Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities Committee Meeting Minutes TACID – 6315 South 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98407 August 13, 2015 4:00 PM Call to Order Chair Nyland called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm Commissioners Present Luke Byram, Susan Dye, Sheryl Ellis, JoAnne Fritsche, Roxanne Miles, Krystal Monteros, Gerrit Nyland, Gary Peterson Commissioners Absent Don Izenman, Todd Holloway Staff Present Joy St. Germain, Sandy Davis, Donlisa Scott Guest Present Patt Kosier, Executive Director, Center for Independence; Nola Renz, Executive Director, Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities Adoption of Agenda The agenda was accepted as presented Acceptance of Minutes MOTION: Commissioner Peterson moved to approve the minutes from July 9, 2015. SECONDED BY: Commissioner Fritsche ACTION: The motion carried Public Comment There was no public comment There are four vacant positions on the Commission. Commissioner Byram and Commissioner Holloway’s terms have expired and they have reapplied. Commissioner Izenman has chosen not to reapply. Chair Nyland will review applications and information cards of potential new members. Upcoming Meetings – Chair Nyland met with Diane Powers, Director of the Office of Equity and Human Rights. Their analyst is working on a project concerning individuals with developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and homelessness. Chair Nyland will ask that they provide a presentation to the Commission in September. The Tacoma Housing Authority presentation will be rescheduled for another time. Captain Gustafson from the Police Department will provide a presentation on mental health and Police services in October. Reports Center for Independence (CFI) Report – Patt Kosier, Executive Director Patt Kosier provided a handout on Independent Living. CFI was involved in a statewide emergency preparedness program. Commissioner Holloway has made great connections with other agencies and is on a national taskforce for emergency preparedness. CFI has two Youth Transition Programs and held one workshop in July, another is scheduled in August. The workshop focuses on continued education and vocational goals and opportunities for youth leaving high school. Patt Kosier and staff attended the National Conference in D.C. to celebrate 25 years of the ADA and 40 years in the Arts Program. Gail Himes was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for her help with the ADA and advocacy. TACID Report – Nola Renz, Executive Director Nola Renz shared information about her background and experience. A fundraising luncheon is scheduled on October 2, from Noon – 1:00pm. Commission Liaison Report – Sandy Davis Business cards with the Serve Tacoma logo are being created by the Human Resources Assistant. Sandy Davis shared an article from the Take 5 newsletter on the ADA reception and reading of the proclamation held on July 21. Environmental Services Urban Waters Department provided a coupon book for individuals living in the City of Tacoma. Human Resources Director Report – Joy St. Germain, HR Director Director St. Germain handed out the report. The report detailed the 2015-2016 Budget Status and Background, the “Say Hey Tacoma’ event, and the idea of a survey from the Effective Communication Sub-Committee. There is $254.12 remaining in the budget that will be used for the Disability Advocate of the Year award. Discussion ensued concerning the budget and what additional costs are needed for the 2017-2018 biennium budgets. Commissioner Dye commented that the City needs to look at how they accommodate the budget to cover the cost of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. It was proposed that the “Say Hey” event be postponed for 2015. The COD made a decision not to host the ‘Say Hey’ event this year. We are in the beginning stages of developing a survey on the Tacoma 2025 effort. The IT Director is looking at a digital equity program idea to do a survey. The City Council is interested in learning how technology is used throughout the community. Discussion ensued. Director St. Germain will meet with the City Manager and IT Director regarding their plans for a survey. Business ADA25 Wrap Up – Chair Nyland Chair Nyland felt it was a good way to connect with the community and gave kudos to everyone. The resource materials and COD brochures will be stored with the City. Chair Nyland will take the comment cards received from the Ethnic Fest and forward them to the appropriate City of Tacoma staff. Chair Nyland suggested that we put some COD brochures on the 3rd floor of the Tacoma Municipal Building. Retreat Date Planning – Chair Nyland Discussion ensued regarding dates and topics for the COD Retreat. Topics will include; 2016 goals, updating the ADA Transition Plan, and committee structure. Chair Nyland will send a Doodle Poll to everyone to determine the best date and time for the retreat in November. Director St. Germain will ask Cathy Journey to facilitate the retreat. Human Rights Manager Position – Chair Nyland Chair Nyland spoke with Diane Powers, Director of the Office of Equity and Human Rights. She is interested in having a member of the Commission participate in the selection team for the vacant Human Rights Manager position. Ms. Powers would like COD to provide a list of the members that are interested in participating on the committee. Please contract Chair Nyland if you are interested. Committee Reports Design, Planning and Projects – Vice-Chair Roxanne Miles Vice-Chair Miles provided a handout on the Parking Enforcement Project and shared their strategies for work plan items to encourage proper parking in ADA parking stalls. Discussion ensued. Employment – Commissioner Gary Peterson On August 14, 2015 Human Resources will visit Centerforce, an organization where they train people with developmental disabilities. ADA Web Accessibility – Chair Nyland Training scheduled on August 14, 2015 from 1:00 – 3:00pm for those interested in learning how people with disabilities use the web. Effective Communication – Commissioner Byram One nomination in the professional category for the Disability of the Year award has been received. They are working to get more. Commissioner Byram met with TV Tacoma. They are trying to determine logistics and funding sources for a video. They are also trying to create outreach through community meetings and have a draft PowerPoint presentation. UWT is having a disabilities awareness month in October. Commissioner Byram will meet with Heather Rutter from UWT. Wheelchair Accessible Taxis – Commissioner Monteros Commissioner Monteros met with Pierce Transit on July 29. The idea was to get supervisor vans and have them donated to Yellow Cab. Pierce Transit is now saying that the vans they donated are not accessible. Pierce Transit will look over inventory to see if there are any available. Commissioner Monteros will follow up with Pierce Transit at the end of August. Emergency Management – Vice-Chair Miles Progress is being made at the meetings with Gail’s assistance. The city has a comprehensive emergency plan. Commissioner Holloway is building an inventory of public facilities that are mapped and inventoried for emergencies, and have a transition plan on file. Emergency management presentations will be held at the end of the year at TACID and possibly at the Star Center. Good of the Order / Announcements Sandy Davis encouraged everyone to sign up for the Center for Urban Water coupon book. Chair Nyland will make a presentation to the Pierce County Accessibility Advisory Committee on September 21, at 11:00am Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 5:55 pm Next meeting, September 10, 2015 – 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm 1 To request this information in an alternative format or to request a reasonable accommodation for this event, please contact Sandy Davis, (253) 591-5452; TTY 711 1 To request this information in an alternative format or to request a reasonable accommodation for this event, please contact Gail Himes, (253) 591-5785; TTY (253) 591-5153