Lobby Day 2010
AURORA intern Donna Reese (left) and staff member Adele DelSavio represented AURORA at Lobby day 2010 in Albany this Spring. With members of the New York Vision Rehabilitation Association and representatives from all over the state, they visited legislators, including Senator Antoine Thompson and assemblymen Bill Magnarelli; Sam Hoyt; Dennis Gabryszak; Jim Hayes and Crystal Peoples-Stokes, to encourage the passage of Assembly Bill 5581A and Senate Bill S01262A. These bills would provide for licensure of vision rehabilitation therapists and orientation and mobility specialists.
State-wide licensure of these profession would assist with reimbursement rates as well as enable New York to attract the “best and the brightest” for these vital positions.
New Deaf Education Workshops at AURORA
Based on the success of AURORA’s Deaf Empowerment workshop during Deaf Awareness Week, AURORA has developed a Deaf Education series of workshops.
“We had 35 people attend the Deaf Empowerment workshop! I believe that knowledge is power. In this new series we want to provide education to people in the Deaf community on topics where there hasn’t been a lot of awareness before,” said Maggie Russell, director of AURORA’s Marjorie Clere Interpreter Referral Service.
All workshop will be held in the Rosamond Gifford Community Room at 518 James Street (lower level) in Syracuse. They will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Topics will include:
“Changing Times at AURORA” March 25, 2010
“Services in the Community” June 17, 2010
“Choices as You Get Older” September 16, 2010
“You Talk-We Listen” December 16, 2010
For more information, call Maggie Russell at 422-7263 (voice)..422-9746 (TDD)..679-4170 (VP)
or e-mail: aurorairs@auroraofcny.org