Student experience, life
New York State wants to save money for its taxpayers. A laudable desire, but not at the expense of its most vulnerable citizens. In an Op-Ed for the New York Daily News, Dr. Mitchell Shear and Marcia Shear write about their daughter Samantha, a student at JRC. Her progress from a “bloodied and bruised 80-pound girl once […]
Time does fly when you’re having fun! I have been teaching Physical Education at JRC for almost 28 years. I enjoy working with all our students and clients. They make every day exciting. The goal of the Physical Education Program at JRC is to motivate our students and clients to develop lifelong patterns of physical activity. […]
I have had the pleasure of being a nurse at JRC for 2 1/2 years. I have worked in many other places such as hospitals and in-patient mental health facilities, and I have never had such a great work experience as I have had here at JRC. Unlike other facilities where I have worked, I […]
I have been a clinician at JRC for over 20 years. People often ask me how I lasted for so long in such a controversial program. The answer is very simple. I have been a part of a team that has improved the quality of life of so many people. None of the negative comments […]
The JRC clients and students as well as JRC staff are involved in many volunteer and charitable activities throughout the year. The clients and students have hosted many bake sales which have raised several thousand dollars for various charities including the One Fund, a charity created following the Boston Marathon bombings to provide support for victims; to […]
The summer of 1981 was extremely sultry. It was so oppressive, outside activities for the students were cancelled much of the time. The small school building was located in Providence, RI. It housed five or so classrooms with only six students assigned to each one. There were just four group homes in nearby Massachusetts at the time […]
Many years ago I was presented with an opportunity to come join the Judge Rotenberg Center family as the resident chef. I have found it to be one of the most challenging and most rewarding times of my career as a chef. Our menu at the Judge Rotenberg Center is designed primarily around a vegan, […]
As the Referrals Director at JRC, I have the opportunity to encounter a number of agencies that deal with a very difficult population of developmentally and emotionally disabled individuals. These agencies include school districts, psychiatric hospitals, public and private mental health agencies, and criminal courts and affiliated agencies, as well as other service providers. Most […]
The Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) literature is consistent with regard to the value of thorough and precise assessment of the functions of dangerous/disruptive behaviors. Such assessment (whether experimental functional analysis or descriptive functional behavioral assessment) can help to form the development of a behavior intervention plan that is better tailored to the individual’s clinical needs. […]
I am both a parent of a child with several emotional and behavioral issues, and an employee of JRC for over 17 years. When I began in 1997 as a Mental Health Assistant (direct care staff), I was amazed at how well-kept the facility and residential homes are. The facility had an “at home atmosphere” […]