 Major sponsors for Ableton on Air include Green Mountain Support Services, empowering people with disabilities to live home in the community, Washington County Mental Health, where hope and support come together. Media sponsors for Ableton on Air include Park Chester Times, Muslim Community Report, WWW, this is the Bronx.info, Associated Press Media Editors, New York Power Online Newspaper, U.S. Press Corps Domestic and International, Anchor FM and Spotify. Partners for Ableton on Air include the HOD of New York and New England, where everyone belongs, the Orthodox Union, the Division for the Blind and Visionally Impaired of Vermont, the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visionally Impaired, Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity, and Montpelier Sustainable Coalition, Montefiore Medical Center of the Bronx, Roosevelt Kennedy Center of Bronx, New York, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of the Bronx, Ableton on Air has been seen in the following publications, Park Chester Times, WWW, this is the Bronx.com, New York Power Online Newspaper, Muslim Community Report, WWW.H.com, and the Montpelier Bridge. Ableton on Air is part of the following organizations, the National Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences, Boston, New England Chapter, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Welcome to this edition of Ableton on Air, the one and only program that focuses on the needs, concerns, and achievements of the different label. I've been your host, sorry Arlene is not here today, but on this program we focus on Alan Henry Fruing, a gentleman who came to Vermont despite his challenges, and he's doing well, and we're going to talk about falling through the cracks and making it, but before we do that we would like to say special thanks to our sponsors, Washington County Mental Health, Green Mountain Support Services, and many others including the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and many, many, many other supporters and sponsors. Let's introduce Alan Henry Fruing, who despite his challenges fell through the cracks from New York but came to Vermont. Welcome Alan Fruing to Ableton on Air. Thank you, well nice to be here. Okay, so when as, before we get into your hobbies, which is baseball, baseball card collecting and the fact that you would like to start a small business despite your challenges of autism and other situations. Let us, what brought you to Vermont? Why did you come from New York to Vermont? Tell us a little bit about the problem that happened and go from there. Okay, can you hear me? I was affected from my apartment, I couldn't get any help to pay rent. Okay. And... I was thinking my apartment, I couldn't get any help to pay the rent. Hold on, stop, stop. Soon the picture froze. Oh, okay. Okay, okay go ahead. Go ahead Alan. I lived with my parents all my life. After they passed, I couldn't get help to pay the rent. That's why I was affected. Okay. So would you say in New York you didn't get as many services as you would have liked? None. Plan it simple. None whatsoever. Okay, so define in your own words why people with special needs fall through the cracks. In your own words, you don't have to give the definition. This is a hard one, just give me a minute. Go ahead, take your time. We don't know what we're doing. Okay. What exactly does that mean? Taking care of an apartment, paying bills. I think we all are mentally challenged. Mentally challenged and autism are two separate things. Okay. Alright, so you've worked mostly all your life. You've worked in the jewelry industry. You've worked in many other industries. Unfortunately, some people with special needs were also stuck in that workshop, that peace workshop situation. Why was it hard for you sometimes or has it been hard for you in recent years to hold the job and if so, why do you want to have a business and then we can go from there as far as people with special needs and businesses? All my life I was in workshops and they didn't really help me. Okay. How so? How did it not help you? Peace rate. Tell me you'll never accomplish anything. Okay. You'll never show me the right way to start a business. So basically they took an advantage when they came to having a paycheck. Right. Okay. So let's talk about the world of baseball card collecting which is a big hobby. But it's cards also. Hold on, yeah, I'm getting to that. So you came to Vermont. You've persevered. With a little help. With a little help. Yeah, everybody needs a little help now and then. That's the thing that we're trying to project today is that many people with special needs say they don't need help or many people that are elderly also say that they don't need help and they think they can do everything on their own. I thought so? Yeah. Okay. So you like baseball cards. You want to start collecting baseball cards. What's one of the main reasons why? Matter of fact, before we get to that, I had found just in 2021 according to the website www.boston.com forward slash sports major league baseball. There is a article at the fact here dated August 29th, 2021 about baseball card shows and why collecting baseball cards happened to be a very lucrative business and it's basically saying that baseball cards of yesteryear can range anywhere from $5 to millions of dollars and it's a very lucrative business still and people still collect them. There are organizations such as TOPS, FLIR, Don Russ and many other card companies that still sell cards online. Years ago, you used to be able talking about your hobby for a minute, you used to be able to go in to a candy store, pick up a pack or supermarket, pick up a pack of baseball cards and they used to have the little gum thing inside it. The gum tasted really nasty. You told me once that if you don't open the pack or box, it's worth more versus you opening it and so on and so forth. I mean, card collecting baseball cards, TV shows have cards as well. So why is it important? I mean, you've had businesses such as selling makeup, for example, and that didn't work out for you. But why do you want and do you have an example of what a baseball, for those that don't know, do you have any examples of what a baseball card pack might look like? I don't have any on me. Okay, no, no, no, but describe for those that don't know what, in your words, how many cards can a baseball