Home

Newsletter

Spring 2012 [html]
Summer 2011 [html]
Winter 2010 [pdf]


2012 News

TSA NYC Member Bikes for TS!

Don SeoCongrats and a huge thank you to TSA-NYC member and Doctor of Physical Therapy, Don Seo who spent 22 days biking from NYC to Miami to raise awareness for TS! He finally returns to tell us about some of the difficulties he faced on his journey:

"During the trip, I met many good people and some bad people, and I biked through some good towns and some bad towns. I almost got robbed once in North Carolina late at night, but luckily I was helped by a gentleman who drove me and my bike to the next town. Camping presented other difficulties. One day, when I camped in a park in Virginia, my tent was surrounded by a group of coyotes. After arriving in Florida, I camped on a couple of beaches, and every time, cops woke me up and checked my background. However, after listening to my story, they let me go. Further, I had inflammation on my both knees during the whole trip, and at the end of each day (after biking about 100 miles) my fingers got so stiff that I couldn't even grab my water bottle. Overall, it was such a great experience and hopefully the people I met will share my story with others so more people in the country become aware of TS. I would love to do this again if I have a chance.

To see pictures from Don's journey, visit his facebook page by clicking here!




Lil ArborgastFormer TSA NYC Chairperson Receives National Award
Our very own past Chairperson, Lil Arbogast, has been tapped by TSA National to be awarded with The Viktoria Holm Kramer Volunteer Recognition Award. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding contributions through chapter and affiliated support group development, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, public/professional awareness, and/or advocacy. Please join me in congratulating her! This is a huge honor and she is very deserving. Congratulations, Lil!



Welcome New Board Members!

  • On February 12th we had our annual public board meeting and elected six new members to our Board of Directors. Please join us in welcoming: Gardiner Comfort, Jeff Feuer, Lisa Hazen, Aman Malik, Twiz Rimer, and Richard Schaefer.

  • A big thanks to our retiring members for their dedicated years of service: Joanna Hadjiyanis, Daniel Kamanga, Diane Rabstenek, and Carolyn Renner.

  • And a special thanks to Lil Arbogast who stepped down as Chapter Chair after eight incredible years of leadership and guidance. Please join us in sending Lil our admiration and gratitude!

  • Chelsea White was elected Chapter Chair, Jonathan Marks as Treasurer, and Linda McAndrew as Secretary.

  • Dr. Shawn Ewbank spoke at the meeting about anger and the addition of Attention Deficit Disorder with TS. He answered questions and gave a very interactive presentation.


2011 YEAR IN REVIEW

It is hard to believe that another year is coming to an end. The New York City Chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association has experienced a wonderful year. We forged powerful partnerships, had a fun-fabulous fundraiser and launched our education and awareness campaign; One Tic at a Time with the help of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)

We started our year with a Tourette Talk given by Kathy Giordano. Kathy spoke to our parents about the "Iceberg" that is TS. "It is what you don't see that is often more problematic than the what you can see.

We laughed at the Gotham Comedy Club where we had our annual fundraiser, Take In Comedy. These funds will help us continue build our education and awareness platform, One Tic at a Time.

"We honored Carmen Alvarez, the Vice President of Special Education for the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). Carmen has dedicated her life to helping children with learning issues and it seemed only fitting that we show our appreciation. In partnership with the UFT, we have made huge strides in making One Tic at a Time a reality.

We had 200 special education teachers fill the UFT in October to learn from Sue Conners what it is like to be in the classroom with TS. She gave many practical ways to help the child with TS excel in the school setting.

We had over one hundred guests fill the Metropolitan Room on November 20th to enjoy a delicious brunch and hear four inspiring speakers tell us how they have succeeded with Tourette Syndrome as a constant companion.

We rely on donations for all we do for our TS community. Please send us a donation now, and help us continue to serve the TS family.

Donate!


November 7th


TSA, National and NYC Chapter teamed up with the CDC (Centers for Desease Control) to present to NYC parents and educators to foster a better understanding of how Tourette Syndrome and co-occurring conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Learning Disabilities impact functioning in and out of the classroom. Through the use of an old suitcase and props, Kathy Giordano discusses in a humorous, yet impactful, manner how our 'baggage' can help or hinder effective working relationships between parents and professionals in the context of TS and its associated conditions. Participants learned strategies to use to create the best school outcomes for children with TS and for their families and teachers.



October 20th

Topic: One Tic At A Time - A free educational service provided to NYC schools and organizations to raise awareness within the community and help foster an understanding of how Tourette Syndrome and co-occuring conditions impact learning and funtioning in and out of the classroom.

Special Guest: Sue Conners, M. Ed. Education Specialist.
Ms. Conners is a career educator with expertise in Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders and their impact in the classroom and schools.

This was a great day for TSA-NYC at the UFT. We had over 150 educators from all five boroughs there to learn more about Tourette Syndrome in the classroom and how they can better serve their pint size community. They loved the practical information that Sue Conners had to offer them peppered with humor as Sue always does and were still hungry after the event for even more information. I stayed and spoke to many of these very dedicated teachers one on one sharing a parents perspective and expressing my heartfelt appreciation for their dedication.

There were many AH AH moments as Sue spoke and you saw educators realize that they most likely had a child with TS in their classroom and until this moment hadn't realized it.

Thank you Carmen Alvarez and the UFT for making a day like this possible, it was a WIN WIN for us all.



Take in Comedy
September 12th, 2011

If you were in the house at the Gotham Comedy Club then you know how much fun we had. The New York City Chapter of TSA hosted their annual fundraiser this year at the Gotham Comedy Club.

The evening started downstairs in an intimate setting where we got to chat with old friends and make new friends alike.

The Take a Chance Auction this year was over the top with selections that had something for everyone.

We then moved up to the main room where we kicked the evening off by honoring Carmen Alvarez for her unswerving commitment to special education. Carmen is the VP at large of Special Education for the United Federation of Teachers.
From there we ate, drank and laughed the night away.

If you missed all the fun this year, make a mental note to not miss next year's. We plan on a repeat performance at the Gotham Comedy Club. You can still contribute to this important cause; please visit us at the PayPal link below and make your donation today.

The Northeast Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center

The Disability Business and Technical Assistance Center-Northeast ADA Center (DBTAC-NE) at the Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University provides information, referrals, resources and training on the ADA. You may find more details on what they do for employment practices and the rights of the disabled on their website:

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/dbtacnortheast/


We would love to hear from you. Do you have any interesting news, accomplishments, stories, or upcoming events to share with the TS community? If so, please email us at: Chapter@tsa-nyc.org


Interested in becoming a Youth Ambassador?

TSA’s Youth Ambassador Program trains kids and teens to talk about TS with their peers. The program gives young people with TS, their siblings, friends and classmates the preparation they need to speak about TS before their peers at school, sports leagues, scout troops, camps and after school programs.
Visit http://www.tsa-usa.org/People/kids/YouthAm.htm for more information.