Latest News

ARISE Testifies on the FY 2021 Executive Budget

5/21/2020

Today, the ARISE Coalition is testifying before the City Council about the importance of ensuring that the budget protects mandated instruction and services and key supports for students with disabilities. Read our testimony [PDF]

Accessibility Students’ Advisory Panel (ASAP!) Top 10 Priorities

9/24/2019

Architectural:

The main entrance to each school must be accessible and must include automatic door access. If the front door is not accessible, there should be an alternative staffed accessible entrance for all individuals to use.
Stages, backstages, auditoriums, music rooms, art studios and all other talent-based areas must be fully accessible.
All buildings used by the DOE should be inspected once a year for ADA compliance and concerns must be addressed immediately.
Bathrooms on every floor of every school building should be large enough to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and enable a second person to be present for individuals needing help.

Programmatic:

The Department of Education (DOE) should mandate annual training sessions or professional development for all school staff including administrators, teachers, guidance, special education support staff, and security on issues pertaining to working with students with physical disabilities.
All students should receive at least one lesson on interacting with people with disabilities each year.
All community-building trips for students must be accessible to students with physical disabilities and transportation on those trips must be accessible and inclusive so all students can travel together to off-site locations.
All buildings used by the DOE must develop policies to provide students and other individuals with physical needs access to all essential infrastructure in the building (E.g. easy access to bathrooms that need keys).
All school curriculum must be presented using Universal Design for Learning standards to ensure that students with physical disabilities can access all materials.
The DOE should offer students with physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in city-wide affinity and support groups.

Seeking Student Accessibility Activists

8/27/2019

The Accessibility Student’s Advisory Panel (ASAP!) — a Citywide student group facilitated by ARISE and Parents for Inclusive Education that focuses on school accessibility issues — is looking for new members for the coming school year! Last year, the group met with key DOE staff and City Council members to share their experiences, concerns, and recommendations for making schools more accessible and inclusive. Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 who have physical disabilities are eligible; the application [PDF] is due September 25.

ARISE Testifies on Teacher Preparation & Training

6/25/2019

Today, ARISE is testifying before the New York City Council Committees on Education and Higher Education on preparing teachers to support students in the development of literacy skills. Read our testimony [PDF]

ARISE Testifies on the FY 2020 Executive Budget

5/23/2019

Today, the ARISE Coalition is testifying before the New York City Council Committee on Finance in support of proposed investments in school accessibility and special education. Read our testimony [PDF]