PORTRAIT OF A NEIGHBOR: JODIE FISCHER

Editor’s Note: As part of a regular West Side Rag series, artist Michelle Hill interviews and draws Upper West Siders. This is the 19th installment in our Portrait of a Neighbor series.

By Michelle Hill

Where and when were you born?  I was born in Los Angeles in 1964.  However, both of my parents were born and raised in the Bronx and therefore I always felt that New York was in my blood!  I grew up visiting both sets of grandparents in the Bronx frequently.

How long have you been living on the Upper West Side?  This is actually the second time I’ve lived on the UWS.  I went to Columbia University’s School of Social Work for graduate school in the late 80’s and lived at 108^th and Riverside.  I got engaged in Riverside Park in 1988!  My husband and I moved to San Francisco right after we got married and for the majority of my career I worked at the UC San Francisco Medical Center as the social worker on the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant team.   I loved my job!  While we loved living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we moved back to the UWS eight years ago.  I have really come full circle as during graduate school I was a camp counselor at the Goddard Riverside Community Center one summer and now I live a block away from there!

What brought you here?  My husband Ron had a job opportunity in NYC.  My husband had never lived in New York but had visited me here often.  His first choice was to live on the UWS – it was convenient to his office in midtown and he liked the vibe of the UWS.  I already knew I loved the UWS, so it was a no-brainer that this would be our new home.  I tasked Ron with finding an apartment and a school for our oldest son who was about to start kindergarten.  He did okay with the former (a really nice two bedroom apartment with a terrace on West 71^st Street – but it was a 4^th floor walkup, which got kind of tough once our second son arrived!) and did an excellent job with the school (PS 199, which we and our son absolutely loved!).

What have you been doing?  Our second son was born here in NYC nine months after we moved here.  He was born with cerebral palsy and I soon found myself immersed in the world of being a parent of a child with special needs.  I became active in the “full inclusion” movement – embracing neurodiversity and advocating for people with special needs to be fully included with typically developing people in all aspects of life.  My son’s school – The IDEAL School and Academy on West 91^st Street – is a full inclusion school and I am an active parent there.  I have had a parent ambassador role there and have also chaired the school’s Annual Fund.

Our older son has also attended UWS schools.  Counting preschool, our two sons have attended a total of five different UWS schools so far and I can honestly say that each one has been wonderful and a perfect fit for each of them.  I have loved being an active parent at all of these schools.

I have also been very involved in our synagogue – the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on West 68^th – where our older son became a Bar Mitzvah this year.  I am also very proud of the inclusion program we started there with our second son with special needs. He’s now seven years old and is fully included in the religious school at SWFS.

My hobby is running and, shortly after moving here, I met a fabulous group of UWS runners who I meet with several very early mornings each week to run in our glorious parks (usually Central Park or Riverside).  I had done one marathon in California before we moved here eight years ago and I have since done nine more!  The NYC Marathon is my absolute favorite – I ran it last year to raise money for our younger son’s school.

Why do you love the UWS?  I absolutely love the small town feel of the UWS.  Not a day goes by that I don’t walk out my front door and see a neighbor, a friend, classmates of my children, etc., etc.  When California friends visit and we go out for a walk in the neighborhood, they are always amazed at “how many people I know.”  It is the UWS!!  It is a wonderful community.  My children know and have been embraced by the local merchants and doormen and it often feels more like a very small town or community than a major metropolis.  The parks, playgrounds, JCC, stores and restaurants on the UWS are great, but I love having easy access to the subway (and especially the express lines!), which makes it easy to make quick getaways to the theater district and other neighborhoods, which we also frequently enjoy.

While I love the “perfect” California weather, I have come to really appreciate experiencing all four seasons.  There is nothing like walking around the UWS on a beautiful Fall day or running in fresh snow in Central Park.

I could go on and on about the multitude of things I love about the UWS – but then this interview would be too long, haha!

What would you change?  I would love to see the UWS offer opportunities for “full inclusion” for people of ALL abilities in every setting across the board.  I’m excited to be involved with Community Board 7’s full inclusion playground project. Plans are being made to re-do a playground on the UWS and it will be a playground specially designed for people of all abilities to thoroughly enjoy in every way!

Check out this entire series here.