From Norman’s Desk – July 2020

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Norman Smith

Norman Smith ineen shirt and cap with a sash over his shirt with a female using crutches standing on his right. A male is standing to her right, An American flag is behind the male and female. Our nation celebrates its Declaration of Independence from Great Britain on July 4th. We celebrate the idea that this nation wanted to be free from rules, regulations, and laws created without input from the Colonies. This year the celebration will be different for me.

We will try celebrate the concept that each person has equality in the eyes of the law even though we know that it is not reality for many. People are treated differently because of skin color, race, gender, gender identity, age, and, yes, disability.

I live with a disability, so I focus on those inequities in my writing. Nevertheless, the struggle for racial equality has never been far from my life. I lived in Philadelphia in 1962 at a school for kids with disabilities. The direct care staff was made of African-Americans, and I remember watching the Civil Rights struggle on the TV news with them. I remember their tears and their quiet anger. I remember trying to make sense of why black people were being beaten. It didn’t make sense to me.

The turbulent 60’s went by with all the racial, social, and political strife, and in the mid-70s I found myself at Long Island University riding an elevator with a schoolmate. The schoolmate was black, male, and in NYPD handcuffs. I knew him well since we served on the Dorm’s Council together. He was arrested by a white police officer for (I later learned) a minor charge. My schoolmate said something to me in greeting and was promptly shoved violently against the elevator wall by the officer.

I was shocked and angered. My schoolmate later returned to warn me not to say anything about the shoving. He said it would make his case more difficult. I agreed, but this incident opened my eyes to what “equality under the law” actually means.

As we celebrate Independence Day, we need to remember equality is not universally applied. We need to remember the sacrifices of those who have died for the concepts of independence, liberty, and freedom.

Sometimes they died without enjoying those lofty concepts. Sometimes they didn’t die but moved into my world to endure additional inequalities of a disability.

We must also remember that the fight is not over for many people. Expecting the promise of freedom to be obtained or kept without struggle and sacrifice is foolhardy. Our history teaches that participatory governance over oneself or one’s country means stepping up to participate and sacrifice. Individuals must take up the cause of freedom, work together, and battle for the promise to be kept. This is true now for many people with and without disabilities.

So, while we celebrate what happened 244 years ago, let us remember for many of us the struggle for freedom continues!

From Norman’s Desk – May 2020

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Norman Smith

Norman A. Smith looking up at camera smiling dress in a green shirt and cap with CERT written on both — Norman A. Smith, Co-Founder Associate Executive Director

It is May! It is time for my annual rant as we near Hurricane Season.

It is time to focus on the looming hurricanes season and the predictions by the Colorado State University tropical study program. This year is no different—especially because we are in the tail end of the first wave of a pandemic.

Yes, I wrote “the first wave.” Historically, pandemics come in three waves, and the severity of those waves vary. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has already stated that the next wave of COVID19 will hit this Fall and will be more severe.

Fall is also the peak of hurricane season, and the idea of a major hurricane crashing into to the US during another severe wave of COVID19 is frightening. But it needs to be anticipated and planned for with the lessons we have learned the past three months. We have already seen tornado rip through states this past month complicating the fight against COVID19.

As I write this, the American Red Cross is sheltering nearly 900 people in four states hit by tornados. Luckily, hotel rooms were available for a better sheltering option than public schools during this outbreak. Imagine Super Storm Sandy happening now or a major extended power outage.

So now is the time to prepare for both the second wave and foreseeable disasters as we look to opening back up again. If you realized that you should have done a specific task or tasks before the COVID19 shutdown, use that knowledge to prepare yourself better for the next wave and other potential disasters.

That prediction came true over five years ago with Hurricane/Super-Storm Sandy slamming into New Jersey. This year’s predictions by Colorado State University’s team, now his for a “slightly below” average season for 2019.

This is the 37th year that the hurricane research team at the Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University has issued the Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecast. Dr. William Gray, Ph., launched the report in 1984 and continued to be an author on them until his death in 2016. He team is now headed by Dr. Philip J. Klotzbach.

Dr. Klotzbach’s team’s initial prediction is:

A total of 16 named storms with eight hurricanes and four of them becoming major hurricanes.

Last year’s prediction was 13 named storms, five becoming hurricanes, and two reaching the major threshold. Thus, the prediction for this year is for more storms with a greater potential of severity.

