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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Committee For Persons With Disabilities - 04/07/2004 trio SUMMARY MINUTES FOR MEETING OF April 7, 2004, as amended COMMITTEE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Page 1 of 4 Call to Order/Introductions/Roll Call/Absences: A. Meeting opened by the Chair, Ms. Fallwell-Stover. B. Roll Call — No quorum at roll call (3:40 PM). 1. Present at the time were Ms. Fallwell-Stover, Eloy Soza, Glenn Ray Torno Brian Watson and Mary Saenz. 2. Absent Committee Members were Crystal Lyons and Billy Sayles. (Robert Flores and Toni Padilla would arrive shortly.) 3. Also in attendance was City Staff: L. David Ramos, Wanese Butler, Joseph Harney, Linda Hodge (Park & Recreation -Asst. Director of Programs) and Ronney Sepulveda (Park & Recreation Superintendent). C. Excused Absences: None action at this time. GENERAL DISCUSSION ONLY- No action to be taken. Mr. Sepulveda commented on plans for an inclusion open house at the City's Joe Garza Recreation Center, with activities such as an access challenge, wheelchair basketball and informational stations for various disabilities. There was discussion of possible dates in the summer.The earlier preferred dates had other large community events already scheduled. However, Mr. Sepulveda will check with the events planning committee for dates during the summer, and possibly coincide with July in recognition of the signing of the ADA. [Mr. Flores arrived, establishing a quorum for the meeting at approximately 3:48 p.m.] General discussion continued about an inclusion open house and also how to address with outreach. Ms. Hodge asked for any input of ideas, as Mr. Sepulveda indicated that the open house is also for awareness. Ms. Fallwell-Stover commented that parents look for programs, camps and summer programs, and need this information in January/February so they may plan ahead for their children. Mr. Sepulveda and Ms. Hodge indicated that Park and Recreation is considering to have ongoing open houses at different sites and plan to conduct surveys at one center before holding the next center's open house. Park and Recreation will be sharing open house information with the Committee. Also, Ms. Fallwell-Stover asked Park and Recreation to provide information on a regular basis on requests for accommodations (RFA) to share ("spread the word"), since not all RFA end up as cases before the Ad Hod Committee. [Mr. Watson stepped-out for a few minutes—Loss quorum at approximately 3:58 PM. Ms. Fallwell-Stover moved onto the Chairs Report.] SCANNED V V SUMMARY MINUTES FOR MEETING OF April 7, 2004, as amended COMMITTEE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Page 2 of 4 IV. CHAIR'S REPORT: A. Ms. Fallwell-Stover remarked on the Fair Housing Seminar that was held Friday, April 2, 2004. She also commended Judy Telge of ACi and the Human Relations Staff. [Ms. Padilla arrived —Quorum reestablished at approximately 4:02 PM) Ms. Fallwell-Stover also shared with the Committee that the Keynote Speaker [Mr. Jon Gant, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Enforcement and Programs, Department of HUD]pointed out that nationally,40%of housing complaints are from persons with disabilities. She asked about similar information at the local level. B. Ms. Fallwell-Stover commented on the Harris Poll results regarding the Lane v. Tenn case, in which: 1. 94% of all adults polled (general constituents, not just persons with disabilities)agreed that public buildings need to be made accessible; and 2. 93% of all adults polled agreed that businesses, theaters and the government should be accessible. V. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS A. Outreach Subcommittee— No report at this time. B. Legislative Subcommittee: 1. Texas Legislative Session—Brief discussion about the next State of Texas Legislative Session in which there may possibly be discussion on the ADA in light of TX Attorney General Abbott to ask Governor Perry to place the item on the agenda. 