card pack have and why is it so important? A jumbo pack would have 100 cards. Okay. You should make rack packs, cello packs. So what's the difference between a wax pack and a cello pack and why it's important to collect them? Cello pack, you can see it's right through the pack. Okay. And the rack pack, you have like three packs and one. Okay. And they range, I mean, we don't usually like talk about prices, but they range from what 50 cents? Okay. Now it's like they sell them in a box. Okay. Do you, besides baseball cards, are there any other cards that you might, that you collect? Football and basketball. Okay. And since we're going to talk about sports, since you're interested in that, what are your favorite teams, New York Yankees, right? Next. Oh, you're not into Boston? Oh, very funny. Well, we're right by Boston, you know. That's true, but could I just say, I'll drop you for a minute. Go ahead. Watching YouTube videos about it got me interested. Oh yeah, there are a lot of YouTube things about collecting baseball cards. So, do you have any advice since we're on the topic of small businesses and people with special needs having a small business? You have any advice? Just because you have special needs doesn't mean you can't do it. It may be a challenge, but it's a long one. It's what's happening you enjoy to do. Okay, and some of your other hobbies happen to be photography. Do you want to explain a little bit about that and why that's important to you too? It's something to keep myself calm. Okay. Because what, New York, I'm assuming made you not feel very well. Being treated like dirt, so to speak. So, go ahead. Let's talk a little bit about the business. Why do you really want to start collecting or having a business? I don't see why I can't do it because I have autism special needs. Tell me some of the misconceptions. Tell us some of the misconceptions around, so in other words, what are some of the misconceptions around people with special needs when people first meet them and have businesses? I'm not so sure, but people confuse autism with mentally challenged using the R word. Mm-hmm. Okay. And what do you want to see changed? I mean, it has changed. People don't use the R word anymore. But what do you want to see changed with people with special needs and being... If they can do it, go for it. Don't let people say, you're out of your head, naysayers. If that makes any sense to you. Yeah. What do you want to hear in this case? We'll put you down. Mm-hmm. Why do you think people with special needs shouldn't be put down in layman's terms? They think they don't know what we're doing. Okay. Go ahead. Look what you're doing. Thank you. Appreciate it. No, no, no. Many often times, people think, oh, he's disabled. He won't become a journalist. I see your point there. But yeah, he won't be a reporter. He won't do well. People already automatically think that because we're challenged, we can't do anything. Okay. So, you've... Okay, so you're collecting baseball cards. You're doing well. You're living with slight assistance. You're, you know, you're persevering. So tell me slightly... I mean, you don't have to go straight into the past, but tell me slightly what really upset you? Okay. Your parents had passed away. You were having issues living on your own. But what really upset you from living in the Bronx as far as the issues that you were having? Because I mean... Go ahead. Take your time. Not getting help, trying to clean a two-bedroom apartment. Being criticized. Being criticized how? Oh, you can't take care of a two-bedroom apartment by, you know... Mm-hmm. So you felt that you were basically, I hate using this term, but you were basically swept under the rug. So true. I was in number, not in name. Thank you. And also, you're very heavy into being, you know, I mean, you've changed your life. You're very heavy into going to church. You're also heavy into, you know, being a Jewish person going to church. You've changed your life around so much. And, you know, I'm extremely, extremely happy the way you've turned out. You know, sometimes people with special needs or other groups have to go to other states to get help. And when the state that they're living in is not helping them. Can I give you an example of how I got help? Go ahead. You don't have to say everything, but go ahead. Look at me for a minute. The teeth. So New York didn't have dentists, I'm assuming, or didn't want to help you in that? They didn't take Medicaid. Oh, okay. So Medicaid was basically an issue. Right. So what is one thing you can tell Senator Sanders or any senator or governor in Vermont of how you've improved your life, but how can services improve for people with special needs in the state of Vermont or in the state of New England for that matter? Housing. Getting treated with respect. Not being shot under the rug, so to speak. Okay. Well, you've so let's talk a little bit more about your other hobbies. What are some of your other hobbies that you like being in Vermont or things that you've done to make yourself a better person? Learn to collaborate. Okay, what exactly is that? Medicaid workshops. So it's through Washington County, so let's look them up. I have a question to ask you. Can I have this? Housing court? Okay, so explain a little bit. Since we're on that topic of housing and people with special needs. Of course we can put that in. What happened in if you want to say what happened between New York and moving here? So what happened in housing court? Why did they deny you because honestly and truly your parents' problems or the problems that your parents were having with rent, is it yours? That's what I was told. You could have easily downsized into a small room. So explain a little bit more about that if you like. Go ahead. Not too much, but go ahead. I just received a notice to appear in housing court. All I can remember is the landlord's lawyers wanted to help me downsized. The landlord didn't want me to downsized. They wanted you to stay in that apartment? No, they wanted me out. And you didn't want to go out? No, to downsize. They didn't want to have me downsized. Okay. Hold on. Let me just get a definition here. Okay, hold on. Disabilities. You said that people with special needs fall through the cracks. But that's, you know, there's an article here I would like to bring up. A lot of people with special needs do fall through