Sandra Schnur
Encyclopedia
Sandra Schnur was a pioneer American
disability rights leader, working mainly in New York City
.
, including much time spent in an iron lung
. After a period in residence at Warm Springs, she was home schooled to complete her high school education.
In 1952 she was evaluated by the New York Vocational Education
program, and was advised to become a basket weaver. Given her great intelligence, coupled with her weak hands, she requested instead to be allowed to attend college. The program advisor bridled at her refusal to accept his recommendation, and marked her as "uncooperative".
.
In 1965 the state agreed to allow her to attend college. She attended Hunter College
, earning a Bachelor's degree
and Master's degree
in Counseling.
She became Director of the New York City Half-fare Program for the Handicapped. As one of the few disabled administrators in the Department of Transportation
at this critical time, she played an important role in providing wheelchair-accessible buses and vans to nonprofit organizations, as well as the introduction of pedestrian ramps/curb cuts and lift-equipped city buses.
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 she 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. 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.
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 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.
Schnur believed that consumers should have even greater independence. She formulated a paper calling for a voucher
program, a precursor to the Consumer-Directed Cash and Counseling project that was the 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 the consumer could use as he or she wished to manage their home care needs, including personal care services, without restrictions. 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.
Concepts of Independence, was a consumer organization that was founded in 1977 by Victoria Holland, Ira Holland and Ed Litcher, and 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. Subsequent to the death of Vicki 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 in this capacity from 1980 until her death from melanoma
in 1994.
During this period, she 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.
Her husband also began hosting an annual memorial Seder
after her death, to which large groups are invited.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
disability rights leader, working mainly in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early life
Schnur was born into a Jewish family on 30 July 1935. Her life was rendered dramatically different in 1950 when she contracted polio (age 15). The disease rendered her a quadriplegic. She had a long period of rehabilitationPhysical medicine and rehabilitation
Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...
, including much time spent in an iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
. After a period in residence at Warm Springs, she was home schooled to complete her high school education.
In 1952 she was evaluated by the New York Vocational Education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
program, and was advised to become a basket weaver. Given her great intelligence, coupled with her weak hands, she requested instead to be allowed to attend college. The program advisor bridled at her refusal to accept his recommendation, and marked her as "uncooperative".
Career as activist for disabled persons
In 1963 a wheelchair-access guide to the city that Schnur wrote was published by the Easter Seals Society. By then she had married Marvin Wassserman. She was employed in the Mayor's Office for the Handicapped, under Eunice FioritoAmerican Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities
The American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities was, in the mid-1970s to early 1980s, a national consumer-led disability rights organization called, by nationally syndicated columnist Jack Anderson and others, “the handicapped lobby”...
.
In 1965 the state agreed to allow her to attend college. She attended Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, earning a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Counseling.
She became Director of the New York City Half-fare Program for the Handicapped. As one of the few disabled administrators in the Department of Transportation
New York City Department of Transportation
The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure...
at this critical time, she played an important role in providing wheelchair-accessible buses and vans to nonprofit organizations, as well as the introduction of pedestrian ramps/curb cuts and lift-equipped city buses.
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 she 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. 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.
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 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.
Schnur believed that consumers should have even greater independence. She formulated a paper calling for a voucher
Voucher
A voucher is a bond which is worth a certain monetary value and which may be spent only for specific reasons or on specific goods. Examples include housing, travel, and food vouchers...
program, a precursor to the Consumer-Directed Cash and Counseling project that was the was eventually adopted in several states, which she presented to the administration of Governor Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
. In Schnur's voucher program, severely disabled individuals would receive one check, which the consumer could use as he or she wished to manage their home care needs, including personal care services, without restrictions. 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.
Concepts of Independence, was a consumer organization that was founded in 1977 by Victoria Holland, Ira Holland and Ed Litcher, and 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. Subsequent to the death of Vicki 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 in this capacity from 1980 until her death from melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
in 1994.
During this period, she 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.
Legacy
Her husband awards an annual scholarship in memory of Schnur, the Sandra Schnur Emerging Leadership Award.Her husband also began hosting an annual memorial Seder
Seder
Seder is a Hebrew word meaning "order" or "sequence", and can have any of the following meanings:For Jewish holidays*Passover Seder, a ritualized dinner observed during Passover...
after her death, to which large groups are invited.
See also
- List of people from New York City