Providing a Voice in Albany for the Voiceless
A former Special Ed teacher with an autistic son, Weisenberg works to make himself a resource for colleagues
Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:02:00
Last October, at an extravagant ballroom in the affluent south Long Island town of Atlantic Beach, Assembly Member Harvey Weisenberg (D-Nassau) was commemorated for his 31 years of public service. But the guests—some 40 children with developmental disabilities—were the focal point of the night. The children performed songs for the crowd, showcasing the talents that others rarely see.
The children’s feats were also reminders to Weisenberg that the days of children being drugged and in effect imprisoned in institutions are gone. Even at fundraisers, Weisenberg invites the children to perform.
“My theme was, look at what our children can do, not what they can’t do,” Weisenberg said.
Assembly Member Joseph Saladino (R-Nassau), who attended the fundraiser, was surprised at Weisenberg’s dedication to his cause.
“Instead of the room being filled with attorneys and lobbyists, the room was filled with autistic children. I have never seen this before,” Saladino said.
Weisenberg has also sought more money to help health care professionals, frequently by working with Assembly Republicans.
“Harvey Weisenberg stood side by side with us to get our voice out there, which has resulted in more money in the budget,” Saladino said.
This year, the executive budget has cut approximately $40 million from the Department of Mental Hygiene. These cuts, Weisenberg said, will affect the direct care providers that are underpaid.
“Everybody that I know has to work two jobs to provide for themselves and their families,” Weisenberg said.
In the beginning of the year, Weisenberg requested a budget of $1 billion, but instead received a cut.
“The severe economic times that we’re living in, revenues aren’t there. Instead of raising taxes, we had to cut programs and cut services,” he said.
Weisenberg couples his advocacy with crafting legislation that has tangible affects on people with mental disabilities. Last year, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) signed Jonathan’s Law, which allowed parents and legal guardians to access medical history records and child abuse investigation files. The law was named after an autistic, nonverbal boy that was killed by a health care provider who was working 10 consecutive double shifts. The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities refused to give Jonathan’s parents records relating to their son.
The chair of the Assembly’s Mental Health Committee, Peter Rivera (D-Bronx), said that Weisenberg has always been on the forefront of issues that affect people with developmental disabilities.
“Look at fingerprinting of staff. He was years ahead before it eventually passed the Assembly,” Rivera said.
Fighting for legislation, Rivera added, is only part of Weisenberg’s effectiveness. He often sees the bills through the committee process, making sure the legislation becomes law.
“It’s one thing to say we need a law that requires special education professionals to be fingerprinted,” Rivera said. “But the question is, how do we pay for it. He fought for the legislation and the ability to pay for it.”
His years of advocacy for people with mental disabilities, starting from his career as a police officer and a special education teacher, resulted in the Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center in Harlem.
“The most discriminated population in our society is the disabled,” Weisenberg said. “This is why it’s so important for people to have a resource center for support and guidance.”
Since entering the Assembly in 1989, Weisenberg became the go-to person for mental health. His autistic 50-year-old son, Ricky, has lived through the abuses of mental institutions that made headlines in the 1970s.
Before autism awareness proliferated in the past few years, Weisenberg was a valuable source to legislators who knew little about the disorder. He was the person who explained autism to then-Gov. George Pataki (R), Weisenberg said.
Today, legislators from both parties, representing districts from North Country to the South Shore of Staten Island, seek the counsel of Weisenberg on a plethora of mental health issues.
“I know that when he stands up in the Assembly chamber and speaks about these issues,” said Assembly Member Barbara Lifton (D-Cortland/Tompkins),” I pay attention.”
The children’s feats were also reminders to Weisenberg that the days of children being drugged and in effect imprisoned in institutions are gone. Even at fundraisers, Weisenberg invites the children to perform.
“My theme was, look at what our children can do, not what they can’t do,” Weisenberg said.
Assembly Member Joseph Saladino (R-Nassau), who attended the fundraiser, was surprised at Weisenberg’s dedication to his cause.
“Instead of the room being filled with attorneys and lobbyists, the room was filled with autistic children. I have never seen this before,” Saladino said.
Weisenberg has also sought more money to help health care professionals, frequently by working with Assembly Republicans.
“Harvey Weisenberg stood side by side with us to get our voice out there, which has resulted in more money in the budget,” Saladino said.
This year, the executive budget has cut approximately $40 million from the Department of Mental Hygiene. These cuts, Weisenberg said, will affect the direct care providers that are underpaid.
“Everybody that I know has to work two jobs to provide for themselves and their families,” Weisenberg said.
In the beginning of the year, Weisenberg requested a budget of $1 billion, but instead received a cut.
“The severe economic times that we’re living in, revenues aren’t there. Instead of raising taxes, we had to cut programs and cut services,” he said.
Weisenberg couples his advocacy with crafting legislation that has tangible affects on people with mental disabilities. Last year, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) signed Jonathan’s Law, which allowed parents and legal guardians to access medical history records and child abuse investigation files. The law was named after an autistic, nonverbal boy that was killed by a health care provider who was working 10 consecutive double shifts. The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities refused to give Jonathan’s parents records relating to their son.
The chair of the Assembly’s Mental Health Committee, Peter Rivera (D-Bronx), said that Weisenberg has always been on the forefront of issues that affect people with developmental disabilities.
“Look at fingerprinting of staff. He was years ahead before it eventually passed the Assembly,” Rivera said.
Fighting for legislation, Rivera added, is only part of Weisenberg’s effectiveness. He often sees the bills through the committee process, making sure the legislation becomes law.
“It’s one thing to say we need a law that requires special education professionals to be fingerprinted,” Rivera said. “But the question is, how do we pay for it. He fought for the legislation and the ability to pay for it.”
His years of advocacy for people with mental disabilities, starting from his career as a police officer and a special education teacher, resulted in the Harvey Weisenberg Resource Center in Harlem.
“The most discriminated population in our society is the disabled,” Weisenberg said. “This is why it’s so important for people to have a resource center for support and guidance.”
Since entering the Assembly in 1989, Weisenberg became the go-to person for mental health. His autistic 50-year-old son, Ricky, has lived through the abuses of mental institutions that made headlines in the 1970s.
Before autism awareness proliferated in the past few years, Weisenberg was a valuable source to legislators who knew little about the disorder. He was the person who explained autism to then-Gov. George Pataki (R), Weisenberg said.
Today, legislators from both parties, representing districts from North Country to the South Shore of Staten Island, seek the counsel of Weisenberg on a plethora of mental health issues.
“I know that when he stands up in the Assembly chamber and speaks about these issues,” said Assembly Member Barbara Lifton (D-Cortland/Tompkins),” I pay attention.”
