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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 04/20/1998COMMISSION ON DISABILITY MEETING MINUTES April 20,1998 2:00-4:30 Council Liaison: Michael Byrne I Staff Liaison: Blair Leist Chairperson: Kathy Lassen Phone: (I 1) 204-0614 (W) 491-5930 Members Present: Stacey Abate, Laura Burnett, Mark Cummings, Donald Fish, Mark Kramer, Kathy Lassen, Amy Rosenberg Members Absent: Alan Apt, Initha Stuckey City Staff Present: Blair Leist I. Disability Awareness Program Last year, the Commission and the City began to develop a Disability Awareness Program. The primary goal of the pro; ram was to develop programs, projects, and activities to increase disability awareness. The strategy to reach that goal focused upon reaching out to the business and educat onal community in order to form working partnerships. Unfortunately, the flood last summer had a detrimental effect upon this program and it was temporarily delaye. . However, the Commission and the City are now prepared to undertake this program. In doing so, several issues need to be addressed including the type, and extent, of projects that will make up the program. It is iml ortant to keep the projects manageable to ensure that the program will be successi d in its initial efforts. The Commission has recommended the following projects for the program: Speakers Bureau Create a speakers bureau in which individuals, with specific expertise, can give informational/educational presentations to targeted audiences. The audiences would generally be comprised of professionals from the same discipline as the presenter. A. Employment The target audience would include business owiiers, corporate human resource professionals, temporary employment agency personnel, and staff members that deal with employment issues. Presentations could be given by an experienced employment/human resource professional knowledgeable in employing individuals with disabilities. B. School Districts The target audience in this category would be the students in specific grades and age levels. Presenters would be those individuals that have disabilitic.; and can speak freely and openly about them. Presentations could include slide shows, disca ssion of assistive technology, and hands-on demonstrations. 2. Panel Discussions The target audience would primarily be business associations with the presentation(s) focusing on how to make businesses more inviting, not just accessible. Panel participants would be individuals with experience and knowledge of business/retail operations. In addition, the panel could be tailored to meet the needs of the specific topic (e.g. economics, underemployment, displays, etc.) 3. Disability Business Rating Develop a rating system similar to the "star" r: tings that restaurants are given by food critics. Have businesses ratings reported in local newspapers. 4. Sports Exposition Organize a sports exposition focusing on adaptive sports equipment, athletes, teams, and recreational opportunities for the sports enthusiast that has a disability. In recent years, the City has sponsored such an exposition through i is Recreational Therapy Specialist. Continuation of this program presents a perfect opportunity for development of City- community partnerships. Sponsored Art Contest The Commission and the City would sponsor an art contest for young students. The theme for the art submitted would be disabilities; living with, awareness of, mainstreaming, friendships, etc. Winners would have their art permanently displayed. II. Meeting with Mike Byrne Kathy Lassen and Nancy Stirling met with Mike Byrne and explained the needs of the Commission and the residents of the community that have disabilities. It was difficult to determine if Mike totally grasped the issue, so the following actions are recommended: Actions: 1. Blair will send Commission members Charter information identifying the role of the Council representative. 2. Discuss the "perceived" role of the Council representative at the May COD meeting. 3. Identify and document the primary issues facing the Commission. Send a memo/letter to Mike containing these issues. III. Quest Card Machines Apparently, Quest machines, the machines that read customers credit cards at the check out stands, are mounted to high for customers in wheelchairs to reach. Former Commission member, Angela Byrne, has requested that COD members check the height of Quest machines in their supermarkets and let her know what they have found. Actions: Members currently have little specific information, but will report back during the May meeting. In the meantime, Blair will send a letter to Angela informing her that the Commission is currently researching the Quest machines and that more information will be available in May. IV. Other Business 1. Nancy Stirling Had A Baby! On Friday morning, April 17th Nancy had a 6 lb. 14 oz. baby boy. Liam Douglas Stirling and mother are doing fine. Kathy has suggested sending Nancy flowers (or a plant) and has asked that Commission members kick in for the cost. Actions: 1. Kathy will send the gift and notify Blair of the cost. 2. Blair will notify Commission members of their contributions. 3. Blair will send Nancy's address to Kathy. 2. Dial -A -Ride Mark Kramer has suggested that a COD member be appointed to the DAR committee now that Ray Sanderson lias resigned. Commission's Video Script Mark Cummings has reported that MiL itael Gitter (Cable 27) has not yet completed the script for the video. It was promised the first week in March and Mark is wondering what happened. Action: 1. Blair will contact Michael to det amine the delay. V. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted this 21 st Day of April, 1998 by Blair D. Leist