NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani Pledges support for disabled people in inclusive hiring push

Earlier this month, Christopher Alvarez reported for Able News New York City (NYC) Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has pledged to make disabled New Yorkers part of his administration’s broader inclusive hiring push. Mamdani, an avowed democratic socialist, won the mayoral election in November in a landmark win for progressives.

Alvarez’s interview with Mamdani is the first of an exclusive, multi-part series.

“For disabled New Yorkers, employment barriers start at the first point of entry—the application process,” Alvarez wrote. “Of the almost 986,000 New Yorkers with disabilities, nearly 70% are people of color. Persistent barriers in hiring and wage equity remain key concerns—issues that Mamdani has said he intends to address.”

Mamdani has launched an employment portal that he “encourages” disabled job-seekers take advantage of. The website has taken more than 70,000 applications so far.

Notably, Alvarez mentions in his story a 2024 report published by the NYC Comptroller’s office found the disability employment rate in the city is “half that” of New Yorkers without disabilities. I interviewed the city’s Comptroller Brad Lander in July 2024 about that very report, as well as about disability justice writ large. Lander threw his hat into the proverbial ring that was the NYC mayoral race. Lander finished third in the election behind Mamdani of course and former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo.