Jill Vorreiter (top row, center) assists Jenny Vickery (bottom row, center) in strengthening her abdominal muscles during the Rochester Institute of Technology women's softball team 6 a.m. workout on Oct. 4, 2018 at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, N.Y. Vorreiter, a first year Film and Animation student, plays as both a first baseman and a catcher for the RIT Tigers.
Nick Simone (#15) runs with the ball during the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Men's Soccer match v.s. Skidmore College on Oct. 13, 2018 at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester N.Y. The RIT Tigers won 2-1 at the end of a second period of overtime.
Adam Bem (11) has a leg injury inspected by a member of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Sports Medicine staff during the RIT Tigers v.s. Skidmore Thoroughbreds men's soccer match on Oct. 13, 2018 at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester N.Y. The RIT Tigers won 2-1 at the end of a second period of overtime.
Jared Short (#18) runs for the ball but is grabbed by his shorts by Skidmore Thoroughbred (#9) Alex Ricci during the Rochester Institute of Technology Men's Soccer match v.s. Skidmore College on Oct. 13, 2018 at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester N.Y. Short tripped and fell due to Ricci's grab. The RIT Tigers won 2-1 at the end of a second period of overtime.
Spencer Raymond-Smith (30) practices goalkeeping skills during the Rochester Institute of Technology Men's Soccer practice on Oct. 17 2018 at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester N.Y.
Maceres Oscar, 53, anxiously waits to hear if he will get a ride to the airport to pick up his wife at Mary's Place Refugee Outreach Center (Mary's Place) in Rochester N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2018. Oscar, a Haitian immigrant seeking asylum in the U.S. after his store in Haiti was burned down and he needed to build a better life for his family, comes to Mary's Place every day (Monday through Friday) to take English classes through a partnership between Mary's Place and the Rochester City School District's (RCSD) Office of Adult and Career Education Services (OACES). Oscar also takes job skills classes at Mary's Place, where he learns how to communicate with employers, resume skills, and the ins and outs of US employment culture. Oscar does not have a car, so he needed someone to drive him to the airport to pick up his wife when her flight came in at half past midnight on Nov. 11, 2018. Originally Oscar had a friend who was going to take him to the airport, but when that fell through, the staff at Mary's Place came together and found him a new ride. Oscar lives in an apartment with his wife and nephew in Rochester N.Y. When Oscar first moved to the U.S. a year ago, he had to leave his wife and children behind. His wife was recently granted approval to emigrate to the U.S., and they were reunited on Nov. 11, 2018, but his children have yet to come to the U.S.
Samuel (Sammy) Burke, 13, feeds a carrot to his rabbit, Phoebe while relaxing at his home in Rochester, N.Y. on Nov. 30, 2018. Sammy has Autism, a developmental disorder that impairs his abilities to communicate and interact socially. One of the ways Sammy's autism affects him is in a need to have control over as much as possible. "We got Phoebe to teach Sammy that sometimes, in order to get what he wants, [such as picking up and holding Phoebe] he has to give up control." Says Melissa Burke, Sammy's mother. Sammy also has issues with the feeling of clothing against his skin, and states that "Clothes are overrated." When Sammy is home he is usually dressed in just a pair of underwear.
Samuel (Sammy) Burke, 13, works on an assignment for his English class at Ridgecrest Academy in Rochester, N.Y. on Dec. 13, 2018. Sammy has Autism, a developmental disorder that impairs his abilities to communicate and interact socially. Sammy goes to school at the Monroe 2-Orleans Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Therapeutic Day Program (TDP) at Ridgecrest Academy, where he is able to receive education in a setting that is designed for students with special needs. At TDP, Sammy is in a 6:1:1 Autism classroom, where there are five other students, one teacher, and one Student Behavioral Assistant in the classroom. He also has a one-on-one assistant assigned to him who goes wherever he goes and is there to help Sammy with any needs he may have. TDP also provides Sammy with occupational/physical therapy, speech therapy, and counseling to help him succeed academically and socially.
Samuel (Sammy) Burke, 13, (left) hugs his mother Melissa Burke (right) after she gave him his AngelSense at Ridgecrest Academy in Rochester, N.Y. on Dec. 13, 2018. Sammy has Autism, a developmental disorder that impairs his abilities to communicate and interact socially. AngelSense is a GPS tracking device the size of a smartphone that Sammy wears clipped inside the pocket of his pants whenever he leaves the house. When Sammy gets very upset, he may take off running, going in the path of least resistance to get away from what has upset him. "Chasing after Sammy will just make him run faster and pay less attention to his surroundings" says Melissa. The AngelSense tracking device that Sammy wears allows Melissa to quickly pinpoint his location, and she is able to call him through the device and talk to him to help him calm down and pay more attention to his surroundings when he runs.
Samuel (Sammy) Burke, 13 (right), playfully calls his 1:1 Student Behavioral Assistant (SBA) Eric Warren (left) a weirdo after Warren had playfully done the same to him at Ridgecrest Academy in Rochester N.Y. on Dec. 13, 2018. Sammy has Autism, a developmental disorder that impairs his abilities to communicate and interact socially. Sammy goes to school at the Monroe 2-Orleans Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Therapeutic Day Program (TDP) at Ridgecrest Academy, where he is able to receive education in a setting that is designed for students with special needs. At TDP, Sammy is in a 6:1:1 Autism classroom, where there are five other students, one teacher, and one SBA in the classroom. TDP also provides Sammy with occupational/physical therapy, speech therapy, and counseling to help him succeed academically and socially. Warren, Sammy's personal 1:1 SBA, goes wherever Sammy does during the school day and helps him with any needs he may have, from going and getting Sammy's headphones so he can block out some of the noise in a room or listen to something on a computer to helping to redirect his energy when he begins to get upset, or showing Sammy his rock collection.
