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Lost in Jersey
So close to NYC, New Jersey is a melting pot of creativity, ambition, and culture. Everyone has a Jersey story and on Lost in Jersey, we’re here to share them with you.
Lost in Jersey
1in6 Support -Transforming Disability Support
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🎙️ Finding Strength, Community, and Purpose in Disability Parenting
When Alma Schneider moved from a bustling apartment in New York City to suburban New Jersey, she didn’t expect to feel adrift. But after her son was diagnosed with disabilities, the shift in identity was both profound and isolating. In this heartfelt and powerful episode of Lost in Jersey, Alma shares how one conversation—a friend encouraging her to reconnect with her creativity—sparked a movement that has transformed lives.
That first spark led to the creation of 1in6 Support, a growing organization that offers connection, advocacy, and practical resources for families raising children with disabilities. What began as a casual coffee group is now a vital network helping parents navigate challenges that are too often faced in silence—from mental health crises to behavioral struggles.
Alma speaks candidly about the realities of parenting a child with disabilities and how community support can be a lifeline. Through events like Mother’s Day pampering day, Disability Pride Parade, and advocacy for inclusive hiring, 1in6Support is reshaping how we talk about—and show up for—families with special needs.
Whether you’re a parent, an ally, or someone looking to better understand this experience, Alma’s story offers insight, hope, and a reminder that no one should have to do this alone.
🌐 Learn more at 1in6support.org
💬 “One in six children. One in three families. Together, we can do more.”
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#DisabilityParenting #CommunitySupport #InclusionMatters #MentalHealth #ParentingJourney #Podcast
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Introduction to Alma Schneider
Speaker 1Hi Rachel , hey Jeanette , so we just got off an interview with Alma Schneider . We have run in the similar circles and we have always known of all the good things that she is connected to . So Alma tells us an incredible story about her past growing up in New York City , which you have to hear if you're going to really enjoy . You may think you know Alma , but we learned something about her and her growing up . She is one of seven siblings and I'll leave it there .
Speaker 2You'll hear the rest of it . Don't tell them .
Speaker 1I won't tell them . And then also , she has done two really big things . One is she does Parents who Rock , which is she gets parents together who are musicians , and she does fundraising and she'll talk a little bit more about that . It's incredibly inspiring that story . So stick around for that . And also mostly she is now working at oneinsixsupportorg and it is to help parents who have children with a disability .
Speaker 2Listen to this interview . You're going to want to help and you're going to want to donate to one in six supportorg to help them realize their dream of letting everyone feel less alone in that journey as a parent and finding the right resources not just for you and your family , but also your children . It's pretty phenomenal , so we're grateful to have had her on . Enjoy this interview with Alma Snyder .
Speaker 1Thank you so much , alma Snyder , for joining us on lost in jersey . It's nice to have you .
Speaker 3Thank you , I've been enjoying your episodes , so I'm very honored to be one of your guests . Thank you so much you're also a podcaster .
Speaker 1What is your podcast ? Called ? Two moms , no fluff . So how's that podcast going going ?
Speaker 3great . We've been running it for about four years now , I think , and we cover all sorts of interesting topics that most people who have children with disabilities don't talk about , and we feel like it's really important to get all discussions out there for everyone .
Speaker 2Yeah , I've listened to a few of them and I really love how you talk about how having a child with disabilities , how it affects the whole family , affects marriage , and you just allow it all to hang out so people feel not alone and they feel like , okay , I'm not the only one going through this . It's a really nice podcast . Yeah , it's an important podcast . Yeah , thank you .
Speaker 1Well , before we get into you being an advocate for this program , many programs of helping the community and also the program that you have one in six support , we'd like to know a little bit about your background , how you grew up and how you got to New Jersey . I know a little bit . I think you grew up in New York City .
Growing Up in NYC's Tudor City
Speaker 3Yes , I grew up in New York City in an unusual neighborhood called Tudor City , that's way on the east side , by the East River . So I grew up in this great and Egyptian and from Barbados and Africa and India . So this is what I thought was normal and typical . But as I got older I realized , oh wow , this was really special .
Speaker 1Well , why did you live in that neighborhood ? Were your parents working in that industry as well ?
