Access-A-Ride Cuts Will Leave Disabled Riders Stranded
December 17, 2009
On Wednesday, State Senator Tom Duane and I gathered with disabilities advocates, for-hire vehicle industry representatives, and Access-A-Ride users in front of Selis Manor in Manhattan to oppose the MTA’s slashing of the Access-A-Ride operating budget. Access-A-Ride, New York City Transit’s paratransit service, is the only mode of transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to take regular mass transit.
The MTA plans to cut $40 million from its operating budget this year, and $80 million the next.
No written plan exists explaining how Access-A-Ride is expected to absorb these cuts. Transit officials have shared only that they plan to examine their “legal obligation to provide door-to-door services.”
Last fall I met with the MTA and proposed that Access-A-Ride users be issued debit or credit cards to use in New York City taxis and for-hire-vehicles. MTA officials said they liked the idea and would implement a pilot program. I first wrote to New York City Transit in February of 2009 to propose the concept. (See the Publications section of my website for both the proposal and my original letter to Howard Roberts.)
To my severe disappointment the MTA has yet to do move towards implementing this, despite the fact that the city has estimated that a debit or credit card system would save taxpayers $50 million a year in paratransit services—that’s $10 million more than the MTA says it must cut. I have heard from the for-hire vehicle industry that they are excited about what this could mean for their businesses, and they have already worked out a plan with credit card providers to make it work.
Instead of using this economic crisis to hurt people with disabilities who are dependent on paratransit services, the MTA should be seeing this as an opportunity to look hard at what’s not working and be innovative.
The Struggle for Marriage Equality Continues
December 2, 2009
As a member of the LGBT caucus of New York State legislators, I share in the frustration of my community after today’s disappointing vote in the State Senate.
I am extremely proud to be a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill and to have been part of the Assembly’s historic vote, first in June of 2007, and twice since then, including early this morning as the Assembly passed the measure for the third time. I know that my vote for equality is one of the most important votes I will ever make as a lawmaker.
Despite the tally of votes in the Senate, I believe the fact that the bill came to the floor for debate is a victory unto itself. Polls clearly show that New Yorkers believe in civil rights, oppose discrimination, and agree with marriage equality. No longer do New Yorkers need to wonder whether their Senator stands for the cause of equality or in defense of contemptuous bigotry. Now we know the yeas and the nays, and that knowledge brings us power. I believe that 2010 will bring in a new legislature, one that is truly for all the people of this great state.
I want to thank Senator Tom Duane, and in my own house, Assembly Members Daniel O’Donnell, Deborah Glick, and Matt Titone, for their tremendous leadership and advocacy for the cause of equality.
We will prevail. The drumbeat for marriage equality is loud and clear, and this is an issue whose time has come.
“Oreo’s Law” Would Give Dogs a Second Chance at Life
November 18, 2009
The kennel at Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, where Oreo would have been rehabilitated.
The case of Oreo, an abused dog who was put down after her rescue by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (APSCA), brought to light a tragic loophole in our animal protection laws. This week, I am introducing legislation to close that loophole and save the lives of thousands of abused and injured animals in New York State.
This new legislation will allow animal welfare organizations the right to request animals be given to their care when a shelter is planning to euthanize them. The bill will be sponsored in the State Senate by Senator Tom Duane.
The bill, modeled on an existing law in California, is named Oreo’s Law in memory of the pit bull mix who became well-known after she survived abuse at the hands of her former owner, including a fall from a six-story building, but was eventually euthanized after the ASPCA determined that she was untreatably aggressive. Pets Alive Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill animal shelter located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, specializing in the rehabilitation and care of abused animals, offered to take Oreo, but the ASPCA refused the request.
As a dog owner and a foster parent for an animal rescue group, I was heartbroken to learn that Oreo was euthanized. When humane organizations volunteer their expertise in difficult cases, shelters should work with them to the fullest extent possible. This legislation will give tragically abused animals like Oreo another chance at life.
Please click here to download the press release announcing this legislation.
TLC Central Dispatch is Failing to Provide Adequate Services to Wheelchair Users
October 23, 2009
Central Dispatch was launched as a two-year pilot program in July 2008 to match scattered wheelchair users looking for a taxi with a limited number of accessible taxis. I was –and remain– very supportive of the concept of the program; I wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Post saying so “(The City Needs Cabs For All” - December 5, 2007). In my article, I raised concerns about how Central Dispatch was being structured—and sadly many of my gripes have proven to be very real problems.
After receiving a number of complaints from wheelchair users who told me that the program was not working a few months into the pilot, I conducted a study between December 2008 and January 2009 to determine how well the two-year pilot program was meeting its own goals and the needs of our city’s 60,000 wheelchair users. I blogged about the results of that study early last summer (”STRANDED: How the TLC is Failing Wheelchair Users,” June 7, 2009).
