The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER MODIGLIANI’S EARLY YEARS <P.12
28-4 2017
Richard Bernstein, famed as the “blind New York City marathoner,” competing in the 2013 Marathon. Photo: Achilles International, via Justice Richard Bernstein
BLIND JUSTICE IN CENTRAL PARK A BOOST FOR WOMEN Playground conversation. Photo: Council Member Ben Kallos
SAFETY
IN POLITICS? PARTICIPATION Kallos introduces a bill offering free child care for parents involved in local government BY CARSON KESSLER
Parents interested in participating in local government might soon receive free child care provided by the city under proposed legislation by Council Member Ben Kallos. Raised by a single mother, Kallos hopes the option of child care will eliminate barriers to participation
by parents, and in turn increase women’s involvement in government. Women make up less than 25 percent of the New York City Council. “I think people feel like democracy is broken,” said Kallos, who offers free child care at his annual events. “If we want to build an inclusive democracy here in New York City, it means offering free child care when we want to hear from any New Yorker who has children.” The idea was brought to Kallos by several parents in the district, including Community Board 8 member Sarah Chu, a new mother.
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Or how a disabled New York City marathon runner who is now a high-court judge in Michigan fought to make the park safer and more accessible after he was hit by a speeding bicyclist and grievously injured BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
Richard Bernstein is what used to be called a “memorizer” — or more colloquially, a “rememberer.” The attorney, jurist and advocate for the disabled is celebrated in courthouse lore for memorizing legal briefs and case law, affidavits and arguments, pleadings and complaints. He also memorizes the contours of streetscapes and the topography of landscapes. Most notably, he has memorized the 6.1-mile Central Park
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Loop and possesses an innate sense and feel for all its twists and turns, peaks and valleys, slopes and crossings, bridges and bike paths. He doesn’t do this for sport. His brief is not to entertain or amuse. He does this to cope with immeasurably steep hurdles, to function at the highest imaginable levels, to excel in both his personal and professional lives. You see, Richard Bernstein is blind and has been since birth. Blindness has informed his life. It’s part of his makeup. And it has shaped his world view. But it has never defined him. For Bernstein wears many, many other hats. Among them: He’s a veteran New York City marathoner. He’s also a triathlete. He’s won numerous federal court cases for vulnerable clients wielding the Americans with Disabilities Act. He’s a national expert on that landmark 1990 civil rights law. Oh, and he’s also a sitting justice on the Michigan Supreme Court, the state’s highest court and its
equivalent of the New York State Court of Appeals. Yes, he’s a Michigander. So it’s fair to ask a question: Why should East Siders, West Siders and downtowners pay attention? Because this is a story about Central Park, our cherished backyard, and a catastrophic accident caused by a speeding bicyclist that took place on its loop drive, and the blind runner who fell victim, and how he battled the city to gain “safe, equal and reasonable access” to the park for the disabled.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat and holiday candles Yom Kippur eve, Friday Sep. 29, 6:23 pm Sukkot eve. Wednesday Oct. 4, 6:15 pm 2nd day Sukkot eve. Thursday Oct. 5, after 7:11 pm from a pre existing flame. For more information visit: www.chabaduppereastside.com
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