Candidate Name: Helen Sears

Council District: 25

Contact Person: Stuart Sears

Phone: 917-963-1975
Email: ssears7381 @ aol.com

Endorsements: Queens Democratic Organization, John F. Kennedy Democratic club, Over thirty Democratic District Leader (in Queens County list to be provided at interview) UFCW, 32 BJ, Detectives Endowment, Stage hands local one Union support is in formation.

1. Action Shows Commitment!

    

   1. While in public office/prior to this campaign, what have you accomplished in regard to advancing disability rights? This can include work towards accessible housing, transportation, employment, health care, education, and including people with disabilities in the political process?

       

      At every level Council Member Helen Sears has fought for equality for people with disabilities in health care, transportation, employment, access to education, health care and employment. It is Council Member's Sears' commitment that no matter what disabilities they have they can participate in every level of our community. Council Member Sears has sponsored resolutions and legislation to help people with disabilities have equal access at every level.

      During my time in City Council I have sponsored numerous pieces of legislation on behalf of the disabled that has increased funding for services and also accessibility and equality. Following are some examples:

      • Displaying the international wheelchair insignia on the exterior of accessible taxi cabs
      • Increase the maximum exemption qualifying income for the disabled homeowners
      • Enhanced the number and accessibility of for hire vehicles (cabs) that is wheel chair accessible.
      • Standards and specifications for accessible facilities and passenger ferry water borne transportation services for disabled individuals in NYC.
      • Opposed president Bush's FY 2004 budget proposal to eliminate the Section 8 Housing Voucher Choice program.
      • Amend the NYS Penal Law to include the crime of financial exploitation of the elderly.
      • Governor Pataki to withdraw a FY 03-04 budget proposal to cut Medicaid funds.
      • To accommodate people with disabilities with fully accessible voting machines.
      • Elimination of all obstacles and barriers which prevent citizens with disabilities from exercising their constitutional right to vote.

       

   2. Will you commit to only attend / sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities (PWDs including providing written materials in alternate formats, providing assistive listening systems, and sign language interpreters as well as ensuring that locations are physically accessible)?

       

      People with disabilities have my commitment that I will continue to sponsor legislation and events that are accessible to people with disabilities, including providing written materials in the alternate formats, providing alternative listening systems and sign language interpreters. I will do all in my power to ensure that locations are physically accessible. In fact, I have fought for legislation which was signed into law, making buildings taxis, senior citizen centers, hospitals, schools and subways accessible to people with disabilities.

       

2. General Questions

    

   1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?

       

      I sponsored the National Disabilities Awareness Month because of he urgency to help people with disabilities in the home and workplace. I personally get involved with my constituents and case workers at local agencies that provide services. Together with these agencies I follow each case to a positive conclusion. I am a supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act and strive to enforce all of its provisions.

       

   2. What type of jobs would you be willing to hire and to provide reasonable accommodation (e.g. flex or part time) for staff members with disabilities?

       

      I am willing to hire and provide reasonable accommodation to staff members with disabilities, in fact, without getting into details, I have on staff people with disabilities. I sponsored the law to make government buildings accessible to people with disabilities, and continue to advocate that every elevator have Braille.

       

   3. How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation through the City Council? What will be your strategy?

       

      I work closely with the Queens' delegation and Queen's Borough Hall in order to incorporate recommendations from the Queen's County Disability Task Force in the areas of education, transportation, employment, health care, home care employment and access to the political process. I sponsored a law that makes voting machines accessible, I called upon the MTA to act more swiftly in making renovations and upgrades to ensure that people with disabilities are able to fully utilize the New York subway.

       

3. Housing

    

   1. What is your position on the development of supported apartments/homes and retirement homes for the persons with mental and/or physical disabilities in your district?

       

      I have always supported the development of apartments/homes and retirement homes for the persons with mental and/or physical disabilities in my district. My prior profession was a Senior Specialist with the New York City Department for the Aging, through this agency I was able to establish housing in Queens County and help keep people with disabilities as vital part in the community.

       

   2. What is your position on making DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) and SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) programs income eligibility comparable? (At present a individual senior or household income eligibility is $28,000. While the income for a younger disabled individual is capped at $19,284 and $27,780 for a household?)

       

      I support The Disability Rent Increase Exemption Program (DRIE) and the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE). Together with my staff we have gone onto senior centers and community civic groups to educate people about the SCRIE and DRIE programs. I have always supported and will continue to support an equal cap for these programs. Every Wednesday evening my district office has extended hours so that we can assist constituents who are eligible for these programs.

       

   3. Visitability sets guidelines to ensure newly constructed multi-family dwellings have basic accessible/adaptable features to permit people with disabilities can visit, and for residents to "age in place," without having to move out when age and/or disability set in. Do you support incorporating the concept of "visitability" in the Building Code?

       

      In my personal advocacy and legislative career, I continue to sponsor and support legislation which establishes guidelines to ensure newly constructed multi family dwellings have basic accessibility, protective devices, adaptability features and I continue to support the concept of visibility.

       

4. Transportation

    

   1. Will you support an expansion of affordable wheelchair accessible transportation in NYC, including taxis, livery service, express buses, and shuttles, more accessible subway stations, etc.?