The actual number for the 2019 season was 18 named storms; three of these storms turned into hurricanes with two being “major” in power and scale. So they under-estimated the number of storms but overestimated their severity.

The prediction also estimates the probabilities of at least one major hurricane making landfall:

For the Entire U.S. coastline – 69% (Last year it was 48%)

For the U.S. East Coast including Peninsula Florida – 45% (28% last year)

With this year’s prediction in mind and remembering what we have just gone through, it is not too early to start thinking about severe weather and being prepared for it. The first step is being more aware of both the potential threat and the “emergent” or imminent threat. Here is what FEMA recommends that people with disabilities do to address that need.

“My Two Cents” – May 2020

Posted on May 13, 2020 by Norman Smith

Seems like forever that we have been able to go to a retail store or go out to a restaurant for dinner. Because of the COVID-19 virus, Only essential businesses are allowed to stay open, with staff working shifts so as not to have a crowd of people in one office or conference center at a time. Many small businesses are closed such as hair salons, barber shops, spas, and small retail boutiques, with many pizza shops and small restaurants only doing take out service. Even weddings have been cancelled, and funerals services have been truncated, with only immediate family members in attendance. All of us, obeying the Executive Order from Governor Murphy which has effectively shut down New Jersey for a month now. Is this now the new normal?

Now some folks would say that the closing of the State was a drastic action, and something maybe the Governor didn’t have to do. Of course, it is always easy to second guess, after the fact and be a Monday Morning quarterback. However the fact remains that New Jersey has been one of the hardest hit states, along with New York, that have suffered the greatest effects of this pandemic. Next to New York, New Jersey has had the most cases per capita of infection, and I believe the most deaths due to this virus, than most other states in the US. This COVID-19 Virus is nothing to fool around with, and not something to take lightly.

So, for a month now, we have been inside, sheltering in place, many working from home when we can. For Project Freedom Inc., we have shut our community centers and put staff on rotating work schedules so that we could avoid any large groupings, and thereby reduce our chances of interaction. Staff still monitors the phones, but we are only really attending to emergency maintenance issues. Now that the weather is getting warmer, there will be grass cutting and outside maintenance being done at the properties, so that work needs to be kept up with, otherwise it can get out of hand. PFI staff is still available for help if tenants need anything and continue to check on many of our tenants.

So, as of the Governor’s latest news conference, he has laid out several conditions that would need to be in place before he will lift the “stay at home order”. These conditions are a reduction in new COVID-19 cases, more testing of healthcare workers and then the public in general, along with the reduction in hospitalizations. The Governor is still undecided if he will allow schools to reopen this current school year, which really needs to be done for most people to go back to work. What is feared mos is for the virus to have a comeback when business is open again; thereby losing all the gains achieved by staying at home.

So, let’s all continue to do our part. Wash our hands, wear our masks, stay 6 feet away and avoid any large crowds. By doing so, we will protect ourselves as well as one another. And, also keep the faith. We will get through this in time for sure… America has done it in the past, and we will continue in the future.

“My Two Cents” — March 2020

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Norman Smith

Well when I first heard this news, I smiled and said, ”of course, we are the perfect venue for this kind of news.”

And the news was that NJHMFA wants to announce a new program of financing that will help to fund Special Needs Housing and wanted to do it at our new West Windsor housing community. So, we were honored to have Lt. Governor Sheila Y. Oliver and HMFA Executive Director Charles A. Richman combine their announcement with our ribbon cutting for our new housing community in West Windsor. Unfortunately, Lt. Governor Oliver eventually could not attend.

This Freedom Village site is located off of Old Bear Brook Rd in West Windsor. This project has been one that has been in the making for over ten years. I started talks with the owner in the 1990’s and kept in touch with him each year, to see what his timeline was for when this community could begin. The tricky issue was to get this to conform with the available funding mechanisms, as well as work within the Low Income Tax Credit program, which we did.

Also, the time had to be right for the town politically. Like what usually happens with our housing, we had an advocate– someone who was a West Windsor resident, and who was also a member of the Project Freedom family. Her name is Florence Cohen. Florence was a Board member for Project Freedom for many years, and an advocate for our housing in West Windsor. She served on the Affordable Housing Committee within the town, and would keep the name of Project Freedom in the forefront of any discussion regarding affordable housing. Having a family member with a disability only made it more personal for Florence when she talked about Project Freedom housing.

