A Girl With A Learning Disability

This past Monday was the Americans with Disability Independence Day. This day commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities act on July 26th, 1990. The ADA was created to make sure that people who are living with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. And when someone neglects to follow this law, LSHV is here to help.

Mrs. Reyes* is a concerned grandparent and guardian of a young child (eight years old) in grade school. Her grandchild was enrolled in general education classes and Mrs. Reyes quickly realized the child was not keeping up academically. The young girl has a learning disability and was several grades behind in reading. She was only receiving an hour a week of specialized reading instruction and Mrs. Reyes knew that a learning disability left unattended can derail progress in the educational process, leading to a disinterest in school and most likely future obstacles. She had to do something.

Mrs. Reyes contacted LSHV and was paired with Hope Turbert, Staff Attorney. Hope listened to the concerns of Mrs. Reyes, gathered all the necessary documents, and advocated on behalf of Mrs. Reyes’ granddaughter. Hope was able to negotiate and ensure the grandchild would get increased instruction - 90 minutes per day of specialized ELA instruction, and moved to a class with a smaller class size so she can get the extra attention she needs!

Hope was able to help Mrs. Reyes because of specialized funding we’ve received from Rockland County. This program provides assistance securing rights for educational accommodations for special needs students and income stabilizing public benefits for their families. Legal assistance protects a student’s right to services which promote self-esteem, social skills, and the ability to master academic milestones that may suffer without access to special education services. Integral to a child’s predisposition to effectively learn is a household that has enough income and nutritional food. With the job and economic losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, financially stressed Rockland parents and guardians have more pronounced needs and identifying the benefits for which their children may be eligible is paramount. This project provides legal assistance to secure those benefits.

*denotes name change

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Staff Spotlights

Romina Pardovich - Bilingual Receptionist

Romina has been with LSHV for the past two years and has learned the importance of the legal system and how helpful we are to the community and clients in need.

She values the importance of family and even though most of her family is in Argentina, she has her mom, two sons, six godchildren and her brother close by.

Romina is a lover of anything chocolate, especially dark chocolate and finds her self saying “When you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine!”

Click here to find out more about this Champion in Justice!

Alicia Vasquez - Executive Secretary

Alicia will be celebrating her six-year anniversary with LSHV in August! She loves the diversity here and enjoys that no two days are ever the same.

Honesty and integrity are the most important values to Alicia and she feels without it, you have nothing.

Fun fact – in her teens, Alicia was on her way to becoming an Opera Singer. She had instructors from the famous Ansonia Hotel in NYC, and although she regrets not pursing that opportunity, she still sings in the shower!

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In Case You Missed it…

Last week, LSHV and other organizations, housing advocates, and elected officials, sat down at a round table led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James to discuss housing solutions when the moratorium is lifted.

It was a thought provoking conversation that exposed the tsunami we are going to face once the eviction moratorium ends.

"People are looking to move and transition without becoming homeless, and there is nothing available, either because of the price, the condition of it, or just plain availability," said Justin Haines, Attorney in Charge - Poughkeepsie.

From Left to right: Jill Fink Faber, Deputy Attorney General for Regional affairs; Christopher Oldi, Pro Bono Director; Patience Hughes, Staff Attorney; Attorney General Letitia James; Jill Soto-Bradshaw, Chief Program Officer; Justin Haines, Attorney in Charge - Poughkeepsie; Chianti Lewis, Staff Attorney; Peter Frank, Senior Staff Attorney

Click Here to Read More!

Shout out to Antonio Iglesias, LSHV Law Fellow and Pat Angley, Senior Staff Attorney who were featured in this month’s Westchester County Bar Association Magazine. See the full spread here!

Upcoming Events

Join Us for the 2021 Equal Access to Justice Virtual Gala and VIP Reception

Pledge Your Sponsorship Today!

Sponsorship opportunities are available now. Please join us as we celebrate Barbara Finkelstein, Retired LSHV CEO and NYS Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

We apologize!

We made an error in the invitation we sent you last week. The Bronze Sponsorship was listed to include four VIP Reception tickets but in fact it only includes two. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and feel free to contact mfox@lshv.org if you have any questions about your sponsorship.

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