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?

As Manhattan Borough President I am proud to have supported and worked towards the elimination of substantial barriers in a variety of areas that affect the daily lives of people with disabilities. The following are highlights of my efforts to promote significant improvements in the quality of life of disabled New Yorkers.

Housing:
I have advocated for the passage and implementation of the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program for people with disabilities, including urging the Independent Budget Office to do a fiscal budget analysis of SCRIE for the disabled in New York City (in support of Anne Emerman’s request for IBO’s analysis), writing letters to Albany legislators in support of the legislation, and including passage of this legislation as part of my legislative agenda in my own annual legislative lobbying trips to Albany. I have also funded programs like CIDNY’s Fair Housing Coalition, which has worked on the development of strategies for the passage of SCRIE for the disabled and increasing the available stock of affordable and accessible housing.

Taxis:
I have been a consistent and strong supporter of a fully accessible medallion taxi fleet and enforcement of the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) accessibility regulation for for-hire vehicles (FHV). I have called for all new medallions to be used with only wheelchair accessible vehicles and for local legislation to be passed that would require all retired medallion taxis to be replaced with accessible vehicles. My advocacy efforts have included sponsoring (with the Taxis for All Campaign) a petition drive in favor of these positions and a citywide forum on the issue, as well holding or participating in multiple media events to call attention to the issue. My office has met on multiple occasions with advocates and local legislative staff to work towards implementation of these policies and has presented testimony in support of these positions.

Subway System:
One of my top transportation priorities is the creation of a fully accessible, full-length Second Avenue Subway line that would be free of all of the current barriers that exist with our current subway system. I have also worked with disability community advocates to stop the closure of token booths, which has included testifying about the potential adverse impact of these closures to the MTA and holding press conferences to call attention to this problem for people with disabilities, particularly for the blind and visually impaired.

Buses:
Although New York City Transit’s bus fleet is fully accessible, there have been a number of problems brought to my attention for which I have sought immediate remediation by the MTA or other responsible agencies. I have fought for the expedited removal of snow banks at bus stops following snow storms. I have also brought the issue of illegal parking of vehicles in bus stops to the attention of DOT and the MTA.

Curb Cuts:
Prior to, and even following, the settlement between the City and the United Spinal Association regarding the lack of curb cuts on our streets, I have worked with my constituents and DOT to identify and address priority curb cuts that needed to be created or fixed. I have even offered funds from my capital budget to create long-needed curb cuts prior to the settlement, although DOT at the time declined the receipt of these funds.

Ferries:
I co-sponsored the accessible waterborne transportation (ferries) legislation spearheaded by Councilwoman Margarita Lopez and presented testimony in favor of this legislation.

Access A Ride:
I worked with members of the Manhattan Borough President’s Disability Advisory Council to develop a number of recommendations to improve the Access A Ride (AAR) system, including the requirement of outcome standards for the contracts with paratransit companies and the revision of AAR's complaint system for passengers. My advocacy efforts included a joint letter with other elected officials, including Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, calling for these recommendations and testimony presented at public hearings.

Employment:
I have proudly employed a person with a disability and have supported accommodations as needed for members of my staff when they have been temporarily disabled. I have also supported improved efforts to employ people with disabilities, including the creation of the Medicaid Buy-In program, so that the disabled can return to work without losing their Medicaid coverage. One of my highlights as Borough President was participating in Disability Mentoring Day activities as a mentor for a person with a disability and bringing in students with disabilities to be mentored by members of my staff.

Healthcare:
In addition to advocating for the implementation of New York State’s Medicaid Buy-In program so that people with disabilities can return to work without losing their Medicaid coverage, I have also supported the implementation of the Olmstead decision in New York City. Part of my support for such efforts has included funding community-based programs that facilitate the deinstitutionalization of the disabled in long term care so that they can live with adequate supports in the community. I have also been supportive of educating the community about available health promoting initiatives for people with disabilities. For example, in conjunction with a number of community–based organizations, I sponsored a full-day long Disabled Women’s Health and Wellness Fair in Northern Manhattan, which exposed many of my constituents to the many health promoting opportunities, such as modified yoga and belly dancing classes and places where women can receive accessible gynecological care, that are available.