This is not unusual for Project Freedom to have advocates in the towns that we build. Usually we are contacted initially by parents groups who realize that when their kids get to be adults, there really isn’t any appropriate housing that will meet their needs. They want to stay in the town and want their now adult children also to live in proximity of where they grew up. This makes a lot of sense, especially for those with a disability. So, these people contact Project Freedom to see what we can do to help. And of course, if we can, we try.

So, having the Lt. Governor asking to come to announce a new housing program was really a feather in the Project Freedom hat. We have worked hard to build a housing product that fits the need, is sustainable, and is located in locations that are convenient to shops and transportation. Our West Windsor site is one that fits that bill, with the West Windsor Train station located just a couple of blocks away, and shopping found on the Princeton-Hightstown Road.

So, once again, we have created another housing community that will be open to all—especially those who use a wheelchair or who have mobility issues. The mission continues.

From Norman’s Desk – March 2020

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Norman Smith

This month you will be reading and hearing more about the emerging outbreak of Coronavirus-2019 (officially named COVID-19). The situation is very worrisome—especially if you have a disability.

Nevertheless, one of the key responses to this type of situation is getting accurate information and trusting the source of it.

I’m going to be blunt about this: The “tinfoil hat wearing wingnuts” are out there already with disinformation to fit their own agendas or mania. These theories are fabricated using facts, half-truths, and outright lies woven together to fit any point of view about health issues or politics. They can be laughable except these flights of fantasies will obscure the correct information and messaging needed to keep us safe and well. Misinformation is disruptive and will lead to people dying.

I saw one tweet that contained a claim that was not true, and the link for more information redirected me to an online store to buy masks, but then I saw another tweet dismissing the use of masks. People are trying to make a quick buck from the outbreak, and people are trying to scare us for their own pleasure.

My message is this: Do not rely on Facebook or other social media to for information to make urgent health decisions!

Your Facebook friends may be good sources for gossip, recipes, sports trivia, or where to go fishing, but accurate information in these situations may not be a Facebook post shared a zillion times. The quantity of shares or views does not indicate the quality or accuracy of the information.

Sadly, even our elected officials can pass on erroneous information that they may have heard or read from an unreliable source. It is easy to pass on tainted information as you try to appear to be on top of everything, and it is hard on the ego to appear not to know authoritative information.

By the time you read this, any accurate information that I can pass along will be outdated and may be inaccurate. Personally, I rely on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for information, I check CDC.gov daily for updates.

“My Two Cents” – February 2020

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Norman Smith

Remembering My Friend Nate

By now most of the Project Freedom community knows that our friend, Nate Smith passed away in January. Nate Smith was a tenant and employee at our Lawrence office and served as our receptionist there—answering the phones, and greeting our many visitors each day. Nate could answer most questions regarding our housing…which application to use, and if there were any vacancies at our other housing sites. He loved to come to work each day and was an inspiration to all of us who got to know him.

There is a Chinese proverb, that says, “ It is better to light a candle, than to curse the darkness”. I think that that philosophy is one that best describes my friend Nate. Nate was born with spinal bifida, and used a wheelchair for mobility. Because of this condition, Nate had a ostomy when he was a young boy, and lost his sight when he was a young man, so he had his share of problems and issues. I think for me, having to go each day with what he had to contend with, certainly would have made me a very sour person.

But not Nate Smith. He talked to me one day, on our trips to the doctors, or wherever, and told me that, early on, he struggled with his limitations, especially when he became blind. However, I remember him saying that, he realized that he didn’t want to go through life being a negative person, and holding on to his bitterness. His attitude was that he accepted his condition, and was going to make the best of what he had. He was going to be positive in how he comported himself and live his life to the fullest. He would light the candle, rather than curse the darkness.

And that is what he did. Anyone who knew Nate, couldn’t help but smile and see his positive, gentle nature. He was always interested in what I was doing…what new housing project I was working on.. and how it was going. He was also, always handsomely dressed, and took pride in his appearance. I would sometimes comment that he really looked good today… saying he could appear as a model in GQ magazine. He chuckled and said that the credit should go to his friend Essie, who picked out his clothes each day.

Nate also was fiercely independent, and wanted to make sure that his trips to the hospital at times, didn’t ultimately result in his returning to a nursing home. This is a fear that I have heard from many of our tenants who are disabled. He was ever so grateful for his apartment at Project Freedom and for his status as our receptionist, and to be able to live his life as he saw fit, making his own choices.

