Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Evie Hantzopoulos, Executive Director of Queens Botanical Garden on Rooted in Accessibility Initiative
7:37:33
ยท
143 sec
Evie Hantzopoulos, Executive Director of Queens Botanical Garden, testified in support of the Rooted in Accessibility initiative, requesting $1 million in funding to enhance accessibility for disabled populations at New York City's botanical gardens. She emphasized the importance of inclusivity and the positive health outcomes associated with access to green spaces.
- Queens Botanical Garden serves about 300,000 visitors annually, including many older adults and people with disabilities.
- The initiative seeks $250,000 per garden to increase staff for accessibility programs and events for families, seniors, and individuals with various disabilities.
- Hantzopoulos highlighted the healing effects of nature and its positive impact on physical, mental, and cognitive health outcomes.
Evie Hantzopoulos
7:37:33
Good afternoon.
7:37:34
My name is Evie Hanzopoulos.
7:37:35
I'm the executive director for Queen's Botanical Garden.
7:37:38
Thank you chair Schulman and chair Lee for providing us this opportunity to discuss our work and our desire to make all of New York City's botanical gardens as inclusive as possible.
7:37:49
I'm here also to provide testimony in support of Rooted in Accessibility, a proposed new speaker initiative which will enhance the ability of Cities Botanical Gardens to provide access to disabled populations and support positive public health outcomes.
7:38:02
So Queens Botanical Garden is located on 39 acres of city owned land in Downtown Flushing and is the place where people, plants, and cultures meet.
7:38:10
We serve approximately 300,000 visitors each year, including a significant number of older adults as well as children, youth, and adults with disabilities of all kinds.
7:38:20
I believe we all can agree that New York City prides itself on being an inclusive city, and when we speak of inclusivity, it's critical that we think not only of categories such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, etcetera, but also inclusivity in terms of abilities, age, and mental health.
7:38:38
Too often accessibility is an afterthought or only considered when there are legal mandates even though eleven percent of New Yorkers have a disability.
7:38:47
So I'm here today with my colleagues from New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Snug Harbor to advocate for inclusion in the f y twenty six budget for rooted in accessibility.
7:38:57
We are requesting a total of 1,000,000 or 250,000 per garden, which will allow us to increase the number of dedicated staff leading accessibility initiatives, event for families and seniors, programming for those with autism, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's and dementia, and more.
7:39:14
I'm just gonna speed ahead just for the sake of time, but we know that nature is healing and we know that there are positive public health outcomes when people have access to green space and gardens, whether they be physical outcomes, mental health outcomes, developmental or cognitive outcomes.
7:39:32
So we thank you so much for consideration of our collective request.
7:39:36
Thank you.
7:39:36
Thank you, Abby.
Lynn Schulman
7:39:37
Have you testified yet today?
Martha Neighbors
7:39:39
I did testify earlier.
7:39:41
Martha Nabors with Snuggling
Lynn Schulman
7:39:43
Cultural Center.
7:39:43
Can't testify twice.
7:39:45
Just Oh, you're here for support.
7:39:47
Hear for support.
7:39:47
Got it.
7:39:48
Got Got it.
7:39:48
Evie, thank you.
7:39:49
I screwed up your name before.
7:39:51
Sorry.
Michael Petty
7:39:51
She actually waited too.
Lynn Schulman
7:39:53
Okay, no that's great.
7:39:54
Thank you.
Evie Hantzopoulos
7:39:55
Thank you
Michael Petty
7:39:56
very much, thank you.