PAGE 1 MARCH 2014-NEWABLE NEWSPAPER YORK PAGE VOLUME 19 NUMBER 10 MARCH 2014 AWARD-WINNING New York THE NEWSPAPER POSITIVELY FOR, BY & ABOUT THE DISABLED READY IN THE BRONX IN THIS ISSUE Education, Kids Play and Improve Skills Schools, Camps And Recreation PAGES 7, 8, 9 CRPD 141 Countries Ratify But No U.S. Movement PAGE 2 Obama Includes PWD Minimum Wage Raised By Executive Order PAGE 3 EEOC Releases Data 2013 Highest $$ Recovery In Agency History PAGE 5 Snow, Rain, Slush Who Is Responsible For Clean-Up? PAGE 5 MTA Cuts Ribbon Dyckman #1 Station Accessible At Last PAGE 10 Sports Paralympics, Skiing And Snowboarding PAGE 11 About 100 preschoolers in the Readiness Program hockey, winter bowling, luge, ice-skating. They also VISIT at New York Institute for Special Education (NYISE), had snowball fights with crumbled paper. ABLE'S in the Bronx, recently participated in their annual Win- All activities were designed to improve gross mo- WEBSITE ter Olympics. Developmentally-delayed three- to five- tor skills such as coordination, balance, strength year-olds played Olympics-inspired games such as and agility. WWW. ABLENEWS.COM N.Y. ABLE NEWSPAPER P.O. BOX 395, OLD BETHPAGE, NY 11804 TO THE 516 939-2253 LETTERS EDITOR FAX 516 939-0540 www.ablenews.com Hi Everyone, ing home) and might have noth- siblings. Any questions please Thanks to all who have signed ing better to do, could you all contact me. our petition to save home care please mass-mail our petition Thank you. workers and the people with dis- with old-fashioned email and Philip Bennett abilities we assist. If you haven’t share it with as many people as Brooklyn, N.Y. done so already, please read and you can with Facebook, Twitter, 718 339-0404 sign our petition (the link is be- MySpace or whatever? Published By Melmont Printing low. Or, if you’d be so kind, you The nursing home industry Letters Policy Letters to the editor and columns can cut and paste it). and their supporters are very Publisher do not necessarily reflect the views The text of the petition ex- powerful. This is not an easy Angela Miele Melledy of the publisher. All letters must plains everything. Since many fight. It’s a marathon of soul be accompanied by name, address of you are stuck inside due to the force versus run-away greed. and phone numbers. EDITORIAL STAFF cold (sort of like living in a nurs- Please do the right thing, Assistant Allison Howe NEW YORK ABLE NEWSPAPER-MARCH 2014 PAGE 2 Staff Writers Still No Movement on the CRPD Beth Guarino (emirita) A coalition of more than 800 thirds super-majority vote in in a resolution composed and Kevin Limiti U.S. disability groups, in addi- the Senate. passed by the committee. Norman Smith tion to veteran organiza- In November 2013, two According to Morrissey, the COLUMNISTS tions and private- sector corpo- hear-ings on the treaty had Tennessee disability commu- Disabled in Action rations, continue to fight for mixed success, according to nity has been very active in T.K. Small the ratification of the U.N. David Morrissey, executive asking their senator to recon- Edith Prentiss Convention on the Rights of director of the United States sider his position. In addition, Anthony Trocchia Persons with Disabilities International Council on Dis- former California Rep. Tony Task Force (CRPD). abilities. Although there was a Coelho and former Pennsylva- Assemblymember David Weprin In addition, Chairman of the good turnout and a lot of mo- nia Gov. Tom Ridge recently United Spinal Association Jim Weisman Senate Foreign Relations Com- mentum was building in re- sent a letter to Corker, which Beloved P.I.A. Emeritus mittee Sen. Robert Menendez gard to garnering more sup- expressed their disappoint- Harry Wieder (D-N.J.) and many other sena- port, Sen. Bob Corker (R- ment in Corker’s unwillingness tors also strongly support the Tenn.), ranking Republican on to negotiate. STAFF treaty. the committee, stated his un- The letter stressed that the Production Director Although it was voted down willingness to support the treaty is modeled after our own Debbie Simko by a narrow margin in 2012, treaty. country’s Americans with Art & Production Jennifer Becker these groups and individuals This was despite the fact Disbilities Act and that it Ann Imbrogno continue to work toward get- that legal scholars invited by would give Americans further Susan Romeo (emerita) ting a resolution for ratifica- Corker to testify at the hear- protections when they travel, Marilyn Wheeler tion passed by the committee, ings said that all his concerns study, live or work in foreign Technical Assistance and then passed by a two- could be adequately addressed countries. They also addressed Louis Melledy protractors’ concerns of federal Office Manager overreach, saying that a rem- Fannie Miele CURRENT STATUS OF CONVENTION ON THE Accounting edy could be reached through Margaret Wenzel RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES the adoption of binding Reser- vations, Understandings and Advertising Rates 141 RATIFICATIONS and 158 SIGNATORIES Declarations. Furnished Upon Request Cote d Ivoire ratified the Convention on January 10, 2014 Meanwhile, Cote d Ivoire and Japan became the 140th and 141st countries respec- Japan ratified the Convention on January 20, 2014 Postmaster: Send address changes to Able News at P.O. tively to ratify the treaty. Box 395, Old Bethpage, N.Y. 11804. Periodicals are being Japan’s ambassador went so paid for at Bethpage, N.Y. post office. ©1994 ABLE NEWS- The U.S. HAS NOT YET SIGNED ON PAPER. Able Newspaper is published monthly by Melmont far as to say that he was em- Printing, 6 Robert Court, Bethpage, N.Y. 11714. Able wel- The ratification of the United Nations Convention on comes manuscripts and suggestions for articles. However, barrassed by his country’s fail- to assure safe return, manuscripts must be accompanied the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was by a self-addressed stamped envelope. No responsibility ure to ratify the treaty sooner. is assured for unsolicited manuscripts or art. Submissions defeated in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 61-38 in De- are the author’s warranty that the material is not an in- “We are thrilled to see yet fringement of the rights of others and that the material may cember 2012. another nation embrace the be published without further approval. Editorial material does not necessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher In December 2013, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), rank- rights of people with disabili- of Able Newspaper. Advertisers are responsible for the con- tent of advertisements. No part of this publication may be ing Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Com- ties by ratifying this crucial reprinted without the permission of the publisher. Able is treaty,” said Marca Bristo, not responsible for errors in advertisements beyond the mittee walked away from the negotiations on the Treaty price of the space occupied by the error. president of the U.S. Interna- and went home for the holidays, ending the discus- tional Council on Disabilities. The Deadline for Editorial sion. “It certainly speaks to the im- and Advertising for the At present there are is not enough support in the portance of the treaty that they April Issue of Able Senate to bring the bill to a vote. were willing to make changes to their laws to comply with it.” is March 11. PAGE 3 MARCH 2014-NEWABLE NEWSPAPER YORK PAGE Minimum Wage Executive Order to Include PWD he White House recently clude all workers, including dards Act (FLSA) Section 14(c) nomic future for all people with announced that Pres. those with disabilities. allows for workers with dis- disabilities, applauded Obama Barack Obama will sign The campaign received me- abilities to be paid and his administration for the Tan executive order raising the dia attention and prompted a subminimum wage. This law inclusion of workers with dis- minimum wage to $10.10 for all recent meeting at the White dates back to 1938 and has been abilities in a historic executive future federal contract workers, House to discuss disability used by sheltered workshops decision. including workers with disabili- policy with top Administration where people with disabilities “National Disability Insti- ties. officials. Disability rights orga- are segregated from other tute wants to express its thanks Under the current law, em- nizations have been urging the workers and can be paid as to Pres. Obama, Secretary of ployees with disabilities can be inclusion of people with dis- little as pennies per hour for Labor Tom Perez and the paid subminimum wage, but abilities in the executive order doing the same work as employ- Obama administration for tak- the executive order, which cov- since the plan was announced ees without disabilities. ing a major step today to give ers all new federal contracts, at the 2014 State of the Union The President’s executive or- federal contract workers with will end the practice among Address. der states, “Under current law, disabilities greater access to the contractors beginning in 2015. The National Council on Dis- workers whose productivity is economic mainstream by pay- “By including people with ability (NCD), an independent affected because of their dis- ing them a living wage to ad- disabilities in his executive or- federal agency that advises the abilities may be paid less than vance their financial capabil- der, the President has opened President, Congress and other the wage paid to others doing ity,” said Michael Morris, ex- the doors of equal opportunity federal agencies on disability the same job under certain spe- ecutive director of National Dis- to many federally contracted policy, hailed the Obama ad- cialized certificate programs.