METUCHEN – The Metuchen Public Library and a local dental office are the recipients of the Shout Out For Inclusion (SOFI) awards in their efforts to join Metuchen’s Accessibility Committee to advance safety acceptance and full participation of people with disabilities in the community.
Councilwoman Sheri-Rose Rubin, who chairs the Accessibility Committee, said the group implemented the awards last year.
“One in five people have a disability and one in three families have a member with a disability, resulting in 60 million people with disabilities,” she said.
Rubin said the SOFI awards are awarded to area organizations and businesses that have dedicated themselves to welcoming residents and businesses with all types of disabilities.
The committee chose a few area businesses who have not waited for complaints and demonstrated — through their creative problem-solving and a general helping attitude — to serve all populations with open arms. The annual SOFI award is intended to honor the extraordinary service that will someday become ordinary.
The SOFI awards were presented to members of the Metuchen Public Library and Dr. Nathaniel Poorman’s dental office at a council meeting on July 8. The members were also presented with a council proclamation.
Since the committee’s inception in 2014, Rubin said they have worked hard to promote accessibility and remove barriers from participation in all borough events, local businesses and services provided.
The Metuchen Public Library is the epicenter of creativity and community engagement. Its mission statement is to provide free and equal access for all ages and abilities and strives to inform, enrich, empower the public in a welcoming environment through many efforts to promote inclusion.
The institution exemplified the positive accessible changes in the community, including the installation of wheelchair-accessible automatic doors for the front and back entrances, providing an elevator for patrons to move between floors, and wheelchair accessible bathrooms, according to the award.
The library also partnered with the New Jersey State Library and Talking Book and Braille Center for easier access to books and medias, it provides a large print book and audio book collection, electronic resources and website accessibility and homebound services for people who have a valid library card in an effort to maintain relations with people in the community, according to the award.
The library staff also continues to receive training about sensitivity needs of various groups of patrons.
Hsi Hsi Chung, director of the Metuchen Public Library, said they are “grateful for the recognition of the SOFI award, as well as the acknowledgment of the Metuchen Library and our efforts to improve accessibility for those with different impairments.”
“The award provides even more incentive to continue to work at and improve accessibility throughout the library,” she said. “We are a small library with a small staff, but we work very hard to make our library inclusive and appreciate that people are recognizing our efforts. We hope to continue to do more in the future.”
Poorman’s office is located on Main Street and has fostered an accessible and accommodating dental practice removing all barriers for access and comfort for his patients.
Through creativity, Poorman and his staff have found creative solutions to remove barriers – modifying the exam and treatment experience for individuals facing physical disabilities; providing a safe and calm experience for all patients; providing extensive consultation in patients as needed to ensure they are confident and well informed; and offering an escort of patients entering and exiting the office, according to the award.