Speaker 3No , my father had a studio there are a lot of studio apartments there and he was living in a studio apartment in Tudor City . And when he married my mother and they had their first seven children , they moved to a palatial two bedroom apartment across the street and so , because it was rent , stabilized and very safe and a real communal environment , they stayed . Yeah , for better or for worse . We grew up with nine people in a two-bedroom apartment and a dog .
Speaker 2Oh , my gosh and a dog . That is ambitious .
Speaker 1How did that work out ? How did you split up the living , the sleeping ?
Speaker 3It was living in one and my parents in the other . Wow , very , very atypical New York story . So I have five sisters and one brother and we all slept in one room and we thought that this was how it was for people , until we got a little older and we realized , wow , imagine the memories and the photos and the life of that seven in one bedroom in a New York City bedroom .
Speaker 1Yes , that's not like a big room .
Speaker 3It was not big and in the evenings there was no floor to walk on that every bed was opened , and we had . Because I know your next question is going to be how did everybody sleep in one bedroom . So I'll just preempt that and tell you we had two bunk beds . We had and might I add that there are only nine years between the youngest and the oldest twins thrown in there we had two bunk beds , so that's four beds . And then there was a trundle bed under one of the bunk beds where my two younger sisters slept together , and then there was a Castro convertible , this little square that opened up into a bed and that's where my brother slept . So , once again , once evening had started and it was time for bed , you couldn't walk on the floor . You have to walk on the beds to get out of that room .
Speaker 1I'm just so curious about this part of your life right now . I'm just like how do you keep under control seven people in one room ? I mean I would imagine there's so much giggling or mischief or fighting , or just so much constantly going , fighting , fighting .
Speaker 3There was a lot of chaos , there was a lot of screaming and yelling , but we did it . You know , that was our life and we just did it . The main things that I remember from the chaos ? Well , a few things . One was that one of my sisters always slept really , really late and then another sister was very studious and would get very , very upset when we were making noise and she had to get to bed . Another issue I remember was we had no air conditioning and it was so hot in there and we had fans , but we I can't believe we did this but we would throw water onto the mattresses .
Speaker 3Can you imagine In the summer ? I think about that now and if my kids did that , I would go zerk , but that's what we did to stay cool . I mean , those are the main things I remember . And we had a tiny black and white TV in there , very tiny , with obviously no cable . So once MTV came to town and I was hanging out at my friend's house with their color TV with cable , it was like whoa , this is the life , wow .
Speaker 2Curious . Does that make you grow up wanting to live in a house , or with way more space ? Or does it make you comfortable in that area and that you want to stay like that when you grow up ? I ?
Speaker 3really tend to like small spaces . I happen to live in a very big Victorian now with very small rooms . As much as I love having the space , especially having a large kitchen , which we did not have growing up . We had a long galley kitchen , very narrow . I love having a big kitchen , but I like being in a small enclosed space . When all my siblings get together , we don't even realize that we do this , but we pile up on a couch , like basically on top of each other , even if there are other chairs . We just gravitate toward the small and the close together . That being said , I do appreciate privacy very much and I do appreciate phone time , but I think that the positives that have come out of that situation are that I really have a much , much higher tolerance . It's not that I thrive or enjoy chaos , but I think I have a much higher tolerance for chaos .
Speaker 1Well , as you transitioned out , you went to college .
Speaker 3So I went to the University of Wisconsin for college . Sight unseen , might I add . Yes , I was one of these people that just showed up . We had seven kids and we did not have money .
Speaker 1Yeah , you're not going to be touring .
Speaker 3I read the Barron's book .
Speaker 2The Barron's . I know exactly what you're talking about .
Speaker 3That's all we had back then , and we read all about it and it had five stars for everything and I knew that it was a revolutionary school in the 60s and I was like , ah , this is the place for me and showed up there . I love telling these new college students that I showed up there with like mismatched sheets that came out of my closet Not today , not today , baby , not today . And I just
College Years and Moving to New Jersey
Speaker 3showed up . Another friend of mine from high school also went there , so we went on the . My dad drove us to the airport , the two of us got on a plane , showed up in Wisconsin and um and went to the dorm that was not in some hippie co-op that I was hoping for and it was right on fraternity and sorority row .
