Friday, October 16, 2026, 10 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on Disabilities
The Committee on Disabilities, chaired by Council Member Shahana K. Hanif, held a joint oversight hearing with the Committee on Civil and Human Rights, chaired by Council Member Sandy Nurse, on disability discrimination enforcement at the City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), and heard Intro 131 (Cabán, adding sex characteristics including intersex traits to the Human Rights Law's definition of gender), Intro 1107 (Hanif, service animal guidance and public education), Resolution 510 (Won, declaring June 18 Autistic Pride Day) and Resolution 665 (Hanif, urging U.S. ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). CCHR said disability was again the most common basis of claims in fiscal year 2026, supported Intro 131 and the intent of Intro 1107, and described a 2026 reorganization that doubled its intake line to 16 staff and created non-attorney investigator roles, while saying its two-year internal target for housing cases would remain for now. Members pressed CCHR and the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities on case delays (including a tenant who died after four years waiting for a ramp), tracking of referrals, source-of-income discrimination, testing, penalties and accessibility of the complaint process. Public witnesses, including disability advocates, Legal Aid, and many intersex advocates and Fordham Law clinic students, testified largely in support of the bills and for more CCHR resources; no votes were taken.
0:19 Good hearing our
0:19 . Please settle down we're
0:22 go oh , good morning welcome
1:12 to the committee on
1:14 disabilities joint lift civil
1:16 and human rights at this time
1:17 we ask that you please silence
1:19 all electronics if you wish t
1:21 otestify please sing one of the
1:23 sergeant at arms in the back
1:24 and at no point please do not
1:27 approach the dais chair you
1:30 begin good morning I'm
1:32 councilmember member Shahana
1:33 haneef chair of the committee
1:34 on disabilities I'm a brown
1:35 woman and I'm mid 30s wit
1:38 hlong black curly hair I'm
1:42 wearing a red power suit and
1:43 I'm seated behind the dais
1:46 welcome to today's joint
1:49 oversight hearing with the
1:49 committee on civil and human
1:50 rights where we will examine
1:53 disability discrimination
1:54 enforcement trends at the New
1:56 York City commission on human
1:58 rights or hr thank you t
2:00 ochair a Nurse for partnering
2:01 with us on this important
2:03 hearing millions of New York
2:05 er's live with disabilities
2:06 and disability discrimination
2:07 is now the most common basis
2:10 of claims filed with hr New
2:14 York City has some of the
2:17 strongest civil rights
2:19 protections in the country are
2:20 human rights law provides
2:22 broader protections for people
2:25 with disabilities than state
2:26 or federal law including the
2:28 right to reasonable
2:30 accommodations and a good
2:32 faith cooperative dialog with
2:34 employers landlords and
2:36 businesses and their
2:37 accessibility needs but strong
2:40 protections on paper mean very
2:42 little if New yorkers cannot
2:44 access them in practice right
2:47 without meaningful enforcement
2:48 are promises unfulfilled in hr
2:52 issued a ruling in a case
2:53 involving a tenant who spent
2:55 more than four years
2:57 requesting a ramp or lift so
3:00 he could safely leave his
3:03 apartment tragically he died
3:05 before that accommodation was
3:09 ever installed
3:09 . A disabled newyorker spent
3:11 years fighting for the basic
3:13 ability to leave his own home
3:15 he died before that right was
3:19 realized accessibility delayed
3:21 is accessibility denied.