Education:
As Borough President, I developed and released a report that evaluated the physical accessibility of a number of public schools in Manhattan and worked with the then-Board of Education to address these access barriers. I have also funded scores of capital improvement projects to improve the accessibility of schools and recreational facilities like playgrounds, as well as community-based programs that work with disabled children on their educational needs.

Voting/Political Process:
One of the initiatives that I have been most proud of as Manhattan Borough President was the accessible voting technology fair that I co-sponsored and the report that I released, introducing the nation’s first set of accessible voting technology standards for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. This report provided the baseline voting machine accessibility standards that the State Assembly incorporated into its Help America Vote Act enabling legislation.

Emergency Preparedness:
My office had been meeting with emergency preparedness experts, providers, advocates and constituents to identify how we can improve preparedness at the government, community, organizational and individual levels for people with disabilities and seniors. We are in the process of drafting a briefing on emergency preparedness recommendations that will soon be released to the public and relevant officials.
 

What oversight have you performed regarding implementation of programs/legislation you have passed (in first term or in previous offices)?

With respect to oversight of positions and initiatives that I have supported to eliminate barriers and improve the lives of people with disabilities, I have been working with leaders in the disability community and members of the MBP’s Disability Advisory Council to monitor the progression of these issues. My office and I have consistently met with relevant government officials, written letters, testified at public hearings and sought media coverage to call attention to the issues and facilitate their progression.
 

What implementation/ strategy do you have for your future programs and legislation to help constituents with disabilities?

I believe that in order to facilitate the implementation of these programmatic and legislative initiatives, there needs to be infrastructural changes at the administrative level of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) and Mayoral Agencies. As Mayor, I would require MOPD to coordinate an interagency task force comprised of Mayoral Agencies to identify and address problems related to housing, transportation, healthcare and other issues, for people with disabilities. MOPD would also be charged with putting together a community advisory body that would consistently meet with MOPD and other agency representatives to provide guidance for how we can make improvements in different areas.
 

Will you commit to only attend or sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities? NOTE: This includes: providing written materials in alternate formats for people with low vision; providing assistive listening systems for people who are hard-of-hearing; sign language interpreters for people who are deaf; as well as ensuring that locations are accessible (including bathroom facilities) to people who use mobility aids, like wheelchairs and walkers.

4. I am committed to only sponsoring events that are fully accessible to New Yorkers with mobility and sensory disabilities. I would also strongly urge organizers of any event that I am attending to make reasonable accommodations for people with variegated disabilities.
 

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What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities?

1. ...in your personal life?

2. ...in the workplace?

3. ...what special accommodations do you believe/think are in use in the workplace?

Many of the people that I interact with in both my personal and professional life have some type of disability, whether visible or not. I have employed people with disabilities and have encouraged the disabled to apply for positions in my office as they have become available. The Municipal Building in Manhattan and the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building, which house my two offices, are reasonably accessible, although improvements could still be made. Examples of accommodations that exist in my office located within in the Municipal Building include accessible bathrooms, alarms and elevator signals. Although we currently do not have a need for individually tailored accommodations for any specific employee, I would certainly make sure that the accommodations were made as needed.
 

How do you propose to implement your active involvement and/or availability to the disability community?

1. Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community?

2. Will have regular office agenda meetings on these issues?

As Borough President, I dedicated one of my policy analysts to serve as a liaison with the disability community. Because many of the constituents who have approached my office need assistance with disability related problems, all of my constituent service representatives are trained to assist disabled constituents on a host of issues ranging from housing problems to transportation needs. I also formed the Manhattan Borough President’s Disability Advisory Council at the beginning of my first term in office, which has met on a regular basis to keep me abreast of all of the priority issues affecting the disability community and to work with me in developing strategies to address these issues.
 

Neither Mayor Bloomberg nor his predecessor have ever met with the leadership of disability community, although they have met with other communities. What would you do to have more direct contact with our community?

