Nonotuck’s Neighborhood JUNE 2025
Timothy Cronin, who receives services from our Harvard office, recently took a bite out of the Big Apple during a trip to New York City with his Shared Living provider. Timothy has been receiving services for more than 50 years.
etter ro eischner
eorge
Dear Nonotuck Community, As we embrace the warmth and longer days of summer, m reminded of the seasons energy a time to grow, connect, and reflect. This une, we re highlighting the many ways our community continues to foster inclusion, champion e uity, and celebrate shared lives. also want to personally invite you to oin us in honoring Pride Month with a special virtual event on ednesday, une , at 00 , featuring lla Harris of the reater Lowell Health Alliance. lla will introduce The ride laybook, a powerful toolkit designed to center L BT mental health and belonging through evidence based and community informed approaches. hether you re a provider, advocate, or ally, this conversation will offer meaningful strategies for building inclusive spaces all year long. This month, we invite you to step into Brooklyn Street in North Adams, a vibrant intentional community where the values of cooperation, sustainability, and inclusion are lived daily. Brooklyn Street, a program of Nonotuck s, e emplifies what can happen when families, providers, people served and advocates work together to create lifelong homes that reflect dignity and autonomy. t s been an honor to work closely with the people of Brooklyn Street to support their vision of deep community roots and authentic lives which align beautifully with the values of Nonotuck. e also take time this une to observe Juneteenth, a celebration of liberation and a call to continue the work of ustice. At Nonotuck, we ve marked uneteenth as a paid holiday since 0 0, using it as a time for reflection and recommitment. ur iversity, uity, nclusion, and Belonging Committee continues to guide us in building a culture that celebrates difference, confronts racism, and amplifies underrepresented voices not ust on holidays, but every day. une also marks a defining moment in disability rights the Olmstead v. L.C. decision. Twenty five years later, lmstead continues to inspire our mission, reminding us that people with disabilities deserve the right to live in communities of their choosing not behind institutional walls. Yet, the promise of lmstead remains under threat, and we must stay vigilant in defending the rights and dignity of those we serve. inally, we reflect on a deeply moving event held this ay in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. e were privileged to welcome epresentative Tara Hong, the first Cambodian American elected to the assachusetts Legislature. His ourney from rural Cambodia to Beacon Hill marked by resilience, love for community, and fearless pursuit of ustice is a powerful reminder of the leadership our world needs. At Nonotuck, we continue to listen, learn, and grow from stories like his. As we step into the summer months ahead, encourage each of us to seek connection, pursue ustice, and nurture the communities we call home.
armly, eorge H. leischner resident C Nonotuck esource Associates, nc.
tch rook n treet North d s Take a walk through the Brooklyn Street neighborhood in North Adams, A, and you ll see a cooperative community at work. A neighbor might be using the street s shared mower to trim a lawn. You might hear a band comprised of a resident and a neighborhood shared living provider playing music together. A local grocery store worker might be walking to start her shift. A illiams College rofessor who lives in the neighborhood might be cleaning up a local stream with students from the nearby ass College of Liberal Arts. ary Lou Accetta might be reading books from the community lending library to a year old on a porch. Her son elvin might be collecting neighbors trash and bringing it to a landfill. Brooklyn Street is an intentional community a neighborhood designed for cooperation and cohesion, where people of all abilities can form lifelong bonds through shared spaces, tasks, and meals. escribed as an ideal balance of privacy and community, Brooklyn Street strives to be safe, sustainable, and rewarding for residents. Neighbors know each other well, and can choose to sociali e over home cooked meals, or shared activities in a common house. esidents, their family and friends are life long members of the community, where neighbors live sustainably after renovating or building wisely. Brooklyn Street started as a small group of parents seeking new ways to support their adult children with disabilities. Some of them were living at home, while some were languishing in group homes. An institution by any other name is still an institution, Accetta says. e wanted our guys to be part of the larger community. Although many of the residents of Brooklyn street today have disabilities, the community strives for inclusivity for all, regardless of disability. Brooklyn Street is not about people with disabilities it s multi generational, Accetta says. t s about reali ing that everyone has something to bring to the table. hat really makes Brooklyn Street special is every individual who s on it. That said, the neighborhood welcomes and supports people with special needs several of its residents are served by Nonotuck. Nonotuck C resident eorge H. leischner serves on Brooklyn Street s advisory committee and has supported the initiative almost from its inception. Nonotuck and eorge supported us every step of the way. He helped us to clarify what we want. e have a wonderful balance of autonomy and accountability, Accetta says. verything we do is true to Nonotuck values.