On October 22nd, I was pleased that NYC Council Transportation Committee Chair John Liu held an oversight hearing to examine how well Central Dispatch is meeting its goals and serving wheelchair users. I gave testimony at that hearing, a copy of which can be downloaded from the Publications page of my blog.
Ultimately, until there are more accessible taxicabs it will remain challenging for the TLC to provide the excellent customer service that wheelchair customers deserve to receive. That is why I sponsor a bill with State Senator Tom Duane (A.7842/S.4861) to mandate that after June 30, 2011, taxi owners may put only accessible taxicabs into service when replacing vehicles that have reached their TLC-mandated retirement age.
How to Save $50 Million a Year …and Improve Access-A-Ride
September 16, 2009
An estimated 60,000 wheelchair-users live in New York City, but only 238 of the 13,000 medallion yellow cabs (less than 2%) are able to accommodate a wheelchair passenger. This is an every day reality for wheelchair users who are often left stranded without access to a key element of New York City’s transportation infrastructure. To address this unequal access to transportation, I sponsor a bill (A.7842/S.4861) with State Senator Tom Duane to require that by 2011, all taxicabs in New York City are accessible to people with disabilities.
My Op-Ed, “Escape from Access-A-Ride,” in the New York Post on Saturday, September 12th pointed out that having a 100% accessible taxi fleet doesn’t just make sense from a civil rights perspective — it could also save millions of dollars for the Access-A-Ride program. These are costs borne by the cash-starved City and MTA budgets. And, not only could we save public dollars, we could do all this and provide a better service for paratransit consumers.
Interviewed on PBS
July 10, 2009
Recently, I was featured in a lengthy interview with Dara Welles on WLIW 21’s “New York Insiders.”
We had a great conversation about what’s next for New York City’s schools, as well as Second Avenue Subway construction issues - and we also discussed broader topics like marriage equality, disability rights, the upheaval in the State Senate, and my own plans for the future.
PBS is linking things strangely, so when you click to see the video of my interview the title will read Suffolk County Legislator Steve Levy - but don’t worry, it’s me.
A Personal Message: Marriage Equality Passes Assembly **AND** Rally for Marriage, Sunday
May 14, 2009
I was proud to be part of history and vote in favor of same-sex marriage when the bill was first passed by a margin of 85-61 in the New York State Assembly back in 2007. On May 12th, I once again cast my vote for equality, after a long and emotional debate (I will post video from the debate here, as soon as I get a chance to). We should all celebrate the fact that the bill was passed by an even wider margin (89-52); the message of the marriage equality movement—that love and family know no gender—continues to win hearts and minds.
In 2007, I said that voting in favor of the right to marry was the most important vote I would ever cast, and I still know this to be true. I hope that the second time will be the charm. I am grateful to my friend Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell for his leadership in the Assembly and I pray that 2009 will be the year the State Senate will finally pass the bill, under the leadership of Senator Tom Duane, so that Governor Paterson can sign it and we can finally have equality for all.
This Sunday, after AIDS Walk, I will be taking part in an important rally for marriage equality being organized collaboratively by Broadway Impact, Marriage Equality NY, the Empire State Pride Agenda, Broadway Cares, CivilRightsFront.com, and the Human Rights Campaign. The rally, billed as “LET THE SUN SHINE IN!” is being held from 5-7 pm at Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street, will feature the cast of the Broadway production of Hair, along with many other special guests.
The invitation is below, you can click here to download a PDF of the flyer to distribute to your friends, family, and colleagues. I hope to see you there!
Two Kellner Bills Pass Assembly
May 13, 2009
If you haven’t noticed, the Bills section of this website has been updated to include all of my 2009 bills, and now that the budget has passed, I am very busy working on moving my legislative agenda forward. To that end, I was very pleased that two of my bills passed the Assembly, both unanimously, on Monday.
The first was passed as part of the Assembly’s annual observance of Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day, where we passed a comprehensive legislative package aimed at ensuring that people with disabilities receive the same opportunities that all New Yorkers expect and deserve. A.3954 would establish the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Riders’ Council for People with Disabilities to study and investigate all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its subsidiaries, monitor its performance, and make recommendations to improve its operations with respect to people with disabilities.
One of the most important ways we can begin to address the lack of representation of people with disabilities is to make sure that people with disabilities are on the board of the MTA itself. In 2006, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer published “The State of Repairs: An Examination of Elevator and Escalator Maintenance and Repairs in New York City’s Subway System.” Stringer concluded that while the MTA does have the New York City Transit Riders Council, “they are not charged with the specific responsibly of representing the needs of disabled riders. And while the MTA has an ADA Compliance Coordination Committee, it is informal and not comprised of appointed members. A legislatively-mandated body representing disabled riders is needed to ensure the issues of the disability community are identified and addressed.” This is exactly what my bill will do. The bill now goes to the Senate where Senator Tom Duane is the lead sponsor.
