8.13.2025 Commission on Disability

This is a meeting of the Fall River Commission on Disability for Wednesday, August 13th 2025.

Um, pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make any person may make any audio or video 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 unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.

Um roll call.

Chairman Dennis Paulelli present.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Commissioner Lisa Silva, present.

Commissioner Dan Roblard, present.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll, present.

Okay. The next item is um public input.

Is there any public input?

Is there any public input?

Is there any public input?

Okay. Next, we have two sets of minutes to approve. Uh I will entertain a motion to approve the minutes for the meeting of May 14th, 2025.

Motion to approve and accept the minutes of May 14, 2025 of the floor of the Disability Commission.

Is there a second to that?

I'll second that, Lisa.

Thank you.

All right. Um, I'll entertain a roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Palselli.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Yes.

Commissioner Dan Roblard.

Yes.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes.

All right. And now we will um I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes for the meeting of June 11th, 2025.

Motion to approve the minutes of June 11th of 20ou. Motion to approve the minutes of June 11th, 2025 for the for disability commission meetings.

Okay, I need a second for that.

I will second Katie Driscoll.

Thank you, Katie.

Thanks. Thank you, Commissioner Drisco, actually. All right. Um, roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Pelli.

Uh pre uh yes, Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Yes.

Commissioner Dan Roblard.

Yes.

Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes.

All right. Um updates under ADA.

Um I don't have any particular. I've I've reached out to ask what ADA improvement grant the city may have applied for and I have not heard back.

Uh I'm going to be talking with members of the ADA work group um because I have some ideas um about um who who should be our contact person that we work with and in the city administration and um but but I never heard back. But I will say that I've reached out to Jeff uh Dugan and I've asked if we could be put on the calendar to schedule to be hosting a

community access monitor training in the 2026 year. So, for those who are new, um Dan and I have have done the community access monitor training many times, but it's very very valuable and it's actually made even easier this time because it will cost the commission absolutely nothing. Um there's no restaurants involved, there's no they handle all the registration and they'll send out all the notices. All we have to

do is agree to a host to host it. It'll be on Zoom. So, it's virtual and the only thing that um I would like us to do is to work with um uh is to work with the administration to get as many city u departments to to take advantage and even city council. Um, I don't think, um, we're going to open it to just Fall River. Um, I think we're going to open

it to however the Mass Office on Disability wants to do it. And if Southeast Center for Independent Living wants to co-host, um, I don't see a problem with that, but I'd like the Disability Commission to do it. Um, and like I said, it's all virtual, so you can you can take the training from your own home or for your offices or whatever. It is a two-day training, but it's not two consecutive days anymore.

It's one day, one week, usually from 10:00 a.m. to 300 p.m. And it's one day the ne another week like like maybe the next week, same time, 10:00 a.m. to 300 p.m.

And what the training entails is uh an overview of the ADA law, all the titles of the law, an overview of the state access laws, and how to do access surveys.

So, it's very it's really a good training and there is there is an in-person hands-on component to it. It's it's an advanced training um and that comes later on, but this is virtual. So, I don't know. I can I'm waiting to hear back from Jeff, but I think this would be um something that would be good for the commission to sponsor at absolutely no cost at all.

So, are there any questions about this, Mr. Chairman? Very briefly.

Yep. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Thank you. I I would love to see us get involved with this. Uh we've co- we've sponsored it before. Uh uh Southeast Center for Independent Living, I believe, was our co-sponsor uh when we did this a number of years ago at Whites of Westport. I thought it was a great success then. I think it's uh e even better now that it's virtual without the expense. Uh uh some things I would like

to see I would love to see as many uh municipal departments uh get involved with this uh as possible. I would love to see uh it open to the for school department and its employees as well as members of the for housing authority.

Although al although it doesn't touch very much on housing, I do think I do think from an awareness standpoint uh uh it would benefit greatly uh the housing authority.

I think once we get a date from Jeff in 2026, um I think we're going to work with the mayor's office and we'll work with the school superintendent and the school committee and the city council and and really push for a a very high fall river um contingent to participate. Um um because I think you're right, Dan, it's made even uh it's made even more easier now because it's virtual. you don't have

to worry about transportation or expenses or anything like that. And I just think it but it's but most important of all you do get a you do get a certificate and from the standpoint of department heads they do offer CEUs and those are the kinds of tangibles that you want to um that you want let people you want to let people know about and we can we can reach out to nonprofit organizations in

the community too whether they're disability related or not but we can reach out to them as well. So, you know, as soon as we get a date, you know, we can we can work on this um together and and figure out who we want to um you know, you know, who who we who we really should be pushing. And you're right, they don't go into housing, but there's many, many things that a housing

authority can learn um you know, can learn from this CAM training. Even though housing is a separate issue, there's still things that skills and things that they can um that they can apply to their operation as well.

