Disability Rights Coordinator

The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the largest fire department in the United States and is recognized as the world’s busiest and most highly skilled emergency‑response agency. Its mission is to provide fire protection, emergency medical care, and other critical public‑safety services to residents and visitors across the five boroughs. FDNY members are sworn to serve and protect life and property, educate the public on fire, life safety and disaster preparedness, and enforce public‑safety codes. Since its inception in 1865, the Department has worked to make New York the safest big city in the nation, guided by its core values.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervision, legal guidance, and substantive oversight of the review and processing of Reasonable Accommodation (RA) requests and the Cooperative Dialogue process.
• Oversee and participate in Cooperative Dialogue with FDNY employees and management, identifying potential accommodations, obtaining and evaluating relevant information, and conducting undue‑hardship analyses.
• Ensure FDNY’s RA practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and with DCAS’ Reasonable Accommodation policies and guidelines.
• Assist employees and managers in understanding their rights and responsibilities regarding reasonable accommodations within the Agency.
• Provide guidance and support to the Assistant Commissioner and Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity.
• Prepare and submit quarterly, annual, and other required reports concerning RA requests and Disability Rights Unit (DRU) activities.
• Correspond with FDNY personnel, management, medical practitioners, and other relevant parties to obtain and evaluate information necessary to assess RA requests.
• Serve as the FDNY’s Disability Service Facilitator (DSF) and coordinate the Agency’s response to requests from members of the public for disability‑related accommodations and access to FDNY programs, services, and facilities.
• Investigate complaints of disability discrimination and prepare appropriate findings and recommendations.
• Research legal and policy issues affecting disability rights and RA, staying current on developments in applicable federal, state, and local law.
• Work with FDNY Legal Affairs and other stakeholders to review and implement revisions to RA policies, procedures, and practices as needed.
• Collaborate with the Office of Labor Relations on labor‑relations matters involving reasonable accommodations, including preparation for and participation in arbitration proceedings.
• Develop, maintain, and ensure all record‑keeping and data‑tracking processes and procedures are timely, accurate, and consistent for reporting.

Minimum Qualifications

• Admission to the New York State Bar; and one of the following:
  • One year of satisfactory United States legal experience subsequent to admission to any state bar, or
  • Six months of satisfactory service as an Agency Attorney Intern (30086).
• Incumbents must remain members of the New York State Bar in good standing for the duration of employment.
• To be assigned to Assignment Level (AL) II: one year of experience at AL I or two years of comparable legal experience post‑admission in the relevant areas of law.
• To be assigned to AL III: two years of experience in AL I and/or II or three years of comparable legal experience post‑admission in the relevant areas of law.

Preferred Skills

• Prior experience with reasonable accommodations, disability rights, EEO, employment law, or a closely related area.
• Investigative and/or litigation experience (strongly preferred).
• Excellent writing, analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to complete assigned tasks independently, in an organized and timely manner.
• Experience conducting the Cooperative Dialogue/interactive process and analyzing reasonable accommodation and undue‑hardship issues.
• Strong organizational and case‑management abilities.

Compensation

$92,525.00 – $126,700.00

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is not required for this position.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal‑opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or characteristic, including but not limited to sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.