In the first week of 2011, City of Somerville Mayor Joseph E. Curtatone and Somerville School District Superintendent Pierantozzi signed a Final Resolution Agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR), promising to voluntarily come into compliance regarding inaccessible facilities and programs.   more »

In "It ain't wicked smaht to exclude people," eila tells the readers about 2 recent events held at inaccessible locations. One location already has a poorly constructed ramp; so the event planners may have considered this an accessible venue.

The other event was planned by the local government of Somerville, MA where Mayor Joseph Curtatone has been proving to be strongly resistant to information regarding his current discriminatory practices, policies and programs. In particular, this Mayor appears to believe that individuals with disAbilities have no worth or value to the community. He treated the Disability Commissioners as though they were cognitively incapacitate and needed guardianship; so, 4 out of the 6 up and quit in May 2008!

Here is one of eila's blog posts with its growing comments section:
http://www.somervillevoices.org/2010/02/23/uncategorized/it-aint-wicked-smaht-to-exclude-people/

eila's Somerville Voices blogs are compiled at: http://www.somervillevoices.org/author/enable/

NOTE: The Somerville Journal declined to publish this op-ed; probably because Congressman Capuano, who is running for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, lives in Somerville, and the elections being next week, op-eds and letters to the editor regarding the upcoming elections were priority.

EMPOWERING SOMERVILLE TO INCLUDE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The UN theme for 2009 is "Making the Millenium Development Goals Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world."

In Somerville, a majority of municipal programs are inaccessible, unusable, and violate the legally established civil rights of one-in-five residents. Somervillians with disabilities from all cultures, and possessing a wide variety of talents, skills, interests, ingenuity and expertise must look outside our city to seek employment and other economic opportunities. On a daily basis, this "All America City," segregates and discriminates via exclusive planning, policies and practices throughout municipal programs. By extension, the rights of our families, friends, neighbors and others to associate with us are also regularly denied.

The city's ongoing structural, communications and informational barriers can be removed, step-by-step, with the application of expert evaluation, skillful planning, and proper remediation. Regardless of the current economic hurdles, Somerville enjoys an annual stream of federal and other non-local funding to leverage and spend in evaluation, coordination and retrofit activities. Many dollars are spent on PR regarding Somerville's "Best Practices;" but we also have a statewide reputation as one of the least usable cities in the Commonwealth.

Hopeful signs abound.

Senator Pat Jehlen and Representatives Denise Provost and Carl Sciortino have consistently and without fanfare applied their abiding commitment to civil rights to create, sponsor and support legislation and activities that remove barriers and equalize opportunities in Health, Education, Transportation, Community Sustainability, Employment, Communications and Voting Rights.

Due to a citizen complaint, The Secretary of State's office audited Somerville's Voting sites this past summer and ordered that seven sites come into compliance with state Polling Site Accessibility regulations.

Aldermen Bill White and Dennis Sullivan have repeatedly, consistently placed orders to evaluate and improve pedestrian pathways around public housing projects and elsewhere, and have demonstrated an ongoing commitment towards the rights and needs of Seniors and nonelderly residents with disabilities.

Alderman Connolly has continually raised issues regarding inaccessible curbcuts at the Davis Square Red Line stop and has joined with other Aldermen in community inclusion and accessibility actions.

Alderman Tom Taylor was instrumental in lifting the attitudinal barriers that led certain city officials to refuse the Citizen's Bank the clearance they required to finalize that bank's accessibility improvements in Union Square.

Alderwoman Rebekah Gewirtz requested that future West Library planning include the creation of an accessible entrance and an evaluation of provision of elevator access within.

Alderman Pero cohosted a SCAT show about Senior and disability issues for years.

Alderman Roche ordered the Traffic and Parking Director to collaborate with other staff to deal with HP parking spot offenders in private parking lots.

Alderwoman Heuston informed the Disabilities Commission about ADA issues at the Argenziano School.

Alderman Trane responded to information regarding accessible seating standards by grabbing his ruler and measuring bus stop benches that very day.



We have assets but lack coordination.

In Somerville, as throughout the State, housing opportunities must be diversified. The most recent "affordable and accessible" homeownership opportunities offered in Somerville denied potential homebuyers with mobility impairments an equal opportunity to view those units this past June.

In Somerville, as throughout the state, we need to create Complete Streets that respect pedestrian and bicycle rights to safety and access. Since 2004, over 100 streets in Somerville have been reconstructed; yet, 75 of those streets were recently surveyed and the measurements prove that pedestrian access and safety issues are not being fixed per national standards.

In Somerville, as throughout the State, we need to invest in a skilled education workforce that can model diversity, creativity and leadership. Yet, our Somerville School System-the second largest employer in Somerville- maintains its Administrative Offices and School Committee meetings in a facility that currently denies independent access to qualified potential teachers and employees who do not climb stairs.

In Somerville, as throughout the state, we need to invest in Healthy Families, yet our Seniors are only offered segregated housing options that are far from public transportation and do not affirm our mutual desires for intergenerational opportunities. Our children are consistently removed from classes for "special education" despite the knowledge and expertise available to create 21st Century Inclusive Schools.

In Somerville, we boast about the strength of our Creative economy, yet a tour throughout our cultural facilities and studios reveals many architectural barriers right at the door.

In Somerville, we are proud of our historic heritage, yet the Annual Preservation Awards ceremony and Historic Commission meetings are held in an inaccessible facility.

Surely, we Somervillians, also known for our grit, guts, wit and strong working-class values, can do better. Let's start by reminding that fellow with the law degree, who occupies the front office in City Hall, that segregation and exclusion is no longer allowed. We, the people, can act in concert to empower Somerville to become an inclusive community.

Eifeldman
Community Access & Inclusion Project

Presented at Greater Boston Civil Rights Coalition on Children and Bullying yesterday. The majority of bills in session forget that students with disAbilities experience the highest amount of bullying- 88% of children with autism spectrum disorder, for example, experience constant bullying that prevents them from learning and even attending school for long stretches. Add to that the exclusion issue under the radar: students with disAbilities are often punitively excluded from school because of "acting out," with little prerequisites for examining the deeper issues and consideration of accommodations or extra support to help the student learn to identify the connections between the behaviors and anxieties that might be discussed with a mentor, counselor, or family support.

Thanks to the ADA Centers, I post this announcement:
"
Special Session: Proposed Revisions to the ADA Regulations Under Title II and III of the ADA

The Network of Regional ADA Centers is pleased to announce a special session of the ADA Audio Conference Series which will provide an opportunity for people and entities to learn about the proposed revisions to the ADA Regulations under Titles II and III.

Tuesday July 8

2 - 4 pm EST

Speakers
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

On June 17 the Department of Justice issued a notice-of-proposed rulemaking to revise the ADA Title II state and local government regulations and the Title III public accommodations and commercial facilities regulations. The proposed regulations include a completely revised ADA Standards for Accessible Design. This session provides an opportunity to learn about the proposed regulations and direct questions to Department staff. This session will be recorded and a written transcript will become part of the public record for consideration as the Department of Justice moves forward with the rulemaking process.

How
This session is delivered by telephone (call in to a toll free phone number). The session is also offered in real-time captioning on the web and streaming audio on the web. Participants are in "listen-only" mode until the question and answer period.

Cost
$25 per telephone connection
$15 per streaming audio on the web connection
$15 per real-time captioning on the web connection

Registration at www.ada-audio.org/ProgramInformation

If you have problems/questions with registration contact the Great Lakes ADA Center at 312-413-1407 voice/tty or email gldbtac@uic.edu.

You are welcome to come to our office at 200 Portland Street in Boston to participate at no cost, we’ve already registered. Please send us an email at ADAinfo@NewEnglandADA.org or call 1-800-949-4232 voice/tty.

The session will be audio recorded and a written transcript will be created. Both will be posted within two weeks of the program to the archives on www.ada-audio.org

To read the proposed regulation changes click here: http://www.ada.gov/NPRM2008/ADAnprm08.htm
"

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COMMUNITY ACCESS REPORT:
DESIGNED WITH THE INTENT OF INCLUSION

The first day of summer is fragrantly visitable in the ‘ville this year, thanks to the Somerville Garden Club.

Murals, mosaics and moss are found along the self-guided tour of over 40 private and public settings mapped within the program booklet designed by the Somerville Garden Club volunteers.

They’ve designed with the intent of inclusion.

Take the program booklet, for example. This serves as your ticket to more than 40 Somerville garden spaces that will be on display during Saturday, June 21, from noon to 5 p.m. The booklet, which costs $12, combines descriptions of this garland of public and private green spaces along with a map. The individual gardens are coded for various attributes. For example, an “H” indicates which places are visitable by everyone- those are wheelchair-friendly and/or viewable from the front or driveway of the address. Some of the public gardens are designed and maintained by this diverse volunteer group of master gardeners, like at the Powderhouse Rotary, the Main and the West Libraries,

Visit ability is an inclusionary idea. In fact, the concept of visitable homes arose out of the uncomplicated need to make sure no family members were excluded from visiting. A good idea rides the wind and spreads, just like seeds, and now there are a number of visitable communities throughout the country.

The “Visitability” idea began to be drafted into federal legislation during the civil rights era, and public facilities, as well as newly constructed multifamily properties funded by federal dollars have been mandated to construct, lease and modify so that they are accessible since 1973 (Section 504, Rehabilitation Act). However, most people think it would be quite costly to modify their homes and shops to make them visitable.

To modify a home of typical design and make it visitable for all the generations of your family might just require a few simple modifications. For example, creating a no-step entry might be as uncomplicated as removing a wooden stairway at the entrance, and grading the driveway to a 5% slope. Widening the doorways to provide 32 inches of clearance at the threshold might involve the skills of a carpenter and the purchase of a several new doors, but this solution lasts for the life of the property! Simply changing the door hardware from a doorknob to a door lever will elegantly allow people with hand and wrist impediments to also open the door. That simple solution costs about $20 for the lever handle and a little know how with a screwdriver.

In shops, the widening of aisles can be combined with a better, more spacious design that also allows for better visibility of the products. Placing switches and outlets no lower than four feet from the floor is an adaption that protects those with aching backs as well as providing usability for wheelchair users. In restaurants, of course, there should be an aisle that leads to at least one unisex bathroom , which has floor, fixtures and furniture placing to accommodate the maneuverability of a wheelchair. In most cases, a barrier-free path to the no-step entrance is the deal-breaker- evidence of a sincere motivation to include.

Designing with the intent of inclusion does not cost extra money, but it does require the juice of creativity, the warmth of thoughtfulness, and the visionary standards of cool people.

Such must be the collection of attributes found within the Somerville Garden Club.

The program booklets (tour tickets) can be picked up before and on the day of the event at two locations: Sherman’s Café and the Pemberton Garden Center.
Sherman’s Café is a great little street-level café located at 257 Washington Street in Union Square, Somerville. The Pemberton Garden Center is in Cambridge, at 2225 Mass Ave.

Urban Gardens Revealed is the name of this Saturday’s community feast and it’s on, rain or shine. Fountains, sculptures and ponds- who can resist the first day of summer in Somerville?

In Union Square, Somerville, MA the Citizen's Bank has broken ground for an accessible entrance to be provided.

This access ...   more »

Mayor Joseph Curtatone
City of Somerville, MA

May 5, 2008

Dear Mayor Curtatone,

Enclosed please find letters of resignation from ...   more »

On May 5, 2008, four Commissioners in the City of Somerville's Commission for Persons with DisAbilities resigned from their posts, ...   more »

The City of Somerville, MA took actions to foster the incapacity and dependence of its Municipal Disabilities Commission. Notes regarding some specific State Board mail that was withheld from this Commission between April 2007 and January 2008 are documented here.   more »

These days, alongside realizing that little Somerville's designated ADA Coordinator is only motivated to oppress, segregate, subjugate, suppress and censor ...   more »

DisAbilities advocates in Somerville, MA hosted individual and group interviews in 2007 to learn more about how community members perceive the usability of local government services. An Evaluation Survey was also distributed and subsequently collected. 103 respondents (approx. 1% of city population) reported on the following topics:
Street access, communication skills and attitudes of city staff, public facilities barriers, programmatic barriers (included schools, libraries, public health, public safety, hospitals, mental health service providers, and municipal buildings, programs, services, activities).
This