Cahill Fights for New Yorkers with Disabilities

Assembly celebrates Annual Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day

May 17, 2011

Albany – Assemblymember Kevin Cahill (D-Ulster, Dutchess) announced the passage of a series of resolutions and bills that serves to protect New York’s most vulnerable citizens. The legislative package was passed to commemorate the Assembly’s Annual Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day, aimed at raising awareness and guaranteeing access, basic rights and benefits for individuals with disabilities.

“As former Chair of the Task Force on People with Disabilities, I am proud to have been part of Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day here at the Capitol,” said Assemblymember Cahill. “It is our civic duty to ensure that all citizens of this great state are provided equal opportunities and services. I am honored to have served on this Task Force and to have worked so closely with the disabled community over the years. I will continue to advocate on their behalf and work to improve the quality of life for this very passionate group of people, and for all New Yorkers.”

This year’s package of bills includes legislation that would:

• clarify protections against discrimination on the basis of disability in services provided by public entities in New York State by making the State Human Rights Law consistent with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (A.71);
• waive the state’s sovereign immunity regarding the ADA and certain other federal acts as they apply to the protection of state employees (A.3689);
• require high-rise building owners to establish and maintain up-to-date emergency evacuation plans that specifically pertain to disabled occupants and visitors and is readily available to emergency personnel (A.6658);
• require counties to maintain a confidential registry of people of all ages with disabilities who may require evacuation assistance and shelter in the event of a disaster (A.7257). The legislation allows people with disabilities the option to not be included on the registry;
• provide a tax credit to transportation companies for the purchase of new vehicles that are accessible to people with disabilities (A.966-B);
• require that both handicapped parking spaces and their access aisles be at least eight-feet wide to ensure that they are spaced far enough for people with disabilities to enter and exit their vehicles (A.3363); and
• enable blind and visually impaired registered voters to request Braille or large-print absentee ballots for all elections administered under the election law (A.5337-A). The legislation allows those who are visually impaired to request that such ballots are available at polling sites in lieu of voting machines on Election Day for elections under the education law until Dec. 31, 2012, when optical scanning machines will be available.

"I applaud the Assembly for their continued leadership in their commitment to people with disabilities. These citizens are forced to overcome a number of obstacles on a daily basis,” said Assemblymember Cahill. “To help remove some of the roadblocks, the Assembly has passed bills that level the playing field for those with disabilities. I urge the Senate and Governor to join us in our effort to lead the fight to help these individuals to remain active, independent members of our communities."

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