Speaker 3I was very unhappy . I had older siblings who had all gone to small colleges and I had visited them . I don't know what I was thinking . To be honest , it wasn't like today . I was just like all right , I just thought all colleges were going to be like theirs , even though I knew it was going to be really big there , and I really struggled there for a long time . I did not find my people for a couple of years until I went to Spain for my junior year abroad and that's kind of where I found like-minded people . I had good moments but I was not happy and I do share that story because I think a lot of people are embarrassed to say that and they won't transfer or they feel lesser than because they didn't enjoy where they were . It's important to let people know that it's not always perfect when you go to college , absolutely . What did you study ? I studied psychology . I always wanted to be a therapist . I went for my master's degree a couple of years later in social work .
Speaker 1Well , how did you end ?
Speaker 3up in New Jersey . My goodness , when one is from New York City , one feels that they have a God-given right to live in New York City forever because you were born there and it's in your DNA . And once my husband and I had our first kid , my husband said you know , we can't stay here , right ? And I was like what are you talking about ? We can't stay here . Of course we can stay here Cause I , you know . He said it's just crazy expensive . We were not going to be able to stay here . We were renting . And then my husband read New York magazine . This was in like 2001 , I believe . He read New York magazine and there was an article about Bloomfield , new Jersey , and they said Bloomfield , new Jersey , is the next up and coming suburb for New Yorkers to move to . You know , native New Yorkers are people who live in New York City .
Speaker 3We didn't even have a car and I didn't even know how to drive , by the way , and we borrowed a car from a friend of ours and he made an appointment with a realtor and I felt like I had complete imposter syndrome , like I was acting like a grown up . And we met we imposter syndrome . I was acting like a grownup . We drove into New Jersey , into Montclair , and met with a realtor . She showed us houses in Clifton and Bloomfield and these huge houses that weren't that much money . I was like , wow , look at all this space . I can't even imagine . We're driving around . And she says why aren't you looking in Montclair , the realtor . And we said what's Montclair ? We never heard of Montclair . And she says , oh , you're much more Montclair people . So she starts driving us around Montclair and she takes us to a house that had the family was there and they weren't supposed to be there , or we weren't supposed to be there , or we weren't supposed to be there because they were home . And they said , you know , at the last second we could come in .
Speaker 3So I saw the mom in this kitchen . That and it's not in the house I live in now but there was a mom in the kitchen with this little kitchen island and she had a few kids there eating macaroni and cheese on the island . And we went into the basement that was a finished basement with all these toys in it and I said I can see myself in this house . I could see myself with that finished basement , a separate area of toys , and I could see myself in that kitchen , you know , feeding the kids , and with a kitchen island . And I had a one and a half year old at the time and the mom gave us a diaper for her because we needed a diaper .
Speaker 3We went home and the agent was like you got to put your best foot forward , you got to step up to the plate and put as much money down as you can and we won the bet . I burst into tears and I said I can't move to New Jersey . I changed my mind . I changed my mind how do we get out of this ? And I freaked out , and that's very typical of me .
Speaker 1I also know you from Parents who Rock , so I've always been interested in how that came about . So you've always been active in things that you do .
Speaker 3So tell us how you've become not only a representative of New Jersey , you definitely are a kind of a local celebrity , of one would say , well , I do have four kids , and when you have four kids and you participate in different things , that just naturally you're going to know a lot of people from different , you know , age groups . But , yes , I , you know , I think that community has always been very important to me . I'm a connector by nature and that's why I became a social worker , because I believe that , you know , people need to be together and they need to work together and I have , you know , since I got here . You know the music , the parents who rock . As soon as I got here , I really struggled with the lack of live music . I didn't realize that there was music going on . But you know , that was a big part of my life in New York City , going to shows , and it knew so many people in high school who performed , you know , who were in bands my whole life . So I really missed that when I got to Montclair , yeah , so I did start , I started Parents who Rock , but that started after I had my son with a disability .
Speaker 3My friend , I was , you know , really struggling , you know , right after he was born . It was very tough for me and my friend said you really need to get in touch with your creative side , you know to get through this . So I immediately you know I listened , I always take people's advice and I immediately went looking for an open mic . And somebody told me that this place on Valley Road had an open mic it was called Valley Coffee House or something like that back then and she said she no longer did open mics . And I said why not ?
