Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara joined disability advocates in applauding the state’s first Chief Disability Officer within the newly established Office of the Advocate for People with Disabilities (OAPD). Santabarbara co-sponsored and helped pass the law that established the OAPD (Ch. 834 of 2021). Hill will act as a central resource and advocate for people with disabilities across the state.

“Our state is providing resources and opportunities to people with disabilities in ways we’ve never seen before,” Santabarbara said. “As the father of a son with autism, I feel great comfort knowing that families like mine will now have access to the OAPD with Kim Hill at its helm. She has an extraordinary amount of experience in disability advocacy and I look forward to working with her in her new role.”

Hill attended Syracuse University and served as the principal analyst for the New York State Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities and as director of the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, which focused on issues pertaining primarily to people with physical and sensory disabilities.

Hill has also worked with disability advocates and assemblymembers across the state to address several priority issues, such as the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC) where she’s been an appointed public member since 2002, the Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Waiver, New York State’s Medicaid Buy-In Program and the codification of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 into state law. Her experience, including coordinating 24 Legislative Disabilities Awareness Days for the state Legislature, demonstrates her dedication to empowering the disability community and makes her an ideal candidate for this new position, Santabarbara noted.