For Immediate Release: 1/17/2024 | GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL
Kimberly T. Hill, Appointed New York State’s First Chief Disability Officer in 2022, Expands Staff as Council Re-Starts
Experienced Expert Christopher Woodfilll to Lead Interagency Coordinating
Council, with Support from Sign Language Interpreter Rachel Cahill Under CDO
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the re-establishment of the Interagency
Coordinating Council on Services to Persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of
Hearing, within the Office of the Chief Disability Officer. The Council, comprised of 15
members representing state agencies and community members, will advocate on behalf
of persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind. Christopher Woodfill, formerly
an associate executive director at the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths
and Adults, will serve as the State’s first Interagency Coordinating Council Executive
Director; and experienced interpreter Rachel Cahill has been appointed as the Council’s
first in-house American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.
“Upon the appointment of New York State’s first Chief Disability Officer, I committed to
increasing access and resources while creating a better quality of life for all New
Yorkers with disabilities,” Governor Hochul said. “But this is just the first step. Experts
with deep professional and lived experience must inform and lead our agenda. I am
proud to re-establish the Interagency Coordinating Council, and welcome Mr. Woodfill
and Ms. Cahill’s leadership on key issues affecting the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of
Hearing communities.”
In his previous role, Mr. Woodfill worked throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and prior to that worked with youth as a high school
teacher at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. Mr. Woodfill earned his Master of Science
(M.S.) in Deaf Education from McDaniel College, and his Master of Arts (M.A.) in Latin
American Studies from Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington
University. He is also a graduate from the world-renowned Gallaudet University.
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Ms. Cahill is a nationally-certified interpreter (NIC) with 22 years’ experience working
with Deaf professionals and in higher education, healthcare systems, and government
services. Ms. Cahill earned her bachelor’s degree in public communications from the
University at Albany. She has also been trained to work with DeafBlind individuals and
in legal environments.
The objectives that the IAC will be considering include, but are not limited to, the
following:
- Meeting with advocacy networks and stakeholders within the Deaf, deafblind and hard
of hearing community to determine their issues and priorities; - Establishing the Interagency Coordinating Council as the primary vehicle to
recommend systematic changes throughout New York State for the Deaf, DeafBlind,
and Hard of Hearing communities, giving these individuals the voice in state
government that they deserve; - Pursuing the creation of a Sign Language Interpreter Council for the purposes of
screening and approving interpreters for licensure, and to adjudicate any issues that
may come before the council; - Seeking to establish a statewide Co-Navigator program designed to provide
environmental information, human guide and communication facilitation for the benefit
of all New York DeafBlind residents; - Evaluating how 4201 schools (which serve New York’s blind, deaf and severely
physically disabled) are funded, and making recommendations on the best allocation of
funds for children with additional disabilities, including those having complex medical
needs, within the 4201 school system. - Exploring how to make hearing aids and cochlear implants – and therapies and
trainings associated with these support products – more widely available for individuals
in need statewide.
More information on the IAC can be found here. Mr. Woodfill and Ms. Cahill can be
reached at CDO.IAC@exec.ny.gov.