Chris Hilderbrant is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Center for Disability Rights, managing all of the day-to-day operations of offices in Rochester, Corning, Geneva and Albany. The creation of this new position is in direct response to CDR's rapid growth and promising future. Since 2003, Hilderbrant served as Director of Advocacy. As a person with a disability due to a spinal cord injury at the age of 14, he has used his personal experience over the past two decades to guide the organization's advocacy efforts on behalf all people with disabilities, which is representative of CDR's peer model of advocacy and services. He has led non-violent, direct action efforts for the rights of people with disabilities throughout New York State and the country, including being arrested for committing civil disobedience. One of the most significant accomplishments during his tenure in advocacy has been the enactment of legislation to develop the Nursing Facility Transition and Diversion Waiver in order to ensure that New Yorkers with disabilities, regardless of age or type of disabilities, can access services needed for life in the most integrated setting.
