Education Alert: Tell Gov. Hochul to Reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People With Disabilities!

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Education Alert in bold white letters on a red background

This Education Alert comes from the New York Association on Independent Living …

Let Governor Hochul know disabled people need greater representation in state government

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 passed A.3130 (Steck) / S.1836 (Skoufis) to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities.

This office was tasked with advising and assisting the governor in developing policies designed to help meet the needs of people with disabilities and served as the State’s coordinator for implementation of 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But this office no longer exists and there is no one office to represent the interests of people with disabilities in state government.

Policies were passed under the previous administration that did not take the needs of people with disabilities into consideration. Governor Hochul has an opportunity to break with the past and send a strong message to disabled New Yorkers their needs and rights matter.

Take Action

Click here to send a message to Governor Hochul today and let her know that the needs and interests of people with disabilities are not currently represented in state government but she can change this by signing the bill to reinstate the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities.

If you are interested in disability advocacy issues, contact Colleen Downs, Systems Advocate at:

colleen@ncci-online.com
518-645-0745

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.