Candidate Name: Naomi Rivera
Campaign Manager: Joel Rivera
Phone: 718-231-5951
Fax: 718-231-5352
Campaign Name: Committee To Re-Elect Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera
Campaign Address: 750 Allerton Avenue, Bronx, N.Y. 10467
Contact Person: U. Rafael Martinez
Phone: 718-231-5951
Fax: 718-231-5352
Email: naomirivera2006@hotmail.com
Assembly District: 80
Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.
As a mother of 6 year old asthmatic son, I often have to take sudden trips to the emergency room and make sure he manages his asthma utilizing his asthma action plan. I also have a close relative who is developmentally disabled and requires the use of a wheel chair to travel. Moreover, I once injured my knee, requiring me to walk on crutches for a time. These experiences have made me sensitive to the needs of our disabled community.
Is your campaign headquarters accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are an incumbent, is your district office accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are in private practice, is your office accessible to persons with disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?
My campaign headquarters and district office are accessible to persons with disabilities.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?
There are several people with disabilities currently volunteering for my campaign. Every constituent has a stake in who represents them in Albany.
Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing if necessary?
Yes.
Seventy (70%) percent of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed at any given time, no matter how well or poorly the economy is doing. How will you use your office to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities?
I have been a vocal supporter of our V.E.S.I.D. (Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities) programs. I will continue to advocate for additional funding and additional vocational opportunities.
What will you do to reverse the negative impact of recent decisions in Federal Courts which are undercutting the powers of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities in New York State? How would you change the laws of New York State to protect the rights of its citizens with disabilities?
Our state has the authority to pass legislation that supplements the protections people with disabilities enjoy under federal law. I currently support all of my conference's legislative efforts to protect and enhance the rights of all New Yorkers with disabilities.
Currently, over 130,000 people reside in nursing homes and other care facilities in New York State. In 1999, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) found in L.C. v Olmstead that individuals with disabilities have a right to live in the most integrated setting. What will you do to encourage Olmstead implementation in New York?
Working with local nursing homes, such as Beth Abraham, I have funded and advocated for the least restrictive and integrated setting for my constituents with disabilities and I will support legislation that encourages the implementation of Olmstead in New York.
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Accessible, affordable housing is in short supply. People with disabilities are being priced out of the market. What would you do to develop a housing policy that would lead to the development and maintenance of accessible, affordable and integrated housing stock?
One of the Mitchell-Llamas in my district recently chose to opt out of the program. In response to my community's concern that they would be priced out of there apartment, I organized an effort to preserve affordable housing that lead to a rent stabilized status for the building in question. I will continue to be a voice for the preservation of affordable housing and the construction of new, integrated and accessible housing.
Timothy's Law was designed to end health insurance discrimination by enacting parity in coverage for people with biologically-based psychiatric disabilities. To address cost concerns raised by small businesses, the agreement directs the state Superintendent of Insurance to develop a methodology that would hold businesses with 50 or fewer employees harmless from any increase in insurance premiums that result from this measure. It also requires the state Insurance Department and the Office of Mental Health to conduct a two year study to determine the effectiveness and impact of mental health parity legislation in New York and other states. What would you do to help small business?
I support smart tax incentives for small business to ensure healthcare coverage for everyone, but we have to create awareness about these issues by getting the information to our small businesses. I will make this information available to the small businesses in the district.
Under Kendra's Law, a state-funded Medicaid grants program has been established to provide medications for eligible individuals with a psychiatric disability upon release or discharge from institutions. This will help eliminate some of the problems associated with the Medicaid coverage gap. Do you support Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility legislation which would eliminate the standard 45 days without coverage, and thus without access to treatment?
Yes, I represent the patients of Bronx Psychiatric Center. Closing the Medicaid coverage gap for this population is a must.
By passing the Help America Vote Act of 2002 the U.S. Congress has tried to ensure that people with disabilities will, by 2006, be able to cast an independent, private ballot for the first time. What will you do to ensure successful implementation HAVA?
I will support all efforts to expedite the implementation of HAVA.
Disabled children in grades K-12 are entitled to receive a "free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment,"
but there have been major problems. Most often, schools are not physically accessible and not accommodating their students' needs. What do you propose to correct this problem?
We need to build new fully accessible schools and make the necessary modifications of the preexisting schools. I will work with parents, school officials and advocates to ensure that the schools in my district are in compliance with our current laws.
Despite Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with disabilities face problems when pursuing higher education. These statutes do not specify how students should request accommodations or assistance in asserting their rights under the law. Will you support a fully funded office of disability services on each SUNY and CUNY campus to assist students with disabilities in securing accommodations?
Yes.
What is your position on expanding DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) to be the same as SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities under the age of 62 on the same basis and income level (currently the SCRIE's income cap is $25,000, while DRIE's is $17,000)?
I support expanding DRIE to provide the same coverage as SCRIE.
Do you support the extension of Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) to low-income persons with disabilities regardless of age? What would you do to ensure this?
I support the extension of EPIC to low income persons with disabilities. I would be willing to sponsor legislation to accomplish this.
What would you do to expand accessible transportation options for people with disabilities in NYS?
An accessible mass transit systems is critical to the independence of people with disabilities. That is why I have worked with my local city council member to encourage support for additional accessible taxi cabs and the reconstruction of the Pelham Parkway and White Plains road subway stop.