Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Advisory Committee on Accessibility Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. 3:00 pm, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT OR Remotely via ZOOM: Please click the link below to join the webinar: Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/96458163787?pwd=cy0Oo4cojlRpMP3XzAx4UkLjx6FjMg.1 Meeting ID: 964 5816 3787 Passcode: 240456 Join instructions https://zoom.us/meetings/96458163787/invitations?signature=kxJNTon- VBIIaZaTHK_UbQ3BbDNRPQ1nybwf2zMMMfg 1. Adopt the Agenda 2. Approve Minutes Subject 2.1. Approve minutes from 02.09.26 meeting Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 2. Approve Minutes Department Human Resources Type 3. Public Forum 4. Sign & Adopt Best Practices Letter Subject 4.1. Draft Letter to review/adopt/sign Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 4. Sign & Adopt Best Practices Letter Department Human Resources Type Subject 4.2. Draft Best Practices Checklist Page 1 of 8  Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 4. Sign & Adopt Best Practices Letter Department Human Resources Type 5. Committee Membership Subject 5.1. Discuss adding additional members to the Committee. Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 5. Committee Membership Department Human Resources Type Recommended Action 6. Committee Priorities Discussion Subject 6.1. Discuss priorities for 2026 including: • Accessible Voting • City Department ADA Title II Assessments Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 6. Committee Priorities Discussion Department Human Resources Type Recommended Action 7. Other Committee Business 8. Adjournment Subject 8.1. Motion to adjourn Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 8. Adjournment Department Council and Board Page 2 of 8  Type Recommended Action 9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements Subject 9.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. For more information on access, call Lori Olberg, Licensing, Voting and Records Coordinator (802-865-7136)(TTY 802-865-7142). 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. This meeting will also air on Town Meeting TV the Wednesday after the meeting, starting at 8:00 pm and repeating at 1:00 am and 7:00 am the following day. 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 information. Meeting March 16, 2026 - Advisory Committee on Accessibility - Monday, March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, 149 Church St., Burlington, VT or remotely via ZOOM. Category 9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements Department Council and Board Type Page 3 of 8  Advisory Committee on Accessibility Monday, February 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont In Attendance: Nate Besio (chair), Lisa Black, Sharon Henault, Ashley Parker, Katherine Schad, Scottie Taylor, Tim Williams Others in Attendance: Jon Adams-Kollitz, Meaghan Diffenderfer 1. Call to Order a. Called to order by Chair Besio 3:04 pm 2. Adopt the Agenda a. Motion to adopt the agenda as written by Lisa, seconded by Katherine i. All in favor, so moved and adopted. 3. Adopt Minutes a. Motion to adopt the November meeting minutes as written by Tim, seconded by Ashley i. All in favor, so moved and approved b. Motion to adopt the January meeting minutes as written by Sharon, seconded by Lisa i. All in favor, so moved and approved. 4. News & Updates a. Tim shares with Committee that he will be stepping away after this meeting in his role as staffer as well as his Committee appointment. b. Meaghan Diffenderfer introduces herself, she will be stepping in as future staffer for the committee. c. Committee needs to fill the seat emptied by Tim, and can fill up to vacant slots i. To fill seats, members need to be approved by HRPC (Human Resources Policy Committee) and then full Council. d. Braille love notes are now on display at Fletcher Free Library as a part of the CEDO / CSM love note campaign. Some were also translated into other major spoken languages (not including English) spoken in Burlington. i. Next year the committee hopes to engage with CEDO around this campaign even earlier in hopes of finding other creative accessibility for this campaign e. VT Coalition for Disability Rights is holding a day of advocacy at the State House to meet with representatives on Wednesday, February 11. f. Sharon asks about the committee stipends – hers have not been received yet. 5. Public Forum Page 4 of 8  a. Jon Adams-Kollitz introduces himself. Jon is a member of the Parks department. They have just completed construction on two universally accessible restrooms at Oakledge in the lower pavilion. They are family style and gender neutral. They feature the first adult changing table in the Parks restrooms. There is work being done to make the space universally accessible. 6. Open & Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter a. Committee working to submit this letter to the Mayor’s Office with the recommendations to make accessibility practices standard across all open meetings. While the letter is not fully inclusive, the suggestions are meant to exist as a living document that can be updates as ideas and suggestions arise. Topics include: i. Introduction before speaking at each meeting ii. Clear instruction to accessible meeting locations iii. Maintain minutes in formats compatible with screen readers. b. Scottie raises if, along with these recommendations, should the committee make specific action points or set what accountability looks like for the other committees to be sure these are adhered to? i. Offering help and support on how to assist other committees to meet these best practices – create a checklist for committee staffers during the transitionary period into this practice. c. Next steps: i. Adjust letter to include the checklist for consideration. ii. Each member will review letter and send any edits to Meaghan and Nate, and will be discussed at March meeting. 7. Other Committee Business a. Update on appointing additional members to the committee. i. We will have one vacant seat for City of Burlington employee, and can have up to three additional members. ii. Sharon moves to approve Meaghan Diffenderfer to fill the City of Burlington committee seat. Lisa seconds. 1. All in favor, so moved and approved. iii. Sharon moves to approve Jon Adams-Kollitz as another Committee member. Lisa seconds. 1. All in favor, so moved and approved. b. Lisa thanks Tim for all his hard work and all he has done for the Committee. c. Next meeting will be March 16. 8. Adjournment a. Tim moves to adjourn, Ashley seconds. All in favor, so moved and approved. 9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements 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 information. Page 5 of 8 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 6 of 8  • 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 7 of 8  City of Burlington Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Checklist • Provide meeting minutes and upcoming agenda and 14 point sans serif font in a format accessible by screen readers. • Provide clear instructions for meeting location including directions on accessible entrances for individuals using mobility aids. • Maintain a clear and open meeting space that is accessible for people using mobility aids to attend the meeting. • Provide clear instructions on how to access meeting online if meeting is an hybrid setting. • Turn on closed captions when available for reference, both for people joining online and in the room. • Provide clear instructions including contact information and request date for how people can reach out to request reasonable accommodations including ASL interpreters, hearing augmentation systems and handouts in large print. • Ask speakers to identify themselves prior to speaking, including when addressing another member of the committee or sharing remarks about an item of discussion. 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