ACI is here to help keep you safe and get you vaccinated!
Get in contact with us if…
You are in need of a COVID-19 vaccine or booster
You need assistance with reliable transportation to and from your appointment
You are in need of locating places to get vaccinated or are undecided
If any of those apply to you, then please fill out the form below or contact Kim Garcia at kgarcia@adacil.org or 732-738-4388 ext 123.
The Alliance Center for Independence has recently established a telephone helpline to assist disabled individuals and their families seeking answers about COVID-19, including testing sites and vaccination/booster locations. The helpline will also provide information and referrals to community resources as well as make referrals to resources and organizations in Middlesex, Somerset, and Union counties. If you are having difficulty getting a vaccine, please call us at 732-738-1941. The helpline number operates Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. Spanish interpreters are available. You can also email us at adacil@adacil.org
The Federal Administration on Community Living has also established the Disability and Access Line, 888-677-1199. This nationwide number operates Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 8 PM (eastern) to help answer your questions about COVID. Individuals can also get assistance through email at DIAL@usaginganddisability.org
Through a grant from the Centers of Disease Control Foundation and Able South Carolina, ACI is partnering with the Disability Vaccine Access Opportunity Center (DVAO) to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccinations among NJ residents with disabilities. Efforts include removing barriers that prevent individuals from obtaining vaccinations and combating vaccine hesitancy.
ACI is working with the Middlesex County Health Department to organize mobile vaccination units and pop up vaccination sites at events throughout the area. If your organization is interested in having a mobile vaccination unit or pop up unit at your event, contact ctonks@adacil.org
Is the lack of accessible and safe transportation preventing you from getting your COVID vaccine or booster shot? ACI may be able to assist. Call us at 732-738-4388
For more information about vaccinations, including where to get your vaccine, contact:
Disability Information and Access Hotline at 888-667-1199 or acl.gov/dial
NJ COVID-19 Information Hub: covid19.nj.gov
Alliance Center for Independence at adacil.org or the ACI helpline at 732-738-1941
The Alliance Center for Independence is planning a panel discussion on COVID-19 vaccines that is open to the disability community. The purpose of the event is to provide the disability community with information so that individuals can make an informed choice about getting or not getting a vaccine.
To help in the planning process, ACI is asking our consumers to fill out the following survey.
A group of leaders and advocates representing the broad range of people who have disabilities in New Jersey will release a report about how COVID-19 has impacted the disability community. The report released on Friday, October 30, 2020, describes how the State’s preparation for and response to the COVID-19 pandemic failed to meet the critical needs of people with disabilities and their families. It also acknowledges the rights of the community as guaranteed by various State and Federal laws.
The New Jersey COVID-19 Disability Action Committee (DAC) is a 23-member panel that calls for changes in New Jersey’s operating procedures, programs, and laws as well as the assumptions underlying them as they affect people with disabilities. The report cites severe deficits in the State's preparation, planning, and response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the risk of illness and death in our community.
If you are a low income person with a disability or are impacted by the pandemic and need food…we can help!
The ACI Food Pantry is open Monday and Wednesday from 9 AM to 5 PM during the coronavirus pandemic. We still continue to get donations of food and are fully stocked with canned vegetables, fresh milk, peanut butter, bread, water, and other essential items. We also have a limited number of masks and gloves.
Please call 732-738-4388 to schedule an appointment for curbside pickup outside of the ACI office, located at 629 Amboy Ave, Edison, NJ.
The ACI Food Pantry is a proud member of the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services (MCFOODS).
ACI strictly adheres to CDC and state health department guidelines regarding social distancing and maintaining virus-free environments.
The NJ Department of Health (DOH) issued the hospital visitation policy for people with disabilities effective April 25, 2020.
DOE now considers a designated support person essential to patient care people with disabilities. As a result, hospitals must allow a designated support person to be with the individual during hospitalization. The policy needs to be broader including all disabilities that may require a support person. Please send your concerns to jean.devitto@doh.nj.gov
ACI, as well as many other advocacy groups and individuals, have been advocating on this issue for the past month. Thank you to all of those who sent letters to the Governor. Thank you to Paul Aronsohn, Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families and Christine Bakter, Associate Director who ensured our emails made it to the Governor's desk. We appreciate your efforts!
Be sure to read the letters that ACI sent out regarding this policy at the links below.
