Statement By Senator Eric Adams

"As public officials, we welcome the mocking and joking performers provide for levity but the performance mocking Governor David Paterson’s blindness on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update sketch went too far.

This callous form of humor showed the height of disrespect for our esteemed governor and this type of humor should not be tolerated. We should never accept the mocking of people with disabilities as an excuse for humor. There’s nothing comical about a handicap of any sort.

Many of us have dedicated our lives to overcoming these barriers and we don’t want to go back to the days when humor makes a disability that much more difficult to cope with.

Furthermore, just when employers have gotten over the stigma of hiring people with disabilities, we do not need a national television program to play a role in reinforcing a stereotype from a previous generation.

If there is one thing the governor has demonstrated is that he has proven himself more than capable of overcoming his limited sight impairment.

The sketch ignored that reality in favor of cheap laughs."