On local television channel BronxNet’s Bronx Social Justice and Anti-Violence Forums, our CEO and President Bill Baccaglini sat down with host Daren Jaime to share the current state of The Foundling’s developmental disabilities, child welfare, education, and other programs. Additionally, Bill discusses the changes that the new year – with leadership changes both at The Foundling and the city’s mayoral administration- may bring.
Watch the interview below:
Entering the workforce is hard for all of us: the interview process can be daunting, and learning new tasks and adapting to new environments is often stressful. For people with developmental disabilities, it can be even more challenging.
“People with disabilities want to work, because working is the way that people are involved in their communities. They have more meaningful relationships, they have a better sense of personal freedom, and they’re more independent,” says Mia Joshi, The Foundling’s Education and Employment Services Coordinator. But while the general employment rate is 70%, only 30% of adults with developmental disabilities are actively employed.
People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the nation, yet they are underemployed because of barriers beyond their control. This community often lacks access to targeted and specialized job resources and training, making it difficult to learn the ‘soft’ skills that are often overlooked by traditional employment programs. It can also be difficult to find accommodating employers, placing them at a disadvantage in the job hunt. Additionally, nearly 25% of adults with developmental disabilities report not having anyone in their life to talk to about their goals, and this lack of mentorship and guidance can further impede long-term success.
In The Foundling’s Employment Services program, our dedicated staff address these challenges head-on. Participants are matched with a Job Coach who trains them in workplace skills and abilities– this often includes broader instruction in communicating, following directions, and more. The Foundling partners with a number of organizations and employers to place participants in meaningful volunteer work to gain experience, and to ultimately match them with fulfilling and competitively-paid job opportunities. Once they start working, participants receive long-term support to ensure that they continue to be successful.
Sophia volunteering at the New York Botanical Garden
Sophia, who is working on pre-vocational skills training with Employment Services, has made great strides in her path toward independence as a result of the program. The Foundling has set her up with volunteer opportunities, such as working at the New York Botanical Garden, that have given her the chance to grow.
“I learned to listen to instructions to do things the right way…They are helping us to learn and gain employment. I used to get more frustrated but now I can communicate with people better,” she says.
Now, Sophia is learning to type and is finessing her communication skills, all in preparation for paid employment – and is excited about her professional future ahead.
Lowell at his new job
Lowell, another one of our Employment Services participants, recently took his first step into the working world. Since 2018, he has worked hard with our team to learn skills and prepare for employment. This summer, those efforts paid off!
Through The Foundling’s partnership with the Consortium for Customized Employment, which works to create a network of organizations and employers to expand work options for people with developmental disabilities, Lowell was able to find a job that fit with his skillset and aspirations. He is now a Shake Shack team member, and is enjoying the autonomy, responsibility, and purpose that being part of the workforce brings.
This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, learn more about our Employment Services program in the video below:
As Patch reports, The New York Foundling launched its new Day Habilitation and Employment Services site for people with developmental disabilities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 26.
“We are thrilled to bring our Day Habilitation Without Walls and Employment Services to the community in Nanuet,” said Bill Baccaglini, President of The New York Foundling. “We know that only around 1 in 3 working-age individuals with developmental disabilities are actively employed, and roughly 25 percent of adults with developmental disabilities report that they don’t have anyone in their life to talk to about their goals and purpose. Our programs aim to change these numbers in every community, including Nanuet.”
As Bronx News12 reports, The Foundling held a ribbon cutting for our newest Day Habilitation center in Nanuet, NY. The new center will serve our participants with developmental disabilities across Rockland County.
“Ten years ago, we started residential services here and our folks weren’t able to find day habilitation programs in the community based on their challenging needs. So, we created a day habilitation without walls,” says Jill Gentile, Senior Vice President of our Developmental Disabilities Division.
Each day, The Foundling works to ensure that those we serve have the resources to reach their fullest potential – and this is extremely evident in our programs for people with developmental disabilities. These programs are rooted in the belief that people of all abilities – given proper support and encouragement – can become thriving members of their communities.
