Disabilities Commission Special Meeting
Presentation and Public Comment regarding the City of Salem’s ADA Transition Plan
““The power of the ADA is that it ended up changing my life long before I ever imagined it would.””
On Tuesday December 16, the Disabilities Commission held a special meeting to hear from representatives of the Institute for Human Centered Design, which recently completed a transition plan for ADA compliance. The study assessed 25 public buildings, including tow fire stations, the police station, 8 public schools and their playgrounds. In addition, they surveyed 12 parks and outdoor areas as well as the city’s website. The study was paid for through grants.
The Americans with Disabilities Act is based on the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In 2008, the ADA expanded the definition of “disability” to include “impairments that substantially limit a major life activity”, and includes episodic disabilities.
The report stresses that “the primary obligation to public entities such as the City of Salem, under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, is to ensure that, when viewed in their entirety, the programs, services, and activities offered are equally available to people with disabilities. The City is required to follow the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design in new construction and alterations.”
In choosing public spaces to assess, the city chose those that were in heavy use by the public (City Hall, City Hall Annex, schools). Parking lots assessed were attached to building that were being assessed, to keep a coherent assessment. The idea is that highlighted improvements would be made to like spaces. So areas of concern at Forest River could be addressed at all city parks. Given that the city’s programs, services and activities need to be viewed in their entirety, not all parks need to be 100% ADA compliant, but the city should distribute accessible parks throughout the city, for example.
The Transition Plan work included a self assessment, which was completed by every city department. This was very important in assessing how the city handles disability concerns.
The Transition Plan will be extremely important in budget discussions, since it is the recommendation of IHCD that issues should be addressed within 3-5 years. The plan included specific problems for each public space surveyed, with an estimate of the cost of upgrade, exclusive of labor.
During the Public Comment Period, the following questions/comments were made:
It is hoped that there will be some integration with the work being done with Salem for All Ages.
It was noted that the Community Life Center (CLC) and the Ferry Landing were not part of the survey.
Why is new construction in Salem not ADA compliant? Specifically, the CLC and City Hall Annex. It was noted that this is not unique to Salem. City’s rely on the contractors, who usually claim that they are up to date on ADA codes. The city’s Building Inspector only looks at state code, not civil rights violations (ADA).
A resident noted that new construction, altered property, and some new initiatives (parklets) are not ADA compliant. Also, this is not the first time that a study like this has been done, but the city has not make any changes. This is discrimination against those with disabilities. He asked what additional training would be provided to city personnel for these updates. He also quoted Ben Franklin, “Well done is better than said.”
It was brought up that the study did not look at accessibility of streets and sidewalks. The Saltonstall school, which is a voting location, does not have a crossing signal. To safely cross a street when disabled, one needs to go blocks out of their way, cross, then walk back. Aside from a disability issue, this is an elementary school, so safety should be of significant importance.
Eric Papetti, Traffic and Parking Commission, asked about how the parking lots were chosen for evaluation. The city chose lots and garages that are close to facilities with public programs. He pointed out that the city has never had a transition plan for city rights of way (streets and sidewalks). Since 1992, there is a requirement for a plan. He stated that a plan would cost $200,000-$400,000, and we need a sense of urgency for a plan.
David Moisan, a member of the Commission, pointed out that the CLC was designed for car-access. It should have been designed to face Boston Street. Walkers have to walk around the building to gain entrance. Walking on Bridge Street to access the CLC is very dangerous, especially in the winter.
Lisa Peterson, liaison to the Commission, suggested that the city needs to empower the Disabilities Commission to review plans for public or private development, to make sure that they are ADA compliant. It was pointed out that this is not necessarily a fix though, since those with disabilities are not automatically experts on ADA compliance. Reliance on the commission to be experts could lead to problems, as has happened in Chicago. If the Commission wants to be more involved in approvals, there would need to be training, which IHCD does provide.
The Transition Plan also studied the city’s website, Salem.com, which is not at all ADA compliant. In general it is not a very useful website for anyone, and needs a redesign to make it more resident-centered and less city hall-centered.
I encourage you to review the plan, found at https://www.salem.com/adaplan.
Residents can send comments/questions to adaplan@salem.com.