Our Project Freedom family suffers today at the loss of our friend, Nate Smith. For someone who lived in darkness, he was a bright light to all of us who knew him. God bless and God speed Nate, you will not be forgotten.

From Norman’s Desk – February 2020

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Norman Smith

Last month saw the Democratic presidential candidates begin to focus more on people with disabilities and our issues. This took place as candidates dropped out of the race.

Each of the major Democratic candidates completed the 15-question 2020 Disability Voter Candidate Questionnaire written by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan national nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. The nonpartisan voter questionnaire is about a variety of disability issues was sent to all the viable presidential candidates.

This candidate canvasing was being done in conjunction with RespectAbility’s online publication TheRespectAbilityReport.org, an online publication covering the intersection of disability and electoral politics. The answers to the questionnaire will be turned into nonpartisan voter guides for all 50 states. The same questions will be sent to candidates for governor and senate as well.

When Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar released her detailed disability policy plan the senator held a live event. Klobuchar detailed her plan and held a panel discussion with three local disability experts, delving deeper into specific aspects of her plan.

In a press statement released prior to the disability-focused event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Klobuchar cited her “a strong track record of standing up for people with disabilities.” Key highlights of the plan include commitments around long-term care, expanding healthcare access, and advancing economic opportunities as well as promoting disability rights at home and abroad, as reported by Lauren Appelbaum for TheRespectAbilityReport.org

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren continued to outreach to the disability community with a live chat on Twitter with advocates with disabilities from around the country. Then in her closing statement for the CNN/Des Moines Register Debate last month, Warren specifically mentioned people with disabilities in her vision for what her presidency will bring.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, IN, took to Twitter as well to reach people with disabilities. Buttigieg himself answered questions live on Twitter from advocates during a Disability Town Hall. His campaign also released on Twitter a series of videos featuring supporters with disabilities.

While these efforts are notable, many disability advocates want the mainstream news media to pay attention to disability issues as part of their overall coverage of the candidates. For the first time in my political memory, a debate moderator asked a question specifically on disability policy during the December debate.

“Are there specific steps you would take to help people like Kyle to become more integrated into the workforce and into their local communities?” asked Politico’s Tim Alberta, citing as an example a young adult with a disability from Iowa.

This sent the “disability-Twitter-verse” into orbit. Unfortunately, only three candidates were able to respond, but Elizabeth Warren seized the moment to highlight her background as a Special Education teacher.

Readers have asked me which candidates have better disability policies, and my answer will always be as a journalist: Look for yourself. Evaluate for yourself. Make your vote count for what is important to you.

From Norman’s Desk – January 2020

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Norman Smith

Norman A. Smith, Associate Executive Director

The new year brings another president campaign and election into greater focus. People with disabilities are expected to have major impact on this election, and many campaigns retargeting people with disabilities to gain our votes.

As reported on by Eric Ascher for RespectAbility.org, seven presidential campaigns made history together last November in Iowa as they participated in a Democratic Party forum, Accessibility for All, focused on issues affecting people with disabilities. This is the first time this campaign season that a forum was held specifically on this topic.

The forum was moderated by Catherine Crist, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Disability Caucus, and by Cindy Hanawalt, MD PhD, Immediate Past President of the Linn County Medical Society. Hanawalt’s questions focused more on health care while Crist’s questions focused on employment, education and other disability rights issues, reported Ascher.

Six candidates participated in the Forum themselves: Sen. Cory Booker, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Rep. John Delaney, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and businessman Andrew Yang. Former Sen. Chris Dodd spoke on behalf of Vice President Joe Biden.

The questions were generated by Iowans with disabilities. There were approximately 100 people in the audience at the Forum, with some audience members coming and going throughout the day, wrote Ascher.

This is another sign that politicians are taking our vote seriously enough to direct time to obtain it. Time is second to money as a vital resource to any campaign, and six major candidates spent their time to engage directly with people with disabilities on our issues.

In addition, disability advocates praised last month’s Democratic presidential debate for including a prominent question about how candidates planned to address the needs of people with disabilities. Among the three candidates who got a chance to respond, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s comments drew some of the most lavish praise.

Readers have asked me which candidates have better disability policies, and my answer has been and will be: Look for yourself. Evaluate for yourself. Make your vote count for what is important to

you.

People with disabilities need to value their votes by voting for the candidate whom addresses their needs and values the best.