As Borough President, my staff and I have met with the leadership of the disability community and we will continue to do so as requested and needed. I will also pledge, as Mayor, to personally meet with the disability community leadership on an annual basis and additionally, as necessary.
 

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What is your position on extending the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities under the age of 62 on the same basis and income level (currently the income cap for seniors is $24,000, but for persons with disabilities it has been set at $17,000)?

I have always supported and advocated for the expansion of New York State’s SCRIE law to include the disabled and was pleased to see that this year the law was somewhat expanded. This victory, as significant as it was however, falls way short of the true needs of the low-income disabled. There must be parity in the law between seniors and the disabled and as Mayor, I will not only fight for income parity, but will fight to increase the income threshold beyond the current cap.
 

What have you done/accomplished in regard to extension of SCRIE or similar programs?

As previously stated, my advocacy efforts to expand the SCRIE program to the disabled have included urging the Independent Budget Office to do a fiscal budget analysis of SCRIE for the disabled in New York City, writing letters to Albany legislators in support of the legislation, and including it as part of my legislative agenda in my own annual legislative lobbying trips to Albany. I have also funded programs like CIDNY’s Fair Housing Coalition, which has worked on the development of strategies for the passage of SCRIE for the disabled and increasing the available stock of affordable and accessible housing.

What alternative programs will you propose to allow persons with disabilities to stay in their own homes/apartments? Perhaps a dedicated housing trust fund should be established for persons with disabilities? Would you provide a data base of available accessible housing?

I would certainly support the creation of a dedicated housing fund to financially assist disabled New Yorkers at risk of losing their accessible housing. As Mayor, I would also support the creation of a database maintained by either MOPD or HPD that would keep track of all of the available accessible housing units in New York City.
 

The City Human Rights Law currently permits civil penalties to be assessed against discriminators to vindicate the public interest, but these penalties are seldom if ever assessed against housing providers who have failed to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Will you commit to imposing such penalties so as to create a greater incentive for housing providers to comply with the law?

I strongly support the enforcement of penalties placed on landlords that violate accessible housing laws. Not only would this force landlords to comply with the law, but the revenue generated through these penalties could then be placed in an accessible housing trust fund to financially assist people with disabilities at risk for losing their housing.
 

New York City is in the process of adopting a new building code:

1. how would you advocate for the strongest possible access provisions?

   In order to ensure that New York City has the strongest possible accessibility provisions for its housing stock, as Mayor, I would bring together building code experts, architects, engineers, disability community providers and disabled New Yorkers to develop these standards.
    
   

2. Emergency evacuation for people with disabilities: what would you do to ensure that provisions are put in place to improve survival rates of people with disabilities in the event of fire, attack, blackout, or other emergency situation?

   To address improvements needed for emergency evacuation procedures for the disabled, I would also bring together government officials, emergency preparedness experts, and the disability community to develop strong recommendations to improve preparedness at the first responder, commercial building, residential building, community, organizational and individual levels for people with disabilities. I would strive to develop and implement through the building codes or legislation, stricter standards for evacuation of buildings, and would fund pilot projects to test and evaluate different technologies and evacuation models.
    
   

3. What would you do to ensure that "Visitability" is enacted in New York City? Visitability = the movement towards establishing guidelines providing that newly constructed multi-family dwellings have basic accessible/adaptable features that permit friends and family with disabilities to visit, and for residents to "age in place," without having to move out when age and/or disability set in.

   I also strongly believe that "visitability", meaning the development of guidelines to require newly constructed dwellings to be accessible/adaptable to disabled friends and family members, which would also enable people to "age in place", is an integral part of on-going efforts to improve the city’s building code.
    
   

Will you develop new and renovated housing for people with disabilities?

As Mayor, I would look to significantly improve the availability of accessible housing stock. I would consider the creation of financial incentives for developers that create affordable, accessible housing units beyond the minimum requirements as set by the ADA, as well as incentives for the renovation of inaccessible units and common spaces beyond what is required by law.
 

What efforts are you willing to commit to assuring that people with disabilities do not become homeless - are able to stay in their own apartments with adequate supports?

