have borne the brunt of budget cuts at the state level. Programs and services have been cut $350 million in the just the last four years. With the Governor’s proposed cuts this figure would total $590 million. No other segment of our population has experienced anything close to these types of draconian cuts. At the same time, we have been promised relief from burdensome and expensive mandates that waste taxpayer money and that mitigate our ability to best serve the developmentally disabled. Our respective staffs spend more and more time and our agencies more and more money to meet bureaucratic rules that have very little impact on the care we provide. These false promises just make the financial cuts that we are enduring all the more painful. Perhaps it’s because many people with developmental disabilities cannot speak or have severe physical limitations and cannot write or communicate that they are repeatedly targeted in the state budget. Make no mistake though; those of us who serve people with developmental disabilities as well as their families and caregivers are providing them a voice and we have one message – enough is enough! That is why we are galvanizing our resources and putting forth a unified voice to fight these nonsensical budget cuts. From Buffalo to Long Island, human service agencies, families and yes, even the people with developmental disabilities are not going to allow these cuts to occur without a fight. The Governor is fighting to increase the minimum wage, equality for women and other causes he champions to help those who are at a disadvantage. When it comes to people with developmental disabilities though, maintaining their dignity and quality of life is apparently not something he believes worth fighting for. New York State has a moral obligation to protect and adequately provide for its most vulnerable populations. It appears with these proposed funding cuts that people with developmental disabilities for some reason are the exception.  Every member of the New York State Senate and Assembly has people with development disabilities who live in their legislative districts. These elected representatives are our last hope in this fight to preserve the programs and services we provide every day to their most vulnerable constituents.  Rhonda Frederick is chair of the Developmental Disabilities Alliance of Western New York and Chief Operating Officer of People Inc.

A Message from People Inc. President and CEO

People Inc. Celebrates 50th Anniversary  People Inc. was officially established on August 14, 1970. I’m so pleased to share that this month marks the 50th anniversary of the agency! I have been a part of People Inc. for 40 years and I’m so proud of how far we have come! It’s a time to look back on all of our accomplishments. We are also in a middle of a pandemic – a time that I certainly could not have imagined – we are getting through this together. We started with just a small group of parents and professionals who joined together to address the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and formed what would grow to become People Inc. Now, we are many – not only in numbers, but also in the programs and services we offer for people of all ages and abilities, our employees and areas served throughout Western New York and the Greater Rochester region. Our continuum of programs and services have evolved to support 10,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families and older adults. Over the years, we have expanded these services to support even more people to live, work and thrive – to be independent, to have access to supports and health services and affordable, safe housing – all while promoting independence and fulfilling experiences. As other organizations affiliated with People Inc., services were preserved in the community and expanded to even more people. To all of our loyal families, 4,000 employees, supporters and community partners, thank you for being a part of the People Inc. journey for the past five decades, through developing innovative programs and services, providing opportunities for independence and inclusion, as well as advocacy and fundraising. While we won’t be able to celebrate in-person in the short-term due to the national pandemic, we look forward to safer and better times ahead. I want to reassure you that People Inc. is focused on continuing to provide high quality services and safe environments for the people we support and for our staff. We will celebrate our 50th anniversary between August 2020 and July 2021. We will include information in this e-newsletter, our social media channels and website as the celebration continues. Here’s to many more accomplishments. Let’s continue to tell the People Inc. story! Gratefully, Rhonda Frederick President and CEO, People Inc.

A Message of Support Video Released

People Inc. President and CEO Anne McCaffrey and Associate Vice President for Community Relations and DEI Bradford Watts acknowledge the tragedy that happened on May 14, 2022, as well as resources available to the People Inc. family in a video released on May 3.

A New Opportunity to Serve the Community Through AmeriCorps

The People Inc. E.T.H.O.S. AmeriCorps program has an opening for those interested in serving as an AmeriCorps member at The Care Management Coalition of Western New York to help streamline the partner agencies’ services at a single location.

A Statement from People Inc.

