Inclusion Matters
MAY 2022
Agency Updates
Advocates Art Gallery
If you have an opportunity to visit Advocates Liverpool office, be sure to check out our art gallery, which is located in the main hallway! Six talented artists who are part of the Advocates family will be featured each quarter, each displaying two works of art and a short bio on the artist.
Kanishk Krishnan

Kanishk Krishnan has been creating art for about 10 years. Because poetry is his preferred medium,
he has been taking poetry lessons for
the past year. His inspiration comes from questions, requests, and events around him.

Kanishk submitted these two beautiful poems he wrote recently.

His first poem, “Wish List” was born from an activity in a Thursday group
he attends.
His second poem, “Mantra for Mind” comes from the struggle in his mind to accept significant change.

Kanishk was without a voice until he was 13 years old. Typing opened his voice and released bottled-up words. “Really, I was born again,” he told us. “Words are my playground."

We thank Kanishk for sharing his gift with us, and it is our pleasure to spotlight his poetry in our Art Gallery.
Kaushik Krishnan

Kanishk is not the only skilled artist in the Krishnan family. Kaushik Krishnan's passion for art began in elementary school, and he has now been creating art for about 16 years. Since graduating high school, Kaushik has continued his art journey at the Eye Studio.

He enjoys creating ceramic art from things that inspire him, and he shared these two gorgeous pieces for us to feature in our Art Gallery. His first work, “Global Peace,” was inspired by the political environment.
This wonderful mask was inspired by the drama that ensues when people have “multiple faces.”

Kaushik strives to make an impact with his art and words to create a positive difference. “Autism and anxiety are always there, but life goes on and so will my art,” he shared with us.

We thank Kaushik for participating in our Art Gallery, as well as for sharing why art is so meaningful to him.
Advocates Community Meetings
Advocates Partners with American Red Cross
Advocates is sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Tuesday, June 28th from 1-6pm. The event will take place at Advocates office in Liverpool.

We thank you in advance for considering participating in this critical mission.
Advocates Virtual Talent & Art Show
In case you
missed it!

Advocates virtually held its annual Talent & Art Show in April.

Many of the skilled artists, musicians, and performers receiving services from Advocates participated, and it was our great pleasure spotlighting them throughout an entire week. If you didn't have a chance to view this year's talent, be sure to check out Advocates Facebook page.

We send our sincere thanks to everyone who submitted an entry to this year's show, family members and Mentors who assisted with submissions, and to our virtual audience, whose support is much appreciated!
Upcoming Events
Advocates Virtual Trainings
Transition Planning for Life After High School:
An Introduction to the Process for Families
Presented by:
Kristine P. O’Brien | School-Age Family and
Community Engagement Center (SA-FACE)
May 31st @ 6pm
The goals of this virtual training are to ensure that guardians, family members, and students can work with their CSE to collaboratively: 
1) Assess their child's strengths, interests, and needs 
2) Establish measurable post-secondary goals and annual goals 
3) Identify appropriate transition services and coordinated activities
Communication Exists in Various Forms: Learn about a journey to communication for those who do not speak
Presented by:
Sherylanne Burke & Srilata Saroja |
Inclusion and Communication Initiatives (ICI)
June 28th @ 6pm
 
This presentation will address the connection between communication, movement, initiation, sensory and the key elements of support; all grounded in a presumption of competence. We will provide an overview of supported typing, communication applications, and assistive technology. 
To register for Advocates trainings,

Please include in your email:
Name of person receiving services
Name/s of person attending
Name of Care Manager
Last Call for Advocates
4th Annual Stroll & Roll!
Advocates 4th Annual Stroll & Roll 5k is almost upon us, and you can register the day of the event! Proceeds will raise awareness and benefit children and adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.
Everyone is welcome to participate, so please feel free to invite your friends and family to support this great cause! You can also invite those that live out of state to participate remotely!
All racers and teams receive a customized t-shirt, race medal, certificate of completion, snack, water, and great swag. Remote racers will receive their packets via USPS. Food Truck Frenzy will be available after the race as well as complimentary chair massages. Special pricing for families and teams!
In conjunction with Advocates Stroll & Roll, we are holding an online auction to raise awareness and support for people with disabilities and their families. While the auction is currently live, we are continually adding new and exciting items to bid on! We have some exciting packages this year, including gift certificates to your favorite dining spots around town, day trips for the entire family, items for the kids, and much more! Please feel free to invite your family and friends; everyone is welcome to participate!