Speaker 3And she said they're just . You know , people are not good . And I said , oh well , I know so many musicians in town who are good . I was lying and she goes . Well , if you can put together a night of a bunch of musicians , you can do it on this day . And I hit a pavement and I reached out to everybody I knew and I ended up putting together a show . I found eight performers and we put together a show where everybody got 15 minutes and performed three songs
Parents Who Rock: Finding Joy Again
Speaker 3each , and not only were the performers really good , but we had standing room only . It was a really magical moment for me because I was pretty .
Speaker 3I was really having a hard time with the situation at home and I'm going to get a little graphic here , but my son had a feeding tube and I had to . I pumped breast milk for over a year to feed him through the tube because I was at this show . I didn't , I couldn't pump for a number of hours . We immediately came home after the show and I remember , sitting on my bed , I was was pumping breast milk with my pump and I caught my face in the mirror and I had this huge grin on my face and I'm going to start crying talking about this now . But it was the first time where I felt outside of my situation and then I went back to being who I was .
Speaker 3He was only nine months at the time when I started Parents who Rock and I was like this was my salvation this night sparked . It was like this . Like this was my salvation , like this night , like sparked , it was like this . This is who I'm . I am not going to be that person . I'm going to be this person who I was before . And the beautiful thing was that a number of people who ended up being in Parents who Rock were people that I met at the DLC , the Developmental Learning Center , where my son was eventually , you know , went to school as a preschooler . So as time went on , all these people who had kids with disabilities , this was kind of an outlet for them . And also , you know , there are so many people in Montclair who were musicians and came from New York , who were in bands , so we had this great funnel from New York to Montclair with all these awesome musicians .
Speaker 1What also it also gave you I mean , all the wins . I just love that story you told about seeing yourself in the mirror smiling because for you were recollecting the show . You know you had something else in your life and it's such a , such a reminder to people who are going through things in life where you think like I can't do that because I need to focus on this thing , a hundred percent , but it's actually going to help everything if you do take a moment to do something else .
Speaker 1That is such a powerful statement powerful story , alma .
Speaker 2That's a really good reminder to all of us who are going through stuff to not put aside the things that do give us joy .
Speaker 3Yes , Self-care is so important and that has been a theme throughout my entire adult life . That this is . You know , I grew up in a very ableist society , like we all did , where I didn't even know they were kids with disabilities . In my junior high school , you know cause , they were in the basement and I only saw them once on the playground , you know , and I had no idea this is you know .
Speaker 3So there was so much shame and so much stigma around having a child with a disability and I , you know , and I fully disclosed to everyone that I had that myself . I had internalized all of that and I , you know , I'm a very proud person . I do not want people pitying me and I thought my life was over . I mean , I thought it was over and that's really where my pain came from that I destroyed our family with this , that I was just going to have no friends , that our family was going to be so ostracized and isolated . So that's what I was really dealing with , and this reminded me that I do not have to have my life be just this and I could have other things going on that bring me joy .
Speaker 2Well , I think that comes through clearer in your podcast that you both really speak about taking care of each other , but taking care of yourselves and not to feel guilty that you need to and really I think that's always a guilty that you need to . Really , I think that's always a common thread in your episodes .
Speaker 3Yes , absolutely Absolutely , you can do it .
Speaker 1When I saw you recently at an event , we talked a little bit about the one in six support organization . Can you talk a little bit about that ? Can you tell us how it got started ?
Speaker 3Yeah , so once my son Lincoln was finished with the Developmental Learning Center , which is the pre-K for kids with disabilities and special needs in Montclair , I got very nervous because I found community with the parents from that program and because we have a magnet system in Montclair , I knew that people were going to get dispersed and I know that proximity is so important for friendships and relationships and especially if you have some challenges , you know , with a child with a disability . I said , you know , to one of my friends , let's meet for coffee every Friday , let's have a standing date for coffee every Friday . Long story short , you know , I invited the other moms from the DLC to come and one thing led to another Two people from that little group at my house turned into . We now have well over 600 families in Montclair . It is a weekly in-person group and it's also a 24-7 chat group under a platform . It's not Yahoo but it's called groupsio and it's called the Friday group and it's now the Friday group under one in six support . So that support group has been going on and it's been free . I've hosted it . I served breakfast and coffee for 17 years now . What came out of that group was a podcast with my current partner for One in Six Support named Iris Miller . She actually now lives in Michigan , but she used to live in Bloomfield .
