Advocacy & Community Education
It is our goal to advance the quality of life, dignity, equality, self-determination and freedom of choice of persons with disabilities. We will work with you to ensure that you have access to activities, services and benefits to which you are entitled.
We also engage in community education, including on-site activities at day schools and community-wide educational programming to inspire understanding, inclusion and change.
How We Help
- Collaborate with day schools, residential services, special needs professionals and more.
- Advocate for consultations, program development and facility adaptation support.
- Sensitivity Training Program—appropriate for children through adults—which can be presented at schools, synagogues, churches and other community forums.
Meet the People We Help
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Leah is a smart seventh-grader who does well academically at her religious day school, but had behavioral problems because of her bipolar disorder. Her mother believed her teachers weren’t responding well to her daughter’s special needs and sought help from JF&CS in approaching the school about her concerns.
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Jackson is teased regularly and sometimes even bullied by his classmates, who don’t understand that his unusual behaviors are caused by autism. His teachers called JF&CS in hopes of finding a way to help their other students understand what life is like with autism and other disabilities.
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A single mom of two young girls with autism was being threatened with eviction from her apartment by her landlord because her daughters have noisy tantrums she cannot control. Not knowing where to turn for help, Janice called the special needs resource coordinators at JF&CS seeking advice on her legal rights.
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*Name changed to protect client confidentiality.
Contact Information
Linda Pacella Marino
Resource Coordinator
work
5743 Bartlett Street
Pittsburgh,
PA 15217
412.904.5945
lmarino@jfcspgh.org
