News & Press Releases
June 2011 MEDICAL DAY PROGRAM OFFERS NEW SERVICES, THERAPIES FOR AREA ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
May 2011 THE LEAGUE’S CAREER SERVICES AND LEAGUE INDUSTRIES MOVE TO NEW LOCATION IN TOWSON, MARYLAND
April 2011 LEAGUE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CREATES AUTISM ZONE
March 2011 MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE TO BE HONORED DURING FUNDRAISER FOR THE LEAGUE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
May 2010 LEAGUE INDUSTRIES RECEIVES $2.6 MILLION CONTRACT FROM MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
February 2010 THE LEAGUE GETS INTERNATIONAL SEAL OF APPROVAL, Only Maryland Non-profit to Receive Coveted Accreditation for Autism Services
January 2010 LEAGUE INDUSTRIES JOINS DISABILITY MAGAZINE TEAM, Celebrates Re-Launch of I.D.E.A.L. Magazine
June 2011 MEDICAL DAY PROGRAM OFFERS NEW SERVICES, THERAPIES FOR AREA ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES
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BALTIMORE, MD – In response to results from a recent survey, The League for People with Disabilities, one of the City’s leading non-profits, will expand and enhance its Medical Day program for adults with physical and cognitive disabilities beginning this May, 2011.
According to The League’s CEO and President David Greenberg, The League is responding to surveys that reveal adults with disabilities are interested in a well-rounded program that addresses all their needs in one convenient location. “We are excited to announce this new initiative that includes partnerships with Progressive Health Services and Hope Health Services,” notes Greenberg. “By joining forces with these top rated health organizations, we are able to provide a wider range of therapeutic and rehabilitative services for our participants,” he explains.
The newly expanded Medical Day program will offer a holistic, specialized approach that is customized for each individual. Adults can now choose to receive rehabilitation services and mental health counseling as well as participate in recreational activities and specialized classes that build new skills and abilities.
Under the direction of Dr. Sandeep Singh, of Johns Hopkins Medicine and Good Samaritan Hospital, some participants are now receiving therapies for physical disabilities like Cerebral Palsy through the use of Botox injections for muscle relaxation and a Dynasplint System that maintains muscle relaxation and extends range of motion. Exercise and aquatic therapy classes in The League’s Wellness Center and recently renovated, heated therapeutic Pool supplement these therapies.
Through Hope Health Services, adults can also benefit from individual, family, or group counseling as well as receive crisis intervention assistance. “Our goal is to look at every facet of an individual’s health and develop an individualized care plan that addresses each need – from physical to social – and that ultimately improves quality of life,” notes The League’s Medical Day Case Manager Erin Hayden. Fostering social skills and life-long learning are the goals of the new recreational programs offered at the Medical Day program. A wide range of classes – from art therapy and cooking to music and pottery-making – provide a respite from physical rehabilitation. Participants can also join The League’s sports teams for bocce, basketball, and Special Olympics.
May 2011 THE LEAGUE’S CAREER SERVICES AND LEAGUE INDUSTRIES MOVE TO NEW LOCATION IN TOWSON, MARYLAND
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BALTIMORE, MD – Two divisions of The League for People with Disabilities, League Industries and The League’s Career Center, have moved to a new location in Towson, Maryland. League Industries, a business service of The League offering mail, copy, print and assembly services, is now located at 8808 Orchard Tree Lane, Towson, MD 21286. The Career Center, The League’s vocational program, is now located next door at 8806 Orchard Tree Lane. The reason for the move from The League’s Baltimore City headquarters was two-fold: to accommodate the growing needs of the non-profit’s programs and services both on and off site, as well as to distinguish its business service as an independent and self-operating entity.
