BILL NUMBER: S8646

SPONSOR: MATTERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the civil rights law, in relation to requiring certain
handicap accessible playground equipment for children with disabilities

 
PURPOSE:

This bill makes New York State Park's playgrounds more handicap accessi-
ble requiring suitable playground equipment that can be utilized by
children that have disabilities.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the civil rights law by adding a new section 79-q that
requires all New York State Parks with a playground shall contain one
handicap accessible swing set.

Section 2 sets forth the effective date.

              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

One of the most important issues the state must focus on is helping
those in need, especially special needs children and their families.
Last year, the Long Island Home Builders Care Inc. volunteers built five
Handicapped Accessible Children's Play Houses and donated them to a
Group Home for children with special needs, two town parks, a school,
and a private home for a young girl that they have been helping in many
different ways. Many families of special needs children visit parks
across the state and they are faced with little to no wheelchair or
handicap accessible play equipment to play on.  This leaves handicapped
children often feeling excluded from their friends and their peers as
they watch from the sidelines.

Further efforts must be made to ensure that all parks and playgrounds in
New York State Parks have at least one swing set that is handicap acces-
sible. Not providing suitable equipment for children with disabilities
is an infringement of their civil rights and should be considered disa-
bility discrimination. All children in our state should have the right
to play, regardless of their disability.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

None.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on December 31, 2024.