We provide innovative programs and services that support and create opportunities for people of all abilities.
02/23/2026
Dechynelle "Dae Dae" Frazier is a visual artist who enjoys both painting and pottery as her go-to mediums. Many of Dae Dae's paintings are comprised of layered shapes, colors, and symbols, while her ceramics reflect inspiration from nature, often featuring butterflies and floral designs. No matter the art form, Dae Dae always uses her trademark color palette, consisting predominantly of reds and blues, her two favorite colors. Dae Dae loves spending time in the art studio, and works on her artwork up to three times each week.
02/16/2026
Simone Biles was born in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio. She spent some time in the foster care system before being adopted by her grandparents. At an early age, she developed a passion for gymnastics and spent years perfecting her skill. She continued to compete, eventually leading her to the Olympics, where she has gone on to win 8 Olympic Medals, making her the most decorated U.S. Olympian of all time.
She became an influential voice for mental health during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021, due to COVID) when she withdrew from the competition due to her mental health struggles. She experienced what she calls the “twisties” where gymnasts lose their spatial awareness mid-air due to a mental block. In her statement made after dropping out of the Olympics, Biles said, “We have to protect our body and our mind … It just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”
Biles came back to competing after taking a break from gymnastics to prioritize her mental health. And today, she uses her platform to advocate for mental health services, inspiring people to prioritize self-care, seek support, and embrace vulnerability as a form of strength.
02/09/2026
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson is highly regarded as an influential creative force for his work as a visionary musician, cultural historian, and filmmaker. Questlove shared in his 2013 memoir, Mo’ Meta Blues, that he was diagnosed with autism as a young child. He quickly found comfort and focus in music, especially the sensory experience of watching records spin. This calming activity could be recognized as a form of stimming, a self-regulating behavior common to people with autism. Questlove shares his experience to demonstrate how embracing neurodiversity can enrich communities, art, and stories.
02/03/2026
In celebration of Groundhog Day, preschoolers at our Utica New Discoveries Learning Center worked together as shadow detectives! Each student took a turn showing an object behind a screen while classmates guessed what it was by looking at its shadow.
02/02/2026
Westmoreland New Discoveries Preschool students are learning about traditional folktales and stories by using STEM building kits for hands-on exploration.
02/02/2026
Haben Girma was born in 1988 in Oakland, California, to Eritrean and Ethiopian immigrant parents. During childhood, she gradually started losing her hearing and vision, making her deaf-blind. She used accessibility tools, including a digital braille device, during her time in Skyline High School, a mainstream public school.
After graduating from high school, Girma went on to pursue her Bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College. After graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree, she went on to be the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree.
Her decision to become a lawyer was driven primarily by a desire to ensure that individuals with disabilities could access books and digital information. Her advocacy focuses on digital accessibility, pushing companies, schools, and governments to design inclusively. Today, she focuses on shifting global perspectives about disability and promoting the creation of accessible digital services. As she notes, “Digital information is just ones and zeroes—it can be converted into any format. Programmers and technology designers hold tremendous power to increase access for people with disabilities, and I hope they choose to use it.”
02/01/2026
This month, Upstate Caring Partners honors Black History Month by highlighting African Americans who have made an impact in the areas of education, mental health, artistic expression, and accessibility for individuals of all abilities.
01/29/2026
Huge thanks to players from the Utica University Men’s Hockey team for spending the morning reading and playing ball hockey with our Westmoreland New Discoveries Preschool kids.
01/19/2026
01/16/2026
Westmoreland New Discoveries Preschool is enjoying the winter season with snow related activities.☃️
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Upstate Cerebral Palsy of today has over 2,000 employees at over 80 locations and is an organization dedicated to “Empowering People Through Exceptional Opportunities."
As direct-care and education centers, these include medical, clinical and therapeutic personnel, teachers, social service staff, maintenance, clerical and general support staff.
Providing care and support to more than 15,000 children and adults in the last year, Upstate Cerebral Palsy also benefits from the services and support of hundreds of community volunteers. As one of the largest employers in the central New York region, Upstate Cerebral Palsy centers also provide educational opportunities for students from area high schools, as well as partners with several colleges and universities in hosting clinical and major-related student internships.
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1. We encourage users who visit the page to have relevant and helpful conversations about living with or supporting people who are physically, developmentally or mentally disabled. However, any comments or conversations that discuss personal or controversial information regarding the people we support will be removed from the page. For the protection of your privacy, please do not provide any personal information on our page.
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