“My Two Cent” – January 2020

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Norman Smith

As I write these words in December, we have just been notified that Project Freedom has won the Low Income Housing Tax Credit award for our new Hamilton project to be known as “Freedom Village in the Woods”. We still have to obtain a Federal Home Loan Bank Award, which we hope to apply for this coming Spring. This project will mark our twelfth housing community that Project Freedom has created. All our housing is barrier free, making life a bit easier for someone who uses a wheelchair, yet it is also appreciated by someone who is not physically disabled.

Previous special needs housing has been designed for the individual in mind—someone who would live alone. Group homes were formed that would put three or four individuals together, strangers in reality, creating a family of sorts, each “family” sharing a single family home. This model continues today, but really doesn’t guarantee the independence that many people really want. Making your own decisions, and choices, is really what independence is all about. Our housing, because it is leased based housing, provides a greater ability for the individual to preserve their housing independence by not risking their housing option if they need to change their service provider.

More and More, our housing has evolved into real family housing—not just one bedroom units for single individuals. Our housing also includes two bedroom and three bedroom units, creating family environments for those who are disabled, and not disabled. This now creates a new dynamic and greater integration for the person who does have a disability. Real neighborhoods begin and relationships develop, creating a more natural environment for people to live. People start to think about their neighbors—maybe even worry about them if they deviate from their normal routine. They learn their kids’ names and other family members, and often share home baked goods. That is really what being part of a community is all about.

Over the years, I have seen so many success stories from our disabled tenants. One such person, who used a wheelchair and lived in a second floor apartment, had to crawl up an outside stairway in order to get into his apartment. Needless to say, when he moved into one of our barrier free units, it allowed him to access his apartment without that indignity. I have also seen how our young consumers become more responsible, maturing by having to make their own decisions, however small they may be at first. I know in our own family; it is gratifying to see how Jen has become so independent—and more confident in handling her own issues. This is how we all learn to become responsible individuals—by having the opportunity to make those decisions and learn from those outcomes.

So, as this new year begins, we look forward to continuing the journey of creating more barrier-free housing that creates an independent environment for everyone. This year, we hope to open our West Windsor and Gibbsboro developments to new consumers who have the dream of a nice, safe place to live. One that will allow everyone to become independent.

Have a Happy New Year.

September 11th Remembered

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Norman Smith

This month marks eighteen years since the attacks of September 11^th. It is also National Preparedness Month is recognized each September to promote family and community disaster and emergency planning now and throughout the year. The 2019 theme is Prepared, Not Scared. The timing is no coincidence.

For many the memory of that awful September day in 2001 is fading, but my memories are still vivid down to my shirt and tie. The day started out so bright, beautiful, and refreshing, but it ended so dark and frightening. The feeling of anger and uncertainty spread around us like a cloaking fog.

Every year since the attacks, I choose to pay tribute to the three elements that create my memory of that day. First, I honor the life of my friend and colleague Colleen Fraser who died on Flight 93 with those other selfless heroes who may have saved the Capitol or the White House or thousands of other lives. Colleen was a fighter, and she was in good company that morning fighting to take back that plane.

Second, I remember the lives of the 343 FDNY firefighters who died that day. Most knew going into those buildings that some of them would not come out alive. They knew this instinctively by virtue of their experience and profession. They still went in with police officers and EMS personnel to save those who could not save themselves. They went in to save people with disabilities.

And, yes, thirdly, I remember those people with disabilities who died that day in those towers. I was not watching the horror on television that morning. I had a meeting at 10:00, and during that meeting I spoke of Colleen and wanting to connect her with someone. Later, someone told me of the collapse. My very first thought was that many firefighters had just died; my immediate second thought was that many people with disabilities had died as well.

How many people with disabilities died that morning may never be known. We do know that the corporations and government agencies housed in those towers hired people with disabilities. We do know that some people with disabilities made it out because they had a plan, their company had a plan, or some colleague or friend took the initiative to get them out. We do know that others stayed behind not wanting to burden friends, not wanting to get in the way, or just having unwavering faith that the FDNY would get to them. We also know that loyal friends stayed behind with them. We know that some people with disabilities who stayed were rescued but many died with their rescuers.

Every victim of these attacks needs to be remembered and honored. I feel a personal duty to honor Colleen, The 343, and those almost nameless people with disabilities who stayed behind.

Let us all remember the victims and the heroes of September 11,, 2001, by getting prepared and staying prepared. You never know how a bright, beautiful, and refreshing day may end.

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