3:22 And in some cases those
3:25 delays have irreversible
3:26 consequences this is precisely
3:27 why today's hearing matters a
3:31 December 2025 audit by the New
3:33 York state comptroller found
3:33 that the housing
3:35 discrimination case is took
3:37 more than two years on average
3:41 to reach a determination mrs
3:42 own data also show an aging
3:45 caseload yet the agency does
3:48 not publicly report how long
3:50 disability discrimination
3:52 cases take to resolve or what
3:54 outcomes complainants
3:56 ultimately receive today we
3:57 intend to examine several
4:00 critical questions
4:01 . One how will hrs 20 20 2
4:06 6reorganization improve intake
4:07 investigations and resolution
4:09 timelines for disability
4:12 discrimination complaints to
4:13 what concrete steps has the
4:15 agency taken to implement the
4:17 state comptroller's
4:18 recommendations and address
4:19 its growing backlog three how
4:22 are cc hr and the mayor's
4:23 office for people with
4:26 disabilities coordinating t
4:28 oensure complaints are
4:29 addressed effectively and that
4:30 New York er's are not left
4:32 navigating fragmented systems
4:35 for how is cch are translating y
4:40 discrimination guidance into
4:42 meaningful enforcement
4:44 education and compliance and
4:46 finally what additional
4:49 resources data transparency or
4:50 policy reforms are necessary
4:53 to ensure that New yorkers
4:55 receive timely relief
4:56 . We will also hear for pieces
4:57 of legislation that advance
4:59 our city's commitment to civil
5:01 rights accessibility and
5:02 disability justice intro 1 3 1
5:04 sponsored by Council Member
5:06 Tiffany cab on would amend the
5:07 definition of gender under the
5:09 New York City human rights law
5:11 intro 1107 which I am proud t
5:14 osponsor would require guidance
5:15 and public education regarding
5:17 service animal access in
5:18 places of public accommodation s
5:23 particularly important as cch
5:24 are recently reached a
5:25 settlement with the following
5:28 service animals on City busses t
5:35 omake existing protections
5:36 clearer and more accessible t
5:38 othe public and businesses
5:41 alike rizzo 5 10 sponsored by
5:43 Council Member Julie one would
5:46 declare June 18 autistic pride
5:47 day in New York City
5:50 recognizing and celebrating
5:52 autistic New yorkers and their
5:54 contributions to our
5:57 communities and finally rizzo
5:59 665 which I am also proud t
6:00 osponsor calls on the united
6:02 states senate to approve and
6:03 the president to ratify the
6:06 united nations convention on
6:08 the rights of persons with
6:10 disabilities and its optional
6:12 protocol as we mark the
6:13 conventions twentieth
6:15 anniversary the convention the
6:16 convention excuse me affirms
6:17 that disability rights are
6:19 human rights and that people
6:20 with disabilities.
6:21 Deserve full and equal
6:23 participation in every aspect
6:25 of society
6:26 . 20 Years after its adoption
6:28 the united states still has
6:29 not ratified it.
6:30 That failure is long overdue
6:34 for correction I'd like t
6:35 oacknowledge my colleagues who
6:36 have joined us council Tiffany
6:38 Tiffany cab on Council Member
6:42 Harvey Epstein
6:42 . Thank you to the
6:44 administration for being here
6:45 today and to the disability
6:48 advocates service providers
6:48 health care workers and
6:49 members of the public who have
6:51 come to testify or submitted
6:53 written testimony your
6:54 presence here is an act of
6:56 self advocacy and we do not
6:57 take it for granted thank you
6:59 to the committee staff who
7:00 have made today's hearing
7:01 possible including senior
7:04 legislative counsel sarah
7:05 sukha and senior legislative
7:07 policy analyst chloe rivera my
7:09 senior adviser emmett tyron
7:12 communications director simone
7:13 lavin and legislative fellow
7:15 teodora moo I and now I will
7:17 turn it over to chair Nurse
7:18 for her opening remarks all
7:19 right good morning everyone
7:22 happy Friday um my name is
7:23 sandi Nurse I'm chair of the
7:25 civil and human rights
7:27 committee I want to start by
7:29 first thinking my co chair
7:31 Council Member haneef and as
7:34 she mentioned in her own
7:35 opening statement the
7:36 commission on human rights has
7:37 reported that disability is
7:39 the most common basis of
