Disability Advisory Commission

City of Fresno City Hall 2600 Fresno Street 2nd Floor, Meeting Meeting Minutes - Final Room A (2165) Disability Advisory Commission Chairperson Dr. Jenelle Pitt Vice Chair Kyra Schleef Board Member Frances Reyes Acosta Board Member (ex officio) Carlos Duarte Board Member Ken Elvington Board Member Heather Flores Board Member Tiffany Potter Board Member Mary Beth Randall DAC Secretary Shannon M. Mulhall Tuesday, April 12, 2016 10:00 AM City Hall 2600 Fresno Street Regular Session 1. Call To Order Chair Pitt called the meeting to order at 10:06am. Present 7 - Chairperson Dr. Jenelle Pitt, Vice Chair Kyra Schleef, Board Member Frances Reyes Acosta, Board Member (ex officio) Carlos Duarte, Board Member Heather Flores, Board Member Tiffany Potter, and Board Member Mary Beth Randall Excused 1 - Board Member Ken Elvington 2. Approval of Minutes 2-A. ID16-395 Approval of the Disability Advisory Commission Minutes from March 8, 2016 On motion of Board Member Reyes Acosta, seconded by Vice Chair Schleef, that the above Action Item be approved. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6 - Chairperson Pitt, Vice Chair Schleef, Board Member Reyes Acosta, Board Member Flores, Board Member Potter and Board Member Randall Excused: 1 - Board Member Elvington City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 1 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final April 12, 2016 Commission 3. Member Reports and Comments Member Flores reported that there will be a "Meet Your Neighbor" event at Inspiration Park on July 9, 2016 9am - 1pm. More information will be forthcoming. Chair Pitt reported that there is a free Mental Health First Aid training on April 16, 2016 8am - 5pm at Westcare. lunch will be provided. 4. Secretary's Report Secretary Mulhall reported that Fresno Yosemite International airport will be hosting a joint training with TSA and Guide Dogs for the Blind this evening April 12. They will be training the puppies on how to go through the TSA screening process. Mulhall reported that the website is continuing to go through the updating process. The design consultants are actively seeking feedback from the community and everyone is encouraged to take time to fill out the online survey or to email Mulhall with input that she can send to the consultants. The consultants were able to meet one on one with Member Elvington and received Member Randall's email input. The citywide self evaluation is underway and Mulhall is seeing that the departments are very responsive and engaged with the project. When the draft is ready, it will be brought before the commission for review and input. Mulhall is continuing to provide a variety of training for staff. Trainings including mandatory training for all staff in conjunction with the mandatory anti-harassment/anti-discrimination, New employee orientation, and training on how to make public documents more accessible. 5. Unscheduled Communication / Public Comments Tommy Tahami spoke about the need for infrastructure and revitalization in the area of Fresno in which he lives. He has noted that accidents tend to happen and he would like his curb to be painted red. He shared concerns that he needs to improve his property and would like a grant from the city. Tahami suggested that the city utility billing be set up to allow automatic payments monthly, which would be helpful for those who have memory issues. Tahami suggested that Fresno Area Express consider the option of adding a day pass for the fixed route buses. He further suggested that there should be maps of the system available. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 2 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final April 12, 2016 Commission Edward LaComb requested that the DAC consider using a PA/amplification system for future meetings, as it is hard to hear all of the members. Liz Zemke of the Central Valley Amputee Coalition shared that on Friday there will be a prosthetic clinic and rehabilitation fun day at Children's Hospital. They will also host an Amputee Clinic on April 30 in conjunction with CSU Fresno. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons desiring to address the DAC on any matter not on this agenda (presentation are limited to 3 minutes per person). The DAC is generally legally prohibited from taking any action on informationpresented in unscheduled communication until subsequent meetings. 6. Action Items 6-A. ID16-397 NAMI Training Support Letter Secretary Mulhall provided an overview of the agenda item and the letter that was drafted by Member Elvington. The discussion was opened up for public comment. Glenna Gammel expressed support of the action. On motion of Board Member Potter, seconded by Board Member Reyes Acosta, that the above Action Item be approved as amended to include statistics on the national impact/percentages of individuals living with mental illnesses. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6 - Chairperson Pitt, Vice Chair Schleef, Board Member Reyes Acosta, Board Member Flores, Board Member Potter and Board Member Randall Excused: 1 - Board Member Elvington 7. Presentations City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 3 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final April 12, 2016 Commission 7-A. ID16-396 Presentation on Aging Issues by Valley Caregiver Resource Center David Reed provided an overview of the services and programs that are offered by Valley Caregivers Resource Center (VCRC) stating that there are more than 107,000 seniors over the age of 65 in the region. Their programs include an Ombudsman program, HICAP, Caregiver Resource Program, OASIS, and PALS. Member Flores stated that she has received positive feedback on the VCRC services from her community. She asked if OASIS has multilingual services. Reed responded that they do, and they also have participants who are blind. Vice Chair Schleef stated that HICAP program would be beneficial to the seniors within the Deaf Community and asked if VCRC would provide interpreting services. Reed responded in the affirmative. The floor was open for comments from the community. Glenna Gammel requested a copy of their pamphlet. Tommy Tahami stated that this was the first that he had heard of these services and he is supportive and would like to use the HICAP program. Reed responded that there are 5 live counselors who answer the phone when people call for information. 8. Subcommittee Reports 8-A. Outreach Subcommittee Appointed to this subcommittee are Chair Pitt, Member Reyes Acosta, member Flores (alternate) and community member Gabriel Diaz. Pitt, Reyes Acosta, and Diaz are continuing to work on the media guide. Diaz currently has a prototype underway. 8-B. Transportation Subcommittee Appointed to this subcommittee are Member Duarte, Member Reyes Acosta, FAX Assistant Director Schaad, FAX operations Manager Elizabeth Watlington, HandyRide Operations Manager Noella Rios, Community Member Bill Hyatt, and Community Member Edward LaCombe. City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 4 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final April 12, 2016 Commission Duarte reported that Handy Ride reservations/dispatch had been experiencing a decline as a result of the change of technology, however they are continuing to work to improve the call response. The floor was open for community comments. Renea Zeno stated that she is concerned about the transfer location from FAX to Clovis system does not have a shelter. She further expressed a concern about the lack of sidewalks at Shaw/Polk intersection, that there are insufficient bus facilities at this area, and that the intersection is too small for the bus to make the turn. Mena Taylor shared that she is a member at the church located at Polk/Shaw. She is having a challenge getting Handy Ride reservations between the hours of 9am - 11:30am. Member Duarte suggested that she consider setting up a standing order reservation. He will meet with her after the meeting to explain in more detail how to do this ID16-394 Unmet Transportation Needs Letter DAC continued to discuss items that they would like to include in a letter regarding unmet transportation needs to the Council on Governments SSTAC committee. Member Reyes Acosta asked Mulhall to contact RICV about their transportation concerns and to ask if they would like to write a joint letter. Member Reyes Acosta suggested that the DAC look into advertising, such as on NPR, to encourage individuals to provide input on their unmet needs. Mulhall stated that this is outside the purview of the DAC and suggested that Reyes Acosta contact COG directly with the suggestion. Mulhall stated that there is a need for someone to take the lead on writing the letter and collecting the information. The floor was opened for public comment. Tommy Tahami stated that he is concerned about people being stranded because they are traveling at off hours. He further expressed concern about the public safety at Fresno/Olive, stating that he believes that it should have City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 5 Disability Advisory Meeting Minutes - Final April 12, 2016 Commission a left turn signal. Adjournment On motion of Vice Chair Schleef, seconded by Board Member Flores, the meeting was adjourned at 11:23am. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 6 - Chairperson Pitt, Vice Chair Schleef, Board Member Reyes Acosta, Board Member Flores, Board Member Potter and Board Member Randall Excused: 1 - Board Member Elvington The meeting room is physically accessible. Services of an interpreter and additional accommodations such as assitive listening devices can be made available. Requests for accommodations should be made one week prior to the scheduled meeting. Please contact Shannon M. Mulhall at 559-621-8716 (voice) 559-621-8721 (TTY) or shannon.mulhall@fresno.gov City of Fresno ***Subject to Mayoral Veto Page 6