Rose F. Kennedy Center (NY UCEDD/LEND/IDDRC) Hosts Several Events

December 13, 2012

Mario Meets Elmo, Photo from the Halloween Party, Courtesy of CERC at the RFK Center

The first event was a Halloween party for the families that the Center serves, which was hosted just two days after Super Storm Sandy hit the region. In collaboration with the IDDRC Program, the UCEDD sponsored this party. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, many Bronx families were without power and could not access public transportation. And with the specter of downed power lines, trick or treating on Halloween was cancelled throughout New York City and its neighboring communities. But thanks to staff at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC), on Wednesday, October 31, 2012, more than 150 local children were able to cast their gloom aside, dress up in costumes, and have a "spooktacular" time at the center's second annual Halloween party. Read the full story here.

On Friday, November 16, the RFK UCEDD, in collaboration with the Bronx DD Council, the New York State Developmental Disability Planning Council and NYS Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, an all day conference was held on the campus of the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.  More than 200 people attended the event, entitled "Visions for the Future: Health Care Services for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities". Kim Musheno, Director of Legislative Affairs at AUCD, provided the keynote address, "The Affordable Care Act, Recent Federal Changes and the Development of the Administration on Community Living, and Developmental." The event also featured talks on an an array of topics of interest to individuals with DDs and their families. The day was coordinated by Joanne Florio Siegel, the RFK UCEDD's Director of Community Affairs.  For more information, here is a link to the program.  

RFK UCEDD and IDDRC co-hosted symposium on Williams Syndrome at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. This event, which took place on Thursday, December 6, 2012, brought together international experts on Williams Syndrome, basic science researchers, clinicians and families to learn about this condition and plan for research to better understand the disorder in order to improve the lives of individuals and their families. The conference was coordinated by Steve Walkley, Director of the RFK IDDRC, and Robert Marion, Director of the RFK UCEDD.