ALBANY — Disability rights advocate Bernard Carabello would have liked to be an attorney, something he wishes more people would ask him about. But more often than not, Carabello, 73, is peppered with questions about a much darker period in his life: the 18 years he spent as a child and young adult at the…Read More…

The state Senate and Assembly want to more than triple the 2.5% cost-of-living raise Gov. Kathy Hochul plans for workers who aid New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. But they scrapped a key wage hike for the majority of direct support professionals who work for nonprofit agencies and make barely more than minimum wage. Russell Snaith…Read More…

The New York Disability Alliance is holding a rally on Thursday in Albany to urge lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul to reach an agreement on an 8.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for direct support professionals (DSPs). DSPs provide aid to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).  According to Kevin Horrigan, vice president of…Read More…

The Democratic-led state Assembly is expected to endorse a higher pay raise for workers who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as the state budget negotiations are poised to enter a new phase.  The Assembly’s budget resolution, due to be released on Monday, will likely include an 8.5% pay raise for direct care…Read More…

Jamie Budlong, a direct-support professional who works with New Yorkers with disabilities through the Liberty ARC in upstate Montgomery County, said a $4,000 geographic pay differential in fiscal 2024 would make a difference in her life. She’s working long hours to make ends meet—and while she loves her job, she says the pay “is not…Read More…

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)–New York Disability Advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase the cost-of-living adjustment for non-profit organizations that help people with intellectual and learning disabilities. Members of New York Disability Advocates gathered in the war room of the New York State Capitol on Monday. “The people that we are advocating for are people with…Read More…

In her State of the State address last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul quoted the great Frances Perkins — the former New York labor commissioner under Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt who would serve in the same capacity during FDR’s presidency — stating, “A government should aim to give all the people under its jurisdiction the best…Read More…

When delivering her State of the State address earlier this month, Governor Hochul spoke of the New York Dream. Governor Hochul tasked herself and her administration to lift up the lives of all New Yorkers, especially our most vulnerable. A bold mission, and one that cannot be realized until Governor Hochul addresses the dire crisis…Read More…

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)–New York Disability Advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase the cost-of-living adjustment for non-profit organizations that help people with intellectual and learning disabilities. Members of New York Disability Advocates gathered in the war room of the New York State Capitol on Monday. “The people that we are advocating for are people with…Read More…

The mission of the disabilities service sector is to empower individuals with disabilities and their families and ensure they have the support and resources they need. After working in this sector for more 30 years and now as the new president of New York Disability Advocates, a statewide coalition of more than 300 nonprofit intellectual…Read More…