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Sandra Schnur

[[New York University]]"},"years_active":{"wt":"1960s–1994"},"known_for":{"wt":"[[Disability rights|Disability rights advocacy]]"},"notable_works":{"wt":"\"New York With E...

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Sandra Schnur (30 de julio de 1935 – 2 de febrero de 1994) fue una pionera estadounidense en la defensa de los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y una autora que trabajó principalmente en la ciudad de Nueva York .

Primeros años de vida

Schnur nació el 30 de julio de 1935 en la ciudad de Nueva York en el seno de una familia judía. Contrajo poliomielitis en 1950, a los 15 años. [ 1 ] La enfermedad la dejó tetrapléjica . Tuvo un largo período de rehabilitación , que incluyó mucho tiempo en un pulmón de acero . Después de un tiempo en Warm Springs , recibió educación en casa para completar sus estudios de secundaria.

En 1952, Schnur fue evaluada por el programa de Educación Vocacional de Nueva York y se le recomendó que se convirtiera en tejedora de cestas. [ 2 ] Schnur solicitó en cambio que se le permitiera asistir a la universidad. Al asesor del programa no le gustó su negativa a aceptar su recomendación y la calificó de "poco cooperativa". [ 1 ] [ 3 ]

Trayectoria profesional como activista por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad.

En 1963, Schnur publicó "New York With Ease", una guía de accesibilidad para sillas de ruedas de la ciudad de Nueva York, publicada por la Easter Seals Society . [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Trabajó en la Oficina del Alcalde para Discapacitados, bajo la dirección de Eunice K. Fiorito . [ 2 ]

En 1965, el estado de Nueva York autorizó a Schnur a asistir a la universidad. Estudió en Hunter College y en la Universidad de Nueva York , donde obtuvo una licenciatura y una maestría en consejería . [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

Schnur se convirtió en Directora del Programa de Tarifa Reducida para Discapacitados de la Ciudad de Nueva York. [ 6 ] Como una de las pocas administradoras discapacitadas en el Departamento de Transporte en este momento crítico, desempeñó un papel importante en la provisión de autobuses y furgonetas accesibles para sillas de ruedas a organizaciones sin fines de lucro, así como en la introducción de rampas peatonales/ rebajes de acera y autobuses urbanos equipados con elevadores. [ 2 ] [ 6 ]

In the late 1970s, New York City officials decided that they no longer wished to provide direct personal assistance services for seniors and persons with disabilities, but would oversee contracts with private nonprofit vendors. By this time Schnur had written several position papers with the assistance of Marilyn Saviola on what she called "self-direction," — severely disabled persons with disabilities had the capacity to manage their own personal assistance services, as opposed to the "medical model" where the agency is the employer and the consumer is not in charge of his or her own household.[6] She brought together a group of individuals, which included Marilyn Saviola, Muriel Zgardowski, Vincent Zgardowski, Ira Holland, Ed Litcher, Daniel Ginsburg, and Gertrude Schleier, to demand consumer-directed personal assistance services.[2]

This group protested (with attached ventilators) outside a Board of Estimate hearing. When Schnur was about to be honored as an "outstanding" city employee by Mayor Abraham Beame in a ceremony at Gracie Mansion, home care administrators, hearing of her plan to denounce the pending vendorizing of home care services, told her that it was unnecessary because she had won her point.[2]

Schnur believed that consumers should have even greater independence.[2][3][7] She formulated a paper calling for a voucher program, a precursor to the Consumer-Directed Cash and Counseling project that was eventually adopted in several states, which she presented to the administration of Governor Mario Cuomo. In Schnur's voucher program, severely disabled individuals would receive one check, which could be used without restrictions, including management of home care needs, including personal care services. Although the program was adopted by the Governor and passed by the State Legislature, no startup funding was provided.

In 1980, following a series of meetings with consumers and Department of Social Services administrators, this group agreed to create the Client Maintained Plan, the pioneer Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, and have it administered by Concepts of Independence, Inc.[2][7]

During this period, Schnur was a founder of Women with Disabilities United, received appointments to the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, and as the only consumer on the Governor's Home Care Council.

Concepts of Independence

Concepts of Independence is[8] a consumer organization that was co-founded in 1977 by Schnur, Marilyn Saviola,[9] Victoria Holland, Ira Holland[10] and Ed Lichter, formulated to be a Fiscal-Intermediary: to receive Medicaid funds and to pay salaries, taxes, and benefits to personal care workers based upon information provided by the consumer.[3] In addition to saving government/taxpayer money, the client was enabled and authorized to "hire, fire and train a home attendant."[11][9]Sylvia Friedman, for a while, served as Program Director.

Subsequent to the death of Victoria Holland in 1979 and the adoption of the new Consumer Board of Directors in 1980, Schnur became the President of Concepts of Independence. Schnur served this role until her death from melanoma on February 2, 1994.[3]

Personal life and legacy

Schnur married Marvin Wasserman in 1983.[3]

Schnur was inducted into the New York State Disability Rights Hall of Fame in 2019.[2][7]

Concepts of Independence awards an annual plaque in memory of Schnur, the Sandra Schnur Emerging Leadership Award.[12][13]

Schnur's husband also began hosting an annual memorial Seder after her death, to which large groups are invited.[14]

Works

  • "New York With Ease" (1963)[2][5]

See also

References

  1. 12Doris Zames Fleischer & Frieda Zames, The Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation, Temple University Press (2001), ISBN 1-56639-811-8, p. 35
  2. 12345678910"NYSILC - Sandra Schnur"(PDF). NYSILC. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  3. 1234567"Deinstitutionalization and independent Living"(PDF). University of Washington. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  4. ↑Fleischer, p. 36
  5. 12Schnur, Sandra (1963). New York With Ease. Easter Seals.
  6. 123Klemesrud, Judy (1979-05-25). "Disabled Women: A Conference on Discrimination". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  7. 123"SECOND ANNUAL NEW YORK STATE DISABILITY RIGHTS HALL OF FAME AWARDS CEREMONY AND DINNER". NYSILC. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  8. ↑Most recent USA IRS filing is marked 2021: "Details about Concepts of Independence Inc. Copies of Returns". Retrieved September 8, 2022. Electronic copies (images) of Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF or 990-T returns filed with the IRS
  9. 12Douglas Martin (April 29, 1997). "Woman Sees Advances For the Disabled Imperiled by Budget Cuts". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2022. she turned to Concepts of Independence, which she helped establish five years earlier
  10. ↑"Paid Notice: Deaths HOLLAND, IRA E", The New York Times, March 19, 2004, retrieved September 11, 2022
  11. ↑Pat Walls (July 26, 1994), Making Health Care Reform Work for Americans with Disabilities, National Council on Disability (NCD.gov), retrieved September 9, 2022
  12. ↑"Photos (Council Member Gale A. Brewer with Lawrence Carter-Long, recipient of the Sandra Schnur Emerging Leadership Award)". 504 Democratic Club. May 21, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  13. ↑"Edith Prentiss: A Disabled Hero to the Disabled". The Bronx Chronicle.com. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  14. ↑"Yahoo! Groups". Groups.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)