We are excited to highlight our Residential Services, Day Habilitation, and Employment Services programs in our latest promotional videos. Watch the videos below for an overview of each service, and hear from staff and participants about their experiences.
The New York Botanical Garden is a long-time partner with The Foundling, providing inclusive opportunities to participants in our Employment Services program. As volunteers in the garden’s Edible Academy, Foundling participants learn best principles for organic gardening, general maintenance, propagation, and more – learning useful job skills to aid in their long-term career journey.
In celebration of Disability Pride Month, two Foundling participants – Sophia M. and Adeola O. – shared their reflections on their volunteer experience with New York Botanical Garden’s staff. “My experience was one of the best things I have done,” says Adeola.
At The Foundling, we appreciate and value the team of nurses who care for children and people with developmental disabilities each and every day – but during this year’s National Nurses Week, we’re recognizing this essential segment of our workforce over the turbulent events of the past 15 months.
| Nurses have always been an integral part of The Foundling—from our early days, when we operated a pediatric hospital and nursing school – to now. And while our services have evolved, this legacy of care continues with our nurses today. |
The reach and scope of what nurses at The Foundling do is far-reaching. In our four medical clinics across New York City, nurses provide routine care for the young people in our foster care programs. In our residential program for adults with developmental disabilities, nurses make regular visits across the City and surrounding counties to direct and monitor the health and medication regiments of the adults living in our 104 residences. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the role and work of our nurses even more important – and they have gone to great lengths in helping our program participants move forward during this unprecedented health crisis.
For our healthcare professionals and frontline staff at The Foundling, the past 15 months have been a true test of dedication. COVID-19 presented many challenges to providing patients with high-quality and compassionate care, but our nurses’ strong Foundling values and commitment to our mission drove them to continue their vital work– even when this required them to take extreme precautions to balance their work and personal lives.
Kendra, a nurse practitioner in the Bronx, continued to treat children at Foundling medical clinics during the pandemic – all while carrying a baby of her own. “I found out I was pregnant a bit before the start of the pandemic,” she says. From exchanging shifts, providing car rides to work, and being available for emotional support, her team rallied around her, providing care and compassion to ensure that she and her growing family was safe.
At the same time, Jolene showed true strength and determination as a nurse supervisor in our group residences for people with developmental disabilities. In the early weeks and months of the COVID outbreak in New York City, PPE and other protective gear was difficult to obtain—yet Jolene worked on the frontlines each and every day, committed to keeping the people in our care safe. Jolene tirelessly supported the residents with their health needs, provided comfort to their loved ones, and showed strength when infections began to show up in the workplace. When the virus hit even closer to home, and Jolene and her son contracted the coronavirus, her caring staff continued to be in contact and helped her pull through the tough times. Now, as the city begins to reopen, Jolene sees light at the end of the tunnel – and is proud and grateful for the resilience of her nursing team and the relationships she’s built along the way.
As many across our community look to thank nurses this week, we celebrate our Foundling nurses—both past and present—for the commitment, compassion, and care they provide to those we serve.
In Generosity’s recent article on employment for people with disabilities in Philadelphia, reporter Jaya Montague looks at New York City’s workforce development efforts as a potential model. The article contains insights from The Foundling’s Mia Guidel-Joshi, who shares how “the climate of workforce development for people with disabilities in New York City is very collaborative.”
MedPage Today’s new op-ed focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on two high-risk populations served by The Foundling – people with developmental disabilities and those in foster care. Written by two members of The Foundling’s leadership team – Dr. Joe Saccoccio, our Chief Medical Officer, and Sashoi Grant, our Vice President of Nursing – the article details the lessons learned in providing medical care to these communities, from the importance of educating on safety measures to maintaining a focus on mental health.
Read the op-ed below:
Op-Ed: Forgotten Populations and COVID — Learning the right lessons
by
At The New York Foundling — one of New York’s longest-serving non-profit organizations — we know all too well how COVID has upended countless lives across the city. The communities and populations we support, totaling 30,000 each year, have been hit particularly hard — from people with developmental disabilities to children and families in crisis.
We now know that COVID-19 is three times more likely to have fatal outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities than the general population. And the data tells us that most children in foster care have higher instances of medical and mental health diagnoses than children who are not in foster care — from asthma, to obesity, to long-term illnesses like diabetes — all putting them at higher risk for contracting the coronavirus without intervention. The communities in our care at The Foundling have faced immense challenges this year and are some of the most at-risk heading into the next few months.
While we may be entering a second wave and a dark winter, we do know what could be in store. We’ve been intentional about revisiting the most challenging moments of the first wave in New York, and reflecting on lessons learned. Medical care is a critical part of the history and legacy of The New York Foundling. And today, we continue to support hundreds of thousands of our neighbors — and during COVID, our work has not changed.
New York has learned some of the toughest lessons from the pandemic and stands to be more prepared as we head into a difficult holiday season. Gov. Andrew Cuomo himself addressed the current surge, saying, “We lived this nightmare. We learned from this nightmare. And we’re going to correct for the lessons we learned.”
With more than 37,000 COVID-related deaths in New York and over 200,000 new cases a day across the country, what have we learned, and how can we correct it?
Lesson #1: Continue to educate on and adapt to new safety measures. As the state proceeds with its plan to emphasize mask-wearing, enforce social distancing, and prevent overflow at hospitals, we must do our part to educate and support people with developmental disabilities, children in foster care, and children and families receiving preventative services.
And it’s not just why, but how we educate people that is so important heading into the winter. It’s important to find the right way to explain and demonstrate how severe the virus is, why social distancing is important. And with many people, especially those with developmental disabilities, unable to tolerate mask-wearing and other standard precautions, we must get creative to find new ways to keep ourselves and our clients safe. Staff at The Foundling have worked tirelessly throughout the year to find alternative safety measures for those who struggle to comply with the status quo, and will continue to do so.
Lesson #2: We need to prioritize mental health and emotional wellbeing, alongside physical health. In 2020, we learned that many of the people living in Foundling-run homes and residences for people with developmental disabilities faced difficulties understanding isolation. In instances of a positive case of COVID in a group home, there were times when the individual didn’t understand what was going on with their body, were unable to advocate for themselves, and when isolated, didn’t fully recognize why they couldn’t see their friends or loved ones. Supporting these individuals takes a tremendous investment from our staff in not just the physical, but also the emotional and mental wellbeing of our residents – in these difficult times, safety goes beyond physical health.
Lesson #3: We learned a valuable lesson on staying connected. Take, for example, families and children in the child welfare system, who we know are at a higher risk for contracting the coronavirus without intervention.
Compounding to these factors are the strict “shelter in place” orders — which not only affect the children who have been placed into safe, stable, supportive, and loving homes, but also have a devastating effect on children receiving preventive services, and children who live in under-resourced communities and neighborhoods across New York City.
Children in foster care and in preventive services already have heightened rates of anxiety and depression, and the winter cold, combined with a lack of one on one connection, only serves to intensify those issues moving forward – both from a public health and mental health perspective.
This winter will look very different from years past. Yet while we reflect on how much things have changed this winter, this is also a time to examine what we’ve learned. Let’s work together to find new ways to support each other so that we can all stay safe and healthy into the New Year.
Joe Saccoccio, MD, MPH, FAAP, is senior vice president for medical services, and Sashoi Grant is vice president for nursing, developmental disabilities, at The New York Foundling.
The Bronx Times highlighted two participants in our Developmental Disabilities program, and their experiences throughout the pandemic:
“The New York Foundling, one of the city’s oldest social services organizations, provides health care, social-emotional support, entertainment and friendship for hundreds of adults, most of whom live in their group homes full time.
Desiree and Nancy, 37, two residents of The Foundling’s Laconia residence in the Bronx, have been friends for 25 years. They leaned on each other to get through the newly enforced safety measures and had to learn to remain patient as both became unemployed.:
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