Rallying for Rights in Albany April 6, 2024

At the beginning of April, IAHD Tarrytown staff and some of our Champions took a trip up to Albany to participate in a rally organized by the New York Disability Advocates (NYDA) with their fellow self-advocates. The purpose of the rally was to advocate for a 3.2 % Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and a $4,000 wage enhancement for direct support professionals (DSP) and other essential staff. During this rally, our Champs had the opportunity to meet several New York State legislators, including Mary Jane Shimsky and Rebecca Seawright.

In reflecting on their afternoon in Albany, Champions Matthew, James, Rima, and Hector all felt that experiences like these directly appealing to those in power made them feel like they were helping themselves, others like them, staff, and the world.

Check out the gallery below for a glimpse into their afternoon in Albany. We cannot thank our Champions, IAHD staff, and all those rallying for our rights!

Related Articles

April 21 @ 12:23 pm

All Around IAHD: March 2026

🍀IAHD let their inner Irish loose this St. Patrick’s Day! St. Mary’s and Tarrytown day programs threw parties where everyone donned some sort of green attire. Seen in the last four photos in the below gallery, our Leland residence celebrated one of their own- Steven- and his Irish heritage with…

more
April 21 @ 12:23 pm

IAHD Attends the 2026 NYIN Summit

IAHD cabinet members and Jodi, IAHD self-advocate and board member, attended the first New York Integrated Network (NYIN) Summit on March 31st. This summit brought together the 13 member agencies of NYIN to discuss the future of advocacy and navigating challenges in this field; this included talks from industry leaders…

more
April 21 @ 12:23 pm

IAHD Really Loves to Rally!

IAHD individuals and staff attended multiple rallies in the first half of March held by the New York Disability Alliance (NYDA) to advocate for more state funding for organizations like IAHD, as well as living wages for DSPs. A large group from IAHD, mainly people at the Tarrytown program and…

more