Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Advisory Committee on Accessibility Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Meeting Invite information Zoom Link:https://zoom.us/j/92356452507?pwd=Zk6QCJswEJla4hSa3seazYvWwFa3Uh.1 Webinar ID: 923 5645 2507 Passcode: 120399 1. Call to Order 2. Adopt the Agenda 3. Adopt Minutes Subject 3.1. Draft minutes of the October 27th meeting of the Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 3. Adopt Minutes Department Other Type 4. News & Updates Subject 4.1. Update from Chair Besio on new members for consideration for appointment to the committee Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 4. News & Updates Department Other Type Recommended Action Page 1 of 10  Subject 4.2. Update on availability of FY25 funds to support a mural project in collaboration with BPRW at Schifilliti Park's path. Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 4. News & Updates Department Other Type Recommended Action 5. Public Forum 6. Work Session - Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices memo Subject 6.1. Recommended Accessibility Best Practice Memo Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 6. Work Session - Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices memo Department Other Type Recommended Action 7. Adjournment Subject 7.1. Motion to adjourn Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 7. Adjournment Department Council and Board Type Recommended Action 8. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements Subject 8.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. Persons with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate are encouraged to contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours in advance so that proper arrangements can be made. The City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic infromation. Page 2 of 10 Meeting November 17, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, November 17, 2025, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont Category 8. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements Department Council and Board Type Page 3 of 10 DRAFT Page 4 of 10 DRAFT Page 5 of 10 DRAFT Page 6 of 10 DRAFT Page 7 of 10 DRAFT Page 8 of 10 Date: November 10, 2025 To: Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Chief Administrative Officer, Katherine Schad HR Director, Kerin Durfee Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Dear Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, Since the resolution to recognize the Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility as a formal the organization was passed by Burlington Council approximately one year ago, our committee members have been working diligently to ensure that the City of Burlington is open and accessible to all people with disabilities. We will soon be outlining these accomplishments and our annual report. We are focusing on several goals for the upcoming year and one of the issues we would like to address is making sure that all City of Burlington open meetings to the public follow the best practices to make themselves accessible to people with all abilities. It has come to our attention that there is some inconsistency on how the open meetings make themselves accessible to the public and we would like to provide all the city departments with an update on the best practices they should follow to make sure people of all abilities to participate. We have reviewed several documents recommending accessibility best practices for other municipalities and organizations. Using this information, we recommend the following best practices be followed when holding open meetings to make sure they are accessible to the public at large.  Have speakers identify themselves prior to speaking, including when addressing another member of the committee or sharing remarks about an item of discussion. Page 9 of 10   Maintain clear instructions for meeting locations both for physical meeting spaces, sharing how to access space if mobility aids are needed, and how to access them online for hybrid meetings.  Maintain meeting minutes and presentations in a style and format that is compatible with screen readers.  Turn on closed captioning when available for reference, both for people online, and in the room. Thank you for your consideration and support in ensuring that the Queen City is accessible to people of all abilities. We look forward to your response. City of Burlington Accessibility Committee, Nate Besio, Lisa Black, Tim Williams, Karen Downey, Ashley Parker, Scotty Taylor, John Thompson and Sharon Henault Page 10 of 10