SACRAMENTO COUNTY DISABILITY ADVISORY COMMISSION (DAC)

MEETING MINUTES FOR May 1, 2012

MEMBERS PRESENT;;David Mana-ay, Vice Chair;Lois Diamond, Randy Hicks,Chris Jensen, Leoma Lee,Cheryl Martin, Colleene Miller, Ex-Officio; Michael Morse, Ex-Officio; Reggie Nelson, Delette Ziegelmann-Jackson.

MEMBERS ABSENT (Excused):Gene Lozano, Rami Zakaria (representing David Villanueva), Ex-Officio;(Excused);

GUEST(S): Ruthee Goldkorn and Linda Hinchey, Californians for Disability Rights; Jeff Tardaguila, Consumer Advocate

STAFF: John Franklin and Cheryl Bennett, Disability Compliance Office (DCO); Sheila and Autumn, ASL Interpreters

AGENDA ITEM / DISCUSSION/RECOMMENDATIONS / ACTION/NEXT STEPS
Call to Order and Introductions / The meeting was called to order with a quorum present. David Mana-ay will chair the meeting due to Gene Lozano’s absence / Those present introduced themselves.
Approval of the Minutes / The Vice Chair called for the approval of the May minutes. Minor corrections were noted. / M/S (Hicks/Lee) to approve the May minutesas amended– approved, Unanimously.
Public Comment Period / Jeff Tardaguila spoke about current activity on bills in the Legislature that would impact people with disabilities. David Mana-ay reminded everyone that the purpose of the Public Comments agenda item is to raise issues that DAC has jurisdiction to take action on. Other matters of interest should be brought up under Announcements agenda item.
Ruthee Goldkorn, a wheelchair user, described the barriers to access she encountered in the new Airport terminal. She was trapped inside a restroom for some time due to the door pressure being much heavier than legally required, and noted a number of other access concerns. John Franklin advised her to file a formal grievance with the Disability Compliance Office so that he and the DAC could be made aware of the specific concerns and have the opportunity to investigate and correct any barriers.
Update - Emergency Preparedness for People with Access and Functional Needs
(EPPAFNC) / Cheryl Bennett provided an update from the Emergency Preparedness Committee. They remain focused on Alerts and Notifications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. In November 2011, a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System was conducted. The test messages generated by television stations varied widely with regard to the text displayed and audio tones produced. As has long been noted, captioning and other accessibility features are provided inconsistently at best when emergency alerts are broadcasted. The national test results reinforce those concerns. The after action report published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documented considerable testimony from advocates regarding the lack of accessibility in this process. While the FCC acknowledged the problem, and agreed that it is a violation of federal accessibility requirements, they note that the problem stems mainly from some technical barriers in the current system and they are still working out specific solutions. Therefore at this time there are no clear directives on what television stations are supposed to do if their equipment does not automatically produce an accessible version of the EAS message that is transmitted to them.
In the meantime, the EPPAFNC has asked the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to support an effort to reach out to local broadcasters to ask them what their status is regarding their national test results, compliance with requirements for accessibility and plans to remedy any barriers with regard to their ability to produce accessible emergency alerts. Jason Sirney has agreed to ask county Communications and Media Officers to take the lead on this effort, as they have established relationships with the local broadcasters. Ms. Bennett is drafting a letter that will be sent to them asking them to partner with community stakeholders on this effort. She described her plan to build support for this effort by asking stakeholders to add their agency’s name to the letter. DAC members brainstormed about appropriate stakeholder agencies to involve, such as, Area 4 on Aging, Nor Cal Center on Deafness, Californians for Disability Rights, Resources for Independent Living, and others. Ms. Bennett asked for a motion of support on behalf of the EPPAFNC’s efforts. / M/S (Hicks/Ziegelmann-Jackson) to support the EPPAFNC in its efforts to work with local broadcasters on EAS access and compliance issues, and bring this issue to the Chiefs of Staff for additional direction and support. Approved, unanimously.
Nominations Committee Report / Chris Jensen, Chair of the Nominations Committee, thanked committee members Cheryl Martin and Delette Ziegelmann-Jackson for their assistance in polling DAC members for their nominations for DAC officers. He announced the committee’s proposed slate of officer candidates: David Mana-ay for Chair, Gene Lozano for Vice Chair. He reminded members that the election will be held at the June meeting and that additional nominations may be made from the floor at that time.
Ex-Officio Reports / Mike Morse noted that there were a large number of people with disabilities visiting 700 H during a recent hearing on In Home Supportive Services. He received comments from two people that they were unable to find the accessible restroom. He asked DAC members for input on placement of directional signage indicating the location of the accessible restroom. Based on the discussion, Mr. Morse stated he would direct General Services staff to install signage on the ground, first and second floors. The signage will be perpendicular to the wall in order to attract more attention.
Colleene Miller briefly stated that DHA staff is still working on the Life Skills referral questionnaire. At this time, they are focused on budget concerns based on projections from the state.
Chair’s Report / In the absence of the Chair, David Mana-ay deferred this report.
Chief’s Report / John Franklin reported that DCO staff had recently completed a draft ADA Title II Investigation Procedures document. It is currently under review by County Counsel. When this process is approved, the Disability Compliance Office will revisit its public notice process and train appropriate staff on the basics of public program access and what to do if they receive a complaint from the public.
Housing Subcommittee Report / Chris Jensen reported that the Planning Department has reached out to the Housing Subcommittee to engage them in the update process for the Housing Element of the General Plan. They want to ensure that accessible housing remains a consideration in the Housing Element as changes are being made. This is the beginning of a public outreach process that will go on for several months, prior to the issue being heard by the Board of Supervisors. / Next meeting May 17, 2012, 2:30 p.m.
Programs and Services Access Subcommittee Report / This Subcommittee currently has no chair and is not meeting.
Physical Access Subcommittee Report / Gene Lozanowas not present to report. / Next meeting May 21, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.
Human Services Coordinating Council (HSCC) Report / David Mana-ay has finally been reappointed as a DAC representative. There are still two vacant DAC member seats on the HSCC. They are still unable to achieve a quorum due to lacking sufficient membership to achieve a majority under the provisions of their current by-laws. They are working with the Chiefs of Staff, County Counsel and the Board of Supervisors to resolve these concerns.
Unfinished and New Business, Announcements / Staff reminded members to try to attend one of the upcoming poll worker trainings. DAC members and guests offered items of interest and upcoming events relevant to the disability community
Adjournment / Adjournment moved (Ziegelmann-Jackson) and seconded (Hicks). Approved unanimously. / Next meeting JUNE 12,2012 (rescheduled from June 5).