Meet Chris and Queenie, two residents within our Landings IRA. Chris and Queenie have been together for nine years after meeting at our Day Hab program. “I didn’t like Chris at first,” Queenie says, “but after spending more time together, that changed.” Today the couple is engaged and lives together. Chris and Queenie formerly lived in separate residential locations offered by ADAPT. But with the help of the Adult Admissions team, they advocated for their rights to living together. “I had the opportunity to work with Queenie on her life plan and getting married to Chris is one of her goals,” says Ulena Miller-St. Germain, Program Director at Brooklyn IRA. Chris and Queenie have truly advocated for their relationship and rights to build a life together. It was a great opportunity to help them achieve this goal,” Ulena adds. Through Ulena’s support in addition to our Residential Staff, we were able to move Chris and Queenie to their new apartment on October 16th, 2020!
At first, living together was a challenge, as both required a different level of support. Still, they continue to understand and learn from each other and appreciate seeing one another every day compared to living apart. “Living apart was killing me because I couldn’t see her every day, and now I see her 24/7! It’s great!” Chris says.
The couple cherishes their favorite past-time together but finds the time to do their separate activities. “We enjoy watching movies together,” Queenie says. Chris shouts, “Queenie likes to shop! And I like to watch sports, but we enjoy spending time together.”
Before living together, Chris and Queenie only saw each other at the ADAPT Adult Education and Community Connection programs, where they got to know each other more. Both enjoy the career and advocacy programs, which teach them about the process of gaining a job and provide knowledge about disability rights. They currently volunteer on our NYU program to help students learn more about disabilities. “We are grateful that we can still do the programs virtually throughout the pandemic. It keeps us busy throughout the day,” they say.
Over the years, ADAPT has helped bring other couples together and support their housing needs. The staff has been excited to see Chris and Queenie start their life together. Both Chris and Queenie enjoy living at Landings and appreciate the help of the team. “The staff treats us well. They are friendly, and we get along with other residents,” they say.
They are looking forward to getting married in 2022 and spending the rest of their lives making each other happy. “Queenie makes me laugh, and I make her laugh, and that’s what matters,” Chris says.
Explore our website for further information on Living Options at ADAPT or contact Project Connect at 877-827-2666 or email: projectconnect@adaptcommunitynetwork.org
