Candidate Name: Lisa S. Ottley
Candidate for: Civil Court - 4th District, Brooklyn
Campaign Name: Committee to Elect Lisa Ottley for Civil Court Judge
Campaign Address: 328 Flatbush Avenue (307), Brooklyn, NY 11238
If you have a campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? There is no campaign office.
Campaign Manager: Ellen E. Edwards, Esq.
Phone: 917 - 627 - 0701
Email: info @ ottley2008.com
Website: Ottley2008.com
Previous elected offices held: Member-at-Large [42nd Assembly District Democratic Club], President [Bridge Street A.W.M.E. Church Legal Society]
Previous appointed offices held: Dean of Pledges [Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.], Board Member [Bridge Street Child Development]
Key endorsements:
Community organizations:
Political leaders:
Local community leaders:
Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.
My younger brother is disabled. I, along with the rest of my family, am his caregivers. He is a member of the Heartshare program. He attends the Queens program and we are very active in their programs. We assist in any way that we can, such as fundraising, etc.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?
My younger brother is involved in my campaign. He has stuffed envelopes, pictured out my campaign pictures. He has given his input regarding my campaign. In fact, he is very excited about it. Although the Queens residents cannot vote for me, he did pass out my cards to his driver and friends because he wanted them to know that his sister was running for judge. My campaign slogan is: From the Community, For the Community & Dedicated to Serving the Community. It means I have and will continue to serve everyone!
If you are in private practice, is your office accessible to people with disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?
I work in the courthouse, which is accessible to people with disabilities. It is also the policy of the chambers that I work in to provide assistance to people with disabilities first in order to get them in and out of the courthouse.
Is the courthouse in which you work accessible to people with all kinds of disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?
Yes, it is.
Has a person with a disability appeared before your court as a juror or litigant? If so, please indicate what, if any, challenges arose? And how were they handled?
I sit as an arbitrator. I have had people appear before me in wheel chairs. I have sat at the table with them, as opposed to sitting on the bench. I can do this as an arbitrator. This way it is more convenient because no one has to be concerned about how I will reach their documents. It provides for a more comfortable setting. Also, as a court attorney I conference the cases before they are sent to my Judge. In conferencing a case once, there was a woman with a child who had downs syndrome. She was concerned that she would have to leave the child in the courtroom while the case was being conferenced. I told her that would not be necessary, and that the child could be a part of the conference. She was concerned that the child would cause a disturbance. I told her not to worry. It worked out just fine. She thanked me for my kindness and understanding. I love working with people, so I have a great deal of respect for people, and believe in making people comfortable. When people feel at ease, there is less stress and tension which helps the overall process.
Do you believe that person who is deaf /hard of hearing or person who blind can serve as a juror? Why or why not?
Yes, I believe that a person who is both deaf/hard of hearing and or blind can serve as a juror. Most of the attorneys, as well as pro se litigants who appear before the court speak loud enough for those who are hard of hearing. In terms of a person who is deaf, if they receive a juror's summons, and someone comes into court to advise the clerk that the person is deaf, and therefore cannot serve, then I believe that it should be the person with the disability decision. Often times, when people have disabilities and are uncomfortable with the disability they make decisions that they are comfortable with. I do not believe a person who has a disability should be taken out of their comfort zone. I have learned this in dealing with my younger brother. He has made tremendous strides, but on his own without the family pushing him in a direction that he initially did not want to go in. He has often raised the issue without us having to re-address issues that he initially said he did not want to deal with. He has become extremely independent and we are proud of him.
Are you willing to hire either on a job share or full time basis, a qualified law clerk/secretary with a disability?
Yes, so long as the person is qualified.
How will you work within the court structure to assure the accessibility of all facilities of the courts? For example, will you participate in the Committee for People with Disabilities, relevant training opportunities?
I would welcome the opportunity.
Date: June 2, 2008