504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for Attorney General Sean Coffey's response)

Candidate Name: Sean Coffey: New York State Attorney General

Contact Person: Cassie Prugh, Political Director

Campaign Address: 60 East 42nd Street, P.O. Box 4533 Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10163

Phone: 212.557.6100

Fax: 212.557.6102

Email: Cassie.Prugh@gmail.com or SeanCoffey@coffey2010.com

Website: www.coffey2010.com

Endorsements: Congressman Bill Owens, Congressman Dan Maffei, Brookhaven Town, Supervisor Mark Lesko

How have you incorporated people with disabilities into your campaign?

I would be more than willing to hire and provide reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities who want to work on my campaign.
If there is a Campaign office(s) is it wheelchair accessible?

Yes.
What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?

My sister had a son born with severe birth trauma resulting in cerebral palsy and significant brain damage. My nephew was nonetheless a vital and loved member of our family, included in virtually all of our family activities until his untimely death at age 16 five years ago. I witnessed first-hand his struggles and those of my sister's family and understand how daunting these challenges can be.
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?

If elected, I would be more than willing to hire individuals with disabilities and provide reasonable accommodations for any position within the Attorney General's Office.
Will you commit to only attend and/or sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities including providing written materials in alternate formats, providing assistive listening systems, and sign language interpreters, as well as ensuring that locations are accessible to people who use mobility aids, like wheelchairs and walkers?

As Attorney General, I will ensure that every event sponsored by my office is accessible to people with disabilities. I will also strongly encourage all organizations to do the same.
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections to persons with disabilities?

Yes. As Attorney General, and the people's lawyer, I will be in the unique position to affirm and strengthen civil rights protections to persons with disabilities. I pledge that I will do everything in my power to protect their civil rights.
How do you propose your active involvement/availability to the disability community? Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community? Will have regular office agenda meetings on these issues? What would you do to have direct contact with our community?

Yes. I have pledged that under my leadership, the New York State Office of Attorney General will reflect the diverse population of the state it represents.
How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation? What will be your strategy?

New York State can and should be a model for the nation on issues of policy affecting people with disabilities and this will best happen if we follow the motto of ADAPT: "Nothing about us without us." As such, as Attorney General, I will convene forums and roundtables to listen first and foremost to the concerns of people with disabilities in our State. These meetings will serve as a key source of information regarding issues for the disability community. I will work closely with the State legislature to seek passage of legislation that advances the interests of the disability community and to deter legislation that runs counter to those interests.
If you are not an incumbent,
1. Is your present office/work place accessible to people with disabilities? If not, what have you done to rectify the inaccessibility?
  
  Yes.
2. If the present district office is inaccessible, do you intent to find an accessible office?
  
  Not applicable.
Do you support a waiver of the state's sovereign immunity claims under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973?

As Attorney General, I pledge to use the office to affirm and strengthen civil protections to persons with disabilities. As such, New York State, including its counties and local governments should be held accountable for their actions and be called to task when they violate the civil rights of persons with disabilities as they would for violations based on race or gender. I will aggressively pursue such violations including any movement to waive the State's sovereign immunity as it pertains to claims under the ADA.
While localities have acquired voting machines that attempt to meet the accessibility standards of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), many poling places in New York State remain inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Do you favor the elimination of provisions in Section 4-104 (1-a) of the NYS Election Law allowing waiver of polling place accessibility standards?

I do not support the elimination of provision in Section 4-104 (1-a) of the New York State Election Law allowing waiver of polling place accessibility standards. We cannot just ignore the fact that some people may be turned away from the polls because they do not enjoy proper access. As a state, we must expect more and as Attorney General I will not turn my back on the civil right to vote. As such, I recommend that we hold a state wide conference to address this very critical and yet fundamental issue on polling site accessibility. Together we can find an appropriate solution and develop a schedule to bring each site in compliance with the law.
How do you propose dealing with school districts that deny civil rights to disabled students even after the State Division of Civil Rights affirms the student's rights such as to use a service animal?

School Districts cannot be above the law. Any school district that denies civil rights to disabled students must be held accountable for their actions. Students who have a right to use a service animal must not be ignored and denied their civil rights. As Attorney General, I will sue any district that does not provide the proper access to school for any student and their service animal.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires housing developers to set aside a certain percentage of accessible units for persons with disabilities when federal funds are used for construction. Do you favor incorporating these provisions into State law so that the Dept. of Housing and Community Renewal can be empowered to enforce these provisions?

Yes, I do support incorporating these provisions in State law.
Persons with disabilities have historically been under-represented within the Democratic Party leadership. According to the 2000 census, persons with disabilities comprised 20.6% of New York State residents and 23.1% of those 18 years and older. Previously, we were told that only those groups included in the Voting Rights Act were included in the goals and timetables for delegate selection. Yet the lesbian and gay communities were included for the first time at the 2000 convention and again at the 2004 and 2008 conventions. Would you support a campaign to set a goal that 10% of the total New York State Delegation to the 2012 Democratic National Convention be comprised of persons with disabilities?

Yes, definitely.

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