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?

• I created and founded the first-ever City Council committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Drug Abuse and Disabilities Services.

• As Councilwoman I have introduced and sponsored legislation for the disabled, including the bill on Accessible Taxis and the Accessible Ferry Bill (which was signed into law).

• I have held numerous hearings on transportation issues, including the problems of Access-A-Ride and the MTA, bringing these issues to the forefront.

• I have introduced a bill for the SCRIE program (rent increase exemption) to include the disabled community. The bill is expected to pass the full Council.

• I have spearheaded in the City Council and fought along side Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney in a two-year effort to save the VA Hospital on 23rd Street, which serves disabled and mentally impaired veterans throughout NYC.

• I have held joint hearings on the proposed nursing home closings and their affects on the elderly and disabled communities.

• I have made sure that the disabled have a place in my office, in the political process, and on Community Boards.

• As budget negotiator, I have funded programs for people with disabilities, as well as capital projects.

• I have a long and proud record of actions and dedication to helping integrate the disabled, physically and mentally in our community.

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

I have implemented several hearings and passed resolutions in the City Council that forced the City to improve the quality of life for all with disabilities. One example is the Brad H Case, which forced the city to ensure protection by connecting discharged prisoners with mental health problems with appropriate organizations that could care for them. To ensure the success of this program, I set up an oversight hearing, to review and do follow up of staffing, and facilities. The review is done every year, and so far has proven beneficial to maintaining the quality of life of the mentally ill in adult homes.
 

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

My mission always has been and will continue to be creating an inclusive city society. I am currently in the process of passing the Taxi bill that will over time replace our taxi fleet with 100% wheelchair accessible vehicles. As Borough President I will stay on top of programs like the ferry commuter service and will work to create more legislation for wheel chair access. I will also ensure that new development going through the ULURP process will make commercial and residential building accessible for everyone.
 

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; sign language interpreters for people who are deaf; as well as ensuring that locations are accessible (including bathroom facilities) to people who use mobility aids, like wheelchairs and walkers.

I will not sponsor an event that is inaccessible to the disabled. If the disabled community wanted to protest an event that was not accessible, I will stand with them to denounce the inaccessibility. We must ensure equal access and stop discrimination.
 

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

1. ...in your personal life?

   My personal life has always included people with disabilities. During my childhood in Puerto Rico, we had neighbors with severe disabilities. My mother was extremely kind to them, cooking for them, cleaning them, taking care of them around the clock. I never thought of them as different from anyone else. This experience taught me compassion that I have applied to the countless experiences with the disabled since.
    
   

2. ...in the workplace?

   My personal experiences have driven me to include people with disabilities into my professional life. Not only have they compelled me to be an activist through legislation, but I have hired disabled people to work in my office. I have had a very positive experience, feeling only more empowered by their presence to keep fighting. The Mayor had promised to make handicap friendly changes to City Hall, but when he did not follow up on his word and my employee on the Disabilities Committee, who is in a wheelchair, could not get to the dais, I fought to get a ramp. Working with people with disabilities should never be thought of as a struggle; everyone in the workplace must be treated equally.
    
   

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

The work place needs to have wheelchair access to and in the building. If parking is required, special parking should be available, and there should be an accessible bathroom available. For blind, deaf and hard of hearing employees, if computer equipment is needed it should have appropriate technology for their access. For staff meetings, a sign language interpreter should be present. Most importantly, in the hiring process, the employer should adhere to the law of non-discrimination. The qualified disabled work force is under represented and this needs to change.
 

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

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

   In my office I will have a person who is experienced and knowledgeable of Section 504 laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the past the Borough President’s office has funded such a position like in the David Dinkins' administration. Lately such funds and the office staff have been cut, but I will advocate for such a position.
    
   

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

   Disabled community issues will be integrated into every field of the office agenda. When a youth committee is set up, there will be a disabled youth section. This is a priority to me, and the only way to help the disabled is to integrate them into every issue.
    
   

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

Yes.
 

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?

I have and will continue to listen to the community to ensure equal access for the disabled. As Councilwoman I heard the community wanted accessible cabs, accessible ferries, and rent increase exemption. I introduced resolutions that pushed the state legislature to include the disabled in any rent increase exemption law. Initially, efforts to include the disabled in SCRIE, was blocked by the Mayor. However my persistent work and hearings convinced the Council to pass it. My resolutions in the Council have laid the ground so I can implement the legislation as Borough President.
 

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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?

Maintaining 15 years work with the disabled and along side the NY State OMRDD, I will continue to develop suitable care for the mentally disabled. Ideally, we should strive for integration, like the 811 program, which would create community facilities.
 

