Correctional Library Services > Connections 2007 > People with Disabilities

Connections 2007 and The Job Search

People with Disabilities

MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

100 Gold Street, 2nd Floor, Manhattan 10038
Telephone: 212.788.2830, TTY 212.788.2838

www.nyc.gov/html/mopd/home.html
Offers information and referral in the areas of housing, transportation, discrimination, education, health, Social Security, and services to the homebound. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish and other languages also spoken. Call or write for a resource book.

NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT,
VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES (VESID)

www.vesid.nysed.gov
Provides vocational training and job placement for mentally, physically, or emotionally disabled people. Also offers individual counseling and can help sponsor a client through college. Call Mon.-Fri. 8:30-5. Call the office near you for orientation information. Must bring photo ID to the orientation.

Bronx residents 718.931.3500 TTY 718.931.3999
Brooklyn residents 718.722.6700 TTY 718.722.6736
Manhattan residents 212.630.2300 TTY 212.630.2302
Queens residents 718.271.9346 TTY 718.271.9799
Staten Island residents 718.816.4800 TTY 718.556.1752

NYC INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTERS (ILCs)

Telephone: 1-888-469-7452
www.ilru.org/html/publications/directory/SILC.html
Non-profit, community organizations whose goal is to help people with disabilities lead full, independent and productive lives. Offers assistance in obtaining government benefits, including SSI. Other services include advocacy, counseling, housing assistance, information and referral. Various languages spoken. Call the office nearest you for more information.

Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York
841 Broadway, Suite 301, Manhattan 10003
Telephone: 212.674.2300; TTY: 212.674.5619

Harlem Independent Living Center
289 St. Nicholas Avenue, Suite 21 Lower Level, Manhattan 10027
Telephone: 212.222.7198; TTY: 212.222.7198

Bronx Independent Living Services
3525 Decatur Avenue, Bronx 10467
Telephone: 718.515.2800; TTY: 718.515.2803

Staten Island Center for Independent Living
470 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island 10301
Telephone:718.720.9016 ; TTY: 718.720.9870

Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled
2044 Ocean Avenue, Suite B3, Brooklyn 11230
Telephone: 718.998.3000; TTY: 718.998.7406

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR THE DISABLED (ICD)

340 East 24th Street, Manhattan 10010
Telephone: 212.585.6000; TTY 212.585.6060

www.icdnyc.org
An outpatient facility serving people with disabilities. Specializes in medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment. Audiological, psychoeducational, psychological and psychiatric evaluations; physical and occupational therapy; speech, language, and hearing therapy. Offers outpatient addiction recovery services. Fees based on income. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

FEDCAP REHAB SERVICES

211 West 14th Street, Manhattan 10011
Telephone: 212.727.4200, TTY: 212.585.6060

www.fedcap.org
Offers comprehensive vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Must be 18 or over and be referred by VESID. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5 for more information. Sign language also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

BROOKLYN CENTER FOR INDEPENDENCE OF THE DISABLED, INC.

2044 Ocean Avenue, Suite B3, Brooklyn 11230
Telephone: 718.998.3000; TTY 718.998.7406

www.bcid.org
A non-profit organization that assists disabled people in obtaining government benefits and counseling services. Also makes referrals. Peer support groups meet weekly. Call for an appointment Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Sign Language also spoken Tues. 10-4. Accessible to people with disabilities.

MAGIC PROGRAM

500 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1207, Manhattan 10018
Telephone: 212.714.0600

Designed for people with disabilities coming out of New York City correctional facilities. Offers vocational and education assessment, educational (including college) programs, and individual counseling. Must be referred by a VESID (Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities) program. Call first, Mon.-Fri. 9:30-5, or write for pamphlet. Spanish also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF GREATER NEW YORK AND
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY, INC.

4–21 27th Avenue, Astoria, Queens 11102
Telephone: 718.728.5400; TTY 718.777.6306

www.goodwillny.org
Evaluates, counsels, and employs people with disabilities, as well as formerly incarcerated people. Must be referred by VESID or the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Will help make the necessary contact with VESID. Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30.

COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY HANDICAPPED

New York State Division of Children and Family Services
20 Exchange Place, 2nd Floor, Manhattan 10005
Telephone: 866.871.3000 TTY: 866.871.6000

www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/cbvh
Information on financial resources and vocational training. Helps with transportation and use of Braille. To be eligible, one must be blind from birth or have been declared legally blind. Call the intake office for an appointment, Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish also spoken.

LIGHTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL

Sol and Lillian Goldman Building
111 East 59th Street, Manhattan 10022
Telephone: 212.821.9200; TTY: 212.821.9713

www.lighthouse.org
Non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with vision loss develop the special skills and techniques necessary to live more independent lives. Assistance learning how to navigate your home, work, and the city; using adaptive technology; getting and keeping a job; coping emotionally with the stress of vision loss. Publishes a large-print newsletter, Sharing Solutions. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5.

NEW YORK LEAGUE FOR THE HARD OF HEARING

50 Broadway, 6th Floor, Manhattan 10004
Telephone: 917.305.7700; TTY 917.305.7999

www.lhh.org
Offers a comprehensive program of rehabilitative services, including education and job placement. Clients must have some degree of hearing impairment. Sliding scale fee. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5; Sat. 9-4. Spanish and Sign Language also spoken. Accessible to people with disabilities.

JOB PATH, INC.

22 West 38th Street, 11th Floor, Manhattan 10018
Telephone: 212.944.0560

www.jobpathnyc.org
Provides subsidized short-term employment for developmentally disabled people of working age, with a goal toward permanent employment. Referrals from VESID and other agencies accepted. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish also spoken.

LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSOCIATION

27 West 20th Street, Manhattan 10011
Telephone: 212.645.6730

www.ldanyc.org
Staff can answer questions about the rights of people with learning disabilities and how to secure instructional and other services. Referrals available to agencies providing tutoring, counseling, vocational training and other services. Also offers a support group for adults with learning disabilities, with guest speakers. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5.

HOSPITAL AUDIENCES, INC.

548 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Manhattan 10012
Telephone: 212.575.7660

www.hospitalaudiences.org
Sponsors entertainment workshops and AIDS prevention programs. Offers cultural programs in all five boroughs, as well as audio descriptions of Broadway and off-Broadway shows for the blind and visually impaired. Makes arrangements for people with disabilities to attend performances of the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic, and other cultural events in the city parks. Reserves special seating in areas adjacent to the stage, provides restrooms accessible for wheelchairs, and offers limited round- trip transportation to agencies and individuals. Individuals can participate in summer programs; participation must be through an agency the rest of the year. Includes all five boroughs. A "Tickets to Go" program provides discounted tickets to senior citizens. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5. Spanish also spoken.

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

Mid-Manhattan Library, 2nd Floor
455 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan 10016
Telephone: 212.340.0843; TTY: 212.340.0931

www.nypl.org/branch/central/mml/pa/index.html
Accessibility Services helps link people with visual, hearing, learning, and mobility impairments to the full range of library materials and services. Special equipment includes a Kurzweil Reading Machine that is capable of converting material printed in English, Spanish, or French into synthetic speech; closed-circuit TV enlargers that magnify print; a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), and mobility aids and devices. Services are by appointment. Walk-in hours are Mon.-Wed. 9-9. Accessible to people with disabilities.

ANDREW HEISKELL BRAILLE & TALKING BOOK LIBRARY

40 West 20th Street, Manhattan 10011
Telephone: 212.206.5400; 24-hour answering service 212.206.5425; TTY 212.206.5458

http://talkingbooks.nypl.org
Provides books and magazines in Braille and Talking Book cassettes to residents of NYC's five boroughs who have difficulty reading standard printed materials. Special playback equipment is also supplied on loan without charge. Applicants with reading or learning disabilities must be certified by a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy. Patrons do not need to visit the library to register or receive materials. The library also offers computer classes (including instruction in using assistive software) and book discussion groups. Spanish also spoken.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
REDUCED-FARE METROCARD PROGRAM

Telephone 718.243.4999; TTY 212.541.6228
www.mta.info/nyct/fare/rfabout.htm
The MTA offers half-fare Metrocards for seniors and people with disabilities. Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5 for an application and information.

NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
BUREAU OF PARKING AND PERMITS

28-11 Queens Plaza North, 7th Fl., Long Island City 11101-4008
Telephone: 718.433.3100; TTY: 718.433.3111

home2.nyc.gov/html/mopd/html/resources/trans_parking.shtml
Call Mon.-Fri. 9-5 for information on obtaining a special parking permit for physically disabled residents who require a private vehicle for transportation. Requires state ID or a driver's license. Allows driver to park in some No Parking zones and in specially designated spaces.

If you have questions about or need referrals to services for the developmentally disabled, mentally ill, or mentally retarded, you can call the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene at 212.219.5400 Mon.–Fri. 9–5.


People with disabilities who want to apply for public housing should call the New York City Housing Authority and ask for a Health Priority Letter to attach to their application. In some cases, NYCHA will assign a higher priority to placing the disabled. Call 212.306.4652.

If you need to communicate with a person who is deaf, hearing impaired, or speech impaired, call the New York Relay Center at 800.421.1220, TTY 800.662.1220. This is not a counseling service. Interpreting only.

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