Commission For Persons With Disabilities

Commission for Persons with Disabilities Regular Meeting Minutes October 3rd, 2019 6:00 PM Present: Committee Chair Elanah Sherman, Amy Dudek, Kevin Harkins, Mark Marcy, Julie Menders, and Kevin Saythany Excused Absence: Cynthia Litton. Others Present: Brigid Marks. Call to Order: Elanah called the meeting to order at 6 PM. Determination of Quorum: It was determined a quorum was present (6/7). Approval of Minutes: On a motion from Kevin S, seconded by Mark, the September, 2019 Meeting Minutes were unanimously approved as presented. Citizen Comments: None Communications: None Old Business: Westgate Shopping Center-Update: Mark spoke with Jim Troeger about the parking situation. Mark reported that the owner of the shopping center referred the parking issue to the management company, which still has not taken action. Mark will follow up in December. Upcoming Norwich Census - Update: Elanah was unable to attend the first meeting in October, and was unable to find a replacement. She will attend the next meeting on November 6th. Charging Stations- Next Steps: There will be a meeting Friday, October 11th at 2 PM at the Senior Center. Disability Awareness Week: Final Planning: Elanah requested a motion to approve a $100 check for Carrissa Decelles, a graphic designer, who will participate in the ADA Title I presentation on October 8. Mark made a motion to approve, seconded by Julie; the motion carried unanimously. Mark will create a list of questions for the Legislative Panel and send them to Elanah for approval. Mark will then email the questions to participating legislators in advance of the event. The Bulletin ran an article and published the calendar. The senior center included notices about the municipal and legislative events in their September and October notices, and posted and distributed the flyer. Kevin H sent press releases to clergy in Norwich, as well as to Channels 3 and 8. Elanah sent the calendar to the Greater Norwich Chamber, NCDC, and the City for posting on social media. The library has been publicizing the event since September. New Business: 2020 Calendar: Finalization of the 2020 calendar is tabled until the November meeting. At that time, members will discuss changing the meeting time from 6 PM to 4 PM. Lack of Accessibility at Post Office: Amy reported that the Norwich Post Office is not structurally ADA compliant. Elanah said that, as a federal building, the post office is not covered by ADA, although other laws come into play. She said that, in researching this issue on behalf of a complainant several years ago, she learned that the then- postmistress had instituted a number of policy modifications on behalf of people with disabilities, including the pick-up of packages by mail carriers. The Commission will follow up on this issue at a later meeting. Adjournment: On a motion from Kevin H, seconded by Amy, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 6:48 PM. The next meeting will be at 6 PM on Thursday, November 7th, 2019 at Norwich City Hall in Room 319. Meeting Minutes written by Ivery Stakley; revised by Elanah Sherman  City of Norwich Disability Awareness Week October 7 – October 11, 2019 Voting Rights for People with Disabilities (radio) Monday, October 7, 11:00 AM Norwich Registrars of Voters Dianne Daniels and Diane Slopak, along with Norwich Commission for Persons with Disabilities members Kevin Harkins and Elanah Sherman, discuss voting rights on the Stu Bryer Show, WICH-1310 Radio. Government Benefits for People with Disabilities Monday, October 7, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Presenter: Stuart Hawkins, Founder and Financial Advisor, Futures Planned Where: Disabilities Network of Eastern CT (DNEC), 19 Ohio Avenue Working It Out: Presentation and Panel Discussion on ADA Employment Rights Tuesday, October 8, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Presenters: Attorneys from CT Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, plus others. Where: Community Room, Otis Library, 261 Main Street Lunch & Learn: Disability Sensitivity Workshop Wednesday, October 9, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Registration required. Call Julie at 860-889-2365, ext. 128 to register. Presenter: Melissa Marshall, Coordinator, CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance. Where: Meeting Room, Otis Library, 261 Main Street Resource Table and Voter Registration Wednesday, October 9, 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM Where: Atrium, Otis Library, 261 Main Street Lunch & Learn: Disability Sensitivity Workshop Wednesday, October 9, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Registration required. Call Julie at 860-889-2365, ext. 128 to register. Presenter: Melissa Marshall, Coordinator of the CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance Where: Meeting Room, Otis Library, 261 Main Street Municipal Roundtable (featuring key City employees on topics of ADA relevance) Thursday, October 10, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM Where: Rose City Senior Center, 8 Mahan Drive Legislative Panel Discussion on Past and Upcoming Disability-Related Legislation Friday, October 11, 10:30 – 11:45am Where: Rose City Senior Center, 8 Mahan Drive All events free and open to the public. For a calendar of events, go to www.otislibrarynorwich.org. For material in alternative format or sign language interpretation, please contact elanahs@gmail.com or 860-614-7200. (Request deadline: September 30) Disability Awareness Week is sponsored by the Norwich Commission for Persons with Disabilities, with the essential support of the City of Norwich Office of the Mayor, Norwich Public Utilities, Otis Library, and Rose City Senior Center. Independence ~ Rights ~ Access