504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for Congress Nydia M. Velazquez's 2010 response)

Candidate Name: Nydia M. Velazquez

Candidate for Congressional District: 12

Contact Person: Vickie Winpinsinger

Campaign Address: 315 Inspiration Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Phone: 301-947-0278

Fax: 301-947-1531

Email: vwinpisinger@comcast.net

How have you incorporated people with disabilities into your campaign?

Involvement in my campaign in open to all people, including those with disabilities.
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?

I have a close family member who suffers from Spina Bifida and a sibling who is physically disabled from a car accident.
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? While in public office and/or 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?

I have consistently supported providing more federal resources to help schools implement the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which included more than $12 billion in enhanced federal funding for IDEA.

I have worked to increase funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to more quickly process claims for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The stimulus bill that I supported included hundreds of millions of dollars for SSA to expedite consideration of claims processing to reduce the disability backlog, provided $140 million in grants to support individuals with disabilities to continue to live independently in their communities, and distributed cash assistance in the form of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments to those in need.

With respect to veterans, the stimulus bill provided $1 billion to the Veterans Administration to modernize and improve VA hospitals and hundreds of millions more for expedite disability claims and benefit processing.

Throughout my time in Congress I have continuously supported bolstering the HUD Section 811 Supportive Housing program by increasing funding for the program and by voting for legislation to make Section 811 projects eligible for a higher tax credit to encourage their development.

It is important to me to support stem cell research and increased funding for the National Institutes for Health (NIH) in order to create scientific breakthroughs which might make life for those with disabilities easier and provide protections for future generations from preventable debilitating illnesses.

As Chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, I held a hearing last year to expose fraud in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program and to ensure that the Small Business Administration (SBA) is properly dedicating its resources to assist businesses owned by disabled veterans.

Finally, I have introduced The Together We Care Act establishes a 3 year pilot grant program at HUD to promote job training in home care for public housing residents and to facilitate providing home care services to senior and disabled residents of federally assisted housing programs. This bill is intended to connect those in need of employment and those in need of services; promoting sustainable job opportunities for public housing residents; and enabling our seniors and the disabled to remain in their communities.
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?

I have always been and remain committed to supporting events that are accessible to people with disabilities and make accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections to persons with disabilities?

Yes.
How do you propose your active involvement/availability to the disability community?

There are 3 offices located throughout the district to support resident needs and provide information to all residents in New York-12.
1. Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community?
  
  All of my staff are responsible to the disability community because every issue, from health care to education, is important to and affects them.
2. Will have regular office agenda meetings on these issues?
  
  See above.
3. What would you do to have direct contact with our community?
  
  See above.
How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation? What will be your strategy?

I will continue to regularly communicate with my constituents who are disabled, with groups such as the 504 Democratic Club, Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled and with the advocacy community in Washington, D.C. including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the AARP, and veterans groups, among others.
If you are an incumbent,
1. Is your office accessible to persons with disabilities?
  
  Yes.
2. What oversight have you performed regarding implementation of programs/legislation passed previously?
  
  As Chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, I held a hearing last year to expose fraud in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) program and to ensure that the Small Business Administration (SBA) is properly dedicating its resources to assist businesses owned by disabled veterans.
The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Fairness Restoration Act would permit parents and guardians who successfully bring an action or proceeding which enforces IDEA to be awarded expert witness fees and certain other expenses. Will you sponsor this legislation?

Yes.
The proposed Community Choice Act would allow persons with disabilities and older Americans equal access to community-based attendant supports rather than nursing home placement. Will you sponsor this legislation?

Yes, I am currently a co-sponsor.
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 2010 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.

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

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