PORTLAND CITIZENS DISABILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
1221 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97204
August 12, 2008 Committee Minutes
The PCDAC full committee was held at City Hall in the Rose Room.
Members Present: Jan Campbell, Michael Levine, Ann Balzell, Martha Simpson, Joe VanderVeer, Pam VanderVeer, Nancy Hesselman, Trish Baker, Mike Delman.
Excused Absent: Anne O’Malley, Joan Hansen
Unexcused Absent: Jeanne McClellan
Associate Members: Dan Pierce and Christina Turner
Staff: Nickole Cheron and Teckla Anderson
Guests: Afifa Ahmed-Shafi, Public Involvement Standards Coordinator with ONI
Agenda: Michael made a motion to approve the agenda. Pam seconded the motion. Agenda was approved unanimously.
Minutes: There were no June minutes available for approval. No meeting was held in July.
Introductions were made around the table. Jan stated that she needs to change the time for the next ADA subcommittee meeting.
Guest Speaker: Afifa is creating a committee of half staff and half community members. It will be called the Public Involvement Advisory Committee. They will help set standards and guidelines. If there is time at the end of the meeting, she will give a presentation regarding the committee.
Jan stated that we still do not have the June minutes from David. Nickole said that she will try to get the recording from David. Michael said that if we don’t hear from David, we should accept his resignation.
Committee Reports
Awards Event ad-hoc committee: Pam presented the proposed award recipient list. Ann Balzell said the ad-hoc committee had made a couple amendments: Removing Michael Levine (since he is on the PCDAC) and April Bertleson, and just presenting the PDOT award to Dan and Theresa rather than the whole group. They also decided to remove the Women with Disabilities Health Equity Coalition and save them for consideration next year.
Ann thanked Michael Levine for his work with PDOT and asked if he would present the award to the PDOT committee. He said he would be happy to.
Jan said that the presenter would say something about Michael’s participation in their introduction of him to present the award.
There are 14 awards total, with 12 plaques and 2 stars.
Motion: Pam made a motion to approve the list of award recipients, with the noted amendments. Joe seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.
Michael Bayley has agreed to be the speaker for the event.
The event is Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm.
Tentative itinerary: 3:00pm – Council Chambers – Jan to do intro
3:05 – 3:25pm – Michael Bailey to speak
3:25 – 3:45 – Jan to present awards, mayor to shake their hands
There was discussion as to whether to let the recipients say anything after they receive their awards or not. Michael thinks they should be able to say something. There was discussion about each introduction being 1 minute in length and giving each recipient 30 seconds to speak.
Jan and Pam will talk to Michael Bailey about having a cross-disability, uplifting message.
Jan thinks we should have flowers in the council chambers. She will contact a woman who does flower arrangements. Anne O’Malley, Martha, and Pam are planning on going to Costco to get the needed food and supplies for the event.
Nickole said that she had arranged for the Mayor to sponsor the event so that we can have alcohol at the reception.
A guest book for everyone to sign was mentioned. It was also suggested that there be a table with literature about PCDAC and the Disabilities Program, as well as membership applications on it.
Pam said that we need to compose the recipient notice. Nickole and Jan will look for last year’s notice. If one isn’t found, Pam and Jan will create one.
The goal is to get the recipient letters out by Monday.
Pam suggested that we have the same musician as last year. She asked about a photographer.
Pam and Joe mentioned that Renee Mitchell, with the Oregonian, is interested in covering the event.
There was discussion about whether we are required to provide a sign language interpreter, even if no one has asked for one. Jan thinks that events should have an interpreter. Jan and Nickole will look into this.
We will need money for a possible sign language interpreter, program printing, and food.
Mike Delman said he will ask Sherry whether she would work at the event (as an interpreter) for a discounted price. Jan said that Dana Huit might do that as well. Jan will call Sherry and Dana and a few others to find out.
Nickole and Jan will check in with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
We need to focus on getting information out and getting people to come.
Pam requested that whoever submitted award recipient names need to get contact information for those people to her as soon as possible.
Deadlines: 9/16 – Invites
10/2 – Reminders
10/9 – RSVP Due Date
Pam asked that everyone on PCDAC send the names of 10 businesses we could solicit sponsorship donations from to Teckla by Friday. She will send out the letters on Monday.
Transportation Committee:
Roll and Stroll -
Michael reported that there are two dates for the Roll and Stroll events: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 and Monday, October 6, 2008. Both events will run from 11:00am – 12:30pm. They will begin at City Hall and end at the MS Society. The MS Society will provide the mobility devices as well as sandwiches for the events.
