The Disability Budget Agenda

NYC

Disability Budget & Policy

Coalition

Presents

The Disability Budget Agenda

for the

City of New York

2005-2006

Submitted by:

Disabilities Network of NYC

United Spinal Association

Organizations Supporting the NYC Disability Budget & Policy Coalition Agenda for 2005-2006:

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504 Democratic Club

504 North Star Dems

Achilles Track Club

ASPIRE

The Associated Blind

Barrier Free Living

Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

Bronx Independent Living Services

Center for Independence of the Disabled in NY

Community Access

Disabilities Network of NYC

Disabled in Action of Metropolitan New York

FEDCAP

Harlem Independent Living Center

Independence Care System

International Center for the Disabled

League for the Hard of Hearing

Lexington Vocational & Mental Health Center

Lighthouse International

Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

New York Society for the Deaf

New York State Independent Living Council

Queens Independent Living Center

Self Help for the Hard of Hearing, NYC

United Cerebral Palsy of NYC

United Spinal Association

VISIONS Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Washington Heights Inwood Coalition on Aging

YWCA-NYC Angela Perez Center for People with Disabilities

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To discuss these and other disability-related issues, please contact:

Disabilities Network of NYC, 2 Park Avenue, 2nd floor, NY, NY 10016; T: 212-251-4071 OR

United Spinal Association, 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Hts, NY 11370; T: 718-803-3782,

NYC DISABILITY BUDGET & POLICY COALITION AGENDA

FY 2005-2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I: ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING Page 2

DISABILITY BUDGET

& POLICY COALITION AGENDA

MISSION STATEMENT Page 6

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Page 7

& ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SECTION 2:

Transportation

ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATIONPage 8

ACCESSIBLE TAXIS AND Page 15

LIVERIES

TAXI AND LIMOUSINE Page 21

COMMISSION:

OPERATION REFUSAL

ACCESSIBLE FERRIES Page 23

CURB RAMPSPage 27

Education and Employment

EMPLOYMENT AND INTERNSHIPS Page 29

FOR YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES

EDUCATION TRANSITIONS Page 33

ENHANCING EMPLOYMENT Page 37

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADULTS

WITH DISABILITIES

Housing

AFFORDABLE, ACCESSIBLE Page 47

HOUSING

EXPAND SCRIE TO INCLUDE Page 51

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

VISITABILITY LAW FOR NYCPage 54

Accessibility

ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Page 57

AND ENHANCE ENFORCEMENT OF

NYC BUILDING CODE

FUNDING ONE STEP PROGRAM Page 62

TO REMOVE BARRIERS

ELECTION REFORM: ACCESSIBLEPage 64

POLLING SITES AND VOTING

MACHINES

PREPARE & EQUIP SENIOR Page 67

CENTERS TO SERVE SENIORS

WITH HEARING LOSS, VISUAL

IMPAIRMENTS & PHYSICAL

DISABILITIES

Healthcare

IMPROVE & EXPAND CONSUMER-Page 69

DIRECTED PERSONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

SECTION 3:ISSUE SUMMARY TABLE Page 74

Section 1

NEW YORK CITY

DISABILITY BUDGET AND POLICY COALITION

Mission Statement

The mission of the nonpartisan New York City Disability Budget and Policy Coalition (DBPC) is to work together to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and families regarding access to services and improvement of their delivery.

The DBPC focuses on cross-disability issues that foster greater community integration, promote consumer control and choice and empower people of all ages and disabilities to realize their dreams of inclusion and independence. We seek enactment of legislative and budgetary initiatives to support and advance these goals.

The DBPC promotes issues that are:

Cross-disability.

Reflective of consumer control and choice.

Integrating and inclusive for people of all ages and disabilities into all aspects of our communities.

The coalition will not specifically promote the operating budgets of coalition members or other nongovernmental agencies/organizations.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the New York City Disability Budget and Policy Coalition (DBPC) is to:

Achieve fiscal equality for disability-related programs and issues in the New York City budget.

Integrate people with disabilities into their communities.

Actively promote equality and equal opportunity for people of all ages and disabilities.

Present a unified front of coalition members on a variety of disability-related issues.

Develop citywide policies that embrace the ideals and provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, The New York City Human Rights Law and other civil rights legislation.

The New York City Disability Budget & Policy Coalition Agenda 2005-2006 is a project of the Disabilities Network of NYC (DNNYC) and its members who have signed on in support of the issues raised in this document.

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to all who contributed to writing and editing the position papers contained herein: Marvin Wasserman (504 Democratic Club); Julie Hyman (CIDNY); Irma Shore, Frieda Zames (DIA); Lev Brudnoy, John Coyle, Alexander Wood (DNNYC); Amy Boyle (League for the Hard of Hearing); Lucy Birbiglia, Mike Godino (QILC); Dan Anderson, Brian Black, John Del Colle, Lisa Gesson, John Herrion, Kleo King, Dominic Marinelli, Terry Moakley, Marlene Perkins & James Weisman (United Spinal Association);Nancy Miller (VISIONS); Edith Prentiss (WHICOA).

