504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for City Council Tom Cooke's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Tom Cooke

Council District: 19

Contact Person: Robert Giuffre (347-538-6231)

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? It will be when it opens as the candidate uses a wheelchair.

Campaign Address: Tom Cooke For NYC Council, P.O. Box 604976, Bayside, NY 11360
Phone: 718-425-0939
Fax: 718-886-7445
Email: robagiuffre @ gmail.com
Website: www.cookeforcouncil.com

Endorsements: We are pursuing several endorsements. Most entities will be announcing endorsements in late June.

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?
  
  When I was 19, I was paralyzed in a car accident while serving in the U.S. Army overseas. I am a C4/5 quadriplegic with a spinal cord injury. I live life as a person with a disability.
  
  In addition to my personal experience, I have served n the board of directors of the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA)-now the United Spinal Association-since 1999. I served 3 terms as Vice Chairman of the United Spinal Association board of directors and I am currently the Chairman of that board. During this time I have overseen United Spinal's commitment to advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities. We have supported and fought for funding and programs to create a society that is wholly inclusive of people with disabilities in all areas. This includes housing, transportation and the other areas mentioned in the question. Most recently, we fought hard to write and eventually see the ADA Amendments Act pass in Washington, DC. This act restored ADA employment workplace protection that had been weakened by judges in the 90s and the 2000s. Currently, our President and staff are involved in discussions with the Obama administration on the issues most important to people with disabilities. As an individual, I support cradle to grave access for people with disabilities so that we can pursue as full and rewarding a lifestyle as any American, regardless of disability.
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)?
  
  Any event that I sponsor or attend MUST be physically accessible or I cannot attend because I am a wheelchair user myself. One of my best friends has been deaf since birth. We grew up together, and he still lives only 2 houses away from me. At my campaign kickoff event, I provided written material to this deaf individual to ensure he had some measure of access to my speech. I am extremely receptive to providing all manners of access to people with all manners of disabilities. I am willing to boycott events that should reasonably provide access on these levels and do not. As my campaign grows, I will commit to providing needed access at events when I have some notice that individuals with particular needs will be in attendance.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  One of my best friends from childhood was born deaf. He reads lips and I socialize with him often. I have many friends with disabilities, from visual to mobility impairments, as well as friends with "hidden disabilities." As a board member of United Spinal I work closely with many individuals with disabilities. I also socialized with many individuals with disabilities as a member of Queens College's Committee for Disabled Students. I have a disability, I have many friends with disabilities, and I am a member of the disability community.
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 hire an individual with a disability for any job that the individual could do with reasonable 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 will be very receptive to setting up meetings with disability advocacy and rights groups to listen to their concerns and any specific proposals they have on issues. I would be happy to work jointly on proposed legislation or receive legislation "whole-hog." I think the public is supportive of programs to help individuals with disabilities fully integrate into society. PR pressure and my own use of the bully pulpit would help prioritize the needs of our community and see meaningful legislation passed.
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 generally support the maintenance and development of supported residences and retirement facilities for people with mental and/or physical disabilities whether in my district or not. I currently live one block from such a facility. It has been in place for more than 20 years and it is an asset to the community. I am always in favor of community and residential based services that provide the highest quality of life for those with disabilities.
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 support raising the cap on income for individuals with disabilities to bring it in line with the requirements for SCRIE.
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?
  
  I am nearly fanatical in my support for visitability. I think it is one of the easiest ways to increase the long-term stock of accessible residential units. Apartments and homes that meet visitability requirements are often possible residences for those of us with disabilities. An increase in residential stock is sorely needed and visitability is an outstanding way to make that happen. I urgently support the incorporation of this concept into the building code.
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.?
  
  My goal is to have every venue of public transportation 100% accessible. I am displeased with the paucity of accessible subway stations in New York City. I am also displeased at failures to address the "gap issue" and the lack of a system to afford those with disabilities enough time to get onto a subway before the doors close. The current system is dangerous.
  
  I am intrigued by the pilot accessible dispatch program but I am concerned about its affordability. Access-A-Ride is a nightmare and needs to be made completely understanding of the needs of its users.
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 it's a red-herring for policy makers to pit environmentalists against the disability community by stating that taxis and community vehicles have difficulty being both "green" and accessible. My position is to make the vehicles ADA compliant and from there as green as possible. If buses can be green and accessible, so can taxis.
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?
  
  As a former user of AAR, I find their policies toward our community reprehensible. The five minute wait time is too short and the tendency of AAR dispatchers to retaliate is despicable. I would fight for policy changes that bring AAR more in line with the needs of its users, either through legislation or the efforts of the City Council transportation chair. I have not yet reviewed any smart card proposals but will do so.
Civil Rights
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

Absolutely. See my remarks on the ADA Amendments Act earlier in the questionnaire.
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, but I would probably consider an 18 hour notification for sign language interpreters rather than providing them automatically simply due to cost. Requiring comprehensive transcripts of community board meetings would also be a good post-meeting resource for the deaf and those physically unable to attend the meetings.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I generally do not believe in quotas. My Community Board currently has at least one individual with a visible disability; I would certainly like to see that number increase to about 5 to provide better representation.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  Yes, I think this is a good idea.
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?

I will use whatever influence I have - including the allotment of councilmember discretionary funds- to increase access to individuals 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 think the city should implement a plan to restore worn ramps to states of usefulness within 6 weeks of their identification as unsafe or useless. This should be under whatever plan the city and state maintains for the repair of our roads. Indeed, the accusation has been made that the city's policy for repairing roads is often to "dig a whole and fill it up." Reallocating some of this personnel towards the maintenance of pedestrian ramps would be a more effective use of this resource.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  I think the city needs to make sure that businesses that renovate meet the aspects of the ADA that require certain disability previsions as part of modern renovations. Additionally, the city should mandate that businesses that receive municipal contracts have facilities that are ADA compliant. In other words, entities that do not have ADA compliant facilities would be ineligible for contracts with NYC.
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?
  
  Police, emergency services, and fire personnel have to be charged with putting together an evacuation plan that reasonably meets the needs of our community. More attention must be brought to this issue and I will do that as a city council member living with a disability.
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?
  
  I am uncertain as to whether or not the city currently has any internal program making sure that agencies understand their accessibility obligations. If not, I would implement such a program to ensure such obligations are understood, particularly regarding facility access, employment and, of course, services. MOPD could be charged with processing requests on accessibility from agencies and conducting any such training (if they do not already).
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?
  
  Council members should develop and maintain ties, with the disability community so that they have a constantly updated understanding of how our community feels regarding the MOPD and city services for people with disabilities. As with any city agency, relationships with agency personnel should help the council member uncover the truth behind the reports and statements of agency heads. You simply cannot take these things at face value.

Date: June 1, 2009

Printer-friendly version of this questionnaire
(Link opens in a new browser window)

For other candidates running for City Council positions, go to the Questionnaires section