       

      I sponsored a law that required displaying the international insignia on the exterior of taxi cabs. I continue to advocate for the increase of the number of accessible for hire vehicle cabs that are wheel chair accessible. I give you my commitment to continue to establish affordable transportation for people with disabilities in New York City It is part of my vision to include taxis. Livery services, express bussed, shuttle busses and subway stations as part of the affordable plan for transportation for people in wheel chairs continue. We have all seen the increase of New York City buses with lifts. I have held hearings which led to a commitment by the MTA to accelerate repairs and not leave the buses with lifts which need repairs in the garage.

       

   2. Efforts to secure a 100% accessible fleet of medallion taxis have been hampered by opposition from Mayor Bloomberg and the taxi industry. The current emphasis is on creating a 100% "green" fleet. What would you do to assure that taxis and community car service vehicles are both "green" and universally designed for wheelchair access?

       

      It is my commitment that New York City will someday be totally accessible to all citizens when it comes to transportation. To this end I have recently sponsored and mandated that all new medallions issued to taxi cab be issues to taxi cabs that are only accessible to people with disabilities.

       

   3. Access-A-Ride (AAR) users experience unnecessarily long trips, causing workers to be late for work, have their pay docked and possibly losing their jobs. AAR leaves consumers stranded, lies that a vehicle is coming and penalized riders as a "no-show" when the vehicle never arrived. Riders who complain report they are subject to retaliation. What would you do to improve the quality of AAR? Would you support the issuance of a "smart card" so that Access-A-Ride users can use accessible cabs/livery service at a reduced cost and receive better service?

       

      AAR has had many problems accommodating our constituents. My staff has conducted surveys and interviews with drivers and people using AAR. I have conducted and participated in hearings regarding the management of AAR. The result of the foregoing have led me to recommend the following: (1) More training for drivers. (2) Increase pay to attract better drivers. (3) Provide drivers with telephones rather than only base communication, so that they can communicate with the individuals they service. Such communication will alleviate some of the lateness problems. As chairperson of the government operations committee I will call upon the MTA and hold hearings so that the concerns regarding lateness and retaliation regarding people with disabilities can be investigated.

       

5. Civil Rights

    

6. Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?

    

   Civil Rights includes: housing, employment, education and transportation. I have sponsored legislation in all of these areas which help New Yorker's with disabilities. I sponsored the development of a work force task force which has as its focus helping people with disabilities. The members of the New York City Council have selected me as a budget negotiator of the New York City Council, as such I will continue to support funding for program for people with disabilities.

    

7. Community Board

    

   1. Do you support requiring all Community Board meeting and function be accessible, including requiring sign language interpreters and large print format material?

       

      Yes, I do support that Community Board meetings and functions be accessible, use sign language, interpreters and large print. As Chairperson of the Government Operations Committee I have introduced and held hearings on a proposed law which will establish the City Record on line giving access to all City Government functions to all New Yorkers.

       

   2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?

       

      Community Boards were established to give a voice to the community. As a member of the City Council I have the duty to appoint half the members of the community boards in my district. When any constituent expresses an interest in becoming a member of the community board I do everything in my power to appoint that person and give equal consideration to people of disabilities.

       

   3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?

       

      Yes, I do support the requirement and implementation of a disabled committee on every community board.

       

8. Discretionary Funds

    

   Will you use your discretionary funds to support organizations serving people with disabilities or service organizations seeking to make their programs accessible to people with disabilities?

    

   Yes, I use my discretionary funds to support people with disabilities and I continue to fund organizations who make their programs accessible to people with disabilities.

    

9. Accessibility

    

   1. Under Mayor Bloomberg, the City settled with the United Spinal Association and agreed to install pedestrian ramps, on all corners which presently don't have one. However, no provision was made to repair and/or replace existing ones which are unsafe. How would you ensure that pedestrian ramps are provided or repaired? What would you establish as a timetable?

       

      As chairperson of the Government Operations Committee, I will call for and hold hearings on the repair of existing pedestrian ramps.

       

   2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?

       

      I will continue to sponsor merchant forums in order to educate the community concerning government and private funds available to local merchants. I will continue to sponsor and support business improvement districts throughout New York City. It is my firm commitment to establish and continue a public and private collaboration to monitor the federal stimulus package available to New York City. In furtherance of this goal, I have sponsored legislation that will monitor every dollar coming into New York City through the new federal stimulus package. As a budget negotiator for Queens, I am committed to find ways to establish programs that will help merchants employ people with disabilities utilizing these funds.

       

   3. How would you ensure that emergency evacuation for PWDs provisions are put in place to improve survival rates of PWDs in the event of fire, attack, blackout, or other emergency situation?

       

      I have sponsored a law that requires a landlord to post signs that disabled persons reside in the building. I am currently sponsoring a proposed law that requires the same posting for older adults. As Chairperson as the Government Operations Committee I am ready, willing and able to hold hearings on the issue regarding the assurance of emergency evacuation for people with disabilities. I have recently held a Town Hall meeting with the Police Commissioner on June 1, 2009. Another Town Hall meeting will be held on the fall, and we can focus on evacuation for people with disabilities in the event of emergency situations in New York City.

       

10. Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)

     

    1. Mayor Bloomberg elevated the Director of the (MOPD) to a Commissioner without any increase in budget or responsibilities. How would you ensure that city departments/agencies coordinate through MOPD?

        

       As Chairperson of the Government Operations Committee, I will hold oversight hearings regarding the work of MOPD its budget and responsibilities. Note that I have recently been appointed chairperson of the Government Operations Committee and I appreciate the 504 Democratic Club bringing these issues to my attention.

        

    2. How do you believe the City Council should enforce and do oversight regarding the work of the office and be certain of the implementation and its efforts?

        

       See above.