People Inc. sends its condolences and sympathies to the families and victims of this horrific and racist incident. On Saturday morning, just hours before, in collaboration with civic groups in the community, we did a friendly neighborhood cleanup. It was a wonderful celebration of diversity where a group of our staff partnered to beautify the streets surrounding our apartment complex at Jefferson and Dodge.  Hate and racism have no place in our community. For more than 50 years, the People Inc. mission has been to build a more accepting society. We will continue to strive for that goal in memory of the victims of this tragedy.

Academy Place Senior Apartments in Gowanda Accepting Applications

Apartment tours provided throughout October on Thursdays September 18, 2018: Academy Place Senior Apartments in Gowanda, NY, managed by People Inc., is now accepting apartment applications. Located at 1 School Street in Gowanda, NY, the complex provides HUD Section 202 Affordable Housing and New York State Tax Credit apartments. The apartments provide affordable and safe housing for independent older adults age 62 and up who meet the federally mandated household income guidelines. Apartment tours will be provided throughout October on Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The HUD Section 202 Affordable Housing apartments are income-based. The monthly rent for the New York State Tax Credit apartments are $373 for a one-bedroom unit and $421 for a two-bedroom unit (vouchers accepted). Some utilities are included. The building consists of 28 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units; some of which have been specifically designed for individuals who are vision/hearing impaired. Apartments include a kitchen with appliances. A community room and laundry facilities are available. Additionally, storage and a 24-hour on-call emergency service are provided. Tenants may have one small pet. An additional perk available to Academy Place tenants is a senior day and lunch program that is held within the building, which is sponsored by Cattaraugus County Senior Services. Additionally, tenants have a nearby program called Total Senior Care, available to residents of Gowanda, offering programs for qualified people age 55 and over who choose to stay active and yet need essential medical care in order to remain in their homes. People Inc. manages 20 senior apartment locations throughout Western New York providing safe, affordable housing for older adults ages 62 and older who meet income requirements. For more information about the Academy Place apartment tours, an application or to learn about other locations, call 716-817-9090. People Inc., a multispecialty non-profit health and human services agency, provides programs and services to more than 12,000 people with developmental disabilities, special needs, their families and older adults throughout Western New York and the Greater Rochester region. Since 1970, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity. With nearly 4,000 employees, People Inc. is one of the region’s largest employers. To learn more, visit people-inc.org, follow People Inc. on Facebook or Twitter @PeopleIncNews.

Activist Mohammed Saad to Present “Seeing Clearly Now” as part of Dialogues on disABILITY Speaker Series

As part of its Dialogues on disABILITY Speaker Series, the Museum of disABILITY History will host Mohammed Saad to present “Seeing Clearly Now: Creative Technology for the Blind in Saudi Arabia,” on Saturday, July 8, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Museum of disABILITY History, 3826 Main Street, Buffalo. In recent years, new adaptive technologies have been developed to allow people who are blind to fully utilize smart phones, tablets and computers. However, for Saad, there was a problem with these new programs as none of the apps designed to assist the blind were available in his native language of Arabic. Saad, who has been blind since early childhood, will share his story of how he has creatively transformed the available technology to design practical solutions for himself and others in his community. An activist, Saad aims to fight negative views of the disabled in his native Saudi Arabia and introduce people are blind to programs, technologies and skills that can help them live full lives. Saad’s work began with a campaign to translate restaurant menus in his native Saudi Arabia into braille. With no formal background in technology, he redesigned some of the most popular apps to work in Arabic, developed Arabic courses to teach people who are blind how to use Apple technology and founded MANHAL, an Arabic-language app that offers a wide range of educational courses targeted for the blind. The free event is co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute and the Museum of disABILITY History and. Registration is encouraged. For more information or to register, go to www.saad-modh.eventbrite.com , email David Mack-Hardiman at dmack@people-inc.org or call 716.629.3626. Established in 1998, the Museum of disABILITY History, a project of People Inc., is the only one of its kind in the United States and is dedicated to advancing the understanding, acceptance and independence of people with disabilities. Located in Buffalo, NY, the Museum’s exhibits, collections, publications, archives and educational programs create awareness and a platform for dialogue and discovery.