The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Division of Citywide EEO sponsored a special training, "Accommodating Disabilities in the Workplace" on June 20, 2008. Ninety-nine representatives from 59 City agencies attended.

Diane Crothers, Deputy Commissioner of the DCAS Division of Citywide EEO, and Commissioner Matthew Sapolin, of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, welcomed the participants and encouraged General Counsels, Disability Rights Coordinators and EEO Officers to work closely together to ensure that  the City engages in a flexible, interactive process with employees with disabilities to identify and provide appropriate accommodations and to resolve disability-related issues.  The Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities works hand-in-hand with other City agencies to assure that the voice of the disabled

Matthew Sapolin, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), welcomes attendees.

community is represented and that City programs and policies address the needs of people with disabilities.

Georgia Pestana, Chief of the Labor and Employment Law Division of the New York City Law Department, gave a presentation on "Accommodating Disabilities in the Workplace." The Labor and Employment Law Division represents the City in litigation arising out of the City's role as the employer of more than a quarter-million workers. In representing the City in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, the division's attorneys encounter a wide range of employment issues in both individual and class actions.

Ms. Pestana compared and contrasted the Americans with Disabilities Act, the disability provisions of the New York State Human Rights Law, the

Georgia Pestana, Chief of the Labor and Employment Law Division at the New York City Law Department, presents the law of disability and reasonable accommodation as it affects City employees.

New York City Human Rights Law, the Citywide Equal Employment Opportunity Policy and the Civil Service Law.  In addition, she explained the intersection of the disability laws with the Family and Medical Leave Act, the obligation to provide reasonable accommodations, and confidentiality issues.  She also discussed the application of the laws to the following conditions: drug dependency, alcoholism, mental illness, obesity and pregnancy.