LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending the Queens College Committee for Disa-
bled Students and the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities upon
the occasion of hosting their 10th Annual ADA BBQ, on July 25, 2013

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those organiza-
tions and individuals who would devote themselves to the welfare of the
community and its citizenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
the Queens College Committee for Disabled Students and the CUNY Coali-
tion for Students with Disabilities upon the occasion of hosting their
10th Annual ADA BBQ on Thursday, July 25, 2013; and
WHEREAS, The Queens College Committee for Disabled Students' (CDS)
10th Annual ADA BBQ will bring together more than 200 members of the
Queens College community for a day of food, fun, and awareness as they
celebrate the 23rd birthday of the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990, which guarantees equal access and opportunity to Americans with
disabilities in all aspects of American life; and
WHEREAS, The representative organization of the college's more than
500 students with disabilities, CDS was established in 1972 to fully
integrate students with disabilities into the academic, social, and
cultural life of Queens College and its larger community; and
WHEREAS, Among its many offerings, CDS provides a peer tutoring
program which funds Queens College students to support the academic
success of students with disabilities, and organizes a host of student-
centered social and cultural events focused upon raising awareness of
issues of importance to students with disabilities; it is also the home
of the Passantino Empowerment Center, through which students train to be
more effective self- and systems-advocates; and
WHEREAS, The CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities (CCSD) is
the representative organization of CUNY's more than 9,000 students with
disabilities; the organization advocates for equal access and opportu-
nity for students with disabilities at CUNY and beyond; and
WHEREAS, CCSD emerged out of the first cross-campus gathering of CUNY
students with disabilities organized by Mary Ellen & Donald Passantino
in August 1989 at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan; and
WHEREAS, CCSD's many achievements include: effectively advocating for
increased funding levels in the CUNY budget for students with disabili-
ties in 1993; championing changes that would make the state financial
aid program accessible to students with disabilities in 1997; and lead-
ing the effort to save the CUNY LEADS program, a highly successful
career readiness initiative for CUNY students with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, Before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into
law on July 26, 1990, more than 54 million Americans living with disa-
bilities faced overwhelming barriers to employment, transportation,
public accommodations, public services and equal rights under the law;
and
WHEREAS, Such obstacles to the freedom and full participation in soci-
ety of people with disabilities imposed staggering economic and social
costs on American society, and undermined not only this great Nation's
efforts to educate, rehabilitate, and employ individuals with disabili-
ties, but also America's bedrock principles of fairness and justice; and
WHEREAS, The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that no individ-
ual may be discriminated against on the basis of disability with regard
to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, and

usage of any place of public accommodation, including lodging, recre-
ation, transportation, education and dining establishments; and
WHEREAS, Dedicated organizations such as the Queens College Committee
for Disabled Students and the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabili-
ties serve an invaluable function in our society, giving voice to the
needs of one of the most vulnerable populations in this society and
ensuring that students with disabilities have full access to the best
that public higher education in New York State has to offer; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the well-being and vitality of their community and have shown a
long and sustained commitment to excellence certainly have earned the
recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Queens College Committee for Disabled Students and the CUNY
Coalition for Students with Disabilities upon the occasion of hosting
their 10th Annual ADA BBQ; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Queens College Committee for Disabled Students and the
CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities.