LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Melanie Shaw of Delmar, New York, upon
the occasion of her designation as the seventh recipient of the annual
Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Assembled Body to recognize and pay
tribute to those individuals within the great Empire State who have made
strong contributions to the disability community; and
WHEREAS, This Assembled Body is justly proud to honor Melanie Shaw of
Delmar, New York, upon the occasion of her designation as the seventh
recipient of the annual Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award,
presented at the 2011 Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day sponsored
by the New York State Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities
and the New York State Assembly Committee on Mental Health on May 16,
2011; and
WHEREAS, The Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award was created in
2005 to honor the late Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. for his lifelong commit-
ment to advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, The tremendous efforts Melanie Shaw has made to improve and
enhance the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities are worthy of this
recognition; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Shaw is the Executive Director of the New York Associ-
ation on Independent Living, a statewide nonprofit membership organiza-
tion of Independent Living Centers, where she has served in that capaci-
ty since 2005 striving to work with all of the NYAIL member Independent
Living Centers to remove barriers to independence, inclusion and full
community integration for all people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Under Ms. Shaw's leadership, the New York Association on
Independent Living engages in activities in three interlocking areas:
disability rights-related public policy and systems change efforts,
technical assistance and membership programs to strengthen New York's
Independent Living Centers and public education about Independent Living
philosophy, consumer control and choice, and the services and supports
needed for people with disabilities to live in their own communities;
and
WHEREAS, As Executive Director of the New York Association on Inde-
pendent Living, Ms. Shaw directs advocacy and education programs aimed
at Independent Living Centers, disability rights advocates and a wide
variety of partners and community stakeholders; Independent Living
Centers are nonprofit, community-based providers of advocacy, services
and supports to people with disabilities of all ages which are
controlled by and primarily staffed by people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Shaw is a lawyer with 20 years of experience in disabili-
ty policy development and legal and grassroots advocacy, with an empha-
sis on systemic change in health and long term care, mental health,
housing, employment and civil rights; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining the New York Association on Independent
Living, Ms. Shaw provided legal representation and education to people
with disabilities for more than eight years as staff and later senior
attorney with Disability Advocates, Inc., a private not-for-profit law
firm in Albany, New York, which is under contract with the New York
State Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disa-
bilities and provides legal and advocacy services under the federally-
authorized Protection and Advocacy program; and
WHEREAS, After leaving Disability Advocates, Inc., Ms. Shaw developed
and implemented an innovative statewide program at the Resource Center,
Inc. to educate people with psychiatric disabilities about their right
to create advance directives for treatment; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Shaw later became Director of Program Services at the
Resource Center, overseeing statewide programs providing peer-based
education to individuals with psychiatric disabilities and mental health
providers; and
WHEREAS, Immediately prior to becoming Executive Director of the New
York Association on Independent Living, Ms. Shaw was a lead staff member
for a national technical assistance and policy analysis center for
community-based programs serving people with mental illness and co-oc-
curring substance use disorders involved in the criminal justice system;
and
WHEREAS, Ms. Shaw served in an oversight and evaluation role on behalf
of the program's federal funding agency; she provided guidance nation-
wide to more than 20 mental health jail diversion programs on program
implementation, building community coalitions and developing successful
interventions; furthermore she coordinated all technical assistance
activities of the center, including developing training and publications
aimed at mental health and criminal justice professionals and conducting
semi-annual site visits to jail diversion programs across the country;
and
WHEREAS, Currently, Ms. Shaw serves on the New York State Department
of Health Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Medicaid Waiver Advisory
Board and the New York State Office for the Aging New York Connects
State Long Term Care Advisory Council, as well as other statewide work-
groups; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Shaw received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State
University of New York at Albany and a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law
School; she was a member of the New York Bar until 2009; and
WHEREAS, The initiatives that Melanie Shaw strives to implement as a
passionate advocate for persons with disabilities mirror the priorities
that this Assembled Body has before us today, the New York State Assem-
bly Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day 2011; and
WHEREAS, This Assembled Body is moved to honor Melanie Shaw, a leader
and an advocate, recognizing her labors and the promise of her future
endeavors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Melanie Shaw of Delmar, New York, upon the occasion of her desig-
nation as the seventh recipient of the annual Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr.
Advocacy Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Melanie Shaw.