Int 1560-2019

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 21 of the administrative code of the City of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-142 to read as follows: � 21-142 Accessibility advisory board. a. There shall be an accessibility advisory board to advise the mayor and the council on issues relating to accessibility in city shelters. The advisory board shall identify and study common issues relating to the activities, concerns and needs of disabled clients, reasonable accommodation requests and complaints, and the physical conditions of shelter facilities, and shall make recommendations, as appropriate, to the mayor and the council on ways to improve laws and policies that impact persons living with a disability in the city's shelters. b. The advisory board shall consist of nine members including the commissioner of the mayor's office for people with disabilities or a designee, the commissioner of the department of social services or a designee, and seven public members, four of whom shall be appointed by the mayor and three of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the council. The public members shall include at least two individuals who live with a disability and currently reside in a homeless shelter or have previously resided in a homeless shelter, and at least two who are advocates who specialize in working with individuals living with a disability. b. The advisory board shall hold its first meeting no later than 30 days from the appointment of all its public members and at such meeting shall elect a chairperson. The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly, keep a record of its proceedings, and determine the rules of its own proceedings with special meetings to be called by the chairperson upon his or her own initiative or upon receipt of a written request signed by at least four members of the board. Written notice of the time and place of such special meetings shall be given to each member at least two weeks before the date fixed by the notice for such special meeting. c. No later than January 31, 2019, and annually on January 31 thereafter, the advisory committee shall submit a report to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the department's website the results of its review and recommendations pursuant to this section. � 2. This local law takes effect immediately. ACK LS 8597 1/8/2019