A leader in workforce training of persons with disabilities, League Industries now has a 5,400 square foot site that offers a more spacious and professional work environment for its employees. Those employed include participants of The League’s Career Services program and, more recently, local community members with disabilities who work in newly created positions made possible by a recent $2.6 million contract from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The new site is fully equipped to accommodate a significant increase in volume, as well as the hiring of additional employees as needed to propel the expansion of this unique business service. Currently, League Industries provides mail, copy, print, or assembly services for more than 80 business and non-profit clients in the Baltimore metro region.
According to The League’s Vice President Stephen Freeman, this new, convenient location will enable League Industries to function as a distinct business entity, increasing its ability to provide workforce training and jobs for Baltimore residents with disabilities. “Our goal is to further establish League Industries as a leader in the mail-house service business,” Freeman notes.
As a result of its relocation, The League’s Career Services program is now able to serve a greater number of unemployed residents with disabilities. In the past two years, the average number of participants who attend this program has grown more than 30%. For its 160 participants and 11 staff members, the new office represents a more scholastic and professional environment at which participants attend classes and receive job training. Adds Vanessa Foster, Director of Employment Services, “This was an important move for our program and our participants. The new site more closely resembles a true work environment, which has a significant impact on the preparedness of participants to enter the workforce.”
At The League’s headquarters on East Cold Spring Lane, several of its programs have already expanded into the space made available by the move. These changes are allowing the non-profit to provide services to new participants, offer new employment opportunities, and create a more suitable environment for its programs and services.
April 2011 LEAGUE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CREATES AUTISM ZONE
What is it really like to have autism? How does autism affect perceptions of sights and sounds? During April as National Autism Awareness Month, The League for People with Disabilities will host its second annual “Autism Zone” to help foster a better understanding of this condition and how it affects the daily lives of individuals and their families.
On Monday, April 25, 2011, the public will have the opportunity to get in the “zone” and “walk in the shoes of a person with autism” explains The League’s Autism Services Vice President Tyeisha Jones. The League’s counselors will use a variety of activities at tactile, auditory, and sensory stations to create the experience of this condition. This event is free and open to the public. More information about the event is available by calling 410-323-0500, extensions 376.
The Autism Zone is part of The League for People with Disabilities Autism Services and Programs, which was the first program in Maryland and one of only a select few in the United States to receive accreditation from the internationally recognized Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The League’s Autism Services also include an after-school program for children with autism, in-home services for children with autism, and respite care for families.
March 2011 MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE TO BE HONORED DURING FUNDRAISER FOR THE LEAGUE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
The League for People with Disabilities, one of the region’s leading non-profits, will pay tribute to Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake during its annual fundraiser, “Toast to the League” on Saturday, April 16, 2011. This year’s event will also honor Ken Capone, Public Policy Coordinator at People on the Go of Maryland, as Advocate of the Year, Merritt Properties LLC as Corporate Advocate, and Wendy L. Shiff as Special Honoree.
The “Toast” event will benefit The League’s programs for more than 2,000 children and adults with disabilities in Maryland. The event will feature a tantilizing buffet by Innovative Gourmet, performances by the Cold Spring Jazz Quartet and, as always, a silent auction. Tickets to the event are $150 and must be purchased in advance. For more information or tickets, call 410-323-0500 x311.
May 2010 LEAGUE INDUSTRIES RECEIVES $2.6 MILLION CONTRACT FROM MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
League Industries, the business service of The League for People with Disabilities, has received a $2.6 million contract from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to provide printing and mailing services for the State’s Child Care Subsidy Program. The five-year contract, the largest in League history, will provide employment and job training opportunities for local residents with disabilities.
According to League Senior Vice President for Employment, Wellness, and Day Habilitation Stephen Freeman, the MSDE contract is a major step forward for the goals and mission of League Industries and The League in general. “We now have the opportunity to show that League Industries can be a major player in the mailhouse service business and in the workforce training of people with disabilities,” notes Freeman. “Our goal for League Industries is to not just break even, but to create a true social enterprise that will help fund other key League programs serving persons with disabilities.”
