Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 02/18/2021Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 1 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 1. CALL TO ORDER Terry Schlicting called to order at 5:34pm 2. ROLL CALL Present: Terry Schlicting, Anna Fuller, Davina Lau, Marilee Boylan, Sami Peterson, Linda Drees, Rachel Knox-Stutsman, Joe Tiner, Mandy Morgan Board Members Absent: none Staff Members Present: Carol Thomas, Karen Burke Guests: Cari Brown (ARC of Larimer County), Alma Vigo-Morales (Diversity Solutions Group), Lynda Byrnes 3. AGENDA REVIEW • Accepted, with removal of Annual Report, that which is complete 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Under Questions: Marilee: correction: No red zones or accessibility parking were eliminated or have been offset • Motion to approve as amended by Joe, Second by Marilee, Unanimously Approved 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION • None 6. NEW BUSINESS • Renaming the COD as a Board: Alternative Names o City council began reimagining Boards and Commissions last year, one of those pieces include renaming so they more clearly align with functions. The title “Commission on Disability” does not fit into that structure. The new name should include the word “Board.” City Clerk is currently recommending Disability Advisory Board. o Terry and Joe would like to see the words disabled or disability included o TERRY: would like to express that having a disability is part of the human condition and something to be proud of Suggestions: o JOE: Disability, Access, and Inclusion Board o DAVINA: Something including equity and inclusion o MANDY: Inclusionary Advisory Board Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 2 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 o SAMI: By using the word disability, does it further stigmatize the use of the word o MARILEE: Board for equity and inclusion of people with disabilities o TERRY: would like to know the legal implications of changing the name to ensure that this is not a maneuver to lessen the clout of the voice of this board o Carol the change is regarding changing “commission” to “board,” not function o SAMI: Advisory Board for Equity and Inclusion of People with Disabilities o RACHEL: Advisory Board for Disability Access o JOE: Advisory Board for Access and Inclusion o LINDA: Current name gives simple and inclusive, broad impression, suggests Disability Advisory Board o JOE: Agrees, vague but broad, so anything around disabilities, this board can address o ANNA: Agrees, too many words makes it too complicated o Carol provided the naming convention of commission versus board: Board = advisory or decision making, Commission = quasi-judicial o Carol provided other names that have been used in other municipalities and educational institutions o TERRY: doesn’t like using the word ADA, because it limits what the board can do o MARILEE: prefers people-first language o LINDA: prefers short and sweet, inclusive o JOE: for other Fort Collins city boards, where are they putting the word “board”? Carol sees most are putting it at the end of their title, focus on group is first o TERRY: vote to include people/people-first language o MANDY: doesn’t feel the same about the word disability, and would prefer that it not be in the title. Suggests that the name should stay the closest to what we have now to eliminate anyone being confused with a name change. The commission is already difficult to find. Disability Advisory Board is the closest, beyond feelings about the word disability o JOE: will the name changes be communicated out to the public through city marketing? o MANDY/MARILEE: Advisory Board for People with Disabilities o TERRY: Does that give the inclination that we don’t include people without disabilities to not come to the board o LINDA: The educational component that COD plays would change with an advisory board FOR people with disabilities Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 3 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 o JOE: Disability Advisory Board implies that we are advising the city on the topics that we include o TERRY: Disability implies the topic and ways COD engages with city, versus Disabled implying people o MANDY: Including the word access in the title implies we focus on mostly access • VOTE: Disability Advisory Board Motion to approve from Terry, second from Linda, Unanimously approved. • Board would like to explore what access does COD have to promote their board and it’s work on social media through the city? 7. GUESTS • LISTENING SESSION RE CITY EQUITY & INCLUSION OFFICER (@ 6:30 PM) Alma Vigo Morales, Diversity Solutions Group Co-founder Karen Burke, City HR Director • City will be hiring an Executive Leader on Equity and Inclusion and it’s important for them to have people with disabilities heard while looking at their hiring process. o Just at the beginning stages, right now there is not a position description but these listening sessions will help to write that description. They have an RFP out to recruit a company that will help to hire within this office/department. o Executive reporting directly to the City Manager’s office, they will be a part of the City’s Executive team. If you were the hiring manager, who will hire this executive leader in Fort Collins, what skills would you be looking for? What skills would be essential? • TERRY: Empathy is essential • JOE: Ability to build strong and collaborative relationships across all spaces they will work with. Someone who can demonstrate strategic planning • LINDA: good listener, someone who listens more than they talk • DAVINA: conflict management, there will be disagreements • SAMI: sense of curiosity, rather than walking in with all of the answers • LINDA: positive personality, resilience, it will be a hard job • TERRY: understanding of disability as an aspect of diversity • SAMI: disability is rarely included as an aspect of diversity • JOE: someone who can look at diversity with a broad lens and that it isn’t just traditionally race/ethnicity and gender. At CSU there is a broad reach of diversity Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 4 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 which includes 16 different types of diversity. Someone who can align with the broader definition of diversity. Would be great to align the city’s work with CSU’s work. • TERRY: how aspects of someone’s diversity points intersect to include how a person experiences their community • SAMI: intentionally inclusive of non-obvious, visual disabilities • TERRY: to include mental health • RACHEL: someone who understands that mental health plays a big part of diversity, inside and outside of disabilities • MANDY: knowing that people define disability different for themselves • MARILEE: including people with significant disabilities to have equitable access to life in their community • SAMI: they should know people-first language and to know that they have experience with people with