HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-07-07-COD-min.pdf Town of Lexington
Commission on Disability
Minutes for 7 July 2004 Meeting
Present: Victoria Buckley(Chair), Michael Novack(Town of Lexington), Len Morse-Fortier,
Charles Cole, Bill Kennedy(Selectman Representative)
Absent: Jenifer Aliber, Sue Cusack, Richard Landau, Michael Martignetti, Dan Perez
QuickLook: The meeting began officially with a discussion about a new gift given by The Lions
Club to the Commission. The Lions Club donated a"QuickLook' device that includes a camera
and an LCD display The device provides a magnified view of written material and serves as an
aid to people with impaired vision. A product of Ash Technologies,Freedom Vision markets
this device.
Library Michael Novack described the Library tour given to Commission members. Carol
Mahoney, Library Director, showed everyone around the new facility, taking time to point out
those features that enhance the library's accessibility
LexFest: September 9, 2004 is the deadline for registration to participate in LexFest. Charlie
asked whether we should present ourselves this year, noting that although several people
participated last year, a significant share of the burden fell to Victoria. This year's LexFest will
take place on Saturday 2 October 2004 from 10:00 Am until 4.00 PM. We decided that we will
participate in LexFest and that each of us on the Commission should brainstorm and come up
with ideas that we can all discuss in the next two meetings (we must decide what we are going to
do and register by the time of our September meeting in order to refine our plans). We agreed
that Commission members should circulate ideas via email and certainly bring ideas to the
August meeting. What information should we include? What activities, if any, should we plan?
Among other things, we should have information on filing complaints. We should also have
information on how to apply for parking placards.
Note: Please think about this and bring ideas to the meeting on 4 August 2004
Commission Web Site: We do not(as of the date of this meeting) have a web citation on the
Lexington Web site. Apparently we must get at least a rudimentary description to Connie
Rawson for her inclusion on the Town Web Site. Sue Cusack has been working on something
larger for our website and we should check in with her to find out how that is going. In the
meantime, however, we will forward the basic description of our commission, however dry,just
to fulfill the requirements and get something on the site. Victoria agreed to forward a copy to
each of us and Michael found a copy of what we gave to the Selectmen (confirmed as such by
Bill). There is a need for a very modest change—we are appointed by the Town Manager and
not the Moderator—and the description can go forward.
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New Business: Charlie brought up a few items that he is concerned with. Among these, WO
discussed the need to increase the number of handicapped-accessible spaces at largezfunctioris.
What are the protocols? We may not know, but perhaps we should establish them (lid theit-
Z' w e
provide specific recommendations. Perhaps the Town should keep a supply of handicapped
parking space signs, in buckets of sand, and available for short-term use on voting days at polling
places, for example, but also at any venue where large crowds will likely require a greater-than-
usual number of accessible spaces, etc. A discussion of signs led naturally to a question of
budget. Bill noted that part of our charge is to advocate for budget items that are relevant to
helping promote accessibility Each year we must review our recommendations from the
previous year, see how things have gone, and revise and recommend items for the next year.
Aside from a new concern for how to acquire and pay for signs, this extends to all Town
expenditures. As an aside, Bill noted that we should call Police Chief Casey to report vehicles
parked in or blocking accessible parking spaces. This is reportedly a major problem at the Town
Pool when the ice-cream vending truck pulls into the lot and essentially blocks access to both
handicapped-accessible spaces.
Meeting adjourned with the next meeting to be held Wednesday 4 August 2004
Respectfully Submitted by Len Morse-Fortier