Mayor Adams Marks 32nd Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

MAYOR ADAMS MARKS 32ND ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT BY APPOINTING CHRISTINA CURRY AS COMMISSIONER TO MAYOR’S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

City Hall and Various Municipal Buildings Will be Lit in Disability Pride Colors Tonight

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today marked the 32nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by announcing the appointment of Christina Curry as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). As commissioner, Curry will ensure that the overall quality of life for nearly one million New Yorkers who self-identify as people who are living with a disability have equitable access to city services and programs. Additionally, in honor of the ADA’s anniversary, City Hall and three other municipal buildings will be lit up tonight in disability pride colors: blue, yellow, white, red, and green. The Americans with Disabilities Act — signed into law in 1990 — has fostered independence, empowerment, and inclusion for millions of Americans.

In partnership with all city offices and agencies, MOPD consistently ensures that the rights and concerns of members of the disability community are included in all city initiatives. Through its work and advocacy in the areas of transportation, employment, health care, housing, education, access to city services, financial empowerment, and more, MOPD has steadily improved services, programs, and the overall quality of life for the nearly one million New Yorkers who self-identify as people who are living with a disability, as well as the millions of people with disabilities who visit New York City every year.

City Hall and the following three municipal buildings will be lit up in the colors of the disability pride flag tonight:

• Bronx Borough Hall: 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451

• The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007

• Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Queens, NY 11424

The disability pride colors signify the following:

• Blue: Psychiatric disabilities

• Yellow: Developmental and intellectual disabilities/neurodivergence

• White: Undiagnosed and invisible disabilities

• Red: Physical disabilities

• Green: Sensory perception disabilities

About Christina Curry

Christina Curry began her career in rehabilitation as an advocate for the minority Deaf, Hard of Hearing communities at the Lexington Center for the Deaf. There, she expanded into the mental health field as a mental health counselor working with Deaf, Hard of Hearing domestic violence victims and survivors through the Barrier Free Living Domestic Violence Non-Residential Program. On the weekends, Curry would also work with the minority disabled community at Community Counseling and Mediation, a Brooklyn outpatient mental health facility.

Nationally, Curry has served on subcommittees attached to the National Council of Independent Living and the National Council of on Disability.

Statewide, Curry has served on the New York State HIV Advisory Board, the New York State HIV Planning and Prevention Board, and the New York State Independent Living Council Committee. Curry was appointed by former New York Governor David Paterson onto the Executive Board of the New York State Commission for the Blind and the Interagency Council for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind.

Locally, Curry has served on the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities/Disability Mentoring Day, the Office of Emergency Management’s Special Needs Advisory Committee, and the Disability Network of New York City.

Most notably, in her home neighborhood of Harlem, Curry has participated on Community Board 10; on the Executive, Personnel, Health and Human Services, LGBTQ Task Force; and on Public Safety Committees. Curry joined the Harlem Independent Living Center (HILC), in 1999 as program director, before being promoted to executive director in 2001.

While at HILC, Curry provided disability/deafness sensitivity trainings to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, various hospitals within the NYC Health + Hospitals Corporation, and at the Mt. Sinai Continuum. Curry also provided training at domestic violence agencies and shelters, local police precincts, community-based organizations, and schools.

Additionally, Curry has worked with FEMA in Puerto Rico and with the New York City Emergency Management on emergency preparedness in disabled/deaf communities.

Curry has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Education from Hunter College - City University of New York; a Master of Arts degree in Deafness Rehabilitation from New York University; and a Master of Public Administration degree in Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness from Metropolitan College of New York.

Curry will report to Chief Counsel Brendan McGuire.

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Gracie Mansion

East End Avenue at 88th Street

New York, NY 10028

July 26, 2022