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?

As a member of Manhattan CB6 I have consistently voted in favor of accessible transportation including voting for resolution supporting handicapped accessible ferry service and wheelchair accessible taxis.
 

What oversight have you performed regarding implementation of programs/legislation you have passed (in first term or in previous offices)?

N/A
 

What implementation/strategy do you have for your future programs and legislation to help constituents with disabilities?

I would be a fervent advocate of programs focused on handicapped accessible modes of public transportation. Such programs must include increasing the number of wheelchair accessible taxicabs and the creation of new programs, improving existing programs such as Access-A-Ride, which currently are completely inefficient for the needs of the handicapped community.
 

Will you commit to only attend or sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities? NOTE: This includes providing written materials in alternate formats for people with low vision, providing assistive listening systems for people who are hard-of-hearing, and sign language interpreters for people who are deaf, as well as ensuring that locations are accessible to people who use mobility aids, like wheelchairs and walkers.

Yes.
 

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What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities?

1. ...in your personal life?

2. ...in the workplace?

Over the course of my professional career I have worked with a number of individuals confronting various disabilities. Such experiences have no doubt worked to increase my own level of sensitivity to the needs of the community.
 

What special accommodations do you believe/think are in use in the workplace?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of the most important civil rights/human rights legislation ever passed in this nation. The impact of the legislation over the past 15 years has been significant and has offered many important protections for persons with disabilities. I firmly believe that persons with disabilities must be provided with the necessary accommodations to ensure that they are able to effectively perform their job duties.
 

How do you propose to implement your active involvement and/or availability to the disability community?

I would establish a Disability Advisory Committee within the district to help inform my office of any particular issues impacting the community within the District. In addition, I will personally reach out and visit the homes and buildings of persons with disabilities, as I have done throughout my campaign, in order to make myself available and accessible to the disabled community and to new issues that develop within the community.
 

1. Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community?

   Yes, someone on my staff will be dedicated to acting as the liaison between my office and the community.
    
   

2. Will have regular office agenda items and meetings on disabled community issues?

   Yes. We will work closely with the Disability Rights Advisory Committee to ensure that issues and concerns that are facing the disabled community are regularly addressed in office meetings.
    
   

Do you/or will you, have an active Disability Advisory Committee? Explain its duties, responsibilities and powers.

Yes. As previously mentioned, the Disability Rights Advisory Committee will be responsible for analyzing new legislation which comes before the city, and determining its impact on the disability community. A representative from my office will be present at all Advisory Committee meetings and I will actively consult the Committee regard the impact of legislation on the disabled community.
 

How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation through the City Council? What is your strategy during your first term?

While working on Long Island as the Chief of Staff for the Nassau County Legislature, I worked with a diverse coalition of groups to pass progressive human rights legislation, which included protections for disabled residents. I would use the same strategy in passing future legislation to promote disability rights in this city. My office will be open and accessible to the disability community and I will encourage and promote their participation in my office throughout my term as Council Member.
 

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What is your position on the development of supported apartments/homes and retirement homes for the mentally disabled in your borough? Please also explain same for physically disabled. What strategies will you utilize?

I strongly support the creation of supportive housing units in our district for persons who are both mentally and physically disabled. There are some excellent supportive housing units that currently exist in the city and in this District. Unfortunately, the demand for these services far exceeds the number of units currently available. I will work with the agencies that provide these services to develop a strategy to expand the availability of supportive housing units.
 

What is your position on extending the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities under the age of 62 on the same basis and income level (currently the income cap for seniors is $24,000, but for persons with disabilities it has been set at $17,000)?

I strongly support the extension of the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities who are eligible for SCRIE should receive the same $24,000 level that is currently set for seniors in this City.
 

How will you develop realistic income levels for individuals and couples with disabilities to avail themselves of the SCRIE provisions?

The $24,000 guideline for persons with disabilities is a fair and reasonable guideline for individuals. The income guidelines for couples should be calculated based on a formula that considers both the additional expense of a second person as well as the shared costs of a couple.
 

What alternative programs will you propose to allow persons with disabilities to stay in their own homes/apartments? (i.e. protection from rent increases or undue eviction (harassment) and make funds available to make appropriate accommodations in present living environment). Another example: perhaps a dedicated housing trust fund should be established for making those housing accommodations. If so, how would you fund same?

An increase in the SCRIE income guidelines for persons with disabilities would be a crucial step in securing affordable housing. I would also recommend an educational campaign that informs disabled residents about their rights and protections as residents.
 

New York City is in the process of adopting a new building code. How would you advocate for the strongest possible access provisions?

