Candidate Name: Heidi Harrison Chain

Council District: 29

Contact Person: Jennifer Deerinwater

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? We hold our meetings, including the open house for the office, in a wheelchair accessible location directly downstairs from the office. We are willing to incur this additional expense to insure that everyone can come and meet with us. We arrange to meet with everyone in that accessible location. Once elected the City Council office will be accessible.

Campaign Address: Friends of Heidi Harrison Chain, 72-11 Austin Street, P.O. Box 420, Forest Hills, NY 11375
Phone: 718-544-0460
Fax: 718-544-0164
Email: heidichain @ yahoo.com
Website: heidichain.com

Endorsements: Organization of Staff Analysts, Civil Service Bar Association, CWA Local 1182, AFSCME Local 983, Local 802, American Federation of Musicians, New York State Court Officers; Lieutenants Benevolent Association & New York State Association of Auxiliary Police

1. Action Shows Commitment!

    

   1. While in public office/prior to this campaign, what have you accomplished in regard to advancing disability rights? This can include work towards accessible housing, transportation, employment, health care, education, and including people with disabilities in the political process?

       

      While I am not in public office yet, I have been elected for 13 years as President of the 112th Precinct Community council. My vice president who has run alongside me for 12 years is disabled, In order to bring more awareness to disability issues I have arranged for special guest speakers on disability issues. I have lectured to people in community apartment buildings as Chief of a community emergency response team about making arrangements for people with disabilities in the event of an emergency.

      I have been elected President of a city-wide organization - the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. In that capacity, I have been active for many years working with disabled children. During the 4 years that I was President, our organization volunteered with Community Mayors to help at the Mayor's Christmas Party for 5000 disabled children at Kennedy Airport. We also have volunteered with Community Mayors to help take the disabled children to the circus.

       

   2. Will you commit to only attend / sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities (PWDs including providing written materials in alternate formats, providing assistive listening systems, and sign language interpreters as well as ensuring that locations are physically accessible)?

       

      I believe that all events open to the public have to be accessible.

       

2. General Questions

    

   1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?

       

      As the Director in the Office of Legal Affairs at the Department of Finance, I have had the privilege to supervise a very talented attorney with disabilities for close to 20 years. In addition, on the precinct council our vice president is disabled. As noted above I also volunteer to work with disabled children a few times a year to help them enjoy some wonderful and special activities.

       

   2. What type of jobs would you be willing to hire and to provide reasonable accommodation (e.g. flex or part time) for staff members with disabilities?

       

      I would be willing to hire and to provide reasonable accommodation to staff members with disabilities for any job that they are qualified to perform. Based on my positive experiences with my friends and co-workers who are disabled I am willing to continue to have members of my team who have disabilities. I have found that schedule changes to avoid the rush hour is a very helpful accommodation.

       

   3. How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation through the City Council? What will be your strategy?

       

      I would work closely with the disability community to assure passage of the needed legislation. I would meet with the different advocacy groups to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues facing the community and then work towards passage of the legislation.

       

3. Housing

    

   1. What is your position on the development of supported apartments/homes and retirement homes for the persons with mental and/or physical disabilities in your district?

       

      Everyone has a right to live in our community. Our community currently has homes for people who have disabilities. I support these facilities.

       

   2. What is your position on making DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) and SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) programs income eligibility comparable? (At present a individual senior or household income eligibility is $28,000. While the income for a younger disabled individual is capped at $19,284 and $27,780 for a household?)

       

      I would support this initiative.

       

   3. Visitability sets guidelines to ensure newly constructed multi-family dwellings have basic accessible/adaptable features to permit people with disabilities can visit, and for residents to "age in place," without having to move out when age and/or disability set in. Do you support incorporating the concept of "visitability" in the Building Code?

       

      Yes.

       

4. Transportation

    

   1. Will you support an expansion of affordable wheelchair accessible transportation in NYC, including taxis, livery service, express buses, and shuttles, more accessible subway stations, etc.?

       

      I support the expansion of affordable wheelchair accessible transportation in NYC and in fact have voted to support this at community board meetings.