Speaker 3I started the Disability Pride Parade in Montclair that just had its fifth anniversary in May . I started the Mother's Day , this big Mother's Day event for the moms of kids with disabilities , where we have this big event where vendors volunteer their time and talents for all the moms . We have Jones Road always donates makeup artists . We have professional photographers who come in and take beautiful headshots of the moms . We have Reiki therapists , other massage therapists , tarot card readers , people who make bracelets , personal bracelets for people , and it's a day of just pampering the moms of kids who might not get the recognition from their own children for Mother's Day . So all of these things happen . We now have a dad's group for dads of children with disabilities . So many events , social events in the evenings .
Speaker 3My partner , who moved to Michigan she did not have any community there . She has a daughter who has quadriplegic cerebral
One in Six Support: Creating Community
Speaker 3palsy , who is non-speaking , and they moved to Michigan during the pandemic and found , wow , this is much better for them . They just meant to go for a month and they ended up never coming back during COVID because their life was so much improved with the care she gets now 24 hour care that she didn't get in New Jersey . So I said you got to start community building . You know you got to start a support group . She's like I can't start a support group , that's too hard . So I held her hand and taught her everything that goes into starting a support group and she started a support group and it took off like wildfire . She called it the same thing , she did it on the same day , she did it exactly as I had done it and then she got emboldened and replicated the Disability Pride Parade replicated the .
Speaker 3You know , once you have a community , you're empowered to make change in your community and you know , at a state and a national level . So we started the nonprofit One in Six Support last year . We have all of these programs under it and we are currently really trying to fortify and expand our local programs in both New Jersey and Michigan , but eventually we want to bring this to the rest of the country . We also do presentations for companies talking about how they can be more supportive and inclusive to their employees who are parents of children with disabilities , and that's a way for us to raise money for the nonprofit . But we're also getting grants from foundations , but also from individuals . We have a fundraising campaign going on right now . So that's one in six support we're doing the small thing of changing the world . One in six support we're doing the small thing of changing the world .
Speaker 3It's tiny .
Speaker 2Easy , very simple . You got this Very simple . You know what ? If anyone could do it , it's you , alma . I really fully believe that you created a wonderful blueprint by your own lived experience here in Montclair and then just all that you've learned and all the knowledge you have . People know in our town for sure , like if you have a question about all these multiple things in schooling or out of school , they should reach out to you or do the Fridays group and just FYI , the Friday group is not only in person , it's also .
Speaker 3we made it hybrid . Right now we have 600 . It grows every day . I just added two people today . We're constantly getting new members . Once you have all those parents , they share their information and resources . So it's really incredible what you can gain from the experience of other people who have been there done that . And we have incredible speakers that we will try to record the speakers that we have on a variety of topics . We're experts in the fields for anywhere from the self-care with meditation to . We have therapists come to talk about how to deal with ADHD . We have people who come to talk about special needs , trusts for your child when they get older , how to do the guardianship process , how to do Qigong with your kid for stress . I mean , we cover everything in our group . So it's really you know it's not me , it's providing a safe space for all these people to come together to share resources .
Speaker 1I wanted to ask you about the name of the organization . One in Six .
Speaker 3Well , one in Six Kids has a disability in the United States according to the CDC . One in six kids has a disability in the United States according to the CDC . And that means not one in six families , that means one in three families , because most families have one point , dot , dot , dot kids . So that's one in three families and we cover every single disability in our group , from mild , you know . Some people feel like , oh , I can't be in the group because my situation isn't severe enough , and that's absolutely not the case . We have people who have children with mild dyslexia , all the way to people who have children who are visually impaired , deaf , cannot walk , use a feeding tube . We have something in common that we feel othered , or our children feel othered , and we have struggles that are similar . There's a common theme here and there are subgroups that we create for families who have children who have suicidal ideation , who are in residential care , who are violent or all of the things that are real , even within the disability community , can be stigmatizing or people are afraid to talk about it , even online , because they feel that other families , they will not be able to have play dates for their kids if somebody finds out that their kids can have a violent outburst . So we really try to accommodate everyone and all of their needs by , you know , quietly , putting them in touch with other people .
