New York – The new protectors of about 1 million New Yorkers with disabilities have logged more than 5,000 calls to their abuse hotline in the first three weeks.
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The Justice Center for People with Special Needs has also established a do-not-hire registry but hasn’t put anyone on it yet.
Executive Director Jeffrey Wise says it’s too soon to tell how many calls represent actual cases. The hotline is getting multiple calls on individual incidents.
Wise says the do-not-hire list for staff found responsible for serious abuse or neglect and prohibited from working with the disabled is starting from scratch.
Some advocates question the blank slate, noting one state agency responsible for 126,000 disabled New Yorkers reported more than 60,000 abuse allegations and 23,000 serious incidents from 2008 to 2012.