To begin with, I would work with the disabled community to determine what currently works and what needs to be improved in our current building codes. I would then recommend a City Council hearing on the issue, so as to inform both the public and other City Council Members. Finally, I will work with the disabled community and other strong advocates in the City Council to lobby for a progressive building code that is truly responsive to the needs of the disabled community.
 

1. Emergency evacuation for people with disabilities: what would you do to ensure that provisions are put in place to improve survival rates of people with disabilities in the event of fire, attack, blackout, or other emergency situation?

   Disabled persons are at increased risk during emergency situations, and our city must do more to ensure their safety. To address this issue, I would recommend furthering a voluntary and confidential registry of persons with special needs to be used by local police and fire departments, not unlike what private companies such as Con Edison currently have. Emergency responders would then be alerted and have the responsibility to provide special aid to disabled persons during the event of an emergency situation.
    
   

2. What would you do to ensure that "Visitability" is enacted in New York City? Visitability is the movement towards establishing guidelines providing that newly constructed multi-family dwellings have basic accessible/adaptable features that permit friends and family with disabilities to visit, and for residents to "age in place," without having to move out when age and/or disability set in.

   As our elderly population grows, the community is beginning to realize the importance of accessible/adaptable features that allow persons to age in place. Current efforts to make buildings increasingly accessible will benefit persons for many years down the road, and will ultimately save our government money. To ensure that these accessible features are included in new and existing housing units, we must fight for the most progressive building code possible.
    
   

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Will you support, and what strategy will you utilize, to implement an expansion of affordable wheelchair accessible transportation in NYC, including taxis, livery service, express buses, airport shuttle service, more accessible subway stations, etc.?

I strongly support efforts to promote and expand accessibility in our transportation system throughout the city. The public transportation system is the primary means of travel for the majority of residents in our community, and the MTA must be responsive to the specific needs of the disability community who use our public buses and subways. In recent years our city has made minor steps to improve the design of buses to allow riders easier [access?] However, improvements can be made with new generations of buses (such as ground level entrances/exits. In addition, we need to improve access to subways by providing more on-street elevators for those who have difficulty going up and down the subway stairs.
 

1. Efforts to secure a 100% accessible fleet of medallion taxis have been hampered by opposition from Mayor Bloomberg and the taxi industry. Wheelchair accessible taxis are present in many cities as a result of strong support from local Mayors and City Councils. What would you do to assure that all New York City residents, commuters and tourists have access to an important form of public transportation, our medallion taxis and community car services?

   I would strongly support legislation that requires all new taxis that are awarded medallions to be wheelchair accessible. The result of this legislation would result in a 100% accessible fleet in the coming years.
    
   

Access-A-Ride has denied rides to many eligible consumers; cause unnecessarily long trips, causing workers to be late for work and consequently be docked pay and even lose their jobs; routinely leave many consumers stranded at the curb, lying to their clients that a bus is coming and calling consumer a "no-show" when the bus has not shown. Consumers who complain are often subject to retaliation. What would you do to improve the quality of service for those who must use Access-A-Ride?

Access-A-Ride, as a service for the physically disabled community, is an important and necessary one. However, the current services provided by Access-A-Ride fail many of the city’s residents whom it is intended to serve. The program is clearly broken, and we need to do more to make the program work for our community residents. To this end, I will meet with consumers of Access-A-Ride to find out what works and what needs to be improved. I will then use these suggestions to address the management of Access-A-Ride, and to make them more accountable to the community. If management is resistant to making the necessary changes, thin I would advocate for a City Council hearing to highlight the issue and the problems faced by the disabled community. If problems with Access-A-Ride continue beyond this point, I would recommend withholding city funding to Access-A-Ride until the point at which they reform their practices and policies.
 

Do you favor the construction of the Second Avenue Subway? If so, is this a priority?

At the current time, Union Square is the only subway stop in the district with elevators for people with physical disabilities. I will work to increase the number of accessible subway stations both on the Second Avenue Subway line and throughout the city.
 

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The Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (Intro 22) seeks to protect the vigor and independence of the City’s Human Rights Law against the attacks of an increasingly conservative State and Federal Judiciary. Although there are 38 Council sponsors, 32 civil rights and allied organizations, in favor of this legislation, and three hearings have been held, Mayor Bloomberg continues to oppose the most central aspect of the bill, the need for City Human Rights Law not to be restricted as federal and state civil rights law gets cut back. Would you work to assure its passage? Please describe your strategy.

The Local Civil Rights Restoration Act (Intro 22) is an important and necessary piece of legislation and I would strongly support its passage. To finally ensure the passage of this legislation, the number one priority for Democrats at the current time should be to prevent Bloomberg from winning re-election. If Bloomberg does in fact win a second term, then I would support a media campaign that explains the legislation to the citizens of New York City, and finally hold the mayor accountable for his resistance to human rights in this city.
 

