504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for City Council Christine C. Quinn's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Christine C. Quinn

Council District: 3

Contact Person: Jan Messerschmidt

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? Yes.

Campaign Address: P.O. Box 1445, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212-929-8473
Email: quinn2009 @ gmail.com
Website: www.Quinn09.com

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?
  
  Under my leadership, the NYC Council released A Road Map to Improving Transportation for NYC Disabled Population, with a set of immediate recommendations for a variety of governmental agencies. Using the City Council's oversight powers, we have held hearings on a number of topics of interest to the disability community, including but not limited to the problems with Access-a-Ride, the need for accessible taxis, and the MTA capital plan which includes subway accessibility projects. We have supported state legislation to advance the disability agenda, including legislation to increase the DRIE income limits.
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 attend many events as Speaker. Our events at the City Council are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Clearly if I attend a community meeting of some sort, my expectation is that it MUST be accessible to those with disabilities. I always urge groups to make their events accessible to those with disabilities.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  I grew up in a home with my mother who had a hearing disability. I have worked with many people with disabilities.
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?
  
  Any job.
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?
  
  During my years in the Council I have work with the disabled community and will continue to work closely with the disabled community. This includes meetings with me and/or my staff with key stakeholders, including advocates from disability community, city agencies, and other elected officials to discuss the problems facing the disabled community and how we can work together to craft potential solutions, which could be budget, legislative or policy in nature.
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?
  
  I have many supportive housing developments in my district, and am happy to work with other qualified providers to site additional supportive housing where appropriate. This is a great need both in my district and citywide.
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 am supportive of raising the income eligibility threshold for DRIE. This is not something that can be done on the city level, it would require State legislation. In the past the Council has passed resolutions supporting such state legislation, and I will continue to work with colleagues on the state and city level on this issue. We also must do more to increase the participation rate in this program through greater outreach efforts and making the application process more accessible.
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?
  
  While I understand that these issues came up at the end of our process of revising the Building code, and therefore could not be fully addressed at that time, my understanding is that further conversations were to continue with the Department of Buildings around these issues. These issues obviously require a balance between greater accessibility, separate and apart from ADA compliance, and the increased costs to developers and property owners based on these additional requirements. I would be happy to have additional conversations in this area to see if there is more that can be done.
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.?
  
  Yes.
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?
  
  One of the main barriers to increasing fleet accessibility has been that the industry is close to, but has not quite developed a taxi that is both green and accessible. It is my understanding that introduction of one or two new models along these lines are immanent. When this happens, I look forward to working with you on efforts to increase both the greenness and the accessibility of our fleet.
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? 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?
  
  In response to these kinds of concerns, last year we issued a report, "A Road Map to Improving Transportation for NYC Disabled Population" that included a set of immediate recommendations for a variety of governmental agencies, including Access-A-Ride. We will continue to use our oversight powers to monitor and call for improvements and accountability with these services. I would be open to discussing piloting a "smart card" concept for Access-A-Ride users.
Civil Rights

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

Yes.
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?
  
  I support the concept that all Community Board and Public meetings should be held in accessible buildings. Further incorporating additional measures is something the city should explore.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I am open to appointing those with disabilities to local Community Boards. On the application to apply to the community Board, is an optional box for people to check if they are disabled. We have noticed that many of those who might wear a hearing aide or have some other needs, do not check the box.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  This is something that should be discussed with the Administration, and Borough Presidents.
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?

As this is part of the budget negotiating process I cannot commit. However, Yes, I regularly support organizations serving people with disabilities or service organizations seeking to make their programs accessible to people with disabilities.
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?
  
  I strongly believe that every corner should have a functional pedestrian ramp, and will work with DOT to ensure that they notify each local councilmember when this happens. DOT includes the replacement or repair of unsafe or damaged pedestrian ramps as part of their general sidewalk repair program, which occurs on a district by district basis.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  The city should encourage and provide technical assistance to businesses on how to make their establishments more accessible. The city's small business solutions centers should offer this as one of their technical assistance services, and help business owners secure loans to make the needed renovations through our small business capital access program, where the city provides loan guarantees for small business loans.
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?
  
  We have conducted oversight hearings on this issue and are working with the fire department to develop better policies and protocols in this area.
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?
  
  One of the responsibilities of Deputy Mayors is to insure the appropriate level of coordination between agencies. I would work with the Deputy Mayor to ensure the appropriate coordination is happening, and also use the Council's oversight powers and hearings to investigate these issues and hold agencies accountable.
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?
  
  The city council committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services has oversight of this agency and holds hearings on the work of this agency specifically and on issues facing people with disabilities more generally.

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