Speaker 3And something that I've noticed over the last few years which is , you know , a positive and a negative in our culture is that people are way more open to talking about their kids' mental health issues on our listserv and in our group that their children are .
Speaker 3You know , they have borderline personality disorder and they are extremely challenging and we're talking at very young ages . I just had someone who joined the group , who was an eight-year-old with significant mental health challenges . Kids who were running into the street to try to , you know , hurt themselves . We didn't have that as much in the last few years and since , you know , the last up until the last few years , and now we have so many parents talking about this and not feeling like they have to keep it quiet , and it's obviously going to help people if they're sharing about it , because then other people jump in and they feel safe bringing this up themselves . You know , this is my life's work . I've done a lot of things in my life , but this is something that I'm so happy about and so proud of , because it's truly the gift that keeps on giving . I mean , what better , better way to have people feel less alone and better equipped to deal with their children than if they themselves feel nurtured and taken care of and heard ?
Speaker 1Reminds me a lot of 12 Step Growth . The program , in which you really needed somebody that was experiencing what you were experiencing to get the help that you needed . It wasn't just communicating , and that was the first stepping stone , is like you can't necessarily talk to the doctors and they'll tell you some prescriptive things to do , but you really need someone to know when you're down and you're out , to be able to say I understand , and I think that that's what's so incredible about this program . I'm surprised that it hasn't it hasn't already been here that what you're doing , I think is , is such a needed facet of all of our society , and I really do hope that you get the funding , because I think that's probably your big block is the funding . You need money , money , everything needs money to get going Right and so people can go to your site and donate .
Speaker 2Yes , yes , one in six supportorg .
Speaker 3Make sure you put the word support in there , Cause there's another organization called one in six you know one in six supportorg Um and I .
Speaker 3I'm glad that you brought up 12 step programs because I have been to a number of AA meetings with friends of mine and my dad was actually in recovery from alcoholism and what helped him after decades of alcoholism was AA and I have always run my group like AA because I know how important it is for people to know that it's always on . This is why I really make an effort to have it every Friday , unless the Montclair schools are closed . I just want people to know that it's there if you need it . You know you can always be on the listserv , but the group itself is always on . I always have food and coffee and it's really like a social outing for parents as well as a safe place to talk about their stuff , and sometimes we don't even talk about disability , we'll just talk about what's going on on .
Speaker 3You know TV Winning
Building Resources and Expanding Impact
Speaker 3American Idol , who do you ? You know which shows are you into now ? What you know ? These are all things that . It's just a place where we can exhale and know that people get it you know because you're with parents that are struggling .
Speaker 1You're not alone On the website . Do you list all the different type of ? You know one and sixes that are someone might identify or think that they this isn't for them , but then they look at it and they're like , like you had mentioned , you know suicidal ideation , like things like that . Is there a list of all the different ?
Speaker 3Yeah , I'm glad you're asking that because we are currently moving toward a forum on our website . We have an amazing web designer . I'm going to give a little shout out to her name Delaina Tapper . Nason House is her company . She's fantastic and she is currently moving all of our information onto a forum . Everything that we do is going to be on this forum on the website .
Speaker 3That's great , and one of the things that we're doing there is we are listing and people will be able to go on the forum and put their child's disability . So right now we have , you know , what my son has is Prader-Willi syndrome . We have a lot of autism . You know a lot of parents have kids with autism in the community . We have Down syndrome , we have a cerebral palsy , but there are so many because of these genetic you know all the technology with genetics there are so many people who have rare , their kids have rare syndromes . We are . People are going to be able to list their child's rare syndrome and you can put up . People are going to have the ability to just write out what their kid's disability is . Or fetal alcohol syndrome , which people don't talk about as much as it's out there . It's a very common disability , but they're going to be able to post all of the disabilities and then we're going to have forums for those specific disabilities . So give me a place that won't freak out when I bring my child to cut their hair . We're going to have all these great resources , you know , all in one place . So we really want people to be a part of the forum and allies is . You know we have an allies group as well . A lot of vendors want to be in one and six support but I don't let them in . It's because it's just for parents and we have an allies group where people can talk about . You know , because a lot of people our population is very vulnerable and we don't want people coming in and hawking their wares for the parent , but some of those wares might be really useful to the parent . Yeah , one in six support allies currently on Facebook . It's a Facebook group and people can post about their therapeutic businesses , their gyms that accommodate people with disabilities . So all the vendors out there can be on the 106 Support Allies group as well .
