Assemblymember Cahill's Able Column - NYS Assembly Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day 2003 - July 2003

The New York State Assembly commemorated Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day (LDAD) with a multi-faceted program including a package of bills aimed at reaffirming the integrity of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and New York's strong heritage of inclusion, respect and equality. Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day was held on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 in Albany.

This annual celebration, which I co-sponsored with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblymember Peter M. Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, was held to provide an opportunity to educate legislators, their staffs and the public on important issues while also striving to highlight the accomplishments of advocates and persons with disabilities. Since being appointed Chair of the Task Force on People with Disabilities, I have welcomed all opportunities to reach out to my colleagues and the community at large to provide information about the needs and priorities of persons with disabilities across New York State.

LDAD was the perfect opportunity to advance and pass our comprehensive bill package which included three measures designed to uphold the protections offered by the federal ADA on a state level. They include:

• A.5468 (Cahill) - Clarifies the scope of protections against discrimination on the basis of disability under the New York State human rights law in the area of government services to be consistent with the federal ADA and the current policies and practices of the division of human rights.
• A.5469 (Cahill) - Clarifies the scope of protections against discrimination on the basis of disability under the New York State human rights law in the area of public accommodations to be consistent with the federal ADA and the current policies and practices of the division of human rights.
• A.5511 (Lifton) - Waives state's sovereign immunity to liability under the ADA.

Our 14-bill package, which was crafted with significant input and assistance from disabilities advocates from across the state, also included several other important measures meant to protect the rights of people with disabilities. Some of the additional legislative measures that passed on LDAD include:

• A.3215 (Sanders) - Directs the establishment and administration of a statewide program for telephone access for all New Yorkers, including the hearing and visually impaired.
• A.5471 (Cahill) - Requires access aisles of handicapped parking spaces to be marked with a sign and diagonal stripes, and (A.5476 - Cahill) to be at least eight feet wide.
• A.5473 (Cahill) - Requires polling places to be accessible to physically disabled voters.

It is my hope that the Senate will now take up and pass these critical measures that endorse the importance of the ADA and protect the rights and needs of New Yorkers with disabilities.

Assemblymember Kevin A. Cahill is the Chair of the New York State Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities. Anyone desiring additional information on the Assembly's complete LDAD legislative package or who has any other questions, comments or suggestions, can reach the Task Force office by telephone at 518-455-4592 or by email at cahillk@assembly.state.ny.us.