Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Victor Calise is an Ozone Park native. Photo Courtesy of the Mayor’s Office.
Mayor Bill de Blasio this week announced the reappointment of Queens native Victor Calise as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.
Calise, an Ozone Park product who earned degrees from St. John’s University and Queens College, has been MOPD commissioner since former Mayor Bloomberg appointed him to the post in 2012.
“I am honored to be chosen by Mayor de Blasio to continue to lead this office and serve New Yorkers with disabilities,” Calise said. “It has been a privilege to work with the de Blasio administration over the past year to help make New York more accessible. Improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and working to ensure our city is inclusive of all New Yorkers are not only noble deeds, but core principles that underpin the very foundation of this administration.”
Prior to his 2012 appointment, Calise served as the accessibility coordinator for Department of Parks and Recreation, where he oversaw accessibility compliance at city parks and in Parks Department programming throughout the five boroughs.
Before joining Parks, Calise held several positions at the United Spinal Association, a non-profit organization focused on disability rights that aims to improve the quality of life for Americans living with spinal cord injuries. As the organization’s director of Sports Marketing, Calise coordinated nationwide adaptive sports programs for United Spinal members and organizations, such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Calise began at the United Spinal Association as its recreation coordinator, providing recreation opportunities for disabled veterans in the VA Hospital System in the tri-state area.
Calise started his work with disabled New Yorkers as coordinator of the Spinal Cord Injury “DO IT” program at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He worked with spinal cord injury patients at the hospital to facilitate the transition from the inpatient stay to the outpatient setting in their journey to reintegrate successfully into their community.
Additionally, Calise was a member of the USA Paralympic Sled Hockey team and represented the USA in the 1998 Winter Paralympic Games in Nagano, Japan. He volunteers for the Wheelchair Sports Federation and is frequently a guest speaker on spinal cord injuries, physical therapy, and adaptive sports. He lives on the Upper West Side with his wife and two daughters.
By Michael V. Cusenza
