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WHEREAS, the Democratic Party of the State of New York Rules state that "[t]he purpose of these rules is to inspire and encourage the greatest number of Democrats to participate in the affairs of the Democratic Party of the State of New York," and

WHEREAS, Article I, Section 2 (b) of the Rules regarding Public Notice and Meetings requires that "all public meetings of the Democratic Party of the State of New York …shall be held in places accessible to all Party members," and

WHEREAS, such accessibility includes but is not limited to accessibility to persons in wheelchairs, persons with hearing disabilities, and persons with sight disabilities, and

WHEREAS, in order to be in compliance with its own bylaws, the Democratic Party of the State of New York should take active steps to ensure that all of its public events, including but not limited to meetings and fundraisers, are fully accessible, and

WHEREAS, full accessibility should include providing easy and direct access to an event that does not require a person in a wheelchair to take a far more circuitous and time-consuming path to gain access than is required of able-bodied person, the provision of hearing amplification devices or sign language interpreters upon request, and the provision of sight assistance devices or materials in Braille upon request, and

WHEREAS, in the same spirit of inclusion and encouragement of the active participation of all members of our community that was the basis for the original Democratic Party of the State of New York Rules and Bylaws, the State Party should encourage all elected and appointed officials and all Democratic political organizations to also ensure that their public meetings and fundraisers are fully accessible, and

WHEREAS, the United Spinal Organization of New York (formerly known as the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association) will provide a list of accessible spaces and will also upon request visit a location to determine its accessibility, and can be reached either at 1-718-803-3782 or www.unitedspinal.org,

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of the State of New York shall ensure accessibility to all its public meetings and fundraisers to persons with disabilities, including but not limited to persons in wheelchairs and persons with limited sight or vision, and

the Democratic Party of the State of New York shall remind those elected and appointed officials and organizations with which it works to ensure accessibility to their public meetings and fundraisers.

Rachel Lavine, 66th A.D.

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