Linda Press

JSDD is always looking forward to the arrival of spring, and still this was a very busy winter. The expansion of residential opportunities which will support ten (10) additional men and women is just one of the newest agency highlights. This new supervised apartment project in West Orange is the result of the collaboration for which we honored developer, Rocco Varma at JSDD’s Annual Gala in November 2023.

On May 10th, JSDD held its first in-person Family Information Session since before the pandemic. There were more than 35 residential and WAE Center family members in attendance to participate as Linda Press, Executive Director and Harry Klein, WAE Center Director, provided updates on agency activities and shared news about upcoming new projects. In addition, Danielle Crum, Support Coordination Supervisor & Coordinator of Disability Services, JFS MetroWest and Michael Levinson, Chair, MetroWest ABLE discussed Coordinated Care of MetroWest (CCM).  CCM is a service provided to offer short & long-term case management for care plans. It is designed to support individuals when guardians/family members are no longer able to act as advocates for their child/sibling in need of assistance.  CCM helps […]

It’s hard to believe we’re less than two months away from the premier of Chairs of Inclusion at the WAE Center’s Anniversary Gala, November 2.  Our staff has been working diligently on both the Chairs project and the Gala, and their efforts are really showing results. Here’s a peek at what’s happening: Our Chairs are attracting a lot of attention. Several are already on exhibit at the Rutgers NJ Medical School Fall Arts Festival in the school’s first floor gallery, 185 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ. This exhibit features two of Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern’s“Dialogue of Four Chairs” paintings along with Yvette Lucas’ “Care Chair.” If you are near the Medical School, stop by and check the exhibit out. It is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, and […]

To honor the 10th Anniversary of JSDD’s WAE Center, I am so pleased to announce that we have a large scale collaborative art project underway called Chairs of Inclusion. We commissioned ten professional artists to create a piece about INCLUSION.The artists employedvarious mediums to show their interpretation as a full-scale chair.  Each artist brought an idea of what they wanted to produce and worked with the WAE Center member-artists to realize that vision. That’s when amazing things started to happen:Creating these bright, beautiful, joyful chairs was as transformative for the professional artists as it was for the contributing member-artists. These chairs are wonderful examples of how people with disabilities can make meaningful contributions in every aspect of life, and in doing so, […]

We are delighted to be launching our new website.  This more dynamic web presence will allow us, at JSDD and the WAE Center, to provide you with more timely information regarding recent and upcoming events, new products and news pertaining to systems changes for both residents and WAE members. Product offerings will continue to grow and evolve to highlight the extensive talent of the men and women participating at the WAE Center, JSDD’s alternative learning program. Updates with respect to changes in eligibility for program participation (Community Care Waiver – CCW) will be included in this note from the Executive Director as information becomes available.  Opportunities for additional resources to individuals and their families will be posted here, as well. […]