LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Bryan O'Malley upon the occasion of his
designation as recipient of the Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award
on May 16, 2016

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative 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 Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Bryan O'Malley
of Albany, New York, upon the occasion of his designation as the 12th
recipient of the Annual Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award presented
at the 2016 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 Monday, May 16, 2016;
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 that Bryan O'Malley has made to
improve and enhance the lives of New Yorkers with disabilities are
worthy of this recognition; and
WHEREAS, Bryan O'Malley has been the Executive Director of the Consum-
er Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State since
March of 2011; and
WHEREAS, During Bryan O'Malley's time at the organization, his work
has been based on the premise that by raising awareness of Consumer
Directed Personal Assistance and the issues that go with it, we will
increase the visibility and strength of the program; and
WHEREAS, Much of Bryan O'Malley's effort since he took the position
has been dedicated to making sure the program transitioned successfully
to managed care; in doing so, he has been successful in not only
protecting, but leading efforts to strengthen the program by protecting
the rights of those who use the program, and working with managed care
companies to ensure expanded use and access to the Consumer Directed
Personal Assistance Program; and
WHEREAS, For the last two years, Bryan O'Malley has led the organiza-
tion's effort to improve the quality of CDPA by increasing wages for
personal assistants; and
WHEREAS, Bryan O'Malley brings to this position a strong commitment to
the basic civil rights that are at the core of the disability rights
movement and the OLMSTEAD decision that has woven throughout his career;
and
WHEREAS, Immediately before coming to CDPAANYS, Bryan O'Malley was
Deputy Director for Health and Human Services for the New York State
Senate; and
WHEREAS, In his brief tenure there, Bryan O'Malley was responsible for
negotiating the $49 billion Health budget and providing recommendations
to the conference on how to proceed on all matters related to health;
and
WHEREAS, Prior to working in the Senate, Bryan O'Malley worked for
Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried, where he focused on
disability issues, access to health care, pharmaceuticals and other
critical issues; and
WHEREAS, Bryan O'Malley also spent time with the Mental Health Associ-
ation in New York State, where he was the organizational campaign manag-
er on Timothy's Law, a measure that brought mental health parity to New
York; and

WHEREAS, Bryan O'Malley received his Master's in Social Work from SUNY
Albany and his undergraduate from Providence College; and
WHEREAS, Bryan O'Malley has dedicated both his professional and
personal life to improving the lives of people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, The initiatives that Bryan O'Malley strives to implement as a
passionate advocate for persons with disabilities mirror the priorities
that this Legislative Body has before us today, the New York State
Assembly Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day 2016; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is moved to honor Bryan O'Malley, a
leader and an advocate, recognizing his labors and the promise of his
future endeavors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Bryan O'Malley upon the occasion of his designation as recipient
of the Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr. Advocacy Award by the New York State
Assembly; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Bryan O'Malley.