If you’re not familiar with Rebecca Seawright, the new chair of the New York State Assembly People with Disabilities Committee, amNY has a spotlight that serves as a decent intro.

First elected in 2014 to represent the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island in the state Assembly, this is Seawright’s fifth term in office. She says she wants to “dive into” the NYS Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) recently released five-year strategic plan and that she’s “committed to pushing for wage enhancement and increasing hourly pay. I will drive this point home among my legislative colleague.”

FYI, members of the committee are:

• Khaleel M. Anderson
• Chris Burdick
• Taylor Darling
• Harvey Epstein
• Jodi Giglio
• John W. McGowan
• Karen McMahon
• Stefani Zinerman

In the NYS Senate, Sen. John W. Mannion, in office since 2020, chairs its Committee on Disabilities. Its members are:

• Bill Weber
• Jacob Ashby
• Simcha Felder
• Kristen Gonzalez
• Roxanne J. Persaud
• Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

In other news, in February 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the establishment of the Office of the Chief Disability Officer to advocate on behalf of persons with disabilities and appointed Kimberly T. Hill as the State’s first Chief Disability Office.

Hill previously served as Director of the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, which focused on issues pertaining primarily to people with physical and sensory disabilities. In that role, Hill worked with disability advocates, Assembly Chairpersons and staff on several priority issues which led to the passage of bills such as the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC), the Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Waiver, New York State’s Medicaid Buy-In Program, and the codification of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into State law.