2. Non-discrimination ordination-Mr. Ramos commented that the City Manager, Mr. Noe, indicated support of a campaign for more outreach. The Chair, Ms. Fallwell-Stover asked for Committee volunteers for an outreach subcommittee. Possible volunteers include Mr. Soza and Ms. Lyons. Mr. Soza also mentioned that Mr. Ray Villanueva of Alice, Texas is interested in the City's non- discrimination ordinance, and asked Staff to forward a copy to his Alice address. Mr. Watson mentioned a concern about who is handling the accessibility of streets and sidewalks. Regarding other ADA items, Mr. Harney mentioned that the City Council would consider a contract on public facility projects on 4/13/04. fro SUMMARY MINUTES FOR MEETING OF April 7, 2004, as amended COMMITTEE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Page 3 of 4 3. Comprehensive Self-Evaluation of Title f - Human Resources: Mr. Ramos reminded the Committee as previously indicated by memorandum from Cynthia Garcia, Director of Human Resources,the self-evaluation of the City's Human Resources department and policies was postponed due to pending projects over the next couple of months. The Chair asked that a timeline be provided to the Committee and for Mr. Ramos to report back. VI. OLD BUSINESS: A. Accessibility Brochure — Mr. Flores reported that he would meet with Ms. Lyons and Ms. Shultz. B. Barbara Jordan Awards — Ms. Padilla reported good news that the sponsorships were confirmed to cover the cost of the event; students with disabilities would also be assisting as helpers and greeters at the awards;the sponsorship table by Human Relations is for Committee Members only and that the keynote speaker has been confirmed. Expenses for the keynote speaker, Ms. Sharon D'Eusanio, are already covered since she was already booked for another speaking engagement in Corpus Christi at the"Opening Doors — Serving Crime Victims with Disabilities" seminar, hosted by Crime Victims Services. [Ms. Saenz arrived] General discussion ensued about the BJA sponsors and programs. C. Accessibility of Bayfront Arena—Mr. Ramos spoke with Marc Solis, General Manager, about making a presentation before the Committee on programs and services. However, Mr. Solis responded that he could do so in a few months. Mr. Torno commented that the arena presentation should be done now before the arena is complete to hear and address any accessibility concerns. MOTION by Mr. Tomo: Contact Marc Solis and emphasize urgency to discuss operations and policies, such as accessible seating. Seconded by Ms. Padilla. General discussion ensured about related items of site plan sketch and open caption system. The vote was taken and the motion passed. VII. NEW BUSINESS: A. Transportation — Mr. Watson attended the recent Regional Transportation Authority(RTA) Board meeting. Making reference to Austin's transit allowing persons with disabilities to ride free, Mr. Watson expressed concerns again (1110 SUMMARY MINUTES FOR MEETING OF April 7, 2004, as amended COMMITTEE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES Page 4 of 4 do so locally and asked that the Committee send a letter to the RTA for permanent bus passes for people with disabilities. General discussion ensued on how to approach, explore and get more information on this matter, including information from Austin on its experience. Mr. Watson would get more information for the Committee and report at next month's meeting. B. McGee Beach — Mr. Flores expressed concerns about accessibility efforts. Mr. Torno mentioned that the seawall project is in the same area. There was general discussion and Human Relations is to contact Engineering Services for information, including what will be done for the Velocity Games. Ms. Hodge informed the Committee of a presentation scheduled before the City Council on 4/13/04. [The Chair returned to first part of agenda while having a quorum.] I.C. EXCUSED ABSENCES 1. Mr. Flores was absent the past two months due to ARD meetings. 2. Mr. Tomo was absent last month due to being in Washington D.C. with the architects association. MOTION: Ms. Padilla moved to excuse the 2 absences for Mr. Flores and one for Mr. Torno. Seconded by Ms. Saenz. There was no further discussion. The vote was taken and the motion passed. APPROVAL OF MINUTES for March 3, 2004 MOTION: Mr. Soza moved to approve the minutes as written. Seconded by Mr. Watson and Mr. Flores. There was no further discussion upon review. The vote was taken and the motion passed. VIII. ADMINISTRATORS REPORT Mr. Ramos provided an overview of the statistical information through February 2004. He also agreed to try to incorporate the percentage of cases from EEOC and HUD with the basis of"disability" as the protected class. Brief discussion ensued on individual curb ramp requests, in that basically when these come in, the City's Engineering Services Department places the item for bid before the work is done. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Soza, with a second by Ms. Fallwell-Stover. The Meeting adjourned at approximately 5:23 PM.