Yeah. particularly around around parking and and access access within I I I can't recall a lot of it right now, but I I I I think it would be invaluable to the housing authority. Uh certainly invaluable to the school department. Uh but the the other thing I'd like to see uh is if we're going to get a date for for the first part uh maybe a year or so later and I know it's

a much smaller group for that second part. Uh as many times as I've taken the first piece, I've never had the ability to go through that second piece. Uh last time we did a second fuse down here in Fall River, uh there was a and I mean a a monsoon of a rainstorm.

Yeah.

Uh which prohibited me from getting there that day. Uh uh so if we're going to take the uh do the first piece in Fall River, I'd like to see us have an opportunity to host uh the second piece in conjunction at the appropriate time.

Yeah, we we probably could arrange to have the advanced part done in Fall River, too. Um you know, to make it easier um since since we would be hosting it. though. Uh I I realize the uh the people that do the events are usually a much smaller number, but nevertheless, if you're going to have the first part, I I think it would be nice just from a cohesive standpoint to

have both pieces uh down here and host both pieces as a two-part program for those that want the whole the whole experience.

With that I thank you.

And to let you know the advanced cam training which I did attend um and it was bucketing rain that day. That was in July that was at Skills and it was raining monsoon you know it was it was awful but yes but but it was awful. But uh um but that's only one day, you know, that that's not the two-day and we don't need to get into logistics like lunch and

stuff like that. Um we we wouldn't need to get into all that. So um it's just a matter of maybe finding a facility here in Fall River that they can use for a survey because that's what you you're going to learn in your advanced training. You're going to go into exactly what to look for to assess whether a facility is accessible or not.

Grab bars in restrooms. Um, you know, how high the sinks should be. I mean, those are the kinds of details you would go into in, you know, hands-on in an advanced training. Um um and those are, you know, those are good things to know. If you're going to move your if you're going to move your nonprofit, for example, to a facility and you want to make sure you're complying with the laws, you're going to

want to know what to look for and making sure that that facility is accessible.

So, um once I hear from Jeff, I'll I'll let everybody know. Are there any more questions?

Okay. Um the next item is policies and the only thing I'm going to say on that as um vice chair Debbie Pico is was unable to be here today. But the only thing I I want to just bring to your attention is that the corporation council did issue a legal opinion on the scholarship program and we are okay um that it it is okay to um to continue with our scholarship program. educating people people with

disabilities is helping and benefiting the larger community because education as a whole is a beneficial to the larger community and and I think I sent you all the opinion but if I didn't if you were if I missed somebody please let me know and I can send it to you but it's really worth you know reading over but the opinion um has been rendered on August 6th And um what I'd like to do is I don't

think we need a vote on it, but I'd like to uh issue a thank you letter on behalf of the commission to the corporation council for taking time um you know to assist us by this legal opinion. Um if if a vote needs to be taken, I can entertain a motion.

Mr. Chairman, I don't I don't think a vote on a on a thank you note is necessary. I think Okay. Uh the commission just asked the chair to to write some kind of a a thank you uh a quick thank you note, thank you letter to the corporation council for for uh for issuing an opinion on a subject that we asked them to uh to review. What I would like to do though, I'd like to

make a formal motion to accept in place on file uh the legal opinion of the Fall River uh Corporation Council regarding the uh the scholarship program sponsored by the Fall River Commission on Disability dated August 6th, 2025.

So, what I'd like to do is make a motion to accept the legal opinion and place it on file.

Okay. Do I hear a second to that motion?

I will second to accept that. Katie Driscoll.

Okay. Thank you. All right. Um, any further discussion or any questions?

Okay. Okay, I will entertain a roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Pelli.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Wait a minute. I think somebody had to come out. Lisa, Commissioner Dan Roblard.

Yes. Uh, Whis is back. Sanders.

Uh, yeah. I pressed the hang up button instead of the unmute.

Okay. We We just need your vote on to place the scholarship opinion on file.

Yes.

Okay.

Commissioner Kriscoll.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um, you all have the budget reports for I think we're all caught up here on June and July.

And um, under outreach um, as pretty much everyone's scholarships have gone to their respective institutions. There was one transfer made from um I'm trying to find now.

Okay, I got it. I'm sorry. I drew a blank for a minute, folks.

uh from Curry College to UMass Dartmouth. Uh there was a transfer made and that's being taken care of by Curry College and UMass Dartmouth and then everybody will be all set for the coming academic year. So all the scholarships are out um uh and that was done. Is there any more outreach?

Mr. Mr. Chairman, I don't know if this falls under outreach, but I think for the benefit of whoever might be listening out here, I'd like to just say there's been a couple of changes within uh city hall uh that the uh department of uh community maintenance uh Charles Denm has retired. There's an inim replacement. His name escapes me right now. Uh Inz Wheat will be the incoming new city clerk as of uh September 2025

with the retirement of current clerk uh Allison Bousard uh pending for September. and Mike Dion has been named the acting city administrator uh after the departure of former city administrator Seth Anken.

Thank you. Um no, thank you. That's that's important because those are those are people that we um we we we try to work with um and in advancing some of the issues and ADA compliance and so on.

