Legislative Day 2008

When it comes to having a voice in government, you could not have picked a better day to state it. Fourteen CDR & RCIL staff and volunteers traveled to Albany for Legislative Day with New York Association on Independent Living (NYAIL). Our group represented a variety of disabilities such as spinal cord injuries, hard of hearing, deaf, blind, mental health, and brain injury. Legislative Day is a day we call on our lawmakers, executive officials, and their staff to work with us to make our proposals a reality for all New Yorkers with disabilities.

The issues we discussed with our legislators included increasing funding for Independent Living Centers, enhancing and maintaining Medicaid benefits, eligibility, and coverage, and ending the bias that leads to people with disabilities being placed in institutional settings.

Other issues addressed were the expansion of the Medicaid Buy-in program for working people with disabilities, increasing the percentage of accessible housing units for people with disabilities when federal and state dollars are being used for construction, visitability and its importance, and also creation of a housing trust fund focusing on people with disabilities, especially those with very low incomes.

Education, insurance coverage of hearing-aids, transportation, captioning, civil rights, provisions of interpreters, and election reform were other issues that we raised to the legislators.

We met with 14 legislators from Monroe County and surrounding counties:

Assembly member Jim Bacalles

Assembly member Dan Burling

Assembly member Joe Errigo

Assembly member David Gantt (met with staff person Jamone Turner)

Assembly member Stephen Hawley

Assembly member Susan John (met with Legislative Aide Nichole Malec)

Assembly member David Koon

Assembly member Joe Morelle (met with staff person)

Assembly member Bill Reilich

Senator James Alesi

Senator George Maziarz

Senator Joe Robach

Senator Catharine Young (met with the Legislative Director Steve Rossetto)

Senator George Winner (met with Legislative Director Sperry Navone)

Our meeting with Assembly member Hawley was very brief, but very positive. Assembly member Burling was supportive on the issues discussed with him. Nichole Malec said their piece of legislation will increase the requirements for RGRTA regarding notice of public hearings. Many legislators seemed compassionate and interested in what we had to say while others felt it was repetitive and brushed us off quickly. Many of the meetings led to specific issues for follow up and further advocacy.

It is all too easy for some legislators to wax poetic about the American Dream, but we know that rhetoric does not guarantee access. Rhetoric will not protect your basic rights. Rhetoric does not ensure integration. When we met with our legislators we demanded action. Through our persistence we will make them understand that it is all about integration and independence.

It is time for your voice to be heard. If you are interested in joining us to do some lobbying, call Terrie Lincoln at 585-442-6470.