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 am a huge supporter of SCRIE for the elderly and disabled. I am also in favor of expanding the salary threshold. I will continue to advocate the state senate to pressure the Mayor to allow for parity.
 

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

Once my rent increase exemption for people with disabilities bill passes and is implemented, I believe the cap for people with disabilities will be increased to match the senior income cap, and I will strongly advocate such action. I also believe all income caps should increase at a minimum of $1,000 over the next five years.
 

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?

I have a long record to ensure affordable housing for all New Yorkers. My introduction of the rent increase exemption and its passage in the City Council puts our City on record as supporters of the disabled to stay in rent-stabilized housing. Project Open House which provided persons with disabilities and the elderly to remain in their homes and to make their environment more accessible to live as independently as possible. As Borough President, I will ensure City agencies re-implement this program, and advocate for federal and state funding. I believe the state should put forward funding to integrate people with disabilities into housing and independent living; I will use my office to strongly advocate such action.

I will continue to ensure the disabled are not harassed or unduly evicted by working with MFY Legal Services, GOLES and Legal Aid Society, who I have funded in the past to ensure the disabled, elderly and lower income people are not evicted.
 

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

In 2002, I met with the Commissioner of Buildings to discuss the problems of access in buildings. The City is now in the process of adopting the international building codes and legislation will be introduced later this year or early next year. I will use my Borough President Office to advocate that every building requires access, and that all loopholes are closed, as well as sign off on the strongest possible provisions during the ULURP process. We must have 100% commercial and residential access for people with disabilities.
 

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?

   The Emergency process is stacked against us. The Department for building is no advocate for the disabled. I have advocated for stairwells to be 44 to 48 inches, which is the required width for carrying someone down in the need of an evacuation. The industry has insisted upon 36 inches, I suspect because it is cheaper. I will continue to work for this change in stairwells as well as all over the city.
    
   

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.

   Visitability in private homes should at least have one entrance and accessible bathroom on the first floor. The issue is not that it be enforced, but that apartments be adaptable including added ramps, showers and bathtub grips, so that the disabled can function where they live. I would advocate, as Borough President, that these are included in new developments during the ULURP process.
    
   

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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.?

We must get serious about the laws and policies that prohibit inaccessibility and build the ramps, fix the bus lifts and make curbsides easier for wheelchairs. We must stop building projects without thinking about the disabled, so we don’t have to revisit and spend more money on fixing what’s already been done, like the Williamsburg Bridge walkway. I will strongly advocate and negotiate transportation projects to be ADA compliant from the beginning.
 

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?

   As mentioned earlier I introduced and have been vocal about the passage of the Taxis For All bill. I am the only elected official who introduced a bill for a full fleet of accessible taxis. As Borough President, I will also advocate for every for-hire vehicle company to pool resources with their competitors in every area of the city, to purchase a lift-equipped vehicle which they could share for disabled pick-ups.
    
   

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?

I have already started to deal with this issue, holding two hearings to push the State Comptroller’s office to action. With the help of a community of abused riders, we were able to get the state to hire 2 experts to oversee the operation and make recommendations. As Borough President I can implement the changes for improvement.
 

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

Absolutely, and this is my number one transit priority. We cannot continue with only the Lexington line on the East side. A new subway line will also mean wheel chair accessible stations, as they must comply with the ADA.
 

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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.

I have been and remain a major supporter and will continue to advocate for its passage.
 

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?

Yes! This is and has always been my whole life. In or out of office I pledge equal access!
 

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

Mayor David Dinkins provided a fund towards interpreters assisting in the political process. As Borough President I would set up a similar fund to allocate towards hiring interpreters as well assist the blind. Again, my mission is to be all-inclusive and people with disabilities must be part of the political process.
 

Will you appoint disabled persons to local Community Boards?

I already have and will continue to do so.
 

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

I have already appointed 3 people. And I go out of my way to make sure people with disabilities have a voice.
 

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

I believe the issue of the disabled should be in every committee. If there is a Disability Committee to discuss the disabled the important issues will not be properly integrated. Disabled issues need to be integrated into all fields of the Community Board—from schools, to public safety, to landmarks. Our issues are everywhere!
 

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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?

In my tenure as Council Member, I have used both capital and expense funds to support organizations serving persons with disabilities as well as seeking to make their programs accessible. This includes making Washington Irving High School Wheelchair Accessible; installing an elevator in the El Bohio Community and Cultural Center to make it accessible to people with disabilities. I funded the Jewish Braille Center and just this year alone I funded capital projects for the International Center for the Disabled and Friends House. In total my capital allocations have been approximately 40% of my discretionary capital. In regard to discretionary expense, a conservative estimate would be about 30% to programs serving people with disabilities or seeking to make their programs accessible to people with disabilities.
 

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