Anniversary celebrations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law on July 26, 1990, have been more impactful in some years than others. Let’s take a look at what was announced at this year’s celebrations by the Biden-Harris administration and Gov. Kathy Hochul in Albany.
(ADA-related activity is not limited to the information below.)
Federal
New York
Albany was a little bit quieter than in it was 2022, when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a legislative package to strengthen the rights of New Yorkers with disabilities. On this year’s anniversary, the governor held a celebration at The New York State Executive Mansion in Albany and, more substantially, made an official commitment to New York becoming a model employer for people with disabilities.
The executive order, which is for the State workforce only, is multi-pronged and touches on issues including the recruitment and hiring of individuals with disabilities, disability awareness training, and the requirement that each State agency, within 30 days of the order, designates someone responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of employment strategies to hire, retain and promote people with disabilities. This person will also serve as a contact person for agencies including the Office of the Chief Disability Officer.
(It’s worth noting that the COVID-19 pandemic led to soaring unemployment rates for people with disabilities, and these rates have not declined as quickly in New York as they have nationally, the New York State Comptroller’s office reported in April 2023.)
This year, the state also launched in July the anti-stigma campaign that last year’s ADA-related legislative package required the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities to develop and implement. Check out Learn all about the “Look Beyond My Developmental Disability” campaign.
