Daily News from New York, New York • 85

Albor Ruiz RAGE 3 Bulletin Board YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD UEENS PAGE 3 Bias charge by epileptic teacher I DAVIO BURNS Emigrant Award winners are (from left) Joseph Magnus, Manny Lima, Susan Wu Rathbone and (second from right) Miriam Lubling and Fernanda Alvarado. Councilwoman Una Clarke (third from right) was keynote Bank praises 5 for their volunteer work By ALISON GENDAR DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER A Queens teacher has charged his principal tried to fire him because he has epilepsy. Walter Davis, a special education teacher at Intermediate School 238 in Hollis, filed a discrimination complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Board of Education. The board must respond today to the allegation that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Davis, a 19-year veteran, charges his principal, Robert Anasta-sio, has been trying to fire him since November 2000, when Davis suffered three in-class seizures triggered by a change in his epilepsy medication.

"In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before Mr. Davis seriously injures himself or one of our students," Anastasio wrote in a November 2000 letter to the superintendent demanding Davis undergo a medical exam to see if he should remain in the classroom. Davis was evaluated by a Board of Education doctor in January and found "fit for service," according to the director of the board's medical bureau. But Davis decided on his own accord to take a six-month medical leave to get his medication under control. Anastasio denied any harassment, and forwarded all questions to Board of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.

Feinberg said the board was investigating the complaint, but said the board does not discriminate against people with disabilities. Davis, however, charged that when he returned to school in July, "Anastasio said if I had any more seizures, he would think twice about keeping me," Davis said. "He made it clear that he does not want me in his school because of my disability." Davis said he was harassed when the principal came into his classroom on Oct. 10 to observe him teach math to a class of emotionally challenged students. After charging that Davis had no skill at teaching, the principal told Davis that if he had any seizures, his license would be pulled, the teacher said.

Davis said he has not suffered any seizures since school started, and during his career has received only good evaluations, as well as a teacher of the year award. NEWS By WARREN W00DBERRY JR. DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER They came from Ecuador, Poland, China, Czechoslovakia and Brazil, moved to Brooklyn and Queens, and are making lives better for other immigrants throughout the city. speaker for the awards. count with them." Rathbone, 79, a 1947 war bride from China, founded Auntie Wu's Hotline and later the Chinese Immigrants Service in Queens.

Rathbone said her prize will benefit service education programs. "When immigrants come here, language is a big problem," Rathbone said. "Every year we receive 2,000 kids, so the money will serve the program." Rathbone was nominated by Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, who hailed her as a "very special lady," and "one of the unsung heroes" in Queens. Emigrant, along with Council-woman Una Clarke (D-Brook-lyn), also recognized nearly 40 outstanding nominees with City Council citations. "Each of the five winners this year are doing very meaningful things in their community," said Ted Morehouse, Emigrant's senior vice president.

"They're very appreciative of the recognition." NEWS Lubling, founder of Rivkah Laufer Bikur Cholim which means visit the sick left World War II Poland for the U.S. to help the poor and Holocaust survivors. "This is beautiful," Lubling said of her prize money. "The $5,000 will go toward transportation for the sick people." Magnus, 69, is originally from Czechoslovakia, and helped found the Middle Village Volunteer Ambulance Corps 29 years ago. He remains as involved as ever, having worked 24-hour shifts during the World Trade Center recovery effort.

"I am honored that Emigrant Bank recognized my 29 years of ambulance service to the community," Magnus said. Magnus said when he came to the U.S. in 1972, he opened his first account with Emigrant bank. "They didn't select me because I have an account with them, but for my hard work in the community," Magnus said. "To this day, I still have an ac HQME.DELIVEBY,1t800 692 "It's very nice to know that you are being recognized," Alvarado said.

"It's a great honor knowing that I'm a winner. I was thrilled to know that the money will go toward both programs; that makes me very happy." Lima, 66, was recognized for modernizing and expanding St. John the Baptist's Bread of Life Food Pantry on Manhattan's 31st St. The pantry, one of the city's first and largest, has helped more than 600 families weekly since the Sept. 1 1 trage-dy "What we do is the difference between our clients going to bed at night hungry or not," Lima, who is from Brazil, said.

"I think it's wonderful that we get to give our awards to the charity of our choice." Fernanda Alvarado of Sunset Park, Brooklyn; Manny Lima of Forest Hills, Queens; Miriam Lubling of Borough Park, Brooklyn; Joseph Magnus of Elm-hurst, Queens, and Susan Wu Rathbone of Flushing, Queens, were recognized Thursday for making a difference in the lives of others. They each, in the City Council's chambers at City Hall, received an award of $5,000. The ceremony was part of the Emigrant Savings Bank's second annual Emigrant Awards program. Alvarado, 22, is originally from Ecuador. She participates in AmeriCorps community support programs.

Her prize will be split between the Sunset Park Health Center at the Lutheran Medical Center and AmeriCorps. BUREAU (718) 793-3328 FAX (718).