Black and disability history maker: Christina Curry
Christina Curry is a black woman who was born in the Bronx, who loves these Caribbean foods: “pepper pot, roti, dahl, egg balls and cook-up rice.”
She is the first black woman to serve as the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). She has been in the position since last year, on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities, on July 26.
She said the path she is on today is due to her mother being a domestic violence survivor and her brother being dyslexic. It was the work, not just in the Bronx, but within all of the boroughs that shaped Curry’s work within the disability/Deaf community.
“What I saw firsthand was the resiliency as well as the ongoing frustration in why we as a city are not fully accessible yet. With that said, the city continues to work on improving access for all who are disabled/deaf,” she added.
Curry stated that growing up in the Bronx and witnessing the inaccessibility of New York city has impacted decisions she has made in the position. One of the biggest things she has learned from personal and professional experiences: non-disabled people should not tell disabled people what is best for them.
“No discussion, decision should be made without first including the input and feedback from members of the community with lived experience,” she continued.
To ensure that the disability community is served effectively and they have access to MOPD resources, Curry shared these tools and resources: “The website, word of mouth throughout the community, presentations, anything and everything that will assist us in getting information not just to the disabled/deaf community but to agencies, friends, family, other city agencies.”
According to Curry, the biggest challenge comes with educating the general public to understand when NYC is accessible, everyone benefits, not just members of the disability/deaf community.
Curry stated her greatest accomplishment has been being able to increase awareness of the disability/Deaf community to City agencies although she’s only been here in the position for five months. Additionally, she has assisted in pushing forward the MOPD initiative of The Workforce Center, which has helped to increase the number of disabled people in the workforce.
Curry said her heart is happy as a result of “watching the Black and Brown disabled/deaf community begin to unite and say they are part of the overall disability/deaf world, and to not forget them in the discussion on diversity and inclusion.”
Those interested can find out more information on MOPD initiatives here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/initiatives/initiatives.page. MOPD resources can be found here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/resources/resources.page
Those who have questions or concerns can contact MOPD here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/mopd/about/contact.page.