In order to ensure that people with disabilities are able to maintain their housing, I would create an emergency financial assistance housing fund and would fight to increase the income cap for SCRIE for the disabled.
 

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What is your position on efforts to elevate the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) to a commissioner level agency? How would you ensure that city departments/agencies coordinate through MOPD?

I strongly believe that the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) should be elevated to the level of a mayoral agency, in order to ensure that its existence and authority remains with future mayoral administrations. I would also mandate regular interagency task force meetings that are attended by senior level representatives of each of the mayoral agencies that impact the lives of people with disabilities, which would be led by the Commissioner of MOPD.
 

What implementation/authority should MOPD have, and/or how would you ensure that MOPD have?

I do believe that MOPD should have some enforcement powers, however, the extent to which MOPD should have jurisdiction over enforcement of various laws, such as ADA violations, would need to be further explored.
 

Since presumably "this" office is a Mayoral Office, how would you enforce and do oversight regarding the work of the office and be certain of the implementation and its efforts?

In order for me to oversee the progression of the work of MOPD or any of the Mayoral Agencies, I would require the development of indicators that could be measured and reported as part of the Mayor’s Management Report (e.g., number of accessibility-related housing violations reported, number of housing violation inspections made, etc.). The Commissioner of MOPD would also be a part of regular meetings with all of the mayoral agency commissioners and would be required to report the progression of priority issues directly to City Hall.
 

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Under Mayor Bloomberg, the City settled with the United Spinal Association and agreed to install curb cuts -- pedestrian ramps, on all corners which presently don’t have one. However, no provision has been made to repair or replace those current ones which are unsafe. How would you ensure that curb cuts—pedestrian ramps — are provided on or repaired on streets that need them? What would you establish as a timetable?

In order to ensure that the creation of new curb cuts take place in a timely manner, I would closely monitor DOT’s ability to follow the settlement schedule that they agreed to with the United Spinal Association and would work with the agency to make sure that it has the resources to adhere to the schedule. I am concerned that the repairs of unsafe curb cuts have been ignored in favor of sticking to the settlement schedule for new curb cuts, so I would provide resources for and would instruct DOT to fix identified unsafe curb cuts within a reasonable period of time. I would also instruct DOT to develop and implement a practical timetable for creating curb cuts on the vaulted sidewalk corners, which I understand are currently not included as part of the settlement agreement.
 

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

I believe the City needs to do a better job of encouraging businesses to be more accessible. I have heard many examples of businesses making simple access improvements, which resulted in an increase in their customers. I think the "One Step" program led by the City Commission on Human Rights needs to be expanded so that more businesses are aware of the barrier that one step at the entrance of the business can pose to people in wheelchairs. I would work with the local business improvement districts as well, to identify ways in which they could make their businesses more accessible. A successful example that I would use as a model for other business districts is the East Midtown BID’s investment in the installation of audible pedestrian signals on several corners within their district. This is a small financial investment that significantly improves the accessibility of all of the businesses within that district for the blind and visually impaired. Not only was this the right thing to do, but it should increase transactions for those local businesses.
 

Do you believe that landmark buildings can be made accessible without losing their historical integrity?

Although I realize that there may be some accessibility needs for landmark buildings that would not be possible without compromising the historical integrity of the building, I do think that most accessibility improvements could be made. There are enough talented architects and engineers who would know how to design changes that are in keeping with the architectural integrity of these buildings.
 

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The Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (Intro 22) seeks to protect the vigor and independence of the City’s Human Rights Law against the attacks of an increasingly conservative state and federal judiciary. 38 Council sponsors, 32 civil rights and allied organizations, and three hearings should be enough to get the job done, but the Mayor opposes the most central aspect of the bill, the need for City Human Rights Law not to be restricted as federal and state civil rights law gets cut back. Would you work to assure its passage?

I have been in full support of passage of the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (Intro 22) and as Mayor, I would make passage of this legislation one of my top priorities.
 

