INCLUDEnyc Awarded $125,000 Grant from The New York Community Trust

New York, NY, Feb. 5, 2019—INCLUDEnyc received a $125,000 leadership grant from The New York Community Trust to serve Spanish-speaking youth with disabilities and their families citywide.

Last year, INCLUDEnyc launched INCLUYEnyc, which is targeted programming created specifically for Spanish-speaking families. With information, direct assistance, and training, INCLUYEnyc enables Spanish-speaking parents to advocate for their children’s access to appropriate services, while helping their children meet developmental and academic goals. INCLUYEnyc also helps parents plan for the future, so their children can lead productive, independent lives after high school.

The expansion of INCLUYEnyc programming citywide, which is made possible by this grant from the Trust, will support communities with significant Latino populations, including Sunset Park, Jackson Heights, Corona, the North Shore of Staten Island, East Harlem, and the Lower East Side. INCLUDEnyc first started this work in the Bronx and Northern Manhattan through four key partnerships with Masa, Bronx Lebanon Hospital, Mott Haven Academy, and YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood.

“INCLUDEnyc’s efforts to provide programming that specifically addresses the needs of Spanish-speaking families are core to our work. More Spanish-speaking people live in New York City than any other U.S. city, and nearly 50% of NYC students with disabilities identify as Hispanic. Many families may be unfamiliar with disability issues, education rights, and childhood development milestones,” said Barbara A. Glassman, Executive Director of INCLUDEnyc.

“Using the expertise of our bilingual staff, INCLUDEnyc responds to the challenges Spanish-speaking families face, particularly those in immigrant communities. It will cover topics related to special education access and advocacy, while also alleviating families’ fears about jeopardizing their immigrant status, which may keep them from speaking up for their child,” Glassman added.

“Finding the right services for a family member with a disability can be difficult for anyone. Facing language barriers and immigration concerns makes it even harder,” said Rachel Pardoe, a New York Community Trust program officer. “We’re confident this program will make it easier for many families to get the right services for their children.”

Hispanics make up 29% of the city’s population. For many families, language barriers create an information divide resulting in low awareness of disability law, education rights, and typical childhood development, leading to a failure to recognize early signs of disability and to request supports and services. Additionally, many low-income, immigrant families have limited access to medical care where atypical child development might be identified.Young people with disabilities and their families are encouraged to call our Spanish-language Help Line at 212-677-4668, which is open Monday through Thursdays 9 AM-3 PM. Learn more and subscribe to our Navegador news roundup at www.incluyenyc.org.