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A Collaborative Approach: Addressing Food Insecurity and Empowering Adults with Disabilities
New York City is experiencing unprecedented levels of food insecurity, with hunger impacting over 1.2 million New Yorkers in 2022.1 Visits to New York City food pantries and soup kitchens were up 75% in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels.2 Inflation costs soared along with the COVID-19 pandemic,...
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Services for the UnderServed’s Positive Psychology Approach to Serving People in Crisis and Their Families
Since 2016, Service for the UnderServed’s START/CSIDD (Crisis Services for Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities) Program offers crisis prevention and response services to people who have both developmental disabilities and complex behavioral needs and their families and...
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Creating Inclusive Work Environments for Employees with Disabilities
Historically, adults with disabilities have faced high levels of discrimination in the workplace environment. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA, was enacted in an effort to eradicate discrimination against employees with disabilities while also requiring employers to provide...
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Sharing an Adult Autism Diagnosis with Family, Friends, and Community
The successful British author Matt Haig spent a lot of time in self-reflection at the height of the pandemic. During this time, at 46 years of age, he was newly diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) along with having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In light of being...
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S:US’ Community Fridge Project: Cultivating Social Justice and Health Equity in Our Community
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for social justice to address racial discrimination, health inequity, food insecurity and homelessness became starkly apparent as time went on and the effects of the pandemic became more visible. These experiences were at the forefront of our minds...
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Making Space for Mourning: A Grief Support Session
As the Coordinator of Family and Wellness in the Developmental Disabilities Division at Services for the UnderServed (S:US) and a social worker with extensive experience in providing grief support, I am often requested to administer grief support to people with intellectual/developmental...