Under the Bloomberg Administration, the Corporation Council intervened on the side of the city of Sacramento when it sought to challenge the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the requirement to maintain accessible sidewalks. Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

I believe that it is shameful that the Corporation Counsel under the Bloomberg Administration submitted a memorandum of support for the City of Sacramento when Sacramento sought to undermine the Americans with Disabilities Act, by trying to absolve itself from the responsibility of maintaining accessible sidewalks. I will certainly pledge that as Mayor, I would use my office to strengthen civil rights protections for people with disabilities.
 

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In the Olmstead decision, the Supreme Court ruled that severely disabled persons have the right to live in the community in the "least restrictive environment," and not be warehoused in nursing homes. In spite of the fact that personal care services are often more cost effective, and severely disabled persons are often happier and live longer in their own homes, there continues to be a nursing home bias in government. What would you do to insure that consumers have the opportunity to remain in the community if they so desire?

I am a strong supporter of implementing the Olmstead decision, not only because it is the humane thing to do, but it is, in fact, more cost-effective to have many institutionalized persons living in the community with adequate healthcare supports, rather than living in long term care facilities. Because Medicaid reimbursements are geared toward institutionalizing the disabled, rather than supporting their care in the community, a top priority under the Fields Administration would be to work with Albany legislators to reform Medicaid so that people with disabilities can live in the least restrictive settings.
 

The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP): Enables self-directing senior citizens and younger disabled persons (or their surrogates) receiving home care under Medicaid to recruit, hire, train, supervise and (if necessary) discharge their workers, with the home care agency servicing as a "fiscal conduit" to pay salaries, taxes and benefits based on information provided by the consumer and worker. Although CDPAP is a product of the disability rights movement, HRA no longer allows consumers to serve on the Boards of provider agencies and has encouraged agencies to move away from the "self-directing" model to the more traditional "medical" model. Currently only about 1,500 consumers and their surrogates are enrolled in CDPAP. Would you, as Mayor, seek to reverse that policy and strengthen and expand CDPAP? Please describe strategy and time frame for such policy change.

As Mayor, I would work with the Human Resources Administration to review its current home care policies. The more traditional "medical model" of home care services may work for some, but it cannot work as a "one size fits all" model. The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program as a model can be tailored to the differing needs of different patients, and I would instruct HRA to work with consumers and community based organizations familiar with these different models to redevelop the agency’s home care contracts so that CDPAP could be significantly expanded within the first year of my administration.
 

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Children with disabilities often attend schools with segregated placements, insufficient supports to function in a regular classroom, or travel in poorly maintained buses to attend schools far from their homes because their neighborhood school is inaccessible, cannot or will not provide an appropriate education. Months have passed before an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed or implemented. What will you specifically direct the Chancellor to do to assure that the policies of the Department of Education are more user friendly to children with disabilities and their parents? Provide time frame.

In order to ensure that children with disabilities are able to obtain an education in the least restrictive setting with minimal interruptions to their education, the Department of Education’s special education program needs to be a top priority to address immediately. I would first instruct the Chancellor to do a full evaluation of each school to measure their accessibility, capacity to have students with disabilities, and the resources that are available to accommodate disabled students. These evaluations will be used by each school to identify needed resources and planning efforts. Each school would be instructed to have a special education coordinator who would be charged with ensuring that the school’s disabled students’ educational and other needs are met. I would also instruct the Chancellor to identify additional professional training needed for teachers to work with students with disabilities. At the central office level, I would require that Individual Educational Plans be developed and implemented within a reasonable period of time, so that students’ educations cannot be disrupted for more than a week or two, as opposed to several months. The Chancellor would be charged with developing a special education reform plan that could be implemented by the start of the 2006-2007 school year.
 

As a result of cutbacks in Federal funding, programs serving students with disabilities in the CUNY system are being eliminated, including the home-bound program at Queensborough Community College. These students often find that CUNY fails to provide mandated supports. What would you do as Mayor to assure that disabled students in the CUNY system have the required services to assure their academic success?

In order to ensure that CUNY is able to meet the needs of its students with disabilities, I would work with the CUNY schools to identify the resources they need that were eliminated as a result of federal funding cuts. I would then not only seek funding from the City’s budget to restore these resources, but would aggressively seek the restoration of funding from Washington to help cover the cost of these resources.
 

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