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New & Newsworthy:ODI Celebrates Hispanic Heritage MonthOn Friday, October 6, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and Latino Court Officers Society (LCOS) celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month at 25 Beaver Street, and via livestream. LCOS welcomed attendees to a buffet lunch of delicious Latin cuisine, followed by the 1:00 program, where LCOS President Lt. Jessica Hernandez sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, and Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas moderated a dynamic discussion of the 2023 theme “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power and Progress in America.” Panelists Rosemary Martinez-Borges (Deputy Chief of Staff, Office for Justice Initiatives), Chief David Santiago (Suffolk County Courts), Sergeant Bernice Torres (Broome County Courts), and Tony Diaz (Acting Chief Clerk, NYC Criminal Court), shared stories of their heritage and culture, its impact on their lives, and how things have changed during the course of their careers with the UCS. The ODI/LCOS Hispanic Heritage Month event was recorded and will be posted on the ODI website: inside-UCS.org: Office of Diversity & Inclusion 
Panelists Rosemary Martinez-Borges (Deputy Chief of Staff, Office for Justice Initiatives), Chief David Santiago (Suffolk County Courts), Sergeant Bernice Torres (Broome County Courts), CAJ Zayas, and Tony Diaz (Acting Chief Clerk, NYC Criminal Court). Photos by David Handschuh/OCA
Lt. Jessica Hernandez (far right), President of the Latino Court Officers Society, with members of LCOS at the Oct 6 program.
Richard C. Failla LGBTQ CommissionIn July, the staff and several members of the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission attended the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's 2023 Lavender Law® Conference in Chicago. Executive Director Matthew Skinner and Senior Counsel Charlie Arrowood made the trip to the Windy City and participated in a panel entitled “SOGI Inclusion In and Through the Courts: How Courts Are Ensuring Procedural Fairness and Advancing Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users.” Other panelists included Lisa Burke (New Jersey Judiciary - Administrative Office of the Courts), Celeste Fiore (Trans Affirming Alliance), and moderator Alexander Chen (Harvard Law School). The session provided an overview of systemic and local level court initiatives, including court policies, procedures, protocols, and programs that advance procedural fairness and access to justice for LGBTQ+ court users and justice system stakeholders. 
At the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's 2023 Lavender Law® Conference
Franklin H. Williams Judicial CommissionOn September 19, the Franklin H. Williams Commission, in partnership with the NYC Corporation Counsel’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the Latino Judges Association, and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association, hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month event: Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One. Held in the rotunda of the 60 Centre Street courthouse, the event featured delicious food from local vendor Chef Papi, beautiful music by the orchestra of the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, and remarks from CAJ Joseph A. Zayas, First DCAJ Norman St. George, FHW Commission co-chairs Hon. Richard Rivera and Hon. Troy Webber. The agenda included Ana Almanzar, NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives, as well as an insightful and impassioned keynote speech from Zenaida Mendez (Director of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network), and a panel discussion that was moderated by Veronica Guerrero (Counsel to the Appellate Division, 1st Dept). 
Zenaida Mendez, Director of the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, delivers the keynote address at the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness MonthObserved each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities, and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has chosen "Advancing Access and Equity" as the theme for NDEAM 2023. ODI is pleased to share information from: National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) History of NDEAMThis effort to educate the public about the issues related to disability and employment began in 1945, when Congress enacted Public Law 176, declaring the first week of October each year as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. Some 25 years later, Congress expanded the week to a month, and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month. ResourcesDepartment of Labor Equity Action Plan 10 Ways to Foster the NDEAM Spirit Year-Round 
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