Senator Rachel May Provides AccessCNY Funding to Support Seniors

(September 20, 2022)  At an event last week Syracuse area State Senator Rachel May (D-53) announced new funding to AccessCNY to support Central New York seniors.

Funding from the New York State Senate, secured by Senator May will support the creation of a Senior Mobility Center at AccessCNY. $30,000 in funding will create a new Senior Mobility Center to be housed at the agency’s headquarters at 1603 Court Street in Syracuse.

The Senator shared the news of the new initiative to support seniors as part of her work as Chair of the Senate Committee on Aging. The funding will be administered by the state Office for Aging.

“I’m proud to have secured funding in the state budget for AccessCNY’s mobility center, enabling the agency to help seniors keep moving. It’s important because good mobility allows us to stay involved with our communities and loved ones as we age, which is essential for our physical and mental health,” said Senator Rachel May. 

“The health of seniors is improved when they stay healthy, active and engaged in their community,” said Paul Joslyn, AccessCNY Executive Director. “The new Senior Mobility Center furthers AccessCNY’s mission of adapting to meet the needs of the community. The center will feature mobility equipment specifically designed for seniors, such as therapy stairs, seated gym equipment, exercise bikes and therapy bands and balls. Through this new space we will help seniors maintain their strength and mobility, prevent falls and ultimately help seniors maintain their independence.”

The center’s location is also home to AccessCNY’s clinic where individuals with disabilities receive physical, occupational and speech therapy. The agency’s team of on-site clinicians will use the space as a resource for those they serve, while also serving as a resource for partner organizations using the space.

The Mobility Center will be a 3,000 square foot space in the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation Gym at AccessCNY. The space is also being used to help children on the autism spectrum explore their motor and sensory needs, in a partnership with Upstate Medical University.

About AccessCNY: AccessCNY serves over 3,000 people with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health diagnoses and/or acquired brain injuries each year. The agency offers services that empower individuals to create and achieve their own success, while creating a community where all people belong. In 2015 AccessCNY was created from the merger of two agencies that served individuals with disabilities: Enable and Transitional Living Services. AccessCNY expanded again in 2018 with the merger of Spaulding Support Services. Onondaga CASA, a program that serves abused and neglected children in foster care became part of AccessCNY in 2019. For more information about AccessCNY visit: www.accesscny.org.