So, a little bit of a a little bit of a change to get used to. Um, and Mike Dion will will also remain a a head of uh community development as well while uh taking on the the acting role of city administrator.

Okay.

Um, is there any old bit actually I do have an outreach um I suppose I uh and this this just happened in a ser in an o in an email correspondence but um I don't mean to put anybody on the spot but um I would like to know uh I'm asking um because sometimes I can't do it all by myself but the website our website needs monitoring and for example this agenda did not appear

and I'm not I'm not being critical here because no one of the reasons why I'm not being critical is because admittedly I don't always check it but what I'd like to do is I'd like to um and although I'm formalizing it just a little bit it doesn't mean that the rest of the commissioners can't check the website either, but I'm going to ask if our new commissioner um if Katie Drisco

um and I can form a a a disability commission website workg group just to make sure that things get on it such as minutes or and any other ideas that may come up in terms of posting disability related information on a local level um um on our website and So, first, um, I'm going to put you on the spot. Uh, Commissioner Driscoll, would you mind being part of this this workg group, um, to monitor our website,

first of all? Um, I'm pleased to be part of that work group. It will be nice, um, to have that information accessible to the public and as a good resource for for us as commissioners as well. So, I'm pleased to be part of that.

And we have a lot of good resources on our website. um um you know and and and but I just think that first of all first of all just just monitoring it from time to time to make sure that things that are supposed to get on it get on it like the agenda for example like the minutes but also um any other disability related information on a local level um that we

can put on it as well. Um, and again, just to emphasize, this doesn't stop anybody else from checking it and making, you know, maybe um, uh, you know, letting us know that something is not there when it should be or whatever, just letting Katie and I know. Um, but I think that kind of formalizing it a little bit because this is an important outreach tool. Um although it didn't always pan out, we've

had a number of people, a couple of people express interest in our commission because of because of finding out about us on the website.

So it it is a good outreach tool. We usually put a lot of scholarship ceremonies on it. So um thank you so much, Katie. and um you know, we can work out details and stuff like that, but I I appreciate it cuz I I uh don't always I don't always do do it as often as I should. So, um is there any other new business?

Is there Let's do old business first. Is there any old business?

Okay. Do I hear any new business?

Um board chair. I I do have some um new business just here. This is Katie Driscoll, Commissioner. Great.

Um so I wanted to share with the other commissioners and and to just make public note that community connections will be hosting a accessible for all yoga series that will be held in byentennial park. This was a effort that was made possible. We received a charitable grant through the Cordiero Foundation and we are partnering with Heron Yoga to offer this series. It is planned to begin on August 26th and will

be held on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.

reoccurring for 6 weeks and we have a rain date built in. So we'll have access to bysentennial Park through October 7th. We will have a flyer that will be shared and people can check the community connections Facebook page for details and to register. But again to share this is really intended to bring people with and without disabilities together, people of all ages and people of all backgrounds and

will be free and um accessible a gentle yoga and guided meditation series.

Um how widespread do you want this publicized? because I can give you some suggestions for free media.

I I will welcome suggestions and I will also share the re the flyers with uh the commission so we can post it on the website and and certainly we will be doing some public outreach as well but it's really open to anywhere. So, I can share that and anybody that wants to attend or share that, it certainly would be welcomed. And I'm happy to also take other contacts, Dennis, if you'd like to send them my way.

Okay. Yeah, because I do PR for community autism resources. So, I Oh, wonderful.

I can I can uh give you some free media suggestions.

Great. Sounds perfect.

Um, if we have the park filled, that will be a great problem to have. Yeah, we we hope for a lot of numbers. We'll have multiple yoga instructors and some accessible materials and resources there.

Okay, that sounds great.

Um, is there any other new business?

Sorry. I will entertain a motion to adjourn then.

Mr. Chairman, what is the date of my next meeting? Oh. Oh, you know what, Commissioner? You reminded me. Okay. Um, wow. Um, that's kind of a weird day. Okay. So, um, I've already spoken with Vice Chair Debbie Pacho. I, um, I'm going to be away from September 8th through the 11th. I'm going to Maine.

Um, so, um, I was wondering if it would be okay with our, uh, with the rest of the commission if we move the meeting to September 17th instead of September 10th.

I I make a motion to formally move our September meeting to September 17th, 2025.

Okay. Do I hear a second to that motion?

I will second that motion. Commissioner.

Okay. Um, have a roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Palselli.

Yes.

Commissioner Lisa Silva.

Yes.

Commissioner Dan Robelard.

Yes.

Commissioner K Driscoll.

Yes.

Okay. Commissioner Robel. Thank you very much. I I completely slipped my mind.

Um but thank you. Okay. Now I will entertain a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn.

Okay. I need a second.

I'll second that. Lisa, thank you. All right. Um roll call vote.

Chairman Dennis Palselli.

Yes, Commissioner Katie Driscoll.

Yes, we are returned.

Enjoy your trip, Dennis.