Section 2

Accessible Transportation

The lack of affordable and accessible transportation, especially public transportation, is one of the most pressing problems facing individuals with disabilities who want to live independent and productive lives. Most New Yorkers have many options to get around town and travel between boroughs – subway, bus, ferry and taxi. People with disabilities have very little choice. Here’s why:

• Only 1 out of every 10 subway stations is wheelchair accessible. (Accessible Stations listed at
• Access-A-Ride, NYC’s paratransit van service for people who cannot ride the subway or bus due to their disability, requires consumers to schedule trips 1 to 4 days in advance and is beleaguered by poor service and mismanagement.
• The private franchise bus companies, which are subsidized by the City to provide service in the outer boroughs, have a record of poor service with problems ranging from inoperable lifts to drivers with unprofessional conduct.
• Many ramps and piers to ferryboats are not wheelchair accessible and NYC has no law detailing accessibility standards for ferryboats.
• Only 30 out of 12,787 taxis are wheelchair accessible (discussed in separate paper)

The only “reliable” option for people with disabilities is the bus system in Manhattan run by New York City Transit (NYCT) of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), but it does not serve the outer boroughs. Also, as anyone who has ridden the bus will tell you, the buses can be incredibly slow and overcrowded and sometimes their wheelchair lifts break. The bottom line is that people with disabilities deserve the same options to get around as everyone else.

Subways

People who use wheelchairs and scooters will ride the subway system as long as it is safe and reliable because it is part of a unified transportation plan for the whole city, and the cheapest and most reliable form of transportation from borough to borough. Many wheelchair and scooter users do not regularly ride the subway because of the vertical and horizontal gaps. It is unsafe for a person with a disability to navigate these open spaces with the possibility of getting stuck in the gap and being dragged by the train. Most subway stations do not have elevators and the elevators that are installed are often unreliable. MTA/NYCT must inspect elevators several times a day in all stations that have them, keep the hotline up-to-date, repair broken elevators the same day they break and eventually include elevators in all stations.

For the gap problem, we suggest a contest among people who design and work on subways in New York City as well as other interested parties to encourage innovation on solving the gap problem. This idea was inspired by the successful contest sponsored by the Queens Borough President's Office and the Van Alen Institute that resulted in the creation of Queens Plaza.

NYCT officials anticipate that more than 100 of 468 subway stations will be accessible by 2020. MTA/NYCT must ensure that all major station renovations meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. NYCT recently completed a major renovation at the Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn in violation of the ADA because only a section of the new platform is usable by people who use wheelchairs. Wheelchair users must contend with a vertical gap to enter the train from other sections of the platform.

Access-A-Ride Paratransit

Access-A-Ride, NYCT’s paratransit service provides alternative mass transit rides for customers who cannot utilize the fixed-route system due to functional disability issues. Unfortunately, many people with disabilities report intolerable levels of systemic errors with Access-A-Ride, ranging from late pickups, scheduling disasters, disputed no-shows leading to suspensions from service, a lack of etiquette on the part of some dispatchers and paratransit operators and long telephone queue lines to schedule rides.

Access-A-Ride users report frequent service complaints, most of which stem from an inadequate and inefficient scheduling system. For example, many riders are inconvenienced by traveling on Access-A-Ride from one borough to another, when their destinations are in their home boroughs. This frustrating experience can be detrimental to the health of many paratransit riders with serious health concerns. Another scheduling limitation is that multiple riders going from the same point of origin to the same destination are often not grouped together in the same ride, even when the vehicle has the space to accommodate them. These types of inefficiencies add costs to a service that is very expensive by its nature. In 2003, it cost New York City $56.00 per ride to provide paratransit service.

Bus Service

Given the limitations of the subway system and Access-A-Ride, people with disabilities need and depend on wheelchair accessible fixed-route bus service. NYCT directly provides bus service to city riders and also contracts with the seven private franchise bus companies to provide service in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. Currently, the City pays over $200 million a year to subsidize these carriers who do a very poor job of serving people who use wheelchairs and scooters.

People with disabilities were excited when Mayor Bloomberg announced in 2002 that the City would take over these companies by July 2004. As of January 2004, the City has only reached agreement with one company on being acquired. In the meantime, people with disabilities are paying the price.