7:41 claims filed amongst protected
7:43 classes something I wish t
7:43 oemphasize for everyone here is
7:45 that char is a relatively
7:48 small agency tasked with a
7:49 very large mandate we totally
7:51 recognize that it is the
7:53 enforcement agency for one of
7:55 the most expansive human
7:56 rights laws in the country
7:57 perhaps most importantly the
7:59 people they serve often don't
8:01 have any other way to enforce
8:03 their rights because they not
8:04 be able to afford a private
8:08 attorney so also very much an
8:10 issue of economic justice the
8:14 heartbreaking story that cher
8:16 haneef shared about someone
8:17 who died while waiting years
8:20 for disability accommodation
8:21 emphasizes something we
8:22 already know to be true which
8:24 is that justice delayed is
8:26 justice denied that is why our
8:28 main goal is are so important
8:29 we hope this hearing will
8:31 shine a light on how mrs
8:34 resources and organization
8:35 organizational structure have
8:37 real tangible impacts on how
8:39 people with disabilities can
8:40 enjoy access to secure housing y
8:45 necessities without
8:46 discrimination or undue
8:47 disadvantage my co chair noted
8:49 mrs recent reorganization
8:51 something that I am hoping
8:53 will be able to positively
8:55 impact its work flows and this
8:56 is something we've discussed
8:58 in multiple hearings before
9:00 and especially how quickly
9:01 people can have their
9:03 complaints resolved.
9:04 At the end of the day that
9:05 is what's most important is
9:07 that there is relief for those
9:09 facing discrimination and
9:09 hardships due t
9:12 odiscrimination
9:12 . For a lot of New York er's
9:14 these issues impact their
9:15 lives on a day to day basis
9:16 they often have a detrimental
9:19 snowball effect for example
9:21 someone unable to leave their
9:23 home due to a lack of a
9:25 possible accommodation then be
9:26 unable to get to work lowering
9:28 their income and starting a
9:30 series of events at times in
9:32 emergency situations it can
9:34 cost them their life or their
9:36 health I recognize that not
9:37 every situation is this dire
9:39 but we still believe it's
9:41 important to know that some
9:43 situations are and many have
9:44 the potential to get to that
9:46 point I'm curious how cc hr
9:47 has responded to the
9:49 comptroller's audit mentioned
9:49 by my co chair and how any
9:52 internal changes are impacting
9:54 resolution times we look
9:55 forward to hearing from the
9:56 commission on its disability
9:58 related enforcement education
9:59 and testing and also hope hope
10:01 to learn more about its
10:02 dynamic and work with mopey in
10:04 order to better serve New
10:06 yorkers as efficiently as
10:08 possible and I want to thank
10:09 everyone here who's come and
10:10 made it here today on Friday
10:11 everyone who worked on this
10:13 hearing I'm grateful for
10:14 everybody who's going t
10:15 otestify today I believe we're
10:17 now going to hear from council
10:19 member cab on on her bill
10:21 thank you chairs good morning
10:23 everyone my name is
10:26 councilmember Tiffany Cabán I
10:28 am a puerto rican woman with a
10:31 ponytail and glasses and
10:31 wearing a beige sweater I want
10:34 to thank chair's Nurse and
10:35 nanny for holding this
10:36 important hearing on
10:37 disability and discrimination
10:38 as a New yorker myself with
10:40 chronic illness I'm grateful
10:41 for your leadership in making
10:42 our City more accessible and I
10:44 also want to thank the two of
10:44 you for giving me time in this
10:46 hearing for my bill which does
10:47 not neatly fit into the theme
10:49 of this hearing but which is
10:50 nonetheless crucial to many
10:53 New yorkers my bill intria 131 s
10:56 human rights law protects
10:56 intersex New York er's from
10:58 discrimination before I
10:59 described that legislation I
11:00 just want to deeply deeply
11:03 think the folks at interact we
11:04 have the executive director
11:07 erica here as well as leon
11:11 feller jen levine alicia roth
11:12 weigel alyssa ball briony
11:15 pryce and I remember meeting
11:18 with the students on this
11:22 piece of legislation clay shen
11:24 intersects students and it
11:25 represents the best of what
11:27 government governing and being
11:29 in partnership with community
11:31 should be.
