Reports: Deaf NYC tenants file lawsuit demanding safety improvements
Patch reported that deaf tenants of a HUD apartment building in lower Manhattan — that was built in 1994 specifically for low-income deaf individuals — are filing a class-action lawsuit to demand improvements for safety and accessibility, such as replacing sound-based fire alarms with deaf-friendly fire alarms.
The attorney is Andrew Lieb and he will be filing the lawsuit on behalf of deaf tenant Elewood Torres. Lieb said the case in a nutshell is “we don’t want to burn to death.”
Patch explained that the two apartment buildings have 42 units for deaf people and that tenants have complained about poor conditions, such as the elevators breaking down.
The lawsuit will be filed against an “array of city entities — including the city’s Housing Preservation and Development (department).”
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A story on local news outlet BoweryBooige.com explained that the “New York Society for the Deaf owns the six-story, half-block complex, which was financed by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.”
Last year CBS News covered a demonstration by deaf residents who expressed frustration with their living conditions. One resident said when she is stuck in an elevator, she would scream as loud as she could because it’s a deaf building and everyone is deaf. Other serious problems are inaccessible doors for wheelchair users and the presence of roaches and mice.
Lieb said the lawsuit will “demand installation of fire alarms with high-intensity strobe lights and vibration notification appliances, as well as video systems in the elevators.” He said the lawsuit will be filed this week in Brooklyn’s federal court.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/tenants-with-disabilities-lower-east-side-housing-complex/