the cracks. Some either here nor there. I remember back in, so you've been in Vermont for four years going on five years. Yeah, and you were here some years ago describing your issue of falling through the cracks. Why don't we do this? Why don't we take a look at an old Ableton on Air clip where Alan Frugling was here describing why people with special needs fall through the cracks. Let's take a look at this. Three, two, one. Welcome back. That will be edited in. But, you know, you didn't, you felt... If you look at a, I'm sorry, if you look at an eviction notice on the bottom, imagine you've got special needs, you can't be evicted, but not in land or in skies. Yeah, that's the thing. That is one thing that if landlords are listening to this interview, yes, it is against the law for a person with a special need or disability special needs to be evicted from their apartment, especially now during COVID with moratoriums and things like that. I mean, where are people with special needs going to go? Being homeless? Yes, there are homeless hotels in Vermont. There are organizations such as Good Samaritan Haven and others that do help people with special needs, but Alan, yeah, sorry, okay. There are organizations that do help people with special needs, but, you know, homelessness is not easy. It is a very hard thing, especially during the elements when trying to find services for, you know, for you. So, what happened pretty much you left New York I had help. I had help. Go ahead. Go ahead, if you'd like. Alan's got support for her. I'd be in a homeless shelter, it's rich or worse. Yeah, the homeless shelters are not very, you know, I mean, they've improved over time, but they're not very easy to deal with. Really quick before we end, explain a little bit about the learning collaborative in Washington County. Go ahead. It's workshops. A class about fraud, journaling, storytelling. Okay. Also, I go to the global campus. Okay, so yeah. Washington County Mental Health has a learning collaborative which we've had on the show. So, if you are interested in Washington County Mental Health Services you can contact www.cmhs.org that website once again is www.cmhs.org www.cmhs.org www.cmhs.org for Washington County Mental Health Services and also, if you're interested in the global campus which is college for people with special needs online let me see, there are plenty. So, what's the website for global campus Alan? Let me see, let me just double check. Yeah, there is global campus Vermont. There we go. Yeah, global campuses are basically college for free. Oh yeah, I see it. If you're interested in global campus or becoming a teacher or student you can go to www.globalcampuses.org that website again is www.globalcampuses.org and basically you can hold a workshop you can hold a class you can basically teach people about your life story. So, yeah, it is a national website. Thank you for that. By the way, sometime in May I'm teaching a class about autism and mentally challenged which is different and that's syndrome. So, why do you want to teach people about your life story? Go ahead. So people, it doesn't happen to them. What do you mean it doesn't happen to them? Go through the cracks. Alright Alan, well thank you for joining us on this edition of Ableton on Air. Again, for more information on Alan Frugling's story you can look at the old the old show or the old clip of Ableton on Air at www.orcamedia.net for more information on global campuses and telling your life story because it is important for people you can go to www.globalcampuses.org or services for Washington County if you're interested in that those services www.wcmhs.org and also for those people who really need help let me okay if a person with a special need or elderly person has problems and is homeless I mean it's never good to be homeless but if you have a problem and are homeless and you are special needs please and by the way they fix their website it's all inclusive now please log on to www.globalcampuses.org www.globalcampuses.org that website once again if you are homeless and special needs and really need assistance please go to www.globalcampuses.org this puts an end to this edition of Ableton on Air I'm Lauren Silas sorry Arlene couldn't be here today thank you to our sponsors and many many others thank you so much Mr. Allen Frugling for helping people with special needs be extremely positive good luck in your baseball card business good luck in living in Vermont because a big city like New York wasn't for you and I'm glad that you have really done well to fix that situation so if you are falling through the cracks and need more assistance please contact any of the above agencies that we have mentioned today or if you need help because it's never good to do everything alone try to go to your local offices and get assistance again I'm Lauren Silas thank you to our sponsors Washington County Mental Health the Association for the help of Blind and Visually Impaired and the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired here in Vermont I'm Lauren Silas see you next time on the next edition of Ableton on Air Major sponsors for Ableton on Air Green Mountain Support Services Empowering people with disabilities to live home in the community Washington County Mental Health where hope and support come together Media sponsors for Ableton on Air include Park Chester Times Muslim Community Report www this is the Bronx.info Associated Press Media Editors New York Powered Online Newspaper U.S. Press Corps Domestic and International Anchor FM and Spotify Partners for Ableton on Air include Yechad of New York and New England where everyone belongs the Orthodox Union the Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired of Vermont the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Center Vermont Habitat for Humanity and Montpelier Sustainable Coalition Montefiore Medical Center of the Bronx Rose of Kennedy Center of Bronx, New York Albert Einstein College of Medicine of the Bronx Ableton on Air has been seen in the following publications Park Chester Times www this is the Bronx.com New York Powered Online Newspaper Muslim Community Report www.h.com and the Montpelier Bridge Ableton on Air is part of the following organizations The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Boston, New England Chapter and the Society of Professional Journalists