It is widely agreed that the franchise bus companies offer less service to bus riders, including riders with disabilities, than NYCT. Problems range from inoperable lifts to operators with unprofessional conduct. By contrast, the wheelchair lifts on NYCT buses function the majority of the time. Furthermore, NYCT takes complaints from customers seriously. As far as moving people, NYCT clearly seems to do its best. The franchise bus companies claim that they do not receive enough money to provide lift-equipped buses and to properly maintain the wheelchair accessible buses they do have. As a result, the likelihood of being able to get on a franchise bus without calling a business day in advance is impossible on some lines.

The people of New York City have waited long enough and deserve better. It is deplorable that franchise bus riders, especially those with disabilities, are being held hostage in the budgetary battle with the franchise bus companies. We support the proposed New York City Transit takeover of the franchise bus companies so that bus service throughout the City will meet the needs of all New Yorkers.

Ferries

Ferries can and should be a viable “mass-transit” option to meet the needs of people with disabilities to move between all five boroughs of NYC and from state to state (NY-NJ). Ferries could be an excellent method of transportation for many people who have difficulty using subways. However, in order to be usable by people with disabilities, the piers and the ferries must be accessible, as well as the ramps and gangways that provide access. Piers are generally built on land owned by New York City, while ferries are generally privately owned and operated under a franchise with New York City. Accessibility is required, regardless of ownership.

While the majority of ferryboats are accessible, many ramps and piers are not. In addition, the fixed route buses that are part of the Waterborne Transport System are not accessible, and are therefore not in compliance with federal, state, or city laws. At this time, no specific regulations exist to provide guidelines for barrier-free design of passenger piers, docks and ferryboats. New York City needs a law detailing accessibility standards.

Councilwoman Margarita Lopez, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services, introduced legislation in 2004 (Intro 398) to regulate commuter ferries and their facilities. In fact, legislation has been introduced in the City Council every year since 2002, but the Council has failed to act on this issue. We call on the City Council to pass legislation swiftly so that people with disabilities can be assured of greater safety and access to this growing transportation option.

Until all ferry service is accessible to people who use wheelchairs and scooters, the ferry companies should list which piers are accessible on their websites and printed schedules. This simple, inexpensive, and very necessary accommodation would help people with disabilities to better plan their travel activities until full accessibility is achieved.

Like all people, individuals with disabilities need the option of accessible transportation. A fully accessible transportation system provides greater access to employment, education, medical care, and to other services and activities that help people with disabilities and all persons be productive members of their communities. Everyone benefits from accessible transportation.

Recommendations:

• Exceed basic ADA compliance and make all transportation systems accessible to all people. This would save money over the long term by reducing NYCT’s budgetary reliance on paratransit for rides that people with disabilities would rather take on an integrated, accessible subway system.
• Ensure that all major subway station renovations meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
• Resolve the scheduling and etiquette issues that continue to negatively impact Access-A-Ride customers and operators by integrating schedules more effectively, thereby reducing the stressful levels of customer – operator disputes.
• Immediately complete the transfer of routes run by franchise bus companies to New York City Transit, with no decrease in service or in the number or length of routes.
• Pass legislation to protect ferry riders with disabilities and to ensure that all people have the same opportunity to benefit from accessible ferry service. Call on ferry companies to list which piers are accessible on their websites and printed schedules.

FISCAL IMPACT: To Be Determined

ACCESSIBLE TAXIS AND LIVERIES

Most New Yorkers who need to get someplace quickly can hail a taxicab or call a car service and have a ride within minutes. This is not the case for the nearly 60,000 New Yorkers who use wheelchairs and electric scooters, because only a handful of taxis and livery cars are wheelchair accessible. Taxis and liveries (the on-call services) are a significant component of New York City’s transportation system, getting people to work, school, medical appointments, and to other services and activities that help them be productive members of their communities. People with disabilities need access to these services for all of the same reasons.

Taxicabs

Only 30 of a total of 12,787 yellow taxicabs can accommodate wheelchairs. This is obviously not sufficient to meet the needs of residents and visitors with disabilities.

In 2003, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved the auctioning of 900 new medallions for yellow city taxicabs to increase the current fleet through 2005. Prior to auctioning the first 300 medallions, the City Council passed a law requiring that 9% of the medallions would be sold for vehicles that would be wheelchair accessible.[1] In March of 2004, the TLC auctioned 300 medallions and collected approximately $97 million dollars. Not one of the 300 medallions auctioned were designated for a wheelchair accessible taxi due to a loophole in the new law. The bids for the wheelchair accessible medallions were too low.

In an effort to address this problem, in October 2004 the TLC auctioned off 27 wheelchair accessible medallions (out of 300 total medallions) separately from the other medallions. The result was 27 winning bids to be used only on wheelchair accessible yellow cabs bringing the total number of accessible vehicles to 30 of a total of 12,787. Unfortunately this increase does very little to improve the likelihood that a person with a disability will be able to hail a taxicab. The City plans to auction the remaining 300 medallions after July 1, 2005.