The Fall River Commission on Disability convened on Wednesday, November 8th, 2023. Following a roll call, the minutes from the September 13th meeting were unanimously approved. Chairman Denis Pauli delivered an ADA report, detailing an upcoming meeting on November 29th with the MIS director and city network administrator to discuss website accessibility, noting that the Institute for Human Centered Design, original vendors for the 2018-2019 ADA transition plan, has been consulting on the matter. Pauli also reported on the October 30th hearing concerning Battleship Cove's accessibility, where the architectural access board granted a two-year variance until January 2026. This variance is conditional on Battleship Cove providing an audio-visual virtual tour of the museum and battleship to the board by November 1st, 2025. The city has also applied for an ADA Improvement Grant covering streets and sidewalks (including curb cuts, ramps, and audible pedestrian signals), the Veteran Center, and counter space accessibility at Government Center, with an update anticipated in December. Commissioner Dan Robard emphasized the critical importance of audible pedestrian signals for the visually impaired community, a point affirmed by the Chairman as being included in the grant application. Vice Chair Debbie Pico had no policy updates, and the October 2023 budget report was acknowledged. The Chairman also addressed the Commission's website, which receives numerous requests for postings. He proposed that the Outreach work group, in collaboration with Ann O'Neal Souza from the Mayor's office, vet all future posting requests to ensure their legitimacy and relevance to seniors and people with disabilities. Under new business, the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, January 10th, 2024. The Commission discussed the Audible Local Ledger, a radio reading service, and its significantly increased annual funding of $150,000, largely due to Senator Mike Rodricks. The Commission plans to present Senator Rodricks with a "Legislator of the Year" award, with the event being rescheduled from its original Friday date. The meeting concluded with a unanimous vote to adjourn.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Watch the video to verify.
City Officials
Public / Other
this is the meeting of the Fall River Commission on disability for Wednesday November 8th 2023 um the first order of business is pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or visual recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by
0:39those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible uh roll
0:55call chairman Denis Pauli uh president Vice chairwoman Debbie Pico present commissioner Lisa Silva present commissioner Dan roard pres commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza pres okay um uh maaza Silva will be joining us will be joining us in the January meeting she had some legal commitments today as she is an attorney so she will be joining Us in January the next item is uh public input and I'll ask three times if
1:40there's any public input so is there any public input is there any public input and is there any public input okay hearing none um approval for for the minutes of the meeting of September 13th motion accept do I hear a second debie Pico second okay um all in oh roll call chairman Dennis Pauli yes Vice chairwoman Debbie Pico yes commissioner Lisa Silva here commissioner Dan robard yes commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza yes
2:40okay I have a few things under Ada to report um number one um our work group will be meeting with the Mis director and the city network administrator on November 29th um I did find out that they have been Consulting with the Institute of human wait I was get this name of this group mixed up the institute for human centered design they were the vendors that did the original Ada transition plan in 18 in 2018
3:212019 um so they they they did uh they have been working with the um with this with the um with Tyler and tyia and Austin Reef um on the accessibility of the website and we're going to get briefed and updated on that on November 29th um there was a hearing on Monday October 30th about Battleship Cove um this was involving the planks and the position that we took on June 14th where we voted
4:00um not where we voted for the board um not to recommend a variance um for Battleship Cove the hearing was on the on the uh 30th of October um it was on Zoom Dan and I commissioner Dan robard and I did attend that hearing um the board is does consist of Architects and um a representative from the massachus office on disability um it kind of surprised me because the person who represented the
4:35Massachusetts office on disability was not Jeff Dugan but was the executive director and um so that was a little surprising just from my personal standpoint but um um there was a wheelchair user um I don't know what his occupation was but he gave a very articulate presentation about why it why why is Battleship Cove not accessible to wheelchair users when the USS Constitution which is an older ship in
5:12Boston is able to be accessed by wheelchair users and really basically said that um and and let's be clear this is not owned by the city of Fall River this is owned by the department of conservation and Recreation DCR so this is not a Fall River matter um but I thought his presentation was really eloquent um what the board decided to do was to Grant a 2-year variance so they have a
