Speaker Carl E. Heastie has named Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D - Columbia, Dutchess) to be Chair of the Assembly’s Task Force on People with Disabilities. As an advocate for the disability community, this new appointment works in conjunction with Barrett’s efforts as member since 2012 of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, as well as her newly formed Human Services Advisory Council.

“This happens to be a critical moment for the disability community,” said Assemblymember Barrett, who formerly served as a Board member for the Anderson Foundation for Autism in Dutchess County. “With the advent of managed care, the impact on providers of the minimum wage increase, housing shortages and the growth and expansion of ride-sharing ventures like Uber, we must step up to ensure our state is serving New Yorkers of all abilities in the most accessible and dignified way possible.”

The Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities will focus on issues pertaining to people with mobility, vision, and/or hearing impairments, as well as developmental disabilities. The Task Force meets with advocates and individuals to ascertain the disability community’s most important priorities and works in conjunction with the Assembly’s standing committees, including Mental Health, Health, Aging, Social Services, Transportation, Education, Housing, Veterans Affairs and Children & Families, to advise and develop a legislative agenda.

As Chair of the Task Force, Assemblymember Barrett will co-host the Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day which provides an opportunity for legislators and the general public to be educated on the issues that the disability community faces, and at the same time, recognize the achievements of people with disabilities.

“This appointment comes on the heels of my office creating a new Human Services Advisory Council to better address the needs of this critical sector in the Hudson Valley. I look forward to partnering with advocates, providers and activists across the state to break down silos and deliver for the many people in all our communities with physical challenges and different abilities.” added Barrett.