504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for City Council Kevin D. Kim's 2009 response)

Candidate Name: Kevin D. Kim

Council District: 19

Contact Person: Kevin Clemency

If there is a Campaign office, is it wheelchair accessible? Yes

Campaign Address: 222-15 Northern Boulevard, Suite A, Bayside, NY 11361

P.O. Box 604903, Bayside, NY 11360-4903
Phone: 718-224-4922
Fax: 718-224-4923
Email: Kevin @ votekevinkim.com
Website: www.votekevinkim.com

Endorsements: pending

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?
  
  I volunteered every Sunday afternoon for 2 years at the St. Mary's Hospital for Children in Bayside when I was in high school. I spent time as a companion to children with physical and mental disabilities.
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)?
  
  I commit that all events sponsored by my campaign and my future office will be accessible to people with disabilities. If we know that there will be attendees requiring sign language interpreters, then we shall provide one.
General Questions
1. What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?
  
  I have a close friend, Theodore Chen, who has a hearing disability. He is a brilliant lawyer who practiced at the top of his profession in Silicon Valley. We lived in the same dorm during college for 2 years. Currently, I have learned a lot more about people living with disabilities through one of my esteemed opponents, Tom Cooke. He is an inspiration to us all.
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?
  
  All staff positions would be open for applicants with disabilities, from constituent services to representing me in an official capacity at functions.
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 will maintain an Open Door policy for all my constituents (including the people with disabilities). I view giving people with disabilities equal access and opportunity as a civil rights issue and will purse advancing legislation under that principle.
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 am supportive of such developments, though I would ask the developers to follow all zoning laws and to design the apartments, homes or retirement homes in a manner that would reflect the character of 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 increasing the DRIE cap to $28,000.
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?
  
  Yes.
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.?
  
  Yes.
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?
  
  I would like to see a study done that shows how much more, incrementally, will be needed to be able to create both "green" and universally-designed for wheelchair access taxis versus just "green" taxis before bringing up policy suggestions on this topic.
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? 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?
  
  Not sure, because then I would fear that no one would use the AAR service anymore.
Civil Rights

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

Yes.
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?
  
  All meetings and functions held by any public institution should be accessible for persons with disabilities. I also support providing large print format materials along with all other formats of materials when requested. Furthermore, I support requiring sign language interpreters at all functions where requests for interpreters are made with 24 hours prior notice.
2. How many people with disabilities have/will you appoint to your local Community Board(s)?
  
  I will make recommendations to the Community Board based on a persons qualifications above all else, though diversity in all areas is important.
3. Will you support the "requirement" and implement, a Disabled Committee on every Community Board?
  
  Yes.
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
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?
  
  I would call on the City to include in its annual budget funding for a set number of new pedestrian ramps each year and also to evaluate existing ramps and repair them as needed each year.
2. What steps do you think NYC should take to encourage business owners to make their establishments more accessible?
  
  I believe the City should create tax rebates as an incentive for businesses to become fully accessible.
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 would call on evacuation plans that include PWDs provisions to be made for all public buildings and all new buildings being planned.
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?
  
  I would increase the MOPD's authority from an "informational" role to one with more responsibility to ensure compliance with laws such as Local Law 58.
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?
  
  City Council should hold regular hearings regarding issues related to equal access for people with disabilities.

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