tch rook n treet North d s As Accetta puts it, every parent of a child with disabilities is always thinking about the future how to ensure their child is cared for in a sustainable manner after they re gone. That mindfulness e tends to Brooklyn Street s long term operational philosophy. ne of our goals at Brooklyn Street is longevity, sustainability, she says. ith Nonotuck s help, we hope to make that happen. There are people on this street with special challenges who want to make this their lifelong home. e see this as something that will continue beyond us, she says.
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onoring erit ge nd ns iring e dershi N erit ge onth t Nonotuck Nonotuck esource Associates, nc. was honored to recently host assachusetts State epresentative Tara Hong in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and acific slander AANH Heritage onth this ay. At ust 5 years old, epresentative Hong made history as the first Cambodian American elected to the assachusetts Legislature, representing the th iddlese istrict. Hong shared his compelling ourney from rural Cambodia to Beacon Hill a story marked by resilience, civic passion, and a deep commitment to his community. He detailed his family s immigration to Lowell in 0 after the death of his father, overcoming poverty, language barriers, and culture shock. He credited the support of his mother who continues to work in a factory and recently enrolled in community college and the strong Cambodian American community in Lowell as key to his adaptation and success. Although he narrowly lost his first campaign in 0 , he persisted and secured victory in 0 . Hong s election was not only a personal triumph but also a unifying moment for the Cambodian American community in Lowell. Hong closed by encouraging young people to pursue their goals boldly on t let people put limits on what you can and can t do. f you re passionate about something, go for it and never be afraid to ask uestions. epresentative Hong s story reminds us that leadership rooted in lived e perience, love for community, and the courage to keep showing up even when the odds seem stacked is e actly what our world needs more of, says Nonotuck C resident eorge H. leischner. At Nonotuck, we are honored to learn from voices like his as we continue in our perpetual uest to build a culture that celebrates heritage, uplifts resilience, and inspires action.
WATCH VIDEO
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n une , 5, nion Army a . en. ordon ranger rode into alveston, Te as, and told the enslaved population of their emancipation. That day more than two years after resident Abraham Lincoln issued the mancipation roclamation would become the oldest annual celebration of the end of slavery in the .S., known as uneteenth. The original observances of uneteenth in Te as included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. ithin a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, becoming an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the nited States into the st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing. Nonotuck esource Associates has been celebrating uneteenth as a paid staff holiday since 0 0. The Nonotuck community is encouraged to take the day to reflect upon and celebrate black lives and African American history. e used the occasion to reinvigorate our iversity and nclusion Committee, which is responsible for planning future uneteenth celebrations and highlighting the many cultures that make up our community. The Committee helps ensure that Nonotuck is taking an active, action based approach to inclusion and anti racism efforts. As we continue to e ist in a world marked by political divide and public trauma for people of color, it is crucial that we continue a collective dialogue on how we can make a world safe for everyone. Nonotuck offers Shared Living, Adult amily Care and personali ed day services for people with disabilities. ach of our services is dedicated to our mission of providing people with disabilities a choice, a voice and the opportunity to live authentic lives. These values have given us a base through which we can approach diversity and inclusion in our organi ation.
