From left, RCAL staff members Brooklyn Johnson and Tanesha Skinner, RCAL board chair Melissa LaPriere and Maureen Brevett, executive director of the nonprofit’s board of directors, spell out the agency’s initials as they march down Broadway in Kingston, N.Y., during RCAL’s Disability Awareness Parade on Saturday, July 20, 2024. (Dwayne Crews/Daily Freeman)
KINGSTON, N.Y. — “We’re Here” was the message of those who took part in the Accessible Living Resource Center’s Disability Awareness Parade on Saturday, July 20th.
The procession began in a municipal parking lot near Frank Guido’s Little Italy in Midtown, walked up Broadway, turned left onto St. James Street, and ended with a resource fair and children’s activities at Keegan Ailes and People’s Place.
Representatives from RCAL, people with disabilities, government agencies and nonprofits serving the disability community, as well as advocates and Ulster County officials, participated in the march. Joining the usual floats and decorated vehicles were people in motorized wheelchairs and those in non-motorized wheelchairs pushed by staff from the state Office for Developmental Disabilities.
“We’re just like everyone else,” said RCAL CEO Anthony Mignone. “We want to be proud and we want to show the world who we are.”
Mignon praised all the organisations in attendance, adding: “We are here to support you. We will help you get what you need to live independently in your community.”
Board chairwoman Melissa LaPriere said she is excited to see the parade expand since it was first held last year. “The bigger it gets, the more awareness it brings,” she said.
Willow Baer, acting director of the state Department of Developmental Disabilities, said the agency participated to highlight the diversity of disabilities.
“It’s important that people with disabilities strive to be part of the community and not be defined by their disability,” Baer said.
Rose Dessanges, RUPCO’s human resources director, organizational employee and community engagement, said she was there to showcase the programs the nonprofit affordable housing provider has for people with disabilities. The programs range from housing to retrofitting homes to make them accessible to seniors and people with different abilities. During the event, she blew bubbles using a battery-powered machine, entertaining children and adults alike.
Alex Steer, a former owner of Home Plate Deli who serves on the RCAL board, has a daughter who uses a power wheelchair and said it made him aware of accessibility issues around Kingston.
“I think about it every time I go to a restaurant or to the Ulster Performing Arts Center,” he said. “Will she be able to get on the sidewalk? There are a lot of people in our community who rely on alternative forms of transportation.”
Maureen Brevett, executive director of the RCAL board of directors, said they came out because the nonprofit is an integral part of our community and they want to help raise awareness of the organization’s work to help people with disabilities.
Melissa VanWyck and Holly LaPier, both of Kingston, were excited to be part of the parade. Melissa Watts, of Highland, attended with her son, Devin McNeill, who marched in a power wheelchair with her grandmother, Mary Watts.
“Ulster County Councilwoman Gina Hansat (R-Lloyd) had been talking to us about this and we knew it would be a great thing to have Devin come,” Watts said.