Diversity is one of our greatest strengths in Central New York. With that diversity comes a responsibility to make our community a home to everyone. While there are days and weeks dedicated to spreading awareness about the importance of accessibility, there’s still much more work to do to combat the inequalities people with disabilities face. I’m working to create more opportunities and make our state a safer place for every New Yorker with disabilities.

Here in Central New York, we have outstanding local organizations like AccessCNY and ARISE CNY that provide invaluable support services to thousands of Central New Yorkers with disabilities and their families. I’ve been lucky enough to work with both of these organizations and see the change they’re making in our neighborhoods. They offer great resources, and if you or your family could use help or information, I encourage you to reach out.

While I’ve worked with local groups to help make change here at home, I also helped pass a series of bills to improve accessibility and tackle discrimination to support people with disabilities across the state. Among the measures I helped pass is a bill that would re-establish the Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities to serve as a strong voice for the disability community and ensure they have the same rights as every New Yorker (A.10706). And to help fight discriminatory hiring practices, I supported a bill to provide a tax credit to small businesses that hire people with disabilities (A.1369-A).

The legislative package also includes bills to provide tax credits for homeowners who make their houses and residential buildings more accessible to give people with disabilities more housing options and help them stay in their communities (A.5333-A, A.10668). It also combats housing discrimination by clarifying that the use of a service animal is a reasonable accommodation (A.7283).

To keep people safe during emergencies, the Assembly passed a bill to require owners of high-rise buildings to create an emergency evacuation plan for occupants and visitors with disabilities (A.10201) and require counties to maintain a confidential and voluntary registry of residents with disabilities who may need shelter and assistance (A.6865). The legislation also strengthens support for the brave men and women who defended our country by establishing the New York State Interagency Coordinating Council for Service-Disabled Veterans to help connect them with the resources they deserve (A.5931-A).

And we can’t forget about the selfless, compassionate direct care workers who are carefully trained to help the most vulnerable. They give others a voice, lend a helping hand and help make independence as close to a reality as possible for those living with a disability. That’s why I supported the passage of much-deserved pay raise for direct care professionals as part of last year’s state budget.

Together, we can break down the stigma and inequality people with disabilities unfairly face. As always, my office is here to help. If you have questions about this or another community issue, please contact my office at 315-452-1115 or by email at StirpeA@nyassembly.gov.