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e have prioriti ed diversity in our hiring practices roughly half of the Nonotuck workforce is comprised of people who identify as African American, Asian, American ndian, acific slander, Hispanic or Latino. e continue to strive to provide space for the voices of people of color to be heard every day, with community wide events and initiatives that we are perpetually e panding. e mention these practices not because we feel Nonotuck, in particular, should be lauded but because we hope these practices will be universally seen as the first steps in a never ending process. hether it s in the human service industry, nonprofit, corporate, private or public sector, it s more timely than ever to be cogni ant of these needs. n 0, Te as was the first state to recogni e uneteenth as a paid holiday. Today, states and the istrict of Columbia recogni e uneteenth as an official state holiday or observance. Legislation to make uneteenth a federal holiday was recently introduced by assachusetts s own Senator d arkey. t s a good start, with much more ground yet to be covered.
e ond the s o ste d r ns or ed is bi it ights hat does it mean not ust to live, but to thrive That uestion lies at the heart of lmstead v. L.C., a landmark Supreme Court case that challenged the institutionali ation of people with mental or cognitive disabilities and affirmed their legal right to live, grow, and participate fully in a community rather than in institutions . The case was brought by the Atlanta Legal Aid Society on behalf of Lois Curtis and laine ilson, two people with mental illness and developmental disabilities who were initially voluntarily admitted to a state run psychiatric unit at the eorgia egional Hospital. espite clinical assessments determining that both were better suited for community based treatment, they remained institutionali ed for several years. iled in 5 and reaching the Supreme Court in , the case resulted in a ruling affirming that mental illness is a form of disability and is therefore covered under Title of the Americans with isabilities Act A A . Title protects any ualified person with a disability from being e cluded from or denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity. The lmstead decision fundamentally reshaped disability rights in the nited States, validating the notion that people with disabilities have an inherent right to live in settings appropriate to their needs. t spurred sweeping reforms at both the state and federal levels, prompting the development of community based services and reducing unnecessary institutionali ation. States were held legally accountable for e panding access to housing, employment, and in home support. At the same time, advocacy organi ations used lmstead to push for enforcement and system wide change. Before the decision, people with disabilities fre uently lived in overcrowded institutions. Stories of poor treatment through neglect or, at times, outright abuse were commonplace. American distrust in these facilities had been rising steadily for decades, beginning with the deinstitutionali ation movements of the 50s and 0s, fueled in part by cultural moments such as en esey s ne lew ver the Cuckoo s Nest and scandals like that of the illowbrook State School.
e ond the s o ste d r ns or ed is bi it ights ollowing the decision, it is estimated that nearly 0 of the people who were institutionali ed in were living in community based care by 0 . This transition has allowed countless people to e perience fuller, more independent lives outside the walls of psychiatric hospitals to which they had once been confined. erhaps most significantly, the ruling shifted power toward people with disabilities themselves emphasi ing personal choice, autonomy, and the right to define one s own life beyond institutional walls. Yet even today, the promise of lmstead remains a work in progress. Long waiting lists, housing shortages, and service gaps continue to pose serious challenges to full community inclusion. As of April 0 5, that legacy is still under threat. n Te as v. ennedy, for e ample, plaintiffs are seeking to eliminate Section 50 of the ehabilitation Act of , a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs receiving federal funding. Lois Curtis and laine ilson passed away in 005 and 0 , respectively, but their legacy lives on for people whose needs can be met in community based settings. State resources and programs inspired by lmstead have improved the lives of countless people with mental disabilities who might otherwise face institutionali ation. n 0 , Lois Curtis was invited to the hite House, where she presented resident Barack bama with a portrait of herself as a child.
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Craig ackson ntegration Specialist 0 0 rehired
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Amalie Sullivan oyce inance Assistant rospect Street, Northampton 0 0 0
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mily Boyle Northampton
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yle onahan eorge irect Support rofessional Con Street, Northampton 0 0 0
athleen Hucknall 0 0
Sochanviphea Loch Assistant to A C Services Lynn 0 0
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ary cCarthy lymouth 0
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imberly ell Hire 05 0
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atthew erris Staff Accountant rospect Street, Northampton 0
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loria Saunders ntegration Specialist 0 05 0 rehired
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