5:44variance until January and it's probably going to take more than a couple of years to do this I think they're already behind schedule um but they have to come back to the board and have their variants renewed in January 2026 um there was an there was a another plan that they were supposed to come up with and that involved an audio an audio visual virtual tour of the museum and Battleship which they hadn't come up
6:17with yet um and so the architectural board gave them until November 1st 2025 so they have to come up with this the they have to come up with an audio visual virtual tour of the battleship in museum by November 1st 2025 um that to the architectural access board now this was a motion the decision letter is going to be finalized this coming Monday and I don't know if that's
6:50an open meeting to the public or not but as soon as I get the decision the decision goes to all the parties and so so as soon as we get the decision I'll make sure that everybody gets a copy of it so is there any questions on that no not this time okay um I think that's it from an 88 oh I will be going before Andrew uh reposo who's the chair
7:25of the human Human Services Health Human Services Youth and elderly and I don't know if I'm leaving anything out committee on November 1st just to kind of um you know give some updates we have not we'll be hearing about the Ada Improvement Grant in December from the mass office on disability but I do know that that they did apply for three I think I mentioned last meeting they applied for three
7:56grants they applied well I'm not sure it's three or or a grant with three specific areas and those areas are streets and sidewalks are kind of a transition plan of what needs to be done in terms of curb cuts and sidewalk improvements for in terms of accessibility second dealt with the veteran Center and the third dealt with I think it's counter space making the counters more accessible at Government
8:26Center so those are the three areas of the Ada Improvement grant that um that the city has applied for and we should hear about that in December um just want to see if I'm leaving anything out I think I think that's it on the Ada front are there any questions on those areas M Mr chairman very briefly more of a more of a statement and I guess a partial question um does the the sidewalk and obviously
9:05do does that any of those grants Encompass anything for audible pedestrian signals yeah I think that's part of it that's part of the transition they have to do a transition plan on streets and sidewalks as it pertains to accessibility so that would be curb Cuts curb ramps um and audible pedestrian signals which is now really part of the access regulations so yes it will be okay so that's going to be included in that
9:37corre that's that's good because just as as important as curb cuts and sidewalks are uh uh audible pedestrian signals are are are vital for the visually impend blind community so uh that that can't be overworked uh this City's uh done a done a uh a good job over the last several years uh with curb cuts and and ramps and it's time that we as a city in my opinion uh it's time
10:16we expedite uh um the audible pedestrian signals because I think uh this city uh unintentionally uh has underserved the blind that visually inair Community for years they they've really been overlooked and an afterthought in my opinion and it's time that really needs to change and change quickly so I'm glad that's going to be part of the grant thank you I okay um are there any other questions and comments on this
10:54area no not this time okay V uh policy update from V our vice chair Debbie Pico um no updates at this time okay and youve all received the budget report for October 2023 um under Outreach um trying to think I had something under Outreach oh yeah because I had it on another part of the agenda but I think I'm going to I might as well include it here um as you
11:33know we have a website and I have to tell you it it does receive a lot of visits and I can tell you because I received lots of requests for things to be posted um and so I'm I'm asking the Outreach work group but really I mean anybody on the commission um can look at this material as well but I I'd like the Outreach work group to take the lead on
12:05vetting um and and an I think I'm going to I'm also going to include you because I I would feel better if the mayor's office just kind of looked at it and said you know maybe this is not a good idea to put on the website or maybe this is a great idea to put on a website but I just I just think I would feel a little better if the mayor's office kind
12:26of um you know took a quick glance at it we've been getting requests from scams which affects seniors and people with disabilities and and and um we've posted them um I I I've looked at them I've read the guides um the guide for people with disabilities going to college I've looked at some of I've looked at all of these guides I don't I don't tell Sam Post Sam to post
12:55anything unless I've read it so but I think I'd like a few more sets of eyes to be looking at it so if if the Outreach work group doesn't mind uh for now on when we get a request and we do get them um my only criteria is that must be seniors and disability related that's that's the thing I mean um it can't be from subjects outside of seniors and people with disability so
