Public Employee Press

An earnest advocate

Local 154 member Ted Finkelstein works with tenants and landlords to uphold city laws that protect people with disabilities.

Ted Finkelstein is on the front-line in the city’s effort to help improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Finkelstein, a 25-year veteran of the city work force, is director of disability for Project Equal Access at the City Commission on Human Rights. He works with tenants and building owners to uphold local laws guaranteeing reasonable accommodations for disabled people.

“My proudest moment is when I help people who are trapped in a building so they can go back to work, go to their doctor or just sit outside,” Finkelstein said.

Finkelstein has worked as an advocate for people with disabilities throughout his career. He spent five years as a special education teacher at a private school before earning his master’s degree in social work at Hunter College.

An Associate Human Rights Specialist 2, Finkelstein got hired at the Commission on Human Rights after he graduated in 1980 and worked several years for its neighborhood stabilization program. That involved working with tenant and block associations and merchant groups to help neighborhoods deal with white flight.

At Project Equal Access, Finkelstein is responsible for education and enforcement. His office handles about 100 cases a year.
He provides training sessions for landlords, co-op boards and attorneys to inform them about the city’s laws on disabilities and how best to provide accommodations for people with disabilities. He also works with tenants who file complaints.

“Housing is the key,” Finkelstein said. “People should not be trapped in their apartments.”

Strong sense of justice
Finkelstein said a typical case involves elderly and disabled people who can no longer get into their apartments on their own because they cannot make it up the stairs into their building. When they learn about these problems, Finkelstein and other CCHR staffers work with the landlord to have a ramp installed.

Finkelstein combines his strong sense of justice with knowledge of the law and technical expertise to help businesses meet the city’s equal access requirements.

For instance, he urges grocery stores to use electronic anti-theft devices to protect their grocery carts from being stolen rather than keeping the carts behind barriers that make the carts inaccessible to people who use wheelchairs. He also advises stores to install electronic doors in their rest rooms and main entrances to make the facilities accessible to people with weak upper bodies.

Finkelstein is particularly excited about a current project that has involved surveying 80 large apartment buildings in Brighton Beach.

He has enlisted the help of Human Rights Specialist Alexander Korkhov, a native of Russia, to reach out to the many Russian-speaking residents in the community. Once tenants file complaints, the team works with owners to make their buildings accessible. Finkelstein expects the project to take about a year.

Outside of work, Finkelstein over the years has been involved in the tenants’ rights movement. Twenty-five years ago, he helped found the Citywide Task Force on Housing Court.

He attributes his activist bent and his commitment to public service partly to the civil service ethos instilled in him by his father, who worked at the New York City Housing Authority.

“I love the idea of civil service,” Finkelstein said. “It’s a great thing to be able to serve your community while making a living.”

— Gregory N. Heires