BIPOC Disability Justice Summit: Our Presence is Our Power Brunch
On September 6th, 2023, staff members, Cherie, Emily and Kevina attended BIPOC Disability Justice Summit: Our Presence is Our Power Brunch hosted by The NAMED Advocates. We had the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, share stories, and further our collective mission towards inclusion and equity.
(Left to Right), ECNV staff Cherie Takemoto, Emily Kudron and Kevina Brown posting together for a photo at the summit.
ECNV Meets with Mark Madrid
On Thursday, August 31, 2023, ECNV discussed the importance of support for entrepreneurs and business owners with SBA Assistant Administrator, Mark Madrid and his great team.
(Left to Right), SBA Washington Metropolitan Area District Director, Larry G. Webb; ECNV Executive Director, Dominique Dunford-Lack; SBA Assistant Administrator, Mark Madrid; Director of Multicultural Families, Rosalia Fajardo; and Director of Disability Justice, Cherie Takemoto.
Other Events
On September 30, 2023, ECNV attended the Hispanic Heritage Month at Culmore. The event was a blast! ECNV staff distributed COVID-19 home test kits to families and event attendees.
Then, on October 3, 2023 ECNV attended the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration to honor LBGTQ Latine Lobbyists, Advocates and Allies, a colorful celebration of our diversity!
Collage (Top Row, Left to Right) Culmore residents dressed in traditional costumes; a Hispanic mother carrying her child on her back; people marching in the street.
Collage (Bottom Row, Left to Right) Rosalia Fajardo from ECNV in black blouse with Luis A. Quiñones (he/him), from Unidos US; Jose Gaona from Latinxhistoryproject and a group of attendees; right Rosalia with Art Motta Director of Government Affairs & Public Policy for National Hispanic Medical Association.
Hispanic Heritage Events Around Town
On September 19-21 2023, ECNV Rosalia Fajardo Director of Multicultural Families was invited by Televisa/UNIVISON event sponsor, to attend the largest gatherings of Latino leaders in the country - the CHCI 2023 Leadership Conference and 46th Annual Awards Gala taking place in Washington D.C. during Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) on September 19-21, 2023.This year's theme was Our Moment in History. The CHCI HHM events are a celebration of the invaluable contributions Latinos have made and continue to make to the fabric of the nation in all fields. The Leadership Conference is a call to action to continue to build on that progress, ECNV is part of that history!
Collage: (Top Row, L-R), Latina attendees wearing business dress at the conference on stage, U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security, Isabel Casillas SBA Director and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra; Rosalia Fajardo; US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.Right Rosalia Fajardo.
Collage: (Bottom Row, L-R), Rosalia Fajardo in black pants and animal print blouse; US Secretary of Health, and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaking at a podium; an African-American male; Marvin Figueora , Rosalia Fajardo, an African-American male.
Adventures in Loudoun
In the late summer, Andrew Shaw provided instruction to Liza Unverzagt in how to successfully use the bus in Loudoun County to areas such as Downtown Leesburg, One Loudoun, and finally the Metrorail that had opened in Ashburn and how to use it.
Image: Caucasian woman with a blonde ponytail and glasses smiling while on a Loudoun County bus lift outside the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg.
What’s New with RAMP?
For those readers who do not yet know what RAMP is, RAMP stands for the Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program. It is a career-focused mentoring program for students with disabilities, aged 14-22, that is funded by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and will be offered during the 2023 – 2024 school year to eligible students residing in Fairfax County and referred by both the Fairfax and Alexandria DARS offices.
Image: RAMP logo.
I Am Self-Advocacy: End of Summer 2023 Session Update
The IASA Program is a Pre-Employment Transition Service (Pre-ETS) focused on helping students with disabilities, ages 14-22, hone their skills in self-advocacy through a combination of individual and group sessions. Funded by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), this program is offered to students referred by the Fairfax, Alexandria, Leesburg, and Manassas DARS offices.
Three circles overlapping each other with words Self Advocate in the center and words Motivated, Committed, and Passionate on each circle.
ECNV Recognizes Dr. Sergio Rimola During Hispanic Heritage Month
Originally from Guatemala, Sergio migrated to the United States in 1985 during the civil war unrest in the Central American Country. He graduated from Medical School at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala and completed a residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology before migrating to the United States. Once in the US he learned English and passed the requirements for foreign medical graduates, enrolled and finished a residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sisters and Charity Hospital affiliated with SUNY at Buffalo.
Image: Dr. Sergio Rimola
Rosalia in El Tiempo Latino
Rosalia, her advocacy for people with disabilities, and her work at ECNV were featured in today’s front-page article in El Tiempo Latino!
ECNV Director of Multicultural Families, Rosalia Fajardo.
HHS Proposes to Strengthen Protections Against Discrimination Based on Disability
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a historic notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This NPRM is the most significant update to Section 504 in 50 years! This is a critical update and a huge win for the disabled community!
Rehabilitation Act 50 banner with the tagline, “Advancing Access and Equity: Then, Now and Next.”
2023 ECNV Vaccination Events
With funding from USAging’s Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), ECNV is organizing community vaccination events especially for seniors and people with disabilities.
Highlights Of Hispanics in the Disability Field who have been Making a Huge Impact In Our Community
ECNV highlights Hispanics with a Disability, who are making an impact in the community.
(Left to Right) Marlene Sallo and Diana Varela.
World Alzheimer's Month “Never too early, never too late”
World Alzheimer’s Month is recognized every September and World Alzheimer’s Day is 21 September. This is a global opportunity to educate, support and raise awareness of the continued challenges affecting people with dementia and their families. September is also a time for the world to communicate what their communities are doing to alleviate the stress of daily challenges affected by dementia. This year’s theme is “Never too early, never too late”.
Telemundo News 6pm Highlights ECNV’s Work
On August 30, 2023, Telemundo 6:00 news covered a Community Foundation of Northern Virginia report on the increase in families struggling to meet their basic needs. Reporter Darío López-Capera explained why this increase is happening and highlighted ECNV’s Rosalia Fajardo and the ACT for Alexandria-funded to provide emergency assistance to people with disabilities and other health conditions.
(Left) Rosalia appearing on Telemundo; (Right), Rosalia Fajardo and Cherie Takemoto working side-by-side at a conference table, computer laptops are in front of them.
The LULAC’s Convention & Expo at the Walter Reed Rec Center
On August 12, 2023, ECNV staff, Rosalia Fajardo, travel trainer Hunter Cardwell and volunteer David Aguayo attended The LULAC’s Convention & Expo at the Walter Reed Recreation Center.
(Left) A general view of the attendees at convention; (Right) ECNV intern Maya Flores talking with a consumer about ECNV services; (Bottom) Rosalia Fajardo with DCNV Board Member Sergio Rimola receiving The LULAC Women's Hall of Fame Award at the Virginia Convention.
Back to School Fair at the Bailey’s Community Center
On August 12, 2023, ECNV also attended Back to School at the Bailey’s Community Center in the Culmore area.
(Left) An Asian family receiving COVID-19 home tests kits; (Right) Back-to-School attendees; (Bottom) Rosalia Fajardo, Hunter Cardwell and David Aguayo posing for a photo at ECNV’s table.
Hybla Valley Community Center Resource Fair
On August 12, 2023, ECNV attended the Hybla Valley Community Center Resource Fair.
(Left), Rosalia with ECNV peer intern Margarita Baquero at ECNV staffing the ECNV table; (Right); Participants at resource fair.
ECNV at the Arc State Convention
On July 31, 2023, Rosalia Fajardo, Director of Multicultural Families at ECNV presented “Why One Size Does Not Fit All - Outreach to Latino Families.”
(Left) Rosalia Fajardo in white blouse and black skirt posing with the welcome Arc State Convention display board; (Right) Rosalia presenting with the PowerPoint slides in the background.
What’s New with RAMP?
The Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP) ended its pilot year reflecting on successes and areas of improvement. To wrap up the program, mentees completed their transition plans and set goals for the upcoming year. They also completed surveys and reflected on their RAMP experience. The RAMP Program Coordinator, Kevina Brown, received feedback from mentors, mentees, and their families to learn ways RAMP could continue and improve as a beneficial resource to assist students and their families with achieving career-focused goals and achievements.
(Top Row, Left to Right) A mentee is sitting on a couch holding the RAMP completion certificate in front of her; a mentee with a back shirt and a white baseball cap on backwards is standing behind a table, smiling while holding his graduation gift; a mentee is standing in the middle of his 2 parents while holding his graduation gift, a blue shirt that says “Firefighter in Progress”; a mentee with a red shirt and shorts is sitting down, smiling with his graduation gift (a cookbook) held in front of him.
(Bottom Row, Left to Right) a mentee in a burgundy-colored shirt is smiling and standing outside of his home while holding the RAMP completion certificate in front of him; Kevina is standing with a mentee in front of a green wreath as the mentee with headphones around his neck is holding his RAMP completion certificate in front of him; Kevina and a mentee is sitting with the mentee’s parents in a restaurant booth smiling with drinks on the table; Kevina is standing with a mentee holding his RAMP completion certificate in front of a them as the mentee is holding his graduation gift in front of him.
I Am Self-Advocacy Summer Session Update 2023
The IASA Program is a Pre-Employment Transition Service (Pre-ETS) focused on helping students with disabilities, ages 14-22, hone their skills in self-advocacy through a combination of individual and group sessions. Funded by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), this program is offered to students referred by the Fairfax, Alexandria, Leesburg, and Manassas DARS offices.
Three circles overlapping each other with words Self Advocate in the center and words Motivated, Committed, and Passionate on each circle.