As part of the MSDE contract, League participants will print over 6 million pages and more than 1.3 mailings annually, including vouchers for individuals receiving subsidized childcare throughout the State. The League will also print and mail more than 100,000 letters and 52,000 newsletters annually. All work will take place at The League’s headquarters at 1111 East Cold Spring Lane.
The State contract is one of many recent milestones for League Industries. Earlier this year, League Industries began printing i.d.e.a.l. (Individuals with Disabilities Express About Life) magazine, a new, Philadelphia-based quarterly. League Industries also provides reproduction, mailing and document management services for more than 80 businesses throughout the Baltimore metro area.
February 2010 THE LEAGUE GETS INTERNATIONAL SEAL OF APPROVAL, Only Maryland Non-profit to Receive Coveted Accreditation for Autism Services
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(Baltimore, MD) The League for People with Disabilities, Inc. announced today that the organization received a Three-Year Accreditation from CARF International (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities). This is the first accreditation the international accredited body has awarded The League.
According to CARF, this accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows The League’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable.
Heralded for demonstrating excellence in Family Services, Employment Services and Community Integration, The League received CARF accreditation for their Day Habilitation and Vocational Services programs, along with the distinct honor of receiving accreditation for ASAP – the League’s Autism Services and Programs.
According to League President and CEO, David A. Greenberg, “Receiving CARF accreditation for the maximum three years was an incredible accomplishment. However, learning that we are the first organization in Maryland and one of only a handful in the country to receive accreditation for autism services was beyond thrilling. We are ecstatic!”
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
Founded in 1927, The League for People with Disabilities, Inc. provides a range of services and programs developed to help individuals with disabilities gain independence, increase self-sufficiency and improve quality of life. For more information visit www.leagueforpeople.org and/or www.carf.org.
January 2010 LEAGE INDUSTRIES JOINS DISABILITY MAGAZINE TEAM, Celebrates Re-Launch of I.D.E.A.L. Magazine
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The League for People with Disabilities, Inc.has joined forces with the publisher of I.D.E.A.L. magazine, to help distribute a new quarterly magazine covering information about and for the disability community.
The League’s print shop and bulk mail house, League Industries, will serve as the official printer and mail house for I.D.E. A. L. magazine which is an acronym for Individuals with Disabilities Express About Life.
According to the magazine’s CEO/Founder, Zarifa Roberson, “I.D.E.A.L magazine will create a new and positive image for young people with disabilities and, hopefully, help eliminate the stereotypes about people with disabilities in society.” Ms. Roberson states that she started the magazine so people can express their opinions on topics such as education, careers, sex, sexuality, love relationships, family, policies and more. She feels that expressions on these matters from people with disabilities are seldom communicated in a very public way and hopes that I.D.E.A.L magazine will become the “voice” of the disability community, “educating and bringing cultural awareness about our community to people at all levels of ability.”
The League’s President & CEO, David A. Greenberg, is very pleased to be working with Ms. Roberson and her staff on what is sure to be a big hit with League participants and their families. Greenberg states, “We currently serve over 2,000 individuals and families with various backgrounds and interests and opinions. It’s great that Zarifa is putting together so many voices and stories to show the diversity and extent of ideas and opinions within the community of people with disabilities. The possibilities for stories and articles are endless.”
“Ms. Roberson’s I.D.E.A.L. magazine will provide a needed educational voice to provide important information to strengthen the health, safety, and economic power of individuals and families in our Baltimore Community, “says Dr. Nollie P. Wood, Jr., Executive Director, Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities.
The magazine kicks off with a special reception at The League’s headquarters, located at 1111 East Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore, on Friday, January 15th, from 10:30am to 12:00pm. For subscription information and/or editorial queries email zarifaroberson@hotmail.com or call 215-200-8387.
The League for People with Disabilities, Inc. was founded in 1927 and provides a range of programs and services developed to help people with disabilities gain independence, increase self-sufficiency and improve quality of life.