Last month, over 200 CUNY students gathered in Albany to meet with lawmakers and advocate for more funding for college students with disabilities.

Student Empowerment Day, which took place on February 26, was organized in partnership with the New York State Disability Services Council (NYSDSC) to bring students to the state capital’s Legislative Office Building to hear from elected officials about the $4.7 million in proposed funding for CUNY. Students from across the CUNY system, along with many other students from SUNY colleges and private universities, came together for the event.

Several CUNY SPS students attended, including Student Association Co-chair Leonard Blades, who also serves as chairperson of the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities (CCSD).

“We spoke about not only the New York State Education Department’s request for additional funding for college students with disabilities throughout New York State, but we also spoke about the $4.7 million that is on the table right now for just primarily CUNY students with disabilities,” Blades said. “So that would be huge if we were able to get that funding.”

Across all colleges in the state, there is $4 million allocated for students with disabilities, but an additional $11 million is being asked to be included in the 2024-25 annual budget year, according to the NYDSC. While the CUNY system has gotten modest increases in funding in recent years, this year’s proposal of $4.7 million would be one of the largest, and would go mainly towards staffing to ensure students with disabilities receive basic services like ​​skilled assistive technology specialists and staff for adaptive sports programs.

Throughout the CUNY system, more can be done to accommodate students with disabilities, said CUNY SPS Student Governing Council Representative Alexandra Perez Jimenez, who also attended Student Empowerment Day.

“It is hard to hear from close friends and fellow students at different CUNY campuses that they are not getting their accommodations for their classes, assignments, [and] tests due to their campus disability office being understaffed and sometimes even underfunded,” Jimenez explained.

Several speakers attended, including New York State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, whose advocacy in the state legislature led to a $2 million dollar budget increase for college students with disabilities in 2021. Also in attendance was Dr. Christopher Rosa, former CUNY vice chancellor for student inclusion initiatives and current CEO of the Viscardi Center, a network of nonprofits that advocates for students with disabilities.

“We’ve had our champions within the state legislature for quite some time now, who have definitely been advocating along with us to see that this funding comes to fruition,” Blades said. “We’re definitely grateful for that. It’s just a matter of continuing that momentum.”

Jimenez was particularly grateful for her fellow students. “I appreciated hearing Leonard Blades, the chairperson for CCSD who is also my friend, advocate for the rights of students with disabilities on that day. My friend Krutika Patel [also] came from Georgia to join in this powerful event.”

CUNY SPS Associate Director of Student Services Christopher Leydon, who also attended the event, said that through Student Empowerment Day and other advocacy efforts, there have been incremental results over the years that have led to more funding and services.

“Regardless of what happens on the legislative side, it’s also an opportunity for students to get involved in direct political action, and understand that particularly for a group like students with disabilities, to get a sense that by coming out of their power for all those lessons of advocacy, it’s a valuable experience,” Leydon explained.

Leydon was optimistic about an increase in funding, the exact terms of which will be determined in April, which also happens to be CUNY Disability Awareness Month. As of now, it’s still unclear how much funding lawmakers will settle on. Nonetheless, the event had a big impact on the visibility of students with disabilities and funding for services, Jimenez said.

“I think that policyholders and the senators [and] assembly members in Albany were made aware that students with disabilities need the funding,” she added. “I think that we made our voices heard, and positive results will come from this.”