Candidate Name: Jerome L. Rice
Council District: 12
Contact Person: Dawn Jeffrey
If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? Yes
Campaign Address: P.O. Box 514, New York, NY 10024
Phone: 917-671-7862
Fax:
Address:
Email: jrice4change @ aol.com
Website: www.votejeromerice.com
Endorsements: (Political, Community & Labor) State Senator Eric Adams, Corrections Captains Association, Correction Guardian Assoc., Correction Benevolent Association, Assistant Deputy Warden/Deputy Warden Association, Boston Secor Community, 100 Blacks In Law Enforcement Who CareTM
Action Shows Commitment!
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?
While serving in 100 Blacks (Civil & Human rights organization) I fought for many issues affecting disability to include the wrongful police shooting and handling of an emotional disturbed person (EDP). I recently made Co-Op City aware that they must have handicap accessible doors for people with wheelchairs to both enter and exit.
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)?
Yes, all events should be accessible for everyone to attend. Both my mother and older sister are in wheelchairs and are currently under care.
General Questions
What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
Both my mother and older sister are in wheelchairs and are currently under care.
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 think people with disabilities can do any job. It will be based on the need or assignment.
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 will develop a direct and open communication to all that are disabled and hire disable people to my office to serve as a liaison.
Housing
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 support this to the fullest, recently a blind man had fell down the elevator shaft, primarily because the elevator door and was not their. We must develop elevators, entrance doors, mailbox etc. to fully accommodate the disabled.
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?)
All building mangers/owners must show cause in a public hearing and each case will be closely evaluated on a case by case basis.
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?
Yes, all new guidelines will go through the committee of Land and Use.
Transportation
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.?
Yes, currently both Mom and sister have problems with Access-A-Ride.
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?
I will ask city council to create a law forcing all vehicles to adhere to this city's emission requirements.
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?
Yes. However, I will also call for better training. I have seen too many drivers, yelling at patients and arriving late or departing early because they had some where to go. So the standard of service must go up.
Civil Rights
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections for persons with disabilities?
Yes, again I am a civil and human right activist (100 Blacks in Law Enforcement who Care).
Community Board
Do you support requiring all Community Board meeting and function be accessible, including requiring sign language interpreters and large print format material?
Yes.
How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
Don't know but more than one.
Will you support the "requirement"
and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
Yes, everybody needs a voice.
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.
Accessibility
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?
I will ensure that all reasonable accommodation are adhered to in a rapid and expedited manor, any failures would result in severe finds or litigations.
What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
All business today, should already be in compliance. Increase inspection and severe penalties will convince all violators to comply.
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?
By ensuring that each community, senior center or rehabilitation center have a concrete plan for evacuating PWDs. Since Katrina almost every establishment should have put one in place.
Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD)
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?
Ask for transparency and demand that it be placed in the budget and eliminate items that are not deemed important.
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?
City Council make and enforce law. The Mayor can't do anything without city council approval.
Date: May 19, 2009