June 22nd is primary day for plenty of important races across New York City — including the race for the next mayor. We combed through the platforms of all the contenders to see how they spoke about young people with disabilities, if at all, and how their policies would serve this population. Read on to see what each candidate had to say.
Alt: A photograph of Eric Adams smiling and look off to the side of the camera. Source: Krystalb97, via Wikimedia Commons
Eric Adams
says he will…
Conduct a full audit of students who have not received their education and therapies, and develop a program to provide make-up services.
Ensure that all new school construction is fully accessible.
Mandate universal dyslexia screening, as well as push for better screening for learning disabilities and mental health issues.
(Source)
Alt: A photograph of Art Chang smiling and staring straight into the camera. Source: Art Chang, via Twitter
Art Chang
says he will…
Provide free Universal Childcare in every neighborhood, and ensure that disabled children have their needs met in these facilities.
Expand the number of District 75 schools in each borough, to ensure fully-funded education to students with special needs.
Expand CUNY to support lifelong learning and workforce development, and make CUNY tuition-free.
Institute a user-friendly online system to manage student IEPs.
Ensure ADA-compliant access to all school facilities.
(Source)
Alt: A photograph of Shaun Donovan speaking at a public forum. Source: Sammy Mayo, Jr., via HUD
Shaun Donovan
says he will…
Provide New York City’s students with disabilities access to research-based, tested programs that meet their needs in inclusive environments, by learning from and expanding existing programs like ASD Nest and Horizon.
Address racial disparities in special education screening and tackle unfair disciplinary practices that disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities.
(Source)
Alt: A graphic of Aaron Foldenauer smiling at the camera against a blue and red background. Source: Aaron Foldenauer, via Twitter
Aaron Foldenauer
says he will…
Support all special educators to develop collaborations with learning programs so as to help meet the increased demands of special education.
(Source)
Alt: A photograph of Kathryn Garcia holding a microphone and speaking at an event. Source: Sachyn Mital, via Wikimedia Commons
Kathryn Garcia
says she will…
Empower parents of children with disabilities, particularly students of color, double down on evidence-based programs to meet their needs, and expand access to service providers so that families don’t have to travel beyond their neighborhood for the services they need.
(Source)
Alt: A photograph of Fernando Mateo looking at the camera. Source: Fernando Mateo, via Wikimedia Commons
Fernando Mateo
does not mention young people with disabilities in his platform.
Alt: A photograph of Ray McGuire smiling with his arms folded and looking at the camera. Source: Sammyg1016, via Wikimedia Commons
Ray McGuire
says he will…
Ensure that programs outside of school hours are accessible to children with disabilities and other special needs.
Build on existing reading programs by ensuring there is a dedicated reading coach for every elementary school, who will focus on early intervention for kids with additional support needs and provide training on best-practices in reading and special needs instruction.
(Source)
Alt: A press photo of Dianne Morales smiling at the camera. Source: Dianne Morales, press kit
Dianne Morales
says she will…
Provide universal after-school programs that are accessible to students with disabilities, in foster care, with limited financial means, and more.
Fully fund the school capital plan to eliminate school overcrowding, enable class size reduction, and upgrade all facilities to be mold, asbestos, lead-free and properly ventilated and accessible to students with disabilities.
(Source)
Alt: A photograph of Paperboy Prince standing in front of a painted sign that says “Paperboy Prince” at the Love Gallery. Source: Fabebk, via Wikimedia Commons
Paperboy Prince
does not mention young people with disabilities in his platform.
Alt: A photograph of Curtis Sliwa wearing a red jacket and beret at the 2012 West Indian Day Parade. Source: Bob Jagendorf, via Flickr
Curtis Sliwa
does not mention young people with disabilities in his platform.
Alt: Scott Stringer speaking to a crowd and holding a microphone. Source: Thomas Good / NLN, via Wikimedia Commons
Scott Stringer
says he will…
Address chronic shortages in special education, as well as for multilingual students, English Language Learners, and students in the foster care system or otherwise temporarily housed.
(Source)
Alt: A photo of Joycelyn Taylor with her arms crossed and looking at the camera. Source: Joycelyn Taylor, via Twitter
Joycelyn Taylor
does not mention young people with disabilities in her platform.
Alt: A photo of Maya Wiley speaking at an event in front of a podium. Source: UN Women/Ryan Brown, via Flickr
Maya Wiley
says she will…
Address the current impartial hearing crisis and work to reduce the hearings backlog.
Eliminate disparities by race and disability in school discipline, including suspensions.
Ensure that the legal rights of students with disabilities are respected and met, and that they are provided with expanded programming.
Aim to serve as many children in as integrated settings as possible and break down boundaries between District 75 and the broader school system.
(Source)
Alt: A photo of Isaac Wright Jr. at an event. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Isaac Wright Jr.
does not mention young people with disabilities in his platform.
Alt: Andrew Yang speaking at a rally. Source: Gage Skidmore, via Flickr
Andrew Yang
says he will…
Establish a DOE public school for students with dyslexia & language-based learning disabilities.
Implement a universal dyslexia screening in all pre-K classrooms and extend training to teachers on how to bring students up to reading & speaking proficiency.
Ensure that teachers are trained to properly identify disabilities and support students in their individual education.
Prioritize students with different learning needs for in-person make-up services in the event of school closings.
(Source)