Disability-Rights Non-Profit Organization CIDNY Celebrates Accessibility and Strives for a Fully Accessible NYC

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are approximately four million people living in New York State (25 percent of the adult population) who have a documented disability. In New York City alone, there are one million people living with a disability. CIDNY’s mission is to ensure full integration, independence, and equal opportunity for all people with disabilities by removing barriers to the social, economic, cultural, and civic life of the community. Whether it is done through providing direct program services to people with disabilities or advocacy efforts that cause systemic change, all people in New York can benefit from the work that CIDNY does every day.

CIDNY’s Veteran Direct Care Program helps provide self-directed care to US veterans. The program encompasses the direct needs of the disabled veteran in conjunction with CIDNY’s staff, who also have disabilities. This harmonious working relationship allows disabled veteran and their families and caregivers to receive access to comprehensive services and entitlement benefits to improve the quality of their lives as a testament to their military service to our country. These heroes acquired their disabilities as a result of their military service, and CIDNY is here to support them during their next phase of life.

The Mental Health Program is one of CIDNY’s fastest-growing programs, both in direct service and training needs. The program supports licensed mental health professionals with continuing education courses focused on the clinical competence needed in the area of multicultural disability competence. The classes teach clinicians a clinical-theoretical framework regarding people with disabilities, disability and trauma issues, disability literacy, assistive technology needs, and how to expand their clinical practice to serve people with a myriad of disability types.

The Mental Health Program at CIDNY offers a variety of direct services for individuals with disabilities. CIDNY offers cognitive behavioral clinical groups to assist people with improving their day-to-day functioning. The peer counseling program utilizes Reassurance Counselors to provide empathy, community, and support to people feeling disconnected, isolated, and alone. Community building, conversation, and a person-centered approach are essential to good mental well-being, and CIDNY’s counselors work with compassion and enthusiasm to help ensure that no one feels alone.

For those seeking assistance with their careers, CIDNY’s Department of Employment Vocational Rehabilitation has a number of programs in place to help. Offering services such as job search assistance, resume writing, mock interviewing, job placement, and so much more, the program serves to assist those individuals seeking employment, entrepreneurship, or job accommodations.

Whether they know it or not, many New Yorkers will benefit from the efforts of CIDNY’s systemic advocacy initiatives. Did you know that only about a quarter of NYC’s subway stations are accessible? Through CIDNY’s work alongside other disability advocates, there is an agreement in place to make the subway system 95 percent accessible to those who require stair-free access. Additionally, CIDNY has worked to ensure that people have access to elevators and that they are clean, safe, and in working order.

When it comes to voting, CIDNY has played a role in ensuring that all New Yorkers have accessible, independent, and private access to voting. From conducting accessibility surveys across the city during each election cycle to educating the public and poll workers about the Ballot Marking Device (BMD) to helping ensure accessible access to absentee ballots, CIDNY has helped ensure the right to vote is not infringed by anyone.