Mineola, NY - Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) announced the launching of an initiative earlier this week that will significantly reduce the time handicapped persons in the Long Island region spend searching for handicap accessible housing.

In a cooperative effort between Legislator Joseph Scannell, Newsday, the Long Island Board of Realtors, the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, and the Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged a list of criteria were developed for determining whether a house or apartment may be handicap accessible or adaptable. Once the distinction has been made it will be publicized by a "HA" character that will appear in real estate advertisements in Newsday and other real estate publications. The initiative is believed to be the first in New York State, and possibly the nation.

"This groundbreaking proposal will assist handicapped persons in their effort to purchase a home or rent an apartment as they will now be able to eliminate the time-consuming task of disseminating which listings meet their special needs," said Legislators Jacobs and Scannell in a joint statement. "The tremendous level of cooperation among the parties involved was critical in bringing this helpful, and highly practical, initiative to fruition."

The Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged and the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association worked together in developing a pamphlet to educate realtors on how to determine whether a unit for sale could be listed as handicap accessible or adaptable. The Long Island Board of Realtors has subsequently printed the pamphlet and will circulate it to its 14,000 members in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens.

For its part, Newsday will amend its glossary to include a definition of the "HA" character; train its staff to respond to the placing of "HA" advertisements; and work to ensure that the inclusion of the designation does not incur any additional expense in purchasing an advertisement.

"This represents a model partnership that will further the ability of citizens with disabilities to acquire accessible housing," said Don Dreyer, director, Nassau County Office of the Physically Challenged. "This is an example of our county government taking new and dramatic steps to facilitate the lives of those with disabilities."

"This brochure will provide Long Island Realtors with an understanding of features that make a home more usable and as a result will assist realtors in finding homes and apartments for potential buyers and renters with disabilities," said James J. Peters, executive director, EPVA. "EPVA is pleased to be a part of this joint effort and looks forward to working with the LIBOR and the Nassau County Office for the Physically Challenged."

"We are looking forward to distributing this ground-breaking brochure and educating our 14,000 Realtors in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens on the awareness of handicapped accessible dwellings," said Pat Levitt, president, LIBOR.

"The initiative will further empower the handicapped community on Long Island as they will now be able to focus their search for a home or apartment in a more efficient and precise manner," said Legislator Scannell. "In addition to helping handicapped persons find housing, the initiative will make real estate agencies and the public more aware of the needs of physically challenged persons."