Alert: Act today in support of re-establishing an Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities!
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Alert in bold white letters on red background
This alert comes from the New York Association on Independent Living:
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There is currently no one single office that represents people with all types of disabilities in New York State government. This year, the legislature recognized that people with disabilities need greater representation and unanimously passed A.3130 (Steck) / S.1836 (Skoufis) to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities. This bill will be sent to Governor Hochul in the coming days, who will have to decide whether to sign the bill into law by the end of the year
For years, there was an Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities which was responsible for representing the rights and interests of disabled New Yorkers in the policymaking process. This office also served as the State’s ADA Coordinator, ensuring state government met the access needs of people with disabilities.
The previous administration was a disaster for disabled people. Governor Cuomo repeatedly enacted policies without considering the impact on people with disabilities. New York State has also been sued a number of times in recent years for not ensuring access, including during the early days of the pandemic when Governor Cuomo refused to have an ASL interpreter onscreen during his daily briefings.
We have an opportunity to turn the page on that chapter! Governor Hochul’s team has told us that the concerns of the disability community is a much higher priority in this administration. She can demonstrate this commitment this year by signing A.3130 / S.1836 to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities, but she needs to get the message that this issue is important to us!
Action
Call Governor Hochul each day this week at #518-474-8390. Press 3 and then on the next menu, press 2 to speak with a person.
Talking Points
Urge Governor Hochul to sign A.3130/S.1836 to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with disabilities!
An office that ensures the rights and needs of people with disabilities are considered during the policy-making process is vital.
A Chief Disability Officer in the Executive Chamber would be welcome, but only if it is in addition to the Office of the Advocate.
New York State always had such an office until the previous administration did away with any advocacy function for people with disabilities in state government.
There is no one office that oversees issues like ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and as a result, there is nobody for people with disabilities to speak with to resolve access issues they experience with the State.
There is no office representing the needs of people with physical disabilities. Also, because disability service systems are kept in silos, there is no single office looking at the big picture of disability policy.
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If you are interested disability advocacy issues, contact Colleen Downs, Systems Advocate at:
518-563-9058 Ext. 110
The Mission of the North Country Center for Independence is to help people with disabilities to live more independent and productive lives, and promote better policies and community understanding of disability issues. NCCI serves people with disabilities, families, and the community on issues related to physical and mental disabilities. NCCI is led and staffed mostly by people with disabilities. It is one of the 41 Independent Living Centers in New York State. There are also hundreds of similar centers throughout the United States. NCCI serves Clinton and Essex Counties, New York.