       

   2. Efforts to secure a 100% accessible fleet of medallion taxis have been hampered by opposition from Mayor Bloomberg and the taxi industry. The current emphasis is on creating a 100% "green" fleet. What would you do to assure that taxis and community car service vehicles are both "green" and universally designed for wheelchair access?

       

      I think that there should be incentives for the taxi fleets and car services to have wheelchair accessible cars. Once there are incentives the industry will react in an economically rational manner to provide appropriately accessible vehicles.

       

   3. Access-A-Ride (AAR) users experience unnecessarily long trips, causing workers to be late for work, have their pay docked and possibly losing their jobs. AAR leaves consumers stranded, lies that a vehicle is coming and penalized riders as a "no-show" when the vehicle never arrived. Riders who complain report they are subject to retaliation. What would you do to improve the quality of AAR?

       

      This is an unacceptable solution for our disabled community. There should be surveys of the ridership that people could respond to the MTA. The MTA should monitor the responses and see the situation that is a problem on the day that it occurs. I would also suggest that there could be global positioning information about where the Access a ride vehicle is located at any given point in time. The system should track the problems described and hold those who are responsible accountable.

       

   4. Would you support the issuance of a "smart card" so that Access-A-Ride users can use accessible cabs/livery service at a reduced cost and receive better service?

       

      Yes.

       

5. Civil Rights

    

6. Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

    

   Yes, without question.

    

7. Community Board

    

   1. Do you support requiring all Community Board meeting and function be accessible, including requiring sign language interpreters and large print format material?

       

      Yes.

       

   2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?

       

      I would not discriminate against people with disabilities, nor do I believe that a quota is a desirable goal. There are many people with disabilities on our community board and each member is a valuable asset to the board. I believe that there must be members on the board who have disabilities.

       

   3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?

       

      Yes.

       

8. Discretionary Funds

    

   Will you use your discretionary funds to support organizations serving people with disabilities or service organizations seeking to make their programs accessible to people with disabilities?

    

   Yes.

    

9. Accessibility

    

   1. Under Mayor Bloomberg, the City settled with the United Spinal Association and agreed to install pedestrian ramps, on all corners which presently don't have one. However, no provision was made to repair and/or replace existing ones which are unsafe. How would you ensure that pedestrian ramps are provided or repaired? What would you establish as a timetable?

       

      The complaints and the repair schedule should be made public on the DOT website. I would also inform the community boards of the areas that need to be repaired so that they could monitor the existing ones which are unsafe and make the necessary follow up phone calls to ensure action. In addition, a member of the city council staff should be assigned to follow up with DOT.

       

   2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?

       

      People should be provided with incentives for all improvements that will make the businesses accessible.

       

   3. How would you ensure that emergency evacuation for PWDs provisions are put in place to improve survival rates of PWDs in the event of fire, attack, blackout, or other emergency situation?

       

      I am well known in our community for providing emergency preparedness training and information. As the Chief of our local community emergency response team, I have presented information to residents and management of apartment buildings emphasizing that the building and the individuals ' neighbors have to know who in their building is most vulnerable and make arrangements in the event of an emergency. I also have encouraged people with special needs to register in advance with the FDNY under the FDNY program.

       

10. Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

     

    1. Mayor Bloomberg elevated the Director of the (MOPD) to a Commissioner without any increase in budget or responsibilities. How would you ensure that city departments/agencies coordinate through MOPD?

        

       There should be a review of the training program at each agency to see if there is appropriate training in place. In addition, the agency rules should be reviewed to be sure that all city agencies are in compliance with the guidelines issued by the MOPD. There could be an amendment to the Administrative Code or to the Charter to insure compliance with the directives from MOPD.

        

    2. How do you believe the City Council should enforce and do oversight regarding the work of the office and be certain of the implementation and its efforts?

        

       As stated above, the City Council can pass an amendment to the Administrative Code to require compliance. In addition, the council has the authority and obligation for the oversight of the agency and can monitor the work of the office. The council can ask to see the rules that are put into effect and hold those in management responsibility for achieving the objectives of the office. . The council can have a hotline for anyone to call to point out a problem.

        

Date: May 29, 2009