HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 01/12/2006Attendance:
Steve Rierson
Susan Williams
Melinda Suits
Joan Cook
Terry Schlicting
Dawn Scott
Bill Livingston
Commission on Disability
Minutes 2006 January Regular Meeting
Council Information Center, City Hall Building, 300 LaPorte Ave.
January 12, 2006Approved February 9, 2006
City Staff Liaisons:
Steve White
Annie Houston
Call to order, 12:21 PM, Susan Williams, Chairperson
Introductions to new member, Bill Livingston.
Guests:
Jerry Patterson
Mark Beck
Mark Beck showed video of Practical Housing for All which will be aired on Showcase
Fort Collins on channel 14. Show will air 8PM Saturday and 8PM Sunday, for two
weeks. The film will be edited and added to for use with builders, meetings and
presentations. The front page of this week's Forum also had a front page article on PHA.
Good work, Mark.
Mark wanted to know if the COD could budget Thank you certificates and frames for
homes that are built to PHA standards. Steve W. will look into this; it is also a topic for
the budget subcommittee.
Susan: The COD has been sending certificates to those that go above and beyond
accessibility.
Jerry: About how many are we talking about?
Mark: 5 so far and 8 in the hopper.
Steve W: Karla Smith is missing minutes from September and December meetings of the
COD. Jerry will take care of it.
Susan: nominations for the secretary: Joanie Cook, passed unanimously. Melinda will be
back up. Nominations on other offices will be taken. Voting will take place next month
at the regular meeting.
Nominations are: Steve R for Vice Chairperson, Susan for Chairperson and Terry for
Historian.
Nominations will be left open until the next meeting.
Susan complained to the Department of Justice about the rest rooms at City Hall. She
had a meeting with Ingrid Decker, the Assistant District Attorney and a representative
from the Department of Justice and Ken Mannon. Fort Collins is so good about ADA
compliance that she is sorry that it had to be handled this way. They showed beautifully
drawn up blueprints for the downstairs bathroom. The bathroom stalls will be accessible
by the end of February. Susan will be notified and will check it out.
Susan wrote a letter to the city thanking them for the positive stance on Dial -a -Ride for
the transfer in January, but the contract has not been signed. Darin Attebury responded
that they are still in negotiations but city service won't run out of money and Dial -a -Ride
won't go away. The budget approval process is why the contract has not been signed.
Subcommittee reports
NOD Joanie went to the NOD website and they still had the old information. They must
not have made a decision yet.
Art Show Committee will meet the 4' Thursday in February (23rd). WE all need a copy
of who is on what committee. Jerry will get Joanie a document to hand out. Susan said
the Art Committee will be sending out a letter to sponsors if they can. Susan will ask
Ingrid Decker (asst. City Atty.) if we can do this. She will be at our next meeting. She is
the person to contact with issues.
Bill: next week can we have a list of subcommittees that he can join? He pointed out that
the regular meetings go more smoothly if subcommittees meet separately. On the
schedule Annie handed out, the subcommittees meet on the 4' Thursdays of the month as
needed and report at the regular meeting.
Bill commented that we (as a society) ignore ''/z the disabled population in the
community, for example, cancer patients (invisible disabilities).
Susan: How do you suggest we address this?
Steve W: We have discussed this, maybe later we can meet on this issue.
Bill: every time I see a list of who you can't discriminate against they leave out the
disabled. People ignore the discrimination that is going on. We, as a commission, need
to get to the forefront on this issue.
Susan: What do you suggest?
Bill: Get the word out
Terry wrote an article for the Coloradoan. Susan tries to get an article in the paper once a
month. Susan will call Terry on the article.
Bill: What concerns does the city have?
Steve W.: Next month Ingrid will be here and let us know what we can do.
Bill: Remember to thank all who help
Susan: We send certificates
Bill: I won an award from the COD and I was very thankful.
Bill: people in wheelchairs get more respect than other disabled people
Susan: What do you think if we send Mark a certificate for the work he does on Practical
housing for all?
Terry: I think it is a great idea
Joanie: How about the whole committee?
Steve R moves to draw up a certificate
Joanie seconds the motion, motion passed unanimously
Susan will send a certificate on an outstanding job. She will send Annie what to put on
the certificate.
Susan: Last month we passed out brochures, where did they get distributed?
Terry: All three Mugs Coffee Houses, CSU library, the downtown library requires
approval. Terry also spoke with Committee Disabled Students Accessibility (CDSA)
about continuing working on the COD after graduation.
Joanie has more brochures and will bring them to the February meeting.
Susan: the ones at City Hall are all gone.
Joanie: What was the print shop that printed them?
We think it was Citizen printing.
Bill moves we adjourn, Steve R. seconds Passed unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 1:20pm
Minutes respectfully submitted by Melinda Suits