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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 06/12/2008Commission on Disability June 12, 2008 Members Present: Terry Schlicting, Mary Elizabeth Lenahan, Harry Meyer, Mare Franklin-Gaumer, Jason Holland, Bev Hageseth, Vivian Armendariz (late) Absent: Lydia Wiatrowski, Kimberlee Imig, Alva Vineyard City Liaison: Bruce Byrne, Jenna Stieben Guests: Kalin Logan, KarenWong-Brown, Cheryl Distaso, Brittany Winkler, Social Work Intern 1. Call to Order 12:25 by Terry Schlicting. 2. Approval of Minutes Mare moved to approve May minutes; Mary Elizabeth seconded; minutes approved unanimously. 3. Introductions Kalin Logan, private citizen concerned with safe transit for persons in wheelchairs; Karen Wong -Brown, member of the Human Rights Commission following up with request for support letter; Cheryl Distaso, Center for Justice, Peace, & the Environment, concerned with access and safe transit for persons in wheelchairs; Brittany Winkler works with Terry at the CSU Resources for Disabled Students. 4. Open Discussion General Public Karen reported that Frances Wilson is compiling a new application for Dial -a -Ride with a confirmed PTSD diagnosis. Karen came to request the support letter from Terry as approved by the COD at the April, 2008 COD meeting. Terry will call Frances, compose the letter, and send a copy to Frances and cc the COD via e-mail for commission feedback. The letter will reflect his personal views and those of the COD. Jenna will supply him with COD letterhead and Terry will provide a copy to Mayor Doug Hutchinson. Kalin and Cheryl wanted to review what the COD has done regarding wheelchairs in bicycle -pedestrian lanes. Terry noted that persons in wheelchairs are considered pedestrians, discussed the state law as it applies to streets in city limits, and that if streets are inaccessible, persons in wheelchairs can freely use bike lanes. Reference was made to Chief Harrison's statement "...it is allowable to use the bike lanes when the sidewalk is obstructed and only for the distance of the obstruction. The sidewalk is the primary location for wheelchairs..." Bev pointed out that Erika Keeton requested that citizens call about needed sidewalk repairs (221-6605). Where there are no sidewalks, Mare wanted clarification about whether or not to face traffic. Cheryl noted concerns with inconsistent curbcuts, potential harassment if a person in a wheelchair uses the bike lanes, a need for a community policy in this matter rather than a law change, and the legal wording of "available" sidewalks. Mary Elizabeth suggested documenting incidents to report and offering training to community officers in Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins. She noted that the COD advocates for Community Access and has made recommendations for the Bike Plan. While traversing north College Avenue facing traffic in his wheelchair, Kalin was hit by an unlicensed driver in a company truck. The driver was ticketed for reckless driving (not failure to yield to a pedestrian) and the police took the report to submit to Medicaid for the damaged wheelchair. Mare suggested using the ticket as an opportunity for community education regarding the status of a person in a wheelchair on the street and that Kalin write a letter. Terry noted that there are liability issues in these cases. Mare suggested clarifying the "pedestrian" issue in community education. Cheryl wants to know what other cities in the United State do and whether a policy regarding a person in a wheelchair in a bike lane is at the discretion of officers. Jason wants to look for solutions. Factors to consider are that: the city is tied to the state law, sidewalks need to be improved, Erika Keeton needs to have the funding for her list of needed improvements, and prioritized repairs need to be reviewed with Council. Terry is worried that some of these streets may not be dealt with for up to five years. Mare sees this as another affirmation of the need for education. Mary Elizabeth feels it is important to align with Bike Fort Collins to incorporate wheelchair symbols in signage. Cheryl suggests a multi -faceted approach to sharing bike lanes with persons (pedestrians) in wheelchairs. Her ideas include: • research about what other communities do (Terry will research Berkeley, Harry suggested checking with Boulder and Cambridge) • community education about sensitivity for bicyclists, police, and sheriffs (Mare will research the sensitivity issue and report in July) • a large, face-to-face community meeting with all of the "players" • encouraging funding dedicated to improving street access • creating a policy statement Mare agreed that a package could be developed as another step in the community access program. Commission will continue to gather more information for this issue. Thank you to Cheryl who left the meeting after sharing her comments. Terry will invite DK Kemp from City Bike Planning Office and Jeff Morrell from Bike Fort Collins to the July meeting. 5. New Business Posting for the vacancy on the Commission on Disability closes June 13`h Mayor's Awards will be held Thursday, October 16th. 11:30 to 1:30. Jason shared the draft of the Call for Nomination postcard that he & his wife are creating. Jason will meet with Jenna to confirm printing. Mary Elizabeth will seek bid from Kwik Kopy and Jason will check with Kinko's. Bruce will confirm the space and finalize trophies and caterers in the summer. Jenna has already confirmed the Mayor's schedule with Sarah. Questions about the logo will be answered when it's time to print the postcards. Next sub -committee meeting is Thursday, July 24, 2008,12:15 PM — 2:00 PM at the CIC. Karen asked to be notified about the nominations and the online form. Bruce asked to be excused early and left to conduct interviews. 6. Old Business Community Access sub -committee members Terry and Bev began the review of the presentation and brochure for final approval. This project started in January, 2007 is ready for final approval from the COD. Once the project is approved at the COD level, it will go to Council liaison Doug Hutchinson and Council for their comments/approval prior to creating public presentations to share as community education by COD members. Jenna distributed copies of the script and brochure and displayed the Powerpoint. Mare and Bev read the script along with the slides. Commission members and guests commented. Powerpoint & script: When Vivian arrived, she deleted slides #14, 15, & 16 listing community resources, which led to rearranging the placement of the script notes. Some verbiage was reworded and the James DePriest quote deleted. Jenna made edits during the meeting. Brochure: font size was increased for better readability and spelling corrected (amendable). Placement of the text was still a concern. Editorial recommendations from Harry, Mary Elizabeth, and Mare were: • each of the three inside panels address one topic (panel 1 = Functional Society for All and COD contact information; panel 2 =Key Issues; panel 3 = Resources with web addresses italicized); • words within paragraphs be unhyphenated at the ends of lines. Vivian agreed to make the changes. Terry moved that the Community Access Package be approved. All approved unanimously. Welcome packet for new board members: Jason and Lydia do not have the welcome packet ready yet. 7. Suggestions for July agenda: report on follow-up with street crossing push buttons and responses from Erika; reports from Mare and Harry on sensitivity and way other communities handle wheelchair access; visit from Bike Plan and Bike Fort Collins; new member welcome packet. Bev moved that the meeting be adjourned and Harry seconded. Meeting Adjourned at 2:07 PM.