504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for State Assembly Julissa Gomez's 2010 response)

Candidate Name: Julissa Gomez

Candidate for Assembly District: 72 (Manhattan)

Contact Person: Cheryl Pahaham, 646-314-3079, cpahaham@votejulissagomez.com

Campaign Address: People for Julissa Gomez, 4768 Broadway, #1011, New York, N.Y. 10034

Phone: 646-957-6858

Email: jgomez@votejulissagomez.com

Website: www.votejulissagomez.com

If there is a Campaign office(s), is it wheelchair accessible?

There is no formal campaign office but my apartment is wheelchair accessible.
How have you incorporated people with disabilities into your campaign?

I do have people with disabilities who are activy helping in my campaign.
If you are not an incumbent,
1. Is your present office/work place accessible to people with disabilities?
  
  Yes.
What personal and professional experience have you had with people with disabilities in your personal life and in the workplace?

I have friends and family members with various disabilities, including learning disabilities, depression and chronic respiratory illnesses.
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 would be willing to provide reasonable accommodation (including part-time work or work from home) for clerical office positions including answering phones, scheduling, and constituent services. Basically, if any qualified person with a disability applied to work for me when jobs do become available, I would hire that person if best suited and try to arrange that person's work in a way that facilitated that person's productivity.
While in public office and/or 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?

This can include work towards accessible housing, transportation, employment, health care, education, and including people with disabilities in the political process. I am employed as an attorney in private practice dealing with asbestos litigation. I work to ensure that workers with asbestos claims are not denied timely compensation while insurance companies fight over which company has the bigger payout.
Will you commit to only attend and/or sponsor events that are accessible to people with disabilities including providing written materials in alternate formats, providing assistive listening systems, and sign language interpreters, as well as ensuring that locations are accessible to people who use mobility aids, like wheelchairs and walkers?

I will do my best to sponsor events that are accessible to people with different kinds of disabilities and to only attend events that are accessible to people who use mobility aids. Serving on Community Board 12, Manhattan, I (as the daughter of Dominican immigrants) understand how difficult and how important access to all in a community is and I commit to working to enable access by the disabled.
Do you pledge to use your office to affirm or strengthen, rather than weaken, civil rights protections to persons with disabilities?

I pledge to use my office to affirm and strengthen civil rights protections to persons with disabilities.
How do you propose your active involvement/availability to the disability community?
1. Will there be a specific person in your office responsible to this community?
2. Will have regular office agenda meetings on these issues?
3. What would you do to have direct contact with our community?
If elected, I will assign an individual on my staff to be responsible to the disability community, have regular office meetings and attend protests, informational seminars, hearings and other events regarding persons with disabilities in order to maintain direct contact. I will also seek out disability advocates from my community.
How will you work closely with the disability community to assure passage of vitally needed legislation? What will be your strategy?

I will get to know the various advocacy, litigation and research groups that address the needs of persons with disabilities. In developing a rapport with such groups, I will learn from them about pressing issues facing the disability community and possible solutions. My strategy for passing legislation will be to build a coalition of legislators in the Assembly and the Senate who actively support the disability community and work as a team to promote legislation.
How would you change the laws of New York State to protect the rights of its citizens with disabilities?

There are so many unmet needs in the disability community that mandates alone do not address and this question is huge, huge, huge! If possible, I would start with trying to find ways to improve services to disabled children enrolled in school so that children are placed in academic settings where learning happens and skills are acquired. Obviously, this takes significant funding and no mandate alone will meet the need. I guess I would start by talking to disabled people and learning what their needs are and then working to develop legislative proposals.
While the State is focused on reducing the costs of Medicaid and other programs, persons with disabilities need to continue to have access to the services and supports they need and choose.
1. Would you oppose proposals which would negatively affect eligibility, benefits, coverage, and/or access to services for Medicaid beneficiaries and eliminate the systemic bias that leads to unwanted placement in nursing homes and other institutions?
  
  YES.
2. Would you seek to promote comprehensive long term care reform that will not reduce coverage or access to services?
  
  YES.
3. Would you increase rental/housing subsidies to participants in the new Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Medicaid waiver program?
  
  YES.
Would you expand Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program (EPIC) to provide the same level of eligibility and coverage to persons with disabilities under age 65?

YES.
Will you support moving funds from nursing homes to moving patients out of nursing homes and back into the community?

YES.
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Accessible, affordable housing is in short supply. People with disabilities are being priced out of the market. Do you support the creation of a housing trust fund for persons with disabilities?

YES.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires housing developers to set aside a certain percentage of accessible units for persons with disabilities when federal funds are used for construction. Do you favor incorporating these provisions into State law so that the Department of Housing and Community Renewal can be empowered to enforce these provisions?

YES.
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 New York State Building Code?

YES.
At present: SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) Household income cap is $29,000. DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) is $19,284/single and $27,780/2 or more. What is your position on increasing DRIE income eligibility to match SCRIE?

DRIE should at least match SCRIE.
While localities have acquired voting machines that attempt to meet the accessibility standards of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), many poling places in New York State remain inaccessible to persons with disabilities. Do you favor the elimination of provisions in Section 4-104 (1-a) of the New York State Election Law allowing waiver of polling place accessibility standards?

YES.
Despite Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, students with disabilities face problems when pursuing higher education. These statutes do not specify how students should request accommodations or assistance in asserting their rights under the law. Will you support a fully funded office of disability services on each SUNY and CUNY campus to assist students with disabilities in securing accommodations?

YES.
How do you propose dealing with school districts that deny civil rights to disabled students even after the Sate Division of Civil Rights affirms the student's rights such as to use a service animal?

School districts should be penalized by taking away their IDEA funds or State funds. In addition, students denied access for invalid or illegal reasons should be escorted to school by State troopers.
Do you support legislation requiring car services, and shuttle services to purchase wheelchair accessible vehicles or otherwise ensure that they have the capacity to serve persons with disabilities?

YES.
Will you or do you support Assembly Member Kellner's proposed bill requiring New York City to transition to a 100% accessible taxi fleet?

YES.
Persons with disabilities have historically been under-represented within the Democratic Party leadership. According to the 2000 census, persons with disabilities comprised 20.6% of New York State residents and 23.1% of those 18 years and older. Previously, we were told that only those groups included in the Voting Rights Act were included in the goals and timetables for delegate selection. Yet the lesbian and gay communities were included for the first time at the 2000 convention and again at the 2004 and 2010 conventions. Would you support a campaign to set a goal that 10% of the total New York State Delegation to the 2012 Democratic National Convention be comprised of persons with disabilities.

YES.

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