INTIX 41st Annual Conference & Exhibition

Victor Calise
Commissioner
New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities


While riding a mountain bike in in 1994, Victor sustained a spinal cord injury. He embraced this life altering challenge and became involved with disability sports through the United Spinal Association with a focus on sled hockey. His dedication, passion and drive led to representing the United States on the 1998 Paralympics Sled Hockey team in Nagano, Japan. Working initially as United Spinal’s Recreation Coordinator, he rose through the ranks reaching the title of Director of Sports Marketing. In October 2006, Victor joined the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation as their ADA Coordinator overseeing accessibility projects throughout the five boroughs. In 2012, Victor was appointed the Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and then reappointed by Mayor Bill De Blasio in 2014. He advises the Mayor on issues affecting over 900,000 New Yorkers with a Disability and 6 million visitors with a disability. Responsible for ensuring that New York City is the most accessible city in the world, Calise advises the Mayor and agency partners on accessibility issues, spearheads public-private partnerships, and chairs the Accessibility Committee of the City’s Building Code. As a recognized expert on disability, Calise has facilitated relationships with businesses in a myriad of sectors including technology, sports & entertainment, finance, government, and healthcare. Passionate about the human rights of people with disabilities, Commissioner Calise supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, The Commissioner received a B.S. in Sports Management from St. John’s University and an M.A in Urban Affairs from Queens College, CUNY.

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