The Staten Island Office

Contact Person:

Maryalice Fegeley

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Phone: 1-800-866-1068
718-494-3469
Fax: 718-494-0319
Counties Served:

Richmond (Staten Island)

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Welcome to the Staten Island Office of Parent to Parent of NYS

The Staten Island office is located at the Institute for Basic Research, in the Willowbrook section of Staten Island. In addition to a Parent to Parent of NYS Regional Coordinator, we also have a Family to Family Regional Coordinator, who provides support to families who have children with special health care needs and reside in the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester. Our office is typically open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We have a Yahoo e-group where we disseminate and share information on local resources, events and other pertinent issues. Feel free to email or call us if you would like to join our e-group or if you have any questions.

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The Staten Island Office Staff

Annette Raia
Family to Family Coordinator
My husband, John, and I have been married for twelve years. We are the proud parents of the best 6 year old twins in the world, Joseph and Samantha.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the College of Staten Island and have been working with people with disabilities since 1994. My experience is extensive as I have worked in several areas, including vocational and residential services. I was a Medicaid Service Coordinator for four years and the Coordinator of Waiver Services for five years. In addition, for two years I was the Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee and Co-Chair of the Incident Review Committee for a local non-profit agency.

As my twins were developing I started to notice several differences between the two. Everyone (including my FORMER pediatrician) kept telling me that I should not compare the two children, as they were individuals and would do things at different times in different ways. “You can’t compare a boy with a girl. Girls do things faster.” But I knew differently.

Mostly due to my experience with people with disabilities, I knew by 18 months that my son was “different”. After all of the evaluations my son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS or Borderline Autism; this has now been changed to Autism and Anxiety Disorder. Upon hearing this diagnosis, I went into what I refer to as “Service Coordinator mode”. My son immediately began receiving Early Intervention services and has since made tremendous strides.

Unlike most parents who’s child/children have been diagnosed with something, I KNEW WHAT TO DO! My career essentially prepared me to become the advocate that I need to be to ensure that all of my son’s needs are met. I decided that I wanted to help other parents and families whose child/children has been diagnosed with a disability. I was looking for a forum to utilize my experience to help other families and I have found it at Parent to Parent of NYS. I think that it is so important for parents to have other parents to talk to; families who have been through it - the roller coaster of emotions, the paperwork, the denial and grief, the joy. Having someone to talk to, to guide you, who truly understands where you are coming from may help to see that there is a bright sunny day just around the corner…Parent to Parent of NYS provides that guidance towards tomorrow: the bright, sunny day.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-866-1068
718-494-3469

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Maryalice Fegeley
Regional Coordinator
I live on Staten Island with my husband, Vinny, and our 11-year-old twins, Jack and Brigid.
Jack was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at four and the diagnosis threw us for a loop. But certain things began to make sense: his sensory integration issues, his difficulty in getting along with other children and his inexplicable meltdowns. As we immersed ourselves in the world of therapies and counseling, I quickly learned the challenges facing a parent who has a child with special needs and the uphill battles we must fight in the best interests of our children. The one thing that helped me the most were the moms I met along the way. I learned where to go for everything from a social skills program to dentists for children with special needs.

I have enjoyed helping other parents and sharing with them the things I have learned. I am excited to be working for Parent to Parent of NYS and I look forward to helping other parents.

.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | 1-800-866-1068
718-494-3469

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