HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-12-20-COD-minCommission on Disability
December 20, 2022 Meeting Minutes
Members: Victoria Buckley (Chair), Sue Cusack, Shaun Grady, Leonard Morse -Fortier, Janet
Perry, John Rossi, Francine Stieglitz, Nancy Wong, Julie Miller
Town Liaisons: Hemali Shah, Chief Equity Officer
Committee Liaisons: Stephanie Hsu, Human Rights Committee; Pam Lyons, Center Committee;
Elaine Dratch, TAC; Rod Cole, Capital Expenditures Committee
Guests: Andrea Jackson, Lexington Resident
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.
This meeting met remotely from 5:45 PM to 7:30 PM.
Minutes
October Minutes were unanimously approved.
Announcements
• Christina Burwell shared that the Monroe Center project is going on the Town Warrant
for the next Town Meeting as the project has been passed through the CPC.
• Amber Carr, Recreation Department, has sent letters to the abutters to Willard’s Woods
asking for input on the plans for parking areas that have been proposed to date.
• Keith Ohmart and Stu Kennedy are pleased that the Commission likes the newly
accessible areas of Parker Meadow is accessed and now available
• Christina Lin, who is working on the committee organizing the Community Conversation
on Race for MLK Day, has asked about accommodations for individuals, particularly for
those with hearing impairments. She was asking about how to navigate issues related to
sign language in a small group format. Francine will follow up with her.
• Announcement was made that the Mayor of Boston is now requiring all videos are
captioned.
• In Lexington, all ZOOM meetings that are city-related require that the captioning in
ZOOM be turned on.
• Semiquincentennial Commission-Lex250 meets twice a month, on the 1st and 3rd
Wednesdays of the month. John Rossi volunteered to be the Commission liaison to this
group. The Commission is currently 11 members and the charge can be viewed
here: https://www.lexingtonma.gov/838/Semiquincentennial-Commission-Lex250
Depot Square Bus Shelter – Pamela Lyons
Plans were shared and approved at the HDC. The Commission’s request for white dots on the
glass to make it more visible were also approved. The dots will be baked into the glass. There is
adequate space for a w/c and there is a back on the bench to increase the visibility. The cost is
$42,000 and the plans need to be next brought to the Select Board. John Livsey affirmed that
the stop is in a good location and will not disrupt tree roots. It is also manufactured in the USA.
Elaine asserted that Pam has been relentless in pushing this design forward. Given the support
of the HDC, the Commission, and the Town, it will become a standard for future bus shelters.
Conte’s Bike Shop - Pamela Lyons
The bus stop that was in front of Lexx has been moved and is now in front of Conte’s Bike Shop
(formerly Panera). The space is not well designed for a stop. The existing tree and bench need
to be removed. “Bus landing areas should be free of obstruction for the full length of the bus.”
As a practical matter, we have control over changes at bus stops but need to notify the MBTA.
The bricklayers are coming back in the fall and can remedy the impact of changing the bus.
We took a vote to support taking out the tree and relocating the bench from the curb to the left
of the front door to the bike shop.
We briefly discussed how this bus stop could have been moved without our knowledge. I It was
suggested that we invite John Livsey and David Pinsonneault to the next meeting to talk this
through.
Collaborative Reform report by Stephanie Hsu
It was shared that Watertown has two social workers working with the police to handle a
variety of mental health issues and help de-escalate – initially funded through the agency called
Advocates. In Lexington, we have 2 people assigned to jail diversion for five towns. The Chief is
interested in finding funding to build more internal capacity. Watertown’s success is related to
being able to get ongoing funding from the town.
Andrea Jackson, Lexington Resident – Employment
Andrea asked if the commission worked with businesses to build the Town’s capacity for
employing people with disabilities. Project Bridges, a program at Cotting School, addresses
employment for youth but has not been successful at generating competitive employment.
Victoria agreed that this was good question, and shared that we do not have a specific focus in
this area. This led to a productive discussion about how this form of inclusivity be incentivized.
John Rossi offered that any business with workplace vacancy should be hiring individuals with
disabilities. The data supports the reliability of these employees, that there is less turnover, and
that accommodations are often much less than employers expect. John suggested that hiring
people with disabilities “is not in the discussion model of businesses”.
Other Business
Farmers Market: Following up on a resident’s complaint, Francine Stieglitz raised concerns
about accessibility for the new location of the Farmers Market. Victoria went to Mark Sandeen
but has not been able to advance the discussion.
Hasting School: Janet Perry has raised concerns about the sidewalk in front of Hastings has not
changed – the current sidewalk is not accessible.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30pm.
Minutes submitted by Sue Cusack and Victoria Buckley