Nickole said that ONI has 8 goggles and 3-4 canes. The cost of these items came from last year’s budget. The MS Society is donating a manual wheelchair to ONI, which will be stored at the MS Society.
Nickole said that each subcommittee still has their budget money. She also clarified that there has never been a designated amount of money for PCDAC separate from the Disabilities Program.
She said basically there is $1,500 for the awards event and $1,500 for other expenses (such as printing, etc.).
Michael said there is very little cost for the Roll and Stroll events.
We will be using 2-3 goggles/canes at a time, 2 manual chairs, 2 electric chairs, 1 walker, and 1 scooter.
Jan asked about having white noise (to simulate hard of hearing). We didn’t have that last year.
Michael said that we need volunteers for the event. Joe and Pam said they were available for the September 16th event.
Michael said that they are recruiting people to be involved from Commissioner Fish and Commissioner Leonard’s offices as well as from Portland Department of Transportation – such as City Engineers.
They are aiming for 10 people at each event and hope to get 8.
Nickole said that when we get the Commissioners committed to the events, we should invite some press people to participate.
Michael said to contact people you know and submit names.
Jan said that we should try to include those with hearing impairment by using walkmans on static.
Michael asked the committee to send him their availability to assist at the events.
TriMet Mall –
Michael stated that the new mall was built incorrectly. There is no way to deliver paratransit in the way that is needed: from point of origin to destination.
Michael said there was a meeting on August 25th that included Theresa Boyle, Ramon Corona, Pam Elmore, Steve Cautz, Jan Campbell, and Michael Levine. They looked at the point of origin issue.
It sounds like the City will give up some parking spots.
Michael said that the mall is designed for everything but paratransit.
CAT and the advisory council want Transit Tracker to be both visual and audible. TriMet is only planning on having it visually.
On the new mall, the bus stops will be every 4 blocks instead of every 2 blocks and now the paratransit won’t help.
The new rail cards will have two different priority seating areas. The spots for mobility devices won’t have a place to sit and the places for disabled seating won’t have any spots for mobility devices. The new cars do not accommodate needs.
Michael said that there were already barriers with one-way streets but now they are creating new barriers. He said both sides are going to have to compromise.
Michael has filed a complaint with the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA), asking for assistance in this matter with TriMet. He also asked that they keep a better eye on TriMet in the future.
Michael said that it is appropriate that Theresa Boyle is receiving an award as she has taken the lead in assisting TriMet in working to accommodate people with disabilities.
The Transportation subcommittee is recommending that PCDAC write letters to the FTA and to the TriMet Board of Directors and copy to Fred Hansen, TriMet General Manager.
Michael said that Ann has said that the MS Society in on board and Pam said that Adapt is on board. He thinks that Elders in Action will be on board as well.
Michael wants to request that we send out a request to the people on Nickole’s list for people to sign on.
Joe asked if TriMet had admitted that they built the mall incorrectly. Michael said no.
Michael said that TriMet may lose federal funding if they continue not to meet federal ADA standards.
Pam asked if Michael had drafted a “sign on” letter yet. Michael said that they could sign on to his complaint or draft their own.
Nickole asked if he would draft a letter from PCDAC. He said he would, but he would like to just bring it before the Transportation and Executive committees and not wait for the next PCDAC meeting to send it out.
Motion: To authorize the drafting of a letter to the FTA, which will be presented to the Transportation and Executive committees for review, regarding the PCDAC’s concerns regarding the transit mall construction and barriers to people with disabilities. Ask the FTA for assistance and to complete an audit. Also send a letter to the TriMet Board of Directors and copy Fred Hansen, TriMet General Manager.
Michael made the motion, Nancy seconded it. Motion passed unanimously.
Executive Committee:
Brian Hoop, with ONI, came and spoke to the Executive Committee regarding the review of their mission statement and bureau-wide goals. Those interested in commenting on the mission statement and goals that were sent out by Brian Hoop were to get their comments to Ann Balzell by yesterday.
At this point, Ann has not received any comments, but she said that there is still a lot of time because there will be another meeting that she is planning to attend.
Nickole asked if anyone was interested in being involved in these discussions. She said that Ann Balzell is representing PCDAC at the BAC meetings and Anne O’Malley is representing PCDAC at the standards level and the Executive Committee has gotten copies of everything.
Teckla will send out the information to the whole PCDAC committee.
Ann said that they are truly struggling to revise these. They came up with five proposals and at the end of the meeting half the group said they didn’t like any of them.
ADA Committee:
Jan said the ADA Committee met with Curtis Banger regarding the “Portland Loo” project. Jan read the minutes from the meeting with Curtis. (See minutes from July 22nd ADA Committee meeting.)
