Advocacy

Fight for Accessible Taxis: Tell Your State Senators to Oppose S.7833-A (Golden)/A.6201-A (Pichardo)

We are part of a coalition of disability rights groups that oppose S.7833-A and A.6201-A. This is a backdoor attempt to overturn a long-awaited New York City Taxi and Limousine (TLC) regulation intended to get wheelchair-accessible for-hire vehicles (FHV) on the road across New York City.

The TLC regulations these bills seek to do away with are the result of years of advocacy by the disability community. They passed after more than a year of study by the TLC and after extensive public input.

These bills would isolate people with disabilities into a separate, unequal service. Like most New Yorkers, we want full integration of all people, no matter who they are, into daily life.

The dispatch system S.7833-A and A.6201-A propose was tried by the TLC and by the FHV industry before and failed.
FHV companies have opposed any attempt to get them to offer accessible service for at least two decades. These bills are no different.
The TLC rules are a crucial first step toward providing wheelchair-accessible service across the city. They have widespread support in the disability community.

Dozens of individuals and organizations spoke in support of the TLC proposal at a hearing on September 2017. Wheelchair users described how the ability to travel by accessible yellow taxis changed their lives for the better.

Call your NYS Senator now and insist that they oppose these bills. Find your Senator here. Let’s not move backward on progress!

Campaign for New Leaders

We are launching our first crowdfunding campaign from May 10-June 10th! Please join us in raising money and awareness to support our Campaign for New Leaders. Together we can cultivate new disability organizers in NYC.

Our goal is to raise $40,000 to fund:

developing new organizers to work on reducing barriers for people with disabilities
providing accessible transit and meals for lobby days in Albany
media training and creating peer videos on transportation, health care, and other advocacy issues
getting people to rallies and events and supporting our participants in telling their own stories
building awareness on how independent living centers (ILCs) work for you and your community

We can’t do it without your support! Please donate here. Come back to this page for updates on the campaign, post in the comments, share on social media, and check out our stories. Stay tuned for updates!

Monday, May 14th: We have an anonymous matching donor until midnight! Every dollar you donate today will be worth double.

Monday, May 21st: CAMPAIGN EXTENDED. We haven’t reached our goal yet, so we’re extending our campaign until June 10th. It’s not too late to donate and spread the word.

Friday, June 1st: We’re halfway there! Please give if you can and share with your friends.

Monday, June 11th: We didn’t quite make our goal, but it’s not too late to give to this Campaign. Thank you to everyone who supported us by donating and sharing. We’ll still be able to do a lot and look forward to joining you at lobby visits and rallies to support New Yorkers with disabilities.

Hands Off SNAP

Take Action NOW:

Call Your Rep TODAY – On Tuesday, May 8th, we all need to call our members of Congress and tell them to “Vote NO on H.R. 2, the Farm Bill!” (Seriously, this means you and everyone you can reach about this.) Please make use of Feeding America’s toll-free number: 1-888-398-8702. You will be connected to your Representative’s office after entering your zip code. We need to let Congress know that we want them to “Vote NO on H.R. 2” because its rigid work rules will reduce or eliminate SNAP for millions. It will deny food to children, veterans, women, and people needing treatment and/or with disabilities. Please share this number with your networks and ask them to encourage people to call. Please make sure you call on Tuesday, May 8th!

Please share our posts on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Can’t call? You can also text RESIST to 50409 or contact elected officials online.

Urge Congress to Continue the Money Follows the Person Program by Supporting the EMPOWER Care Act!

Money Follows the Person (MFP) is one of the longest-running, most successful Medicaid demonstrations. MFP was designed to help states transition people with disabilities from institutions into the community and to assist states in rebalancing their long-term services and supports systems to increase access to home and community-based services.

Since it began, 47 states have participated and over 75,000 people with disabilities have received assistance to leave institutions and move back home. Independent evaluations have proven MFP improves the quality of life for individuals and reduced Medicaid and Medicare expenditures by approximately 23%.

Unfortunately, MFP expired September 30, 2016, and states are running out of funding.

In New York, MFP funds the Open Doors Transition Center and Peer Outreach & Referral programs. Open Doors helps individuals living in nursing homes return to the community and assists individuals with developmental disabilities living in large group homes and institutions transition to smaller community settings or more integrated community programs. Since January 2015, Open Doors has assisted over 1800 individuals transition out of institutions and move back home! New York has committed to funding the Open Doors program through September 2019, however, we need to secure additional federal support to ensure the program is maintained beyond 2019!

The EMPOWER Care Act S. 2227 and H.R. 5306 would improve and extend the program for five years. So far, there are no New York Senators and Representatives on the bill. Help get New York to sign on as co-sponsors of the EMPOWER Care Act!

Act Now!

Call Senators Chuck Schumer and Gillibrand as well as your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the EMPOWER Care Act today! You can reach them by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senators or Representative.
Ask them to Co-Sponsor EMPOWER Care Act S.2227/H.R.5306 to extend the Money Follows the Person Program and pass it immediately.
Can’t call? You can also use Resistbot to turn texts into faxes, mail, or hand-delivered letters.
Spread the word: tweet and share this post on Facebook.

Talking Points

The Money Follows the Person Program brings people with disabilities and older adults back home to their communities.
The Money Follows the Person program gives people greater control over the lives.
It’s fiscally responsible! MFP improves the quality of life of individuals while saving states and the federal government Medicaid funding.
The program expired over a year ago. Without additional funding, states could scale back programs, potentially pulling the rug out from under the people who need it.
Talk about why this is important for you or someone you know, and the importance of the Open Doors program in New York. MFP frees people! MFP keeps families together!

Thanks to the New York State Independent Living Council for the details.