disabilities (similar to how bilingual preferred is often listed) • TERRY: has knowledge of unique knowledge of the ways diversity issues have presented themselves in Fort Collins • RACHEL: have a basic understanding of what the ADA is and what it does • TERRY: also include other laws related to equity and inclusion, fair/affordable housing laws and such • JOE: really good supervisory skills to guide employees in their office when hard conversations are happening, can they take care of themselves and their staff • ANNA: what are the requirements for this position Karen: being careful to not exclude people by making the requirements so stringent • LINDA: Knowledge, skills, and abilities, a template would be helpful Karen: Capabilities and Abilities, minimum requirements/education/experience – this is the part to be fine-tuned to meet all needs • SAMI: their personal values should align with the direction the city wants to move in, someone with the ability to learn, they may not have experience with everything, but knowing the problem solving skills they will use when those come up, it will help find a long-term match for this position • LINDA: knowledge of other laws (and the ADA), and their understanding and opportunities to enforce or comply with those laws, learning laws isn’t always easy, so looking at a person’s values will show a working understanding and knowledge of laws Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 5 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 • TERRY: is this seen as a compliance position? What lens is it being created through? Karen: this position is external and internal facing, bringing in metrics, this will be the strategy arm of the city • MANDY: some descriptions state they may gain knowledge within a year upon hire, like certifications and such; would like someone to be able to get in the door and allow for them to learn on the job for certain expectations. Example of forcing someone to have a driver’s license to have a position, as long as they have the ability to get from point A to point B • TERRY: If travel within the city is required, does it absolutely require that they have a driver’s license or that they have access to travel through the city • MANDY: on driver’s license question, instead of yes or no, also ask if they have access to reliable transportation – a license limits people who may do really well with the position • Alma: this position will establish many partnerships to ensure that the city position, although within a city, it’s also in the larger community. The city expects this person to have an impact on the larger community Knowing this person will not be able to solve ALL of the diversity solutions right away, what would give you confidence that this person is on the right track after they start • JOE: transparency • MANDY: a presence in the city, seeing change, someone is taking action and doing this now • MARILEE: will create a strong strategic plan • LINDA: with strong objectives • RACHEL: wants to see this person going around to different people in the community and finding a way to address them. • MANDY: positive public image or presence in the community, that feeling that someone is fighting for you • LINDA: is this individual going to have a budget? Karen: yes, they will, the budget will be sent as a bid to city council and council will approve, called BFO’s (budgeting for outcomes). They will have funds available for the first year and there are off-cycle budget options for additional needs. • LINDA: alliances and partnerships, different types of diversity/diversability and a lot of different groups, putting diverse groups together such as people with disabilities with people with black lives matter Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 6 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 Alma: yes that will matter to bring people together who can collaborate and recognize the opportunities in that • TERRY: at CSU, there have issues that have impacted the campus community, but so many of the issues are tied to the community that surrounds campus, someone would need to speak for the city and also the community members (including CSU students) • RACHEL: also include Poudre School District in the same way, recognizing it’s another organization that is big in Fort Collins What could this leader do to support you in your role, as a member of this board or the roles you play in the community? • MARILEE: one of the city’s goals is to hire a more diverse workforce, look into project ACE with PSD to connect with interns • SAMI: would add a partnership with the the department of vocational rehabilitation • SAMI: would like them to look at the unique housing needs our community has, how u+2 can be limiting, and assist with getting better options in to place • MARILEE: Important to have a sense of the vibrancy of the city and someone who asserts that the vibrancy should be accessible to everyone • MANDY: past events have stated that they meet ADA minimums and that’s enough, other states and cities go above and beyond and it would be great for other cities to model after us in a way of accessibility • TERRY: they need to be having real discussions, not just “painting a rusty ship”, they need to acknowledge issues that are happening and not be promoting that Fort Collins is a great place to live without leaving out some people. They should have an alternative view point, the position needs to allow the person the freedom to disagree with city council and city management and not just someone who agrees with the status quo, without fear of retribution • SAMI: lens or filter of evaluation to look at what the city is doing to promote the effects of social isolation, as the rest of the city has learned through the pandemic, some individuals live like this all of the time. Recognizing social capital, when access to some places are cut off, their dependence on formal supports and services is affected. • SAMI: meetings with our board, stories are a practical power, good to spend time with this person early • MARILEE: transportation must be considered, addressing the inequity of paratransit, winter access has always been challenging Thursday, February 18, 2021, 2021 at 5:30-7:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting 2/18/2021 – MINUTES Page 7 COMMISSION ON DISABILITY (COD) REGULAR MEETING – Contact: Carol Thomas, Equal Opportunity & Compliance Manager – 416-4254 • TERRY: transportation is equity and inclusion in every level Is there a way that board would like to stay involved in the hiring process? • Many members reported they would like to be involved and consulted • MANDY: would like progress check-ins to keep this board in the loop • Alma: suggestion that there is a hiring update given at each monthly meeting for the status on this position 8. OLD BUSINESS • Transfort’s route schedules/service levels due to COVID 9. ADJORNMENT Terry Schlicting called to adjourn at Terry, second by Joe at 7:33. Next meeting will be March 18th, 2021, on zoom.