TRENTON, NJ – [February 19, 2025] – The New Jersey Protect Medicaid Coalition is mobilizing advocates, community members, and supporters to rally to defend Medicaid funding. Proposed cuts in the federal budget will negatively impact 1.9 million New Jerseyans. The Protect Medicaid Rally will take place on Thursday, March 6, from noon to 2 PM at the NJ State House Annex, 145 West State Street, Trenton, NJ, rain or shine.
“We cannot stand by while life-sustaining services are threatened. This rally is an opportunity for our community to come together and demand that our legislators protect Medicaid,” said Colleen Roche, a Medicaid recipient and member of the Coalition. “Medicaid is not just health insurance - it’s a lifeline.”
The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) and USAging in Washington, D.C. have been awarded the 2024 Immunization Neighborhood Champion Award by the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS) for their work through the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative.
The NAIIS Immunization Excellence Awards recognize the extraordinary contributions of individuals and organizations towards improved vaccination rates within their communities during the past year.
The Alliance Center for Independence is a founding member of the ADVC, which works with Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other community-based organizations (CBOs) nationwide with a network of over 1,400 partner organizations to increase the number of older adults and people with disabilities who receive COVID-19 and Influenza (flu) vaccines.
As part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, the Alliance Center for Independence (ACI), a non-profit center for independent living based in Edison will be holding a vigil on Friday, March 1, to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers.
This event is part of a nation-wide effort organized by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), a Washington, DC- based disability advocacy organization. ASAN has compiled a list of over 1300 reported murders of people with disabilities by relatives or caregivers over the last 40 years.
In the past 5 years, 570 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers, according to ASAN. The first filicide was in 2012. ACI has been holding its annual local filicide vigil since 2014.
“The purpose of this annual event is to mourn our brothers and sisters in disability but also bring public awareness to this often dismissed, yet tragic issue,” says Carole Tonks, ACI Executive Director and organizer of the event.
As part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, disability rights advocates in the Edison area will be holding a vigil on March 1st, to honor the lives of disabled people murdered by their families and caretakers.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), which tracks these cases, has compiled a list of over 1300 reported murders of people with disabilities by relatives or caregivers over the last 39 years. The total number of killings is likely higher than the amount which are reported in news media.
This problem is made worse by irresponsible news coverage which presents these murders as the sympathetic acts of loving and desperate parents, by a justice system which often gives a lighter sentence to a parent who kills a disabled child, and by the dangerous cultural prejudice that says a disabled life is not worth living.
The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) is very pleased to announce we are now administrating the State funded Personal Assistance Services Program (PASP) in Middlesex County. We thank the Middlesex County Office of Aging and Disabled Services for the award of the PASP grant.
ACI launched the administration of the PASP program in August and is enjoying the opportunity to work with the many consumers the program serves. Additionally, ACI plans to expand the program to include new participants.
On September 19th, dozens of disability advocates and voting rights experts will be attending The Power of the Disability Vote, an event held at the NJ State House Annex on 131 West State Street in Trenton. Time is set for 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM. This event is open to the public.
The purpose of the day is to underscore the importance of the disability vote in this year’s gubernatorial election. “With nearly 12% of the state’s population identifying themselves as having a disability, we need to show the candidates that our issues need to be addressed,” says Carole Tonks, Executive Director of Alliance Center for Independence.
The Alliance Center for Independence (ACI) has recently launched a podcast that focuses on issues important to people with disabilities in NJ and throughout the country. The first episode was dropped on August 30th.
Chica and the Disabled Dude is hosted by Brenda Cazares, ACI’s employment services coordinator, and Nybil Ghanem, ACI’s Information and Referral Specialist. Nybil, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, will provide his first-hand perspective on work, living independently and breaking down attitudinal barriers. Brenda, a Spanish speaker with vast experience in the disability field, will showcase the unique issues facing Hispanic people with disabilities.
The podcast will feature guest interviews and on location broadcasts. Upcoming topics include: sex and people with disabilities, voting rights, employment, etiquette and accessibility.
