HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-07-02-COD-min Commission on Disability
Meeting Minutes July 2, 2015
Members Present:
Victoria Buckley, Chair; Joe Pato, Chair, Board of Selectman; Julie Miller; Len Morse-Fortier;
Francine Stieglitz
Guest: Shaun Grady
Today's Meeting: Due to July 4 holiday, there is not a quorum today. We will discuss what is
needed to cover without any voting.
Selectman Goal Setting Ideas: We reviewed final draft, as follows below.
The Commission on Disability is charged with promoting accessibility and
inclusion for the citizens of Lexington. The Selectmen can help in this effort by actively
integrating considerations of accessibility and inclusion into their policy and decision-
making process. We can see the positive impact of this kind of collaborative and
systemic support in the recent efforts to move beyond awareness to action with the
passage of Article 42 during Town Meeting. The Selectmen's support to enter Article 42
into Town Meeting this year helps set a new vision and tone for public discourse on
safety and access considerations for new public pathways.
Looking to the coming year, the Commission on Disability would like to better
recognize, address and answer the needs of our citizens with sensory issues, especially
visual and hearing problems. To address this priority, we need to start addressing the
hard question: are we as a Town making the accommodations needed for these citizens
to participate fully and inclusively? At this time, we know that we are falling short on
answering this question, but if we work together to take this on as a priority, we believe
we can be more confident in addressing this important concern.
As a Commission, an important task that we can undertake is which rooms are
truly able to address the needs of our citizens with sensory issues. An example of a
room well done is the meeting room at the library, but there are too few other public
spaces that meet the needs. The Commission will develop a priority list of which public
rooms in Town need hearing-enhanced improvements so that citizens with hearing
issues can attend public meetings successfully.
We also need to look at what those with visual problems could benefit from: such
as designated spots in bleachers at Town events, reverse contrast on screens such as
black background with white type or high contrast, appropriate walk signals, private
voting place solutions like enlarged reversed contrast screens.
Furthermore we feel that it might be helpful to offer Town employees specialized
trainings in accommodating people with disabilities. We would like everyone to take a
pro-active stance to integrate accessibility and inclusion into their plans, policy and
decision-making.
We feel that the above suggestions are in keeping with the Commission's
commitment to fostering a welcoming community, and we thank the Selectmen for their
assistance in these important matters.
Parking Variance Issue at Cary Hall: Don Mills is seeking a variance so as not to have to put
painting stripes on the HP spaces, but have them marked in other ways.
Discussion About Safety for Pedestrian Crossings on Massachusetts Avenue: There are
several stoplights being planned—two by state funds at Pleasant and Maple and one as beginning
of Streetscape at Woburn. There is much opposition to this yet these are important for safety
reasons.
Additional New Business: There was no new business; Fred was absent for holiday and so no
new projects were brought forward.
Respectively Submitted: Victoria Buckley