Ramirez June Initiative
Grantee: Office for New Americans (ONA)
Project Goal:
The ONA Ramirez June Initiative was created to support new Americans with developmental disabilities and their families in New York State.
Project Summary:
New American families who faced complex barriers to accessing services for their family members with developmental disabilities in New York State inspired ONA and the CDD to create the Ramirez June Initiative. The initiative is named after two new American families who live in New York State, the Ramírez family and the family of Siewling (June) Lum.
The ONA Ramirez June Initiative was created to assist new Americans with developmental disabilities and their families in connecting with vital resources, information, and services in New York State. Some new Americans may not have records that a disability occurred during their development (before they were 22 years old). New Americans might not always have medical records from their country of origin, or they might not have had their disability identified by a medical professional.
The Ramirez June Initiative also engages with the wider new American disability community in NYS to better understand barriers and how to improve accessibility and inclusivity for all individuals with disabilities.
Project Impact:
“The Ramirez June Initiative is a unique project targeted to new Americans with developmental disabilities in the United States. I think it's wonderful. I have not heard of any other state having anything like this. And this gives us lots of encouragement. Because we know that on the government level, we have people who notice us, we have people who care about us and support us.”
- Bin Feng, CDD Council Member & Family Peer Advocate
ONA Ramirez June Initiative Final Report
This Final Reports shares about the achievements of the Ramirez June Initiative to increase access to services for immigrants with disabilities in New York State.
Voyage, a Multilingual Resource Book for Families
The ONA Ramirez June Initiative created Voyage a free, multi-lingual resource to help new American families with young children identify disabilities and get help early. Sign up to receive free copies of Voyage as well as informational material about the early identification of disabilities created by the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” mailed to you at no cost. Informational materials are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, and Somali.
ONA Ramirez June Initiative Resource Guide
This Resource Guide, “Accessing Services for New Americans with Disabilities in New York State” intends to assist service providers in supporting new Americans with disabilities and their families in accessing services.
ONA Ramirez June Initiative Impact Video
Learn about the Ramirez June Initiative and the project partners by watching the impact video.
Project Details:
- Total Funding: $750,000
- Project Length: 5 years
- Contract Start: July 1, 2019
- Geographic Reach: Statewide
- Project Status: Complete