13:23that's really the only criteria um and just to make sure that the Publications that we're being asked to you know that that we are being asked to post are legitimate and usually I correspond with these people so um if if if this group doesn't mind um I think I'm vetting it before we post it um and and I'll need it in a reasonable period of time just so that I can get back in
13:52touch with the presenters and say what it's okay we're going to publish it so post it rather so are there any questions about that what's been the policy Pro by by the way then uh Mr chairman let me say I I think that's a good idea but what what have have all the posting just been going through us up to this point yes they have that's perfectly fine
14:21and but I I I can I can understand why you'd like another set of eyes and I think it's a good idea yeah yeah um and and and and and it it has nothing to do with my specific disability by the way it's just um it's just that two or three four sets of opinions is better than than the chair making all the decisions about that so that's that's um you know that's that's the clarification on
14:52that so what we we receive the request by email Mr chairman yep I will forward it whenever I get a request to post something um could you please post us on your website and and nine times out of 10 they've been on our website and they know what's there and and and and I've had comments about the resources that are on our website so we're really getting good comments on our website why
15:19the Bay State Council of the blind won't give Sam mock an award for accessibility is beyond me but I keep submitting his name every year I've submitted it for the past 3 years already um but um I you know just just it's a good website and um you know and I I I think they feel good about posting their materials on it and and and that's good because it increases the kinds of resources it increases the
15:51resources that we have and what we do what we what we do is we just publish a link to the to a guide for example we don't the entire we don't post the entire guide we post a link to it so yeah um okay so I'm up to Old business yes go go ahead goad de is that you any any Do you have a I'm sorry I thought you had some old
16:29business no no no I was just confirming that yeah based on the agenda form that's where you're at on Old business okay I apologize all right um thank you um new business our next meeting is going to be um I forgot the date I think it's Wednesday January 10th 2024 um I I I also want to let you guys know that I was just talking to Ann about this at the beginning but um uh
17:06and I don't think this is this this this is okay it's nothing that it's not going to be a surprise or anything but um for the past years in past years the this this commission has provided financial assistance to the audible local ledger to keep it going the audible local Ledger for people who are new on the commission provides radio reading services for blind and people with print
17:34dis disabilities daily newspapers the Fall River Herold new Beford standard times Cape Cod news um and for a long time the audible local Ledger was receiving very little funding um I think it got up to as much as $40,000 which is not nearly enough you know for a 247 reading service until a certain Senator Mike Rod Rodricks became chair of the Ways and Means Committee right now the audible local
18:09Ledger is getting an annual budget of $150,000 um but we want to invite um we want to invite this commission um we were it was going to be this Friday we're presenting Senator Mike Rodricks with a legislator of the Year award because this is a big thing to have been able to provide stability funding not only for our affiliate but Affiliates across the state but particularly our affiliate because we weren't being
18:46funded anywhere near what what we should have been so um it was supposed to have happened Friday and I did send everybody um Erics and invitation Eric Joseph who's been before the commission before I did send Eric's invitation but it's it's being rescheduled because um the senator is very busy dealing with a supplemental budget which is important and it has to be passed so it's going to be
19:14rescheduled when it is I'll make sure all the Commissioners get um the invitation to that but I think that the legislator should also know the role that the commission has played in helping the audible local Ledger in past years when it needed assistance how how important a role the commission on disability has placed um and I I want legislators to know that as well so hopefully if if people can make
19:45it um I just want you to know that that you are on Eric's invitation list to um when it's rescheduled so are there any questions and comments about that okay um I think that's I had a I had a lot to say today didn't I um so uh I will entertain a motion to adjourn motion to adjourn second can I have a roll call chairman Dennis pelli yes Vice chairman M Debbie
20:23Pacho yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes commissioner Dan robard yes commissioner an O'Neal Souza yes okay we are adjourned all right thank you Dennis thank you everyone good day bye bye