The second bill that passed on Monday also touches on an issue close to my heart. A.3956 requires the State Office of the Aging to do an annual report to assess the needs of and delivery of services to traditionally underserved populations and to provide technical assistance to organizations that provide services to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) senior populations.
As our senior population continues to explode in number, it is incredibly important that we address the needs of marginalized communities as they age. LGBT seniors, in particular, often lack social and familial support networks that are more commonly available to non-LGBT seniors. LGBT seniors are twice as likely to live alone as compared to heterosexual seniors, and more than four times as likely to have no children. These seniors face stigma from many senior care providers who might not consider that their older clients may be LGBT. As a result, LGBT seniors may be as much as five times less likely to access needed health and social services because of fear of discrimination. Since disease prevention strategies tend to ignore LGBT seniors, and HIV trials generally do not include older participants, LGBT seniors may also face greater health risks. Additionally, same-sex couples have less access to financial benefits as compared to heterosexual married couples. A surviving same-sex partner, for example, will be denied social security benefits and be required to pay taxes on the transfer of assets upon the death of a partner. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Senator Tom Duane is the lead sponsor.
Access-A-Ride Riders Deserve Equal Treatment!
May 11, 2009
Today, I submitted testimony at the MTA Board meeting, asking the MTA to address the disparate treatment of Access-A-Ride customers.
The MTA doesn’t have a great record on this issue. Last fall, the Board proposed raising the Access-A-Ride fare to double the base fare for non-disabled riders who are able to use subways and buses. In response, Senator Tom Duane and I introduced legislation to ban unequal fares for people with disabilities. During the bailout debate in Albany, I made sure that paratransit fares wasn’t increased beyond the base fare.
People with disabilities are already at an economic disadvantage. 64% of Access-A-Ride users have a household income that is less than 250% of federal poverty; and 2002 Census data tells us that of people aged 25 to 64, 26% of those with a severe disability live below the poverty line, compared to 8% of the general population.
Yet while New Yorkers who ride the subways and buses are able to purchase MetroCards, Access-A-Ride users have to provide their fare in cash and in exact change. And while the rest of us are able to save money by purchasing pre-loaded cards with bonus values, daily passes, weekly passes, 14-Day passes, and monthly MetroCards, there are no bulk buying options for the people with disabilities who rely on Access-A-Ride.
To my mind, there is no good reason for this unequal treatment. It is discriminatory, plain and simple. That’s what I told the MTA today, and it is an issue I will continue to speak out on.
My full testimony can be downloaded from the Publications section of my website.
MTA: Take Me Home from the Ballgame!
April 20, 2009
I am pictured here with two activists from the NYC Chapter of the MS Society and Councilmember John Liu protesting the inaccessible subway stop at Citi Field.
I may be the world’s biggest Mets fan, and on April 13, the night of the Mets home opener, I attended a protest, organized by the New York City chapter of the MS Society, outside of Citi Field at the Mets/Willets Point subway station to highlight the inaccessibility of that subway stop for Mets fans.
The subway station, which is on the Number 7 line, is only accessible to people with disabilities on one side. People traveling from the stadium to Manhattan who require accessible accommodations can’t access that platform because the accessible entrance is on the Queens-bound side. To get back to Manhattan, a wheelchair user needs to travel against the crowd, and take the 7 train in the wrong direction to the very last stop on the line. Once they arrive at the last stop, they are then supposed to transfer to a Manhattan bound train and go all the way back to in the other direction to continue on to Manhattan.
The entire process is an enormous inconvenience and totally unnecessary. The MTA could have easily installed a ramp on the Manhattan-bound side of the station. I hope that because of this protest, they will now rectify their error. The protest received some great coverage including a story by the Associated Press that was picked up by most sports news outlets, including CBS Sports (“Disabled fans protest poor accessibility near Citi Field”), and a local piece here on the Upper East Side in Our Town (”Subway Stop Not So Amazin’ for Kellner“).
The NYC Chapter of the MS Society’s press release about the protest has further information about the problems at Citi Field, “MS activists raise awareness about inaccessible MTA subway stations at Mets home opener.”
Last May, I introduced two bills to address accessibility issues in our mass transit system. The first would create the MTA Riders Council for People with Disabilities (A.10734-A/S.7817-Duane). The Council will have 14 appointed members who represent riders who use NYC Transit, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro North systems. The Council will have a non-voting seat on the MTA Board and make recommendations for improved services.
The second bill (A.10420/S.7348-Duane) requires daily inspections of elevators, escalators, bus lifts and other accessibility features in MTA facilities and establishes documentation requirements and oversight for their repair.
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New York, NY 10065
Tel 212-860-4906
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