NH Leadership Series

07/08/2025

So what exactly goes into making a park or outdoor space accessible? Let us dive in!

06/30/2025

We are thrilled to invite our community to the upcoming Disability Pride Parade on July 26! Join us in Concord, NH for a 0.3-mile march followed by a festival celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ADA and 50th Year of the DD Act. Stay tuned for exciting announcements about this event—we have ambitious plans to expand the breadth of activities at the festival!

Register for marching groups at ablenh.org/disability-pride-parade-and-festival

06/26/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Everyone deserves the right to be seen, supported, and celebrated. But for many LGBTQ+ people with intellectual disabilities, expressing their identity is still met with barriers. A 2024 article highlights the importance of affirming policies, staff training, and inclusive planning to foster self-determination and belonging.

Learn what disability service organizations can do to better support LGBTQ+ individuals:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2024.2391769 -abstract

06/24/2025

Dear friends of the NH Leadership Series,
Marcella Termini will be leaving her role as Program Coordinator of the NH Leadership Series at IOD to work in the K-12 education field. While we are sad to see her go, we are grateful for her time, talent, and the role she has played in shaping our program.

Marcella's proactive nature, creativity, and forward-thinking approach have been an enormous support to the series, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors!
Below is her farewell letter; please join me and the NH Leadership community in celebrating all that Marcella has accomplished here at the IOD.
Best, Sarah Sadowski, Program Director, NH Leadership Series

Dear NH Leadership Series community and friends at the Institute on Disability,
I am writing with mixed emotions—both joy and sadness. When I graduated from the New Hampshire Leadership Series in April 2019, I joked that I did not want to leave. That comment got a laugh, but it also showed how much this program meant to me and eased my uncertainty about what was coming next.

Since then, I have stayed actively involved—as a Mentee in 2020, Communications Coordinator from 2021 to 2024, and most recently, Program Coordinator this past year. I am proud of how far that 2019 wish to “not leave” has taken me.

A big part of the Leadership Series is learning how to create a vision for your life. Over the years, I have helped others do just that. It has always been easier for me to support others than to focus on my own goals—but over the past two years, I have been working nights and weekends to finish college and plan for my future.

In March, I was diagnosed with skin cancer (I am currently healing from surgery that removed all of it). That news made me pause and think deeply about what I want for my life. It has led me to make a big decision: I will be stepping down from my role as Program Coordinator on July 18, 2025. I will be starting a new job in my local school district while I finish my degree. My goal is to become a teacher, focusing on history and civics, and working in my neighborhood honors my desire to create the positive change I want to see.

My time with the NH Leadership Series and the Institute on Disability has changed my life. I am deeply thankful for the friendships, teamwork, and all the incredible people I have met, especially the Leadership graduates who are out there making a difference.
Thank you all. I will be cheering on the Series and all of you as you continue this important work.
With sincere gratitude,
Marcella

ID: Marcella has red hair with a red flower on the side, and is wearing large framed glasses and a red and black stripe sweater.

06/09/2025

MOBILE FOOD PANTRY UPDATE – PLEASE SHARE

The NH Food Bank's drive-thru mobile food pantry is headed to Manchester this week. Households will receive an assortment of produce and shelf-stable items. We welcome anyone in need of food assistance to please join us.

Friday, June 13 – Manchester
Time: 11:00am – 1:00pm (while supplies last)
Address: Comcast | 676 Island Pond Rd. | Manchester, NH *Please enter via E. Industrial Park Drive

For additional dates, visit: https://nhfoodbank.org/mobile

06/09/2025

Don't miss the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Resource Roundup with a special presentation on Big Access for Little Listeners: How Audiologists and Remote Mics Help Kids Succeed from Dr. Rachel Parkington, an Educational Audiologist.

The Resource Roundup will be:
June 14th from 9:30am - 2pm
Location: Concord Parks and Rec Auditorium
14 Canterbury Rd, Concord NH 0330

Scan our QR Code or click this link to register! https://hipaa.jotform.com/251314466870155

06/06/2025

In a new article from the New Hampshire Bulletin IOD Disability Policy and Training Specialist and blogger Kathy Bates shares her experience navigating New Hampshire’s direct support workforce crisis.

The article dives into how people with disabilities, like Kathy and Jim Piet (also featured), are struggling to hire the personal care assistants they need just to live daily life. Low Medicaid reimbursement rates, workforce shortages, and a lack of public awareness are all part of the problem.

🔗 Read more: https://ow.ly/vl7450W5Gei

06/06/2025

06/02/2025

Need help paying for groceries? SNAP can help!

Don’t let common SNAP Myths stop you from applying:
❌MYTH: I’ll only receive the minimum so it’s not worth applying.
✅FACT: The amount of benefits you receive is determined on an individual basis. The only way to find out how much SNAP you could receive is to apply.

Learn more and apply through NH DHHS at: https://dhhs.nh.gov/snap

Need help applying? A member of the NH Food Bank’s SNAP Outreach team can assist you! Call: 1-877-347-7627

Special thanks to the following organizations for their support of NH Food Bank’s SNAP Outreach: NH Department of Health and Human Services, Walmart Foundation, Catholic Charities USA, New Hampshire Children’s Health Fund and Feeding America

05/16/2025

🚨 Upcoming Event on 5/16

🚙 Join the ABLE NH Transportation Equity Task Force on May 16 from 12-1 PM for a Lunch & Learn on New Hampshire's mobility managers! This event will include a presentation and opportunity for Q+A. Attendees will receive a one-pager on how to contact their mobility manager and ask them for transportation-related assistance. Featured speakers are Teri Palmer, Ben Herbert, and Cindy Yanski.

Participants may join on Zoom at: https://
us02web.zoom.us/j/84389460204 or by using Meeting ID 843 8946 0204

You can also find and share event details on our website at: ablenh.org/lunch-and-learn-series/
Alt text will be posted in the comments below.

05/15/2025

Tomorrow's the day!

From robots that connect homebound students to classrooms to accessible vehicles and literacy tools — the 2025 NHED Assistive Technology Expo brings together 30+ vendors showcasing life-changing solutions.

May 16 | 11AM–4PM
📍 25 Hall Street, Concord, NH
Free to attend | ASL & CART available

Come discover tools that empower independence, inclusion, and innovation. Learn more at: https://ow.ly/BwhP50VJfog

Hosted by the New Hampshire Department of Education Bureau of Special Education Support & Vocational Rehabilitation in collaboration with Assistive Technology in New Hampshire (ATinNH) at the UNH Institute on Disability.