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There are many issues facing disabled persons today, but they all have one fundamentalcharacteristic in common; they all relate to access. Access to buildings, access to stores, access to employment, access to voting machines, access to technology, Access is a fundamental issue facing QILC's constituency today. As an independent living center, one of our primary concerns is access to housing.
Rents in the city continue to rise, effectively pricing many of our consumers out of their preferred homes, preferred neighborhoods, and preferred commutes. In addition, rent increases place a strain on QILC’s budget, hampering our ability to expand the services we provide. Another important concern to QILC and its consumers is access to employment.
Census data shows that only about 30% of working age adults with a disability are currently employed.
In any other demographic group, that number would provoke enormous outrage.
QILC is in the preliminary stages of creating a supported employment program, and any private or government assistance would go a long way towards achieving that goal. Our third concern is access to education.
The Independent Living philosophy says that people with disabilities are best equipped to direct the course of their own lives and the services and programs established for their benefit.
It promotes self-advocacy, self-determination and the achievement of the highest level of independence in the least restrictive environment.
Without the proper level of education, these goals become more and more difficult to achieve. There are substantial deficiencies in our education system for the disabled—from a lack of wheelchair ramps in schools to a lack of textbooks in Braille to classes that are taught without the benefit of American Sign Language interpreters. The proper infrastructure must be in place to most effectively educate disabled students.
Many issues beyond those mentioned above are of great concern to QILC and our consumers.
Proper implementation of HAVA in
New York State, using modern voting machines that are accessible to people with disabilities, is an extremely important concern.
Building access was only briefly touched on, but it is a fundamental issue facing our constituents.
Many consumers would like to see the maze of city and state agencies simplified.
In addition, it should be understood that all of the city and state’s programs for
the disabled should be fully funded. With the proper attentiveness and energy, New York can improve in all of these areas in the immediate future.
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