Nickole and Teckla said that the level and door lock design on the door had been changed. They are ADA compatible. There will be a turn lever to lock it and a bar to pull the door open.
Nickole said that the pilot will go up and then we can go and look at it and test it out.
Jan said that we talked to Sue Rhodes (via phone) regarding the new OHSU building. She has some issues with lack of signage, small door buttons, and inconvenient information desk, etc.
Jan spoke with one person while she was at OHSU. She will write something up to send to OHSU by Monday regarding these issues.
Danielle Brooks talked about doing a self-evaluation survey in addition to the transition plan. The transition plan is mainly facilities and the self-evaluation is programs and services. She is going to do this for all the bureaus and she would like the PCDAC to be involved in it.
Jan met with Danielle about how the committee may be able to be involved and talked about the training. She’s hoping to get the ADA coordinators of each bureau trained and then the PCDAC can just go out and sort of “spot check” them or maybe even help in the training. Maybe pair up people that are more experienced with those who are less experienced. They are going to start first with the nine main City buildings.
Michael asked if they would be looking at other minimal changes over and above the ADA requirements that would be helpful and of minimal cost. Jan said they talked about that but right now Danielle’s focus is on compliance. Maybe when the committee goes out they can look at that.
Nickole encouraged the PCDAC members to step up and go and do the trainings with the ADA coordinators so that they will have input in the process. She said that if one committee member to go on each siting with City people, it is more likely that we will get those better accommodations. Jan said they need to hear from the people that need these accommodations and use them.
There was a question about the time frame.
Jan said that the major issue is going to be signage and interpreters, which is a national issue.
Joe asked when the trainings would be. Nickole said they had not been scheduled yet but would probably be sometime in October. Michael asked if this process would include the website. Nickole said that it should. Jan said there are people working on that now but that it is definitely an ongoing thing.
Jan said that she is going to have to reschedule the next ADA meeting.
Michael said that it had been discussed that maybe the Education and Outreach committee would want to do some “Roll and Stroll” events with the ADA Coordinator and staff.
Danielle will be using the survey from San Francisco, but Nickole said that the PCDAC would have input on the survey questions. Jan said that Danielle had also mentioned trying to get ahold of Bob Pike’s survey for Washington County.
Teckla asked the committee if they wanted to receive copies of the sub-committee meeting minutes. It was agreed that Teckla should e-mail copies of the sub-committee meeting minutes to everyone as well as anyone who attended the meeting (ie: guest speakers).
Jan asked which minutes we should put on the website. It was agreed to just put the full committee minutes, along with the agenda, on the website, with a notation that sub-committee minutes are available upon request.
Sidewalk Café issue. The Transportation and ADA subcommittees are going to work together on this issue.
Michael asked about the Alberta Street Fair issue. Nickole went to the last meeting regarding that. She said we don’t need to discuss that issue right now.
Old Business: By-laws and membership have not been done per Jan. David and Jan were going to do it. Jan has written to David. Nickole is going to try one more time to see what he has done. Then they were going to bring it to the full group with changes. If he doesn’t have the changes, then Jan will start from the beginning in reviewing the by-laws and membership and then get them to the full committee. Michael said he would work with Jan on this, as he has time, if she isn’t able to get a hold of David.
Clarification of officers and election terms: Per Article 3.5.2 the term is two years from the date the by-laws were passed. Since the by-laws were passed last June, the next election for officers will be June, 2009. Also, the date revisions are made need to be on the bottom of the by-laws and policies.
New Business: Jan would like to see which sub-committees people are interested in:
• Transportation: Ann B., Michael, Jan, Pam, Joe, and possibly Trish
• Education/Events/Outreach: Michael, Jan, Nancy, Ann B., Martha, Christina, Trish
• ADA: Michael, Jan, Martha, Joe, Pam, possibly Nancy, possibly Trish, and Dan is interested in housing ADA issues
• Executive: Jan, Michael, (and Anne O.)
Jan mentioned that the Spirit of Portland award is up again. An e-mail went out from Nell. Many members of PCDAC did not get the e-mail. They asked Teckla to send the e-mail to the PCDAC members.
The Mayor has asked for representation from PCDAC in regard to the Eastside Planning Project that is going on right now. Mike Delman told Nickole that he is interested and is already attending meetings. There is also a woman that Nickole has met that is interested in applying for PCDAC membership as well as helping with the Eastside Planning Project. Nickole doesn’t have any more information on the project at this time.
The Planning Department is supposed to get Nickole more information. Meetings are supposed to start in late September.
Michael would like more information as far as scope, time commitment, etc.
There was not enough time for Afifa to present her information. Jan asked her to come back next month.
Meeting adjourned at 3:30pm.