Under the Bloomberg Administration, the Corporation Council intervened on the side of the city of Sacramento when it sought to challenge the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the requirement to maintain accessible sidewalks. Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

As the City Council Member for District 2, I will work tirelessly to strengthen civil rights protections for persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, espite measures to address discrimination and barriers to access for persons with disabilities the impact of ablism is still a real and constant threat for too many of our residents. We must take additional steps to create a City that is accessible for all of our residents. I will use my office to fight for persons with disabilities so that they may maintain a high quality of life in our city.
 

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Do you support making sign language interpreters available for Community Board meetings? If so, how would you fund this?

I would support legislation making sign language interpreters available for Community Board meetings. This service would be funded through a slight increase in the Community Board’s current budget.
 

Will you appoint disabled persons to local Community Boards?

As a City Council Member, I would not have the responsibility of appointing members to Community boards. However, I will advocate for and recommend the appointment of disabled persons to the Borough President.
 

How many have you/ or will you appoint to Community Board?

I strongly believe that our Community Boards should represent the diversity of the neighborhoods that they serve. Therefore, I would advocate for the appointment of community members with disabilities based on the proportion of disabled individuals throughout the entire district.
 

Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?

As Council Member, I would advocate for the requirement of a Disability Committee on every Community Board. At the current time, some Community Boards are addressing the needs of disabled residents in their district, while other Community Boards are not. For example, the Human Services Committee on Community Board 6, the Community Board that I currently serve on, is responsible for addressing the specific needs the the physically and mentally disabled in the district. Community Board 1, however, does not have a single committee that addresses the needs and concerns of this community. I would actively work with the disabled community to make the Community Boards more responsive to the needs of disabled residents throughout New York City.
 

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Please Specify: Have you used (or will you use) your discretionary funds to support organizations serving persons with disabilities or service organizations seeking to make their programs accessible to persons with disabilities? If so, what percentage of your discretionary funds went to such organizations?

Like any other needed District service I don’t think its fair or appropriate to place a percentage on the percent of funds to be directed, but I am committed to continuing to support programs currently receiving funding in the 2nd District as well as looking for new programs to support.
 

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Under Mayor Bloomberg, the City settled with the United Spinal Association and agreed to install curb cuts -- Pedestrian ramps, on all corners which presently don’t have one. However, no provision has been made to repair or replace those current ones which are unsafe. How would you ensure that curb cuts—pedestrian ramps—are provided on or repaired on streets that need them? What would you establish as a timetable?

Our city streets and sidewalks are the arteries of the city, and therefore must be accessible to every resident. The city’s delay in installing curb cuts is unacceptable, and we must hold the administration accountable for this delay. To ensure that the repairs are made in a timely fashion, I would meet with top administrators in the appropriate City agencies and departments to determine what is currently proposed as a timeline for the project’s completion. If this timetable is not acceptable to me and to leaders in the disability community, I would recommend a City Council Hearing to address this critical issue.
 

What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?

The first step would be to convince business owners that there is ultimately a financial benefit for making their business more accessible. Residents with disabilities are active members in our communities. They earn and spend money, the same as an able-bodied resident, and they shop at local businesses for all of their daily needs. The city should be making the argument that an inaccessible business prevents business owners from reaching an important consumer market.
 

Do you believe that landmark buildings can be made accessible without losing their historical integrity?

I firmly believe that more can and must be done in order to make landmark buildings more accessible to the community. For example, the Ottendorfer library on Second Avenue and 8th Street does not have an accessible entrance in the front of the building. This lack of access is unacceptable, as it prevents some of our City’s residents from accessing a valuable resource. I would advocate for an increase in accessibility accommodations for landmark and non-landmark buildings throughout the city.
 

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What is your position on efforts to elevate the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) to a commissioner level agency or Commission on Disabilities to enable coordination of efforts of agencies? (A one stop shop for information and assistance.) How would you ensure that city departments/agencies coordinate through MOPD?

I would support the elevation of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to a Commission on Disabilities. To ensure coordination between city departments and agencies, I would encourage that each department or agency submit a quarterly report on the status of current and proposed programs and initiatives and the impact of these programs on persons with disabilities. MOPD, or the newly created Commission, would be responsible for commenting on the reports and assessing the impact of the programs on persons with disabilities.
 

What implementation/authority should MOPD have, and/or how would you ensure that MOPD?

The MOPD should act as a regulatory office, and have the authority to influence and impact laws and regulations that prevent accessibility to disabled persons.
 

Since presumably "this" office is a Mayoral Office, how would you enforce and do oversight regarding the work of the office and be certain of the implementation and its efforts?

City Council, and specifically the Council’s Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Disability Services Committee, would have the responsibility of performing the necessary oversight.
 

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