Speaker 3We love sharing information about people in town and businesses in town that will hire people with disabilities , and the Montclair Diner has been great about that . There's the Cornerstone Montclair Art Museum Cafe that you may know about . That hires people with disabilities . Cornerstone also hires people with disabilities . It's an inclusive setting and a lot of other places in town and we're trying to .
Speaker 3Also one of the many , many things we're doing is we're trying to get more businesses to hire people who have disabilities , because people with disabilities have job coaches and they can be there with them and we want to explain to them . I'm also on the People with Disabilities Advisory Committee to the town of Montclair , so we work with housing , you know , for people with disabilities . You know streets that are messed up and wheelchairs cannot go down the streets . Have the town fix those . So we also want businesses to know that there are a lot of really great people out there who could be working in your . Not only is it the right thing to do , but it's doable and you could have a great candidate working in your store .
Speaker 2Well , we'll be putting a link to it in our show notes and also on the site . We'll spread the word whenever we can , so we'll try to do our part in it .
Speaker 1Alma , I'm so glad that you came on and shared this information . We end each podcast with a question of what do you love about New Jersey ? What has got you finally
What Alma Loves About New Jersey
Speaker 1, after all of these years of kicking and screaming here ?
Speaker 3I do like that . It forced me to learn how to drive at the age of 34 , which I do consider one of my greatest accomplishments in life that with pumping breast milk for a year . Those two are very high ranking . I have not been around the rest of New Jersey as much as I should , but I can speak to loving Montclair and what I love about Montclair , which are the people . They call it the friend tax . The taxes are high here , but it's the friend tax .
Speaker 3We have such an interesting community of people who do such interesting things . So many people invested in community service and music , and now we have amazing restaurants , which I love . You know people make fun of me because I'm always talking about Le Souk , which is on Watong Plaza . I love the vibe in there . It's like being in another country and the food is awesome . There are a lot of great places on the South End that I really enjoy . I love the new Sankofa Cafe , which is a great place to get coffee on the South End on Orange Road . I love the new restaurant Dom Sal . Have you been there ? That's amazing .
Speaker 2I haven't been there yet , but it's on my list . It's on South End , it's on where is that ?
Speaker 3It's Indian like fusion food . It is so phenomenal .
Speaker 1Well , yo , I have been there . I have been there . I couldn't remember the name of it . Yeah , I've been there , it's cool Paneer type dish .
Speaker 3It's incredible , but I have to say I really my favorite , favorite , favorite thing is is yard sales and estate sales . I am because I got not to sound like Abraham Lincoln , but because I grew up really with nothing and I go to these yard sales and estate sales and I am in . Can I curse here ? I'm like a pig in shit . It is my happy place . I just love . I love Tony's Community Closet thrift shop . I go to all the thrift shops here . I love the culture of it . I love talking to the people who are selling their stuff . I love that . Really , my house is almost completely furnished with yard sales , estate sales and curb alert .
Speaker 1I like the large item pickup . If I could pick up some of this stuff and just put it away to deal with it later , to refurbish it or something it would be great You're like the kid that was denied candy . That is like obsessively eating candy now , and instead it's something a little more than a drawer for you , that's true , also , that's great . Well , it's been a pleasure I'm so glad that we had you on to tell us all these wonderful stories and also to share what you are doing .
Speaker 3Thank you , I hope so , I really hope so , and I really appreciate what you're doing and talking to all the interesting people in town , and I'm extra excited that I saw that you interviewed Governor Phil Murphy , that I'm going to be on the same podcast that Governor Murphy is on , so that's right , I have to tell you Thank you so much for joining us .
Speaker 2This podcast was produced by Rachel Martens and Jeanette Afsharian . You can find us on Spotify , iTunes and Buzzsprout . Thanks for listening . See you next week .
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