Commission For Persons With Disabilities

Commission for Persons with Disabilities Regular Meeting Minutes January 3rd, 2019 6:00 PM Present: Committee Chair Elanah Sherman, Kevin Harkins, Cynthia Litton and Lottie Scott. Absent: Laurie Messore and Kevin Saythany. Others Present: None. Call to Order: Elanah called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. Determination of Quorum: It was determined a quorum was present (4/6). Approval of Minutes: Approval will be deferred until the next meeting because not all members were sent the December meeting minutes. Citizen Comments: None. Communications: None. Old Business: Commission Vacancies: The commission recently gained a new member, Kevin Saythany. Victor Harley, Reliance Health representative, resigned as a commissioner. The commission would like a representative from the local ARC to join, as well as a replacement from Reliance Health. Charging Stations: A parity argument can be made that, since the City provides charging stations for electric cars, it should provide them for motorized wheelchairs, as well. Elanah asked if the commission should pursue the argument with the City. They then discussed whether there was a need for charging stations around the city. After much discussion, it was decided to invite a representative from Norwich Public Utilities to attend a meeting and speak about the plausibility of installation. Cyndi will contact NPU. REV-Up: REV-Up is a national voting rights initiative to assist persons with disabilities with voting. We are not eligible to gain funding to support the initiative. Elanah found out there was funding for groups that support the initiative but that The Commission for Persons with Disabilities is not eligible to receive any funding. The commission discussed this issue and decided that they will request appropriate and fair distribution of funding to all participating groups. New Business: Resignation of Victor Harley: See Commission Vacancies, above. Brochure Review: The commission reviewed the most current brochure, which Elanah wrote in the fall to replace the old Access and Awareness Guide. Elanah would like to add a referral to Norwich Human Services. Lottie and Cynthia wanted to remove all references to other organizations, but it was argued it is necessary to provide other resources that can provide assistance and information to members of the public. Cyndi wants to discuss distribution of brochures at the February meeting; that will be put on the next agenda. Web Page Review: The current summary of the Commission on the web page is incorrect and unclear so it will be edited and updated to better reflect the Commission’s purpose. Kevin wants to see the meeting time and place added to the web page. Elanah will follow up with the City Clerk. Department of Transportation Survey (Brigid): Tabled until next meeting. New Issue: Lottie observed a lack of accessible parking at Westgate Shopping Center. In general, the Commission does not address Title III issues, but this could be an easy fix via the local Building Department. Kevin asked that Elanah take on the issue and she agreed to do so. Adjournment: On a motion from Kevin, seconded by Lottie, the meeting adjourned at 7PM. The next meeting will be at 6 PM on Thursday, February 7th, 2019 at Norwich City Hall. Room to be announced. Meeting Minutes written by Ivery Stakley and revised by Elanah Sherman. Note: Room 319 was occupied during this meeting, so the Commission met in a next-door conference room, instead. Elanah will follow up with the City Clerk’s Office regarding the location of the February meeting.