Over 30 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted, New York City schools have lagged far behind the law in accessibility. With less than a third of public schools fully accessible for people with disabilities, Public Advocate Williams is advancing his bill to require transparency on the city’s ADA compliance in school facilities. “Many students with disabilities are barred from attending their neighborhood schools because of inaccessible infrastructure,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams at a City Council hearing of the Committee on Education this afternoon. “This not only means that these students are unable to fully access their communities but that they must travel to an accessible school, which may mean hours on a bus every day, cutting into their learning time. Students are also prohibited from participating in after-school programs, unless there is someone to provide transportation home after, because the school buses will not bring them home. This lack of accessibility also means that students’ family and community members with accessibility needs are unable to attend events and meetings at these schools.” The Public Advocate’s bill, Intro 399, would require the Department of Education to report annually on the degree to which school facilities comply with the ADA. It would also make it easier to contact each school’s ADA coordinator, and make clear and public the protocol for requesting an accommodation, as well as information on the ability of zoned schools to accommodate students and employees with disabilities. Currently, as the Public Advocate stated, “It has been more than thirty years since the ADA was signed into law, yet New Yorkers with disabilities are still barred from entering and attending many of our schools.” The public reporting required in this bill will provide key information to students, parents, and staff about individual schools and spotlight areas of urgent reform. The Public Advocate has often spoken about the challenges he faced in navigating the school system with Tourette Syndrome and ADHD. His experiences have informed his advocacy on disability justice issues throughout his time in office, including in releasing ‘Out of Service,’ a report on the MTA’s lack of accessibility infrastructure and the urgent need for investment. Speaking to the need for adequate funding of accessibility improvements amid ongoing citywide budget cuts, he argued that “Every year that we do not meaningfully prioritize making school buildings accessible is another year that students cannot attend the schools of their choice, or spend valuable instructional time traveling to a school that can accommodate them.” Read the Public Advocate’s full comments to the committee below. STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION JUNE 18, 2024 Good afternoon, My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Joseph and the members of the Committee on Education for holding this important hearing. In August of last year, Advocates for Children of New York found that only 31.1 percent of NYC schools are fully accessible for people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that governments ensure people with disabilities have equal access to public programs and services, including public education. However, many students with disabilities are barred from attending their neighborhood schools because of inaccessible infrastructure. This not only means that these students are unable to fully access their communities but that they must travel to an accessible school, which may mean hours on a bus every day, cutting into their learning time. Students are also prohibited from participating in after-school programs, unless there is someone to provide transportation home after, because the school buses will not bring them home. This lack of accessibility also means that students’ family and community members with accessibility needs are unable to attend events and meetings at these schools. Advocates for Children has called for $1.25 billion to be allocated for improving school accessibility to bring another 150 to 200 school buildings to full accessibility by 2029. However, in the proposed FY25 budget, the School Construction Authority has only designated $800 million for improving accessibility. Every year that we do not meaningfully prioritize making school buildings accessible is another year that students cannot attend the schools of their choice, or spend valuable instructional time traveling to a school that can accommodate them. Today, we are hearing my bill, Intro 399, which would require the Department of Education to report annually on the degree to which indoor and outdoor school facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, this bill would make public the contact information for each school’s ADA coordinator, the protocol for requesting an accommodation, and information regarding the extent to which zoned schools have the capacity to accommodate students and employees with disabilities. It has been more than thirty years since the ADA was signed into law, yet New Yorkers with disabilities are still barred from entering and attending many of our schools. Thank you.