Thank you for your support!
Advocates Kickball - Summer Session
We're Back!

We are happy to announce Advocates summer kickball league is resuming! The 12-week session will run from June 8th to August 24th for people ages 11+ who receive services from Advocates.

The session will be held on Wednesdays from 5 – 6 PM at Carrier Field of Dreams, 1033 Kinne St., E. Syracuse, NY 13057. The fee for this session will be $40 per person. Payments will be accepted at the Liverpool office. Please make your check payable to Advocates Incorporated.
Registration form and check may be mailed to:

Advocates Incorporated
Attn: Finance – Kickball
290 Elwood Davis Road, Suite 101
Liverpool, NY 13088

We will once again be able to sign up the first 60 people that register. A registration form and payment must be submitted to the Liverpool office no later than Friday, May 20th. For more information or to request a registration form, please email Recreation@advocatesincorporated.org
or contact Justin: (315) 412-2605.

Please provide the best phone number to receive text message notifications on the registration form. We will send a text message if we must cancel due to weather or other circumstances. If you feel the weather is not suitable, please do not feel obligated to attend. Safety comes first!

We look forward to seeing everyone back on the field!
Dreamnight at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Friday, June 10th (5:30-8pm)
Admission is free, but registration is required by May 25th.
 
Join us for a very special evening just for you at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo! Tour the zoo, enjoy keeper chats, entertainment, games, activities, a picnic in the courtyard and more! Bring your support person and/or immediate family members. There is a maximum of 4 tickets per guest. Please reach out to your agency if you require more tickets or for assistance registering.

Originating in the Netherlands at the Rotterdam Zoo in 1996, Dreamnight is an inclusive and educational cost-free evening for children with special health care needs and disabilities to enjoy the zoo. Every year on the first Friday in June more than 100,000 participants and their families and friends celebrate Dreamnight on six continents and in 23 countries around the world. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is the only zoo in New York state to take part in this annual global celebration.

Since 2008, many Central New York organizations have worked with us to provide individuals in our community the opportunity to participate in Dreamnight.

Tickets are provided to families served by these organizations. The number of tickets is limited to reduce any risk of exposure or overstimulation for the individuals who attend.
Lives of Distinction
Taylor Perkins
Taylor's Village
You’ve probably heard the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” When that child amounts to a successful adult the way Taylor Perkins has, it’s easy to see why there’s truth to this age-old adage.

Those who have been a part of Taylor’s “village” for some time will tell you that his early life was more challenging due to his disability. "He was a happy and loving little boy but as he developed, we noticed his lack of language and an ability to disappear into his own world,” Taylor’s mother, Dee, told us. “These were the signs of autism and when he was diagnosed in 1998, this was a world before the internet, cell phones, and autism portrayed in tv shows. We had to work really hard to get the latest research." His Mentor of 8 years through Advocates, Christina Adamski, concurred. “He really struggled with social interaction and communication, and this affected everything else,” she said. Taylor’s disability and introversion negatively affected other things, such as his self-confidence and ability to make friends. This wouldn’t last long, however, as those closest to him were determined to lay a foundation of support to ensure that his formative and adult years would look drastically different. 

