FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 14, 2022
Contact: Alex Thompson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 518-465-4650
Albany, NY – Governor Hochul is holding a bill signing ceremony this afternoon for A.3130 / S.1836, creating an Office of the Chief Disability Officer. The ceremony will be hosted by the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley in Troy, NY, a local Independent Living Center and a member of the New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL). Bill sponsors and longtime disability champions, Senator Skoufis and Assemblyman Steck, will also be present at the bill’s signing. Disability advocates are celebrating the landmark legislation statewide and nationally as a sign that Governor Hochul will make the needs and rights of disabled people a higher priority under her administration.
The Office of the Chief Disability Officer will serve as the state's coordinator for the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, coordinate state activities to ensure that state programs do not discriminate against and are accessible to persons with disabilities, and ensure that such programs provide services to individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. Additionally, the Office of the Chief Disability Officer will represent the interests of the Disability Community in state government by reviewing proposed legislation and regulations to determine their impact on persons with disabilities. The bill becomes effective April 1st this year and the governor will appoint a Chief Disability Officer to lead the Office.
“The disability community has waited many years for a voice in state government. We want to thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in creating this office and more importantly for recognizing the need for coordinated policies related to disability. We are eager to work together to set an example for other states to follow,” said Denise Figueroa, Executive Director at the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley.
“We thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in creating an Office of the Chief Disability Officer. By establishing this office, Governor Hochul has already distinguished herself as more responsive to the disability community than the previous administration. We look forward to working with the Hochul administration and this office moving forward on tackling the serious issues disabled people are facing across the State,” said Meghan Parker, Director of Advocacy at NYAIL.
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