Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...
For more information contact:
Mellissa Lang
Director of Marketing and Public Affairs
phone: 914.949.9300,
ext. 4618
fax: 914.997.2985
or 914.428.0322
mlang@westchesterarc.org
Westchester Arc
The Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center
265 Saw Mill River Road
Hawthorne, NY 10532
914.949.9300
info@westchesterarc.org
24-hour
Crisis Intervention:
914.949.8200
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Westchester Arc Hosts Gateway Center Tour
Envision Possibilities of People with
Developmental Disabilities
HAWTHORNE, NY – SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 – Westchester Arc opens its new Gleeson Israel Gateway Center in Hawthorne, New York. Five years in the making, the Gleeson-Israel Gateway Center symbolizes the potential and rising expectations of people with developmental disabilities who seek greater roles in community life. It is devoted to providing expanded resources to help people with developmental disabilities make residential, career and recreational choices consistent with personal needs and desires.
“The Gleeson Israel Center Gateway is more than just a building,” commented Ric Swierat, Westchester Arc executive director. “It represents a dramatic shift in delivering services to individuals with developmental disabilities—moving away from center-based programs and sheltered workshops to providing more opportunities for full community inclusion.
Through art galleries, a theater and state-of-the-art meeting areas, our Gateway Center stands as a constant reminder of the contributions individuals with developmental disabilities make to the community every day. We believe this progressive approach will greatly benefit our consumers and families, and hope it inspires other agencies to apply similar methods in serving people with disabilities.”
The center is a major improvement to the World War II munitions plant in White Plains that the agency occupied for over 45 years. It provides the “gateway” to person-centered services, support to families, advocacy and leadership which together inspire the community to value the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities.
One of the event highlights was the dedication of the building’s water wall.
“This water wall—a direct request from the individuals with developmental disabilities we serve—represents renewal, refreshment and the contributions they feel they make to the greater community,” commented special guest Dr. Beth Mount, a nationally recognized expert in person centered planning and longtime consultant to Westchester Arc. “The structure represents personal dreams and desires and will serve to inspire Westchester Arc staff as they support these folks in fulfilling their goals and achieving their true potential.”
Westchester Arc is the oldest and largest agency in the county serving children and adults with developmental disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. The agency has long been committed to social inclusion because of the benefits to the entire community.
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