Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
We are happy to announce the debut of ACI Adventure News! Featuring articles, interviews, photos, and more! This quarterly newspaper was created by our Volunteer Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief, Tia Washington and written entirely by ACI volunteers and consumers!
Read the first edition at the link below and enjoy!
The Disability Pride Flag, created in 2019 by Anne Magill, represents people with disabilities, their struggles, and the disability pride movement. The flag's colors and diagonal stripes have specific meanings:
Colors: Each color represents a different type of disability or impairment:
Red: Physical disabilities
Gold: Neurodivergence
White: Invisible disabilities and disabilities that are not yet diagnosed
Blue: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities
Green: Sensory disabilities, including those of the deaf, blind, and deaf-blind communities
Black: Mourning and rage over eugenics and neglect faced by disabled people
Stripes: The diagonal stripes represent cutting through barriers and solidarity among the various sub-communities of disabled people
Background: The faded black background represents mourning and rage
Disability Pride is celebrated every July commemorating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) being signed into law. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in many areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and many public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. While we celebrate the passing of the ADA and the progress that has been made, we also remember those activists who crawled up the capitol steps and never stopped fighting. We must continue that fight until we live in a society that is equal for all.
In 2011, following in Chicago’s steps, ACI organized and hosted the first New Jersey Disability Pride Parade and Celebration (NJDPP) in Trenton. The event brought out 800 participants to celebrate ourselves, our community, our differences and our similarities, with music, vendors and fun. After hosting 7 parades, we went on hiatus when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We are currently in the process of finding a new location for NJDPP and look forward to seeing you all in 2025! Keep an eye on our website for updates.
ACI wishes you all a Happy Disability Pride month! We will keep you posted on any events surrounding the ADA.
On behalf of The Alliance Center for Independence, I am reaching out to humbly request your support and generous contribution towards our cause. We believe that your commitment to making a positive impact aligns perfectly with our mission and we kindly request your consideration in supporting our efforts.
As you know ACI, is a non-profit Center for Independent Living serving Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties. We work with all disabilities and ages throughout the community providing different skills so that those individuals can become and live as independently as possible.
We are writing to request a monetary donation. Your contribution will directly impact our ability to refurbish a bus so that we can make it a mobile center for those disabled individuals in underserved communities so to offer resources and assistance. In addition, this bus will allow our consumers and staff to be afforded the opportunity to visit different events throughout the State of New Jersey.
Four years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic struck our nation…33,000 New Jerseyans lost their lives! An independent review of NJ's response to the emergency concluded that the state was grossly unprepared.
How were you affected? Please take this survey to help us make positive changes in the way healthcare services are provided to people with disabilities in NJ.
Need assistance filling this out? Contact Luke Koppisch at 732-738-4388.
ACI joined dozens of organizations throughout the county for the 12th annual Day of Mourning, sponsored by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). This vigil remembers individuals with disabilities who have been murdered by a family member or caretaker. Participants held candles as they read names of the victims. Personal reflections were also shared.
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.
ACI's annual holiday party took place on November 20th at the Minnie B. Veal Recreation Center in Edison. Holiday Express provided the music, entertainment, and food. Everyone had a great time dancing and singing to all their favorite holiday tunes! Thank you to all the musicians, crew, and volunteers of Holiday Express for the wonderful night!
