2022-11-15-COD-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 Commission on Disability November 15, 2022 Meeting Minutes Members: Victoria Buckley (Chair), Sue Cusack, Shaun Grady, Leonard Morse-Fortier, Janet Perry, Francine Stieglitz, Nancy Wong Town Liaisons: Jim Kelly, Building Commissioner; Hemali Shah, Chief Equity Officer Committee Liaisons: Bonnie Teitleman, Council on Aging; Rod Cole, Capital Expenditures Committee; Stephanie Hsu, Human Rights Committee Guests: Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation & Community Programs; Kate DeAngelis, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist; David Pinsonneault, Public Works Director; Ann Webster Pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §18, and the Governor’s March 15, 2020 and subsequent Orders imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the Lexington Commission on Disability will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. On July 16, 2022, Governor Baker signed into Law an Act Relative to Extending Certain State of Emergency Accommodations, which, among other things, extends the expiration of the provisions pertaining to the Open Meeting Law to March 31, 2023. Specifically, this extension allows public bodies to continue holding meetings remotely without a quorum of the public body physically present at a meeting location, and to provide "adequate, alternative" access to remote meetings. The Act does not make any new changes to the Open Meeting Law other than extending the expiration date of the temporary provisions regarding remote meetings. Welcome Hemali Shah, Chief Equity Officer Presentation by Kate DeAngelis, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Melissa Battite, Director of Recreation & Community Programs - updates on Therapeutic Recreation and Capital projects Kate DeAngelis is now fulltime in her role leading Therapeutic Recreation programming in Lexington. This is confirmation of the strength of her work and the growing need for her expertise. She offered the following updates in a detailed presentation: • An invested $2K was made to train all staff in inclusive strategies. • Tri-Town training provided about support, behavior management, and how to ensure an inclusive experience for all participants. • This past summer there were 14 inclusion aides, 4% of participants in summer programming identified with disabilities and needed support. This data aligns with the larger demographic information about Lexington residents. • She shared a lovely anecdote that demonstrates the power of these efforts. After three years of tailored programming, the team successfully created an experience for a young