Division of
People with Disabilities

 I have recently lost my hearing. Is there any way that I can use a telephone?

Yes. There are devices known as Text Teletypewriters (TTY’s), that are small portable units consisting of a keyboard and an LED print-out screen which can be used with any standard telephone by hooking the handset onto an acoustic coupler. The deaf person types the message onto the keyboard to a person with a similar machine, who receives it. For those who do not have a TTY, there is a statewide relay service that can be reached by dialing 711. Contacting the relay service then allows a deaf person to call anyone, and the message is relayed back and forth through the relay operator, who speaks to the hearing person and then types the message back to the deaf person’s TTY. Persons in Suffolk County can go to their local public library and borrow a TTY to see how it works before they decide to order one. Verizon customers may be eligible for a free one through their telephone company. For information, call the number for the disabled services on your telephone bill.

 As a disabled person, do I get any discounts at Suffolk County Parks?

As a resident of Suffolk County, if your physician certifies you as disabled on an application form for a Suffolk County ID card for the disabled, the answer is yes. With this ID card, you then go to the Suffolk County Parks Department and you can get a “Green Key” card at a reduced rate. Then with both of these cards, you are entitled to free, Monday through Thursday admission at Suffolk County Parks, as well as reduced fees on some activities for which there is a charge. For information, call the Suffolk County Office for People with Disabilities at (631) 853-8333 (voice) or 853-5658 (TTY), or Suffolk County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation at (631) 854-4956.

 Can I park at metered parking spaces without putting coins into the meters, providing I display my New York State Handicapped Parking Permit?

Some towns and villages, such as the Town of Huntington, have adopted local laws that allow the individual, to whom the state parking permit or handicapped license plate has been issued, to park at metered spaces without depositing money into parking meters. This varies by jurisdiction and it is up to each municipality to decide whether or not such a privilege would be granted in their own jurisdiction. For example, in Huntington Town, this local town law does not apply to areas within the four incorporated villages i.e., Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor, and Northport. Of course, in the rest of the town, these rules only apply when the disabled person to whom the permit or license plate was issued is being transported. It is best to check with the municipality in question before you attempt to park in a metered space without putting money into the parking meter.

• Disability Rights New York (DRNY) – the federally and state-authorized Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program (P&A/CAP) for people with disabilities in New York State. DRNY provides free legal and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities. Working tirelessly to protect and advance the rights of children and adults with disabilities, DRNY is committed to enabling those we serve to exercise their own life choices and fully participate in community life. DRNY provides these services under our federal grant-funded mandates listed below. These grants have been established by Congress to protect and advocate for the rights, safety, and autonomy of people with disabilities.

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• New York Alert – Free service to receive critical, emergency-related information including instructions and recommendations in real-time by emergency personnel. Information may include severe weather warnings, significant highway closures, hazardous material spills, and other emergency conditions. All areas of New York State are included in the system, and you can decide which area you would like to receive alerts about. Messages can be received by phone, email, text, and fax.

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• New York Connects – provides free, unbiased information about long-term services and supports in New York State for people of all ages or with any type of disability.

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• New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities – responsible for coordinating services for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and other neurological impairments. It provides services directly and through a network of approximately 500 nonprofit service-providing agencies, with about 80 percent of services provided by private nonprofits and 20 percent provided by state-run services.

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• New York State Commission for the Blind – working to enhance employability, maximize independence, and assist in the development of the capacities and strengths of people who are legally blind.

• The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) – a federally funded program that helps low-income homeowners and renters pay for utility and heating bills.

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• National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program (NDBEDP) - provides free telecommunication evaluations, training, and equipment for children and adults who have combined vision and hearing loss, and who qualify financially.

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• National Library Service at the Library of Congress (NLS) - a free braille and talking book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability that prevents them from using regular print materials. Through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS circulates books and magazines in braille or audio formats, that are instantly downloadable to a personal device or delivered by mail free of charge. Suffolk County residents may apply through the Andrew Heiskell Library.

Suffolk County is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or discriminated against under its projects, programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin (including Limited English Proficiency), gender*(in the context of education), disability or age, as provided in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.