THINKING BIGGER
Rensselaer County to join Troy in program to foster inclusiveness
TROY, N.Y. » The city of Troy was among the first communities to sign on to an initiative devised by a downstate official with a goal of improving inclusiveness and access to public services and facilities for those with disabilities.
About a year and a half after the city joined Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro’s fledgling Think Differently program, Rensselaer County Executive- elect Steven McLaughlin said the county will make the same commitment to help officials and the public at large to think differently about those with physical, mental and emotional disabili- ties. McLaughlin announced the plan at a Tuesday morning news conference in the Houston Field House at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where that college’s men’s hockey team also announced it will continue an annual tradition by hosting its sixth Autism Awareness Game — the only such game in the nation — next month.
“It’s just a great way for Rensselaer County to embrace this issue,” McLaughlin said Tuesday. “It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for the county to think differently, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Molinaro, a former colleague of McLaughlin in the state Assembly who has a daughter on the autism spectrum, introduced the
idea in Dutchess County in 2015. Since then, that county has offered supportive training, encouraged community development to expand accessibility and held events for children and families living with special needs. Through its Community Development Block Grant program, funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the county has also funded numerous projects in local municipalities that improve access to facilities and resources.
“Marc is certainly well in tune with this, with the issues that parents face and that people with special needs face, as well,” McLaughlin said.
Mclaughlin said he plans to seek out opportunities throughout county government to better serve those with special needs. He specifically said he wants to target rural parts of the county, where services aren’t as readily available as in cities like Troy.
“Sometimes, just by the nature of where we live, there are more services available,” he explained. “The beautiful rural nature of Rensselaer County is also a hindrance is some ways to developing services, so we’re going to try to make sure we get our arms around those folks out there in those communities that could use some special attention, as well.”
Another area of his focus is public safety, where McLaughlin said he wants to ensure police and emergency dispatchers are properly trained to deal with people with special needs.
“Folks with special needs may react differently when the police show up,” he explained. “We want to make sure we are prepared for that.”
Another arm of that plan is helping those with special needs to find productive jobs.
“I want to make sure we are reaching out to the employment community, so they’re paying attention to folks that have different needs, as well,” McLaughlin explained. “We also can work with our folks in employment and training so that we’re well aware of what’s going on around the county, as well.”
That was good news for former City Clerk Terri Kippen, who has two children on the autism spectrum and with her husband, Jason, founded Spectrum Employment Services, which works to match special needs clients with jobs.
“Hiring people with disabilities is good business,” she said.
Both McLaughlin and Kippen hailed Troy’s effort, led by City Council President Carmella Mantello, who is also the mother of a special-needs child. The city held a forum in September as the first official event of its program, bringing together local officials and community leaders to begin a dialogue on how to foster inclusiveness in all areas of daily life.
“I’m seeing awareness, which is a good thing,” Kippen said. “Companies are reaching out and asking how they can help, how they can get involved.”
At Tuesday’s news conference, officials also announced the RPI men’s hockey program will host its Autism Awareness Game against St. Lawrence at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, in the fieldhouse. The annual game is played without music, without bright lights, even without the loud goal horn, so people on the autism spectrum can enjoy a sporting event without the loud noises and distractions that would otherwise bother them.
“Kudos to RPI for doing this for the community,” McLaughlin said. “It’s fantastic, so we’re certainly looking to continue that, as well as talking to movie theaters about doing sensoryfriendly movies.”
The annual game was started by former coach Seth Appert, whose mother is a retired special education teacher, and grew into a larger effort that also saw players going out into the community to work with people with special needs. Though Appert was fired at the end of the 2016-17 season and former Canisius coach Dave Smith was brought him to replace him, Smith said continuing the game was important to him and the team.
“I think Coach Appert and the others who developed this had the right intentions,” Smith explained, “and that’s to give back to the community and raise awareness. To continue the involvement, to continue all the positive things that go around being involved in this, is a great opportunity for all of us.”
Players said they look forward to the game, especially to introducing younger children to hockey in a way that is safe and not threatening to them.
“It’s special to see the smiles on those kids’ faces and to be able to give them that sort of opportunity that normally they wouldn’t be able to get,” said senior captain Jared Wilson, who attended the news conference with junior forward Jesper Öhrvall from Sweden and Öhrvall’s brother, Emil, a freshman forward. “The fact that it’s the only one in the country is a very big honor, too.”