11:31 Directly impacted people
11:32 coming to their elected
11:35 officials and saying where the
11:36 government needs to step up t
11:39 oprotect them so you know it's
11:42 been clear to folks in the
11:43 lgbt curia plus community that
11:46 for two long intersex people
11:46 have faced bigotry and
11:48 discrimination been denied the
11:49 health care that they need and
11:50 have been subjected to hate
11:52 violence and the federal
11:53 government has at best failed
11:54 to protect intersex people and
11:55 it's putting it in the mildest r
11:59 this administration
12:01 specifically has made it made
12:02 it difficult for many intersex
12:04 people to obtain documents
12:05 reflecting an ex gender marker e
12:08 more important that our City
12:10 enforce anti discrimination
12:10 laws to keep intersex
12:11 newyorker safe enable them t
12:13 oaccess the care that they need
12:14 and protect them from
12:15 discrimination so again thank
12:16 you and I'll pass it back t
12:18 othe chairs thank you and now I
12:21 will read a statement that was
12:23 provided by my colleague
12:25 Council Member Julie one on
12:28 her bill thank you cheers
12:29 my bill resolution 5 10 heard
12:34 at this hearing for the
12:36 committee on disabilities and
12:37 committee on civil and human
12:39 rights this resolution will
12:41 declare June 18 annually as
12:43 autistic pride day in New York
12:45 City I want to take a moment
12:48 to thank gary oh steven whose
12:50 outreach and advocacy was a
12:52 spark that got this bill
12:54 drafted gary on autistic self
12:56 advocate and a proud New
12:57 yorker reached reached out t
12:58 omy office because he believed
13:00 this City should formally
13:02 recognize this day and he is
13:05 right autism spectrum disorder
13:06 presents differently for every
13:07 single person and no two
13:10 individuals share the same
13:11 experience and no one should
13:13 be reduced to a diagnosis and
13:14 yet for two long public
13:16 conversation around autism has
13:18 done exactly that that's
13:20 exactly why autistic pride day
13:22 exists in 2005 an organization
13:25 called asp eyes for freedom
13:28 led by autistic individuals
13:29 created the day they didn't
13:31 wait for someone else to speak
13:32 on their behalf they built a
13:34 space for self determination
13:36 for neuro diversity for
13:37 . Pride and they did it
13:39 deliberately to counter as a
13:40 counter to the autism
13:42 awareness month narrative
13:42 which was to often led by non
13:45 autistic voices to often
13:48 centered on deficits on fixing
13:50 on curing and I want to make
13:51 it clear autism and neuro
13:54 divergence is not a problem t
13:56 obe solved but instead a
13:57 community to be celebrated the
13:59 symbol of this day
14:01 . Is a rainbow infinity sign
14:02 which is fitting to embody the
14:05 infinite diversity potential
14:06 and future of the autism and
14:08 neuro divergent community this
14:10 is why my bill rezo 5 10 will
14:12 declare June 18 annually as
14:14 autistic pride day in New York
14:17 City
14:17 . This bill will make sure
14:18 that this community that is
14:20 far too often neglected or
14:22 unsupported will get the
14:23 recognition respect and
14:25 visibility they deserve thank
14:27 you to autistic adults
14:31 independence of the disabled
14:33 of the disabled autistic self
14:34 advocacy network h r c and New
14:37 York lawyers for the public
14:39 interest for their support on
14:40 this resolution by recognizing
14:42 the stay are New York City
14:45 institutions workplaces and
14:46 communities can affirm they
14:47 are stronger when we.
14:49 Include neuro divergent
14:52 individuals now the committee
14:53 counsel will administer the
14:55 oath to deputy commissioner
14:56 for policy and legislative
14:58 affairs at char joanne
15:00 camouflage ward I'm sorry if I