It took Taylor some time to learn to communicate effectively, but he was able to do this thanks to hard work and the constant support of his parents. This support included the use of therapies, which helped him to use language to meet his needs and successfully communicate with others. According to Dee, it was Advocates that finally got Taylor to come out of his shell. “Over the years, he has formed a group of friends through Advocates,” she said. “He loves working with his Mentors, Christina, Steve, and Anna, and they all take the time to help Taylor be more sociable and create groups of friends who like to do similar things together.” 
“I’ve been beyond blessed working with Taylor, but when we first met, I was always trying to pull information from him,” Christina added. “He’s modeled how his Mentors engage with others, and now he’s texting his friends, asking people if they want to hang out, and asking people how their days are going… It’s all great to see.” Though the support of Taylor’s Mentors has been critical to his success, Dee was quick to credit another key person in his figurative “village.” Her endorsement of Stephany Keans (Taylor’s Care Manager) and the integral role she has played in Taylor’s development exemplifies the importance of one’s entire Circle of Support. “We wouldn't be as successful as we are if it wasn't for Stephany,” Dee said. “She has been with us through all of the planning and changes, and we are so lucky to have such a caring person in Stephany.” While Stephany agrees that it’s been a team effort, she was quick to shift the recognition back to the family.
“Dee and Mark (Taylor’s father) are key in Taylor’s success; they’ve never, ever talked about what he wasn’t capable of doing, but rather what he is capable of doing,” Stephany said. “In my fifteen years of working with them, they never looked at his disability as a negative, and that positive thinking created a solid foundation that Taylor’s success was built upon.”
While every member of Taylor’s Circle of Support deserves praise for his strides in communication and sociability, so does Taylor himself. He also deserves an equal or greater amount of credit for his work ethic, which he demonstrates daily at home and at Tully’s Restaurant, where he will be celebrating 9 years as part of their prep team this August.
“Doing my job at Tully’s makes me feel proud and brings me closer to people like my work friends,” Taylor said. “I like making our customers happy by providing good food.” Though Taylor surely brings customers joy by way of making the restaurant’s famous peanut butter pies, he puts smiles on the faces of more people than he likely realizes. His coworkers value his work ethic and productivity, but not nearly as much as the caliber person he is.

“I look forward to every shift knowing Taylor will be there,” said Shannon Brewer, Taylor’s coworker and Head of Tully’s Prep Department. “He is always in a good mood and he’s super eager to help everyone any way he can. I’ve said this a million times: we at Tully’s could not do the business we do without him, and I wish I had a kitchen full of Taylors.” With his experience, added responsibilities, and strong work ethic, it’s no wonder that even the Restaurant’s lead manager is impressed by the job he does. “He is fast and efficient and is just such a valued member of our team,” said Tully’s Manager, Elissa Quigley. Taylor’s goal is to continue his growth at Tully’s while also focusing on his responsibilities and interests outside of work.
When he isn’t working or helping around the house, you can find him pursuing one of his many hobbies or interests in the community. He loves taking day trips to places such as theme parks, the Corning Museum of Glass, Alexandria Bay, and The Museum of Intrigue. Because he’s active and enjoys being outdoors, you may run into him at the YMCA, Onondaga Lake Park, or playing sports such as Challenger Baseball, where he will remarkably begin his 22nd season this June. Taylor adores playing the game and the camaraderie the league provides – a chance to hang out with his friends and Mentors, as well as his parents, who administrate the league. He also enjoys traveling, writing, baking, art, and bowling. He has been a top player in the Upstate Medical Bowling League for over 7 years, and was recently awarded a large trophy for producing one of the top averages in the league.

Taylor will still face challenges presented by his disability, but his successes are many and his future is bright thanks to the people that will always be there to support and guide him. So, if you happen upon Taylor one day, be sure introduce yourself to learn more about these successes as well as his dreams. You’ll be glad you did because he is quite the conversationalist these days.
And, if you’re fortunate enough to get to know the Perkins family, we believe you’ll have the same admiration of Taylor’s village that we do. “The successes that Taylor has had have been successes that Dee, Mark, and his Mentors have had as well, because it’s been a total team effort,” Stephany said.
If you have a caring family member or friend who is looking for meaningful work and the opportunity to support someone as inspirational as Taylor, please encourage them to
apply on our website. We look forward to meeting them!
ADVANCING INCLUSION | EMPOWERING FAMILIES | CREATING COMMUNITY