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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Martha Neighbors, Executive Vice President of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden
4:29:42
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135 sec
Martha Neighbors from Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden testifies in support of a new $1 million initiative called "Rooted in Accessibility" to enhance access for disabled New Yorkers at NYC's public botanical gardens. The initiative aims to improve programming, staff development, and ADA compliance at four major botanical gardens.
- The initiative would provide $250,000 annually to each of the four botanical gardens: Snug Harbor, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York Botanical Garden, and Queens Botanical Garden.
- Snug Harbor already partners with various organizations to provide programs and workforce development opportunities for people with disabilities.
- The request comes in the face of deep cuts in federal funding, emphasizing the need for city support to ensure access for all New Yorkers.
Martha Neighbors
4:29:42
Good afternoon Chair Brannan and Chair Schulman and members of the committee.
4:29:46
I am Martha Nabors, Executive Vice President at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden on Staten Island.
4:29:53
And I'm here today to support a proposed new speaker initiative rooted in accessibility, which will enhance the ability of the city's public botanical gardens to provide access to disabled New Yorkers and promote positive public health outcomes.
4:30:10
There is currently no citywide initiative that supports our public gardens.
4:30:15
Snug Harbor and our piers, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York Botanical Garden, and Queens Botanical Garden, welcome thousands of disabled visitors annually through multiple programs and partnerships.
4:30:28
Snug Harbor partners with DOE District seventy five, City New York, the Grace Foundation, Lifestyles for the Disabled, and On Your Mark to host events and provide workforce development opportunities for people with physical, cognitive, and or sensory challenges, serving thousands of individuals annually.
4:30:49
The $1,000,000 request is a small fraction of the city's budget, yet will have a huge impact on our ability to deliver for disabled New Yorkers.
4:30:58
Rooted in accessibility, we'll support each garden with $250,000 annually to increase the number of staff leading accessibility initiatives, expand accessibility programming, enhance professional development for staff, and improve signage and wayfinding for ADA compliance.
4:31:19
Snug Harbor, BBG, NYBG, and QBG are all members of the Cultural Institutions Group receiving an annual allocation through the Department of Cultural Affairs that helps us build the bridge between culture and public health.
4:31:34
We are asking you to support our public garden's unique role in providing safe, accessible outdoor spaces with a modest $1,000,000 investment and rooted in accessibility.
4:31:46
In the face of deep cuts in federal funding, we need your help to continue to ensure access for all New Yorkers.
4:31:53
Disabled New Yorkers deserve no less.
4:31:56
Thank you for your time.