Sapolin Appointed Commissioner On 16th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
By Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed Matthew P. Sapolin, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to Commissioner. Mayor Bloomberg also honored five recipients of the Second Annual Mayoral Advocacy Awards. These awards honor people and organizations that are raising the quality of life for people with disabilities. They were Chairman and CEO of Avis Rent-A-Car System, Ronald L. Nelson, Director of the Human Ability & Accessibility Center at IBM Frances West, and Executive Director of the Disabilities Network for New York City Alexander Wood.
“The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act was a civil rights milestone,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “For more than 50,000,000 Americans living with a disability, some aspects of daily life are still challenging. New York City is working to break down barriers that keep people with disabilities from fully participating in city life.”
According to Sapolin, “the city has made significant gains to improve the lives of people with disabilities—from Mayor Bloomberg’s recent signing of the Disabled Rent Increase Exemption, to improved ferry access, to the enactment of legislation that will increase the number of taxis in our City.” New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba announced the publication of the second edition of Exercise Your Ability: The Ultimate Guide to Sports and Recreation for People with Disabilities. This valuable resource for athletic and recreational opportunities provides an expansive list of adaptive sports for athletes with disabilities.#
To receive a copy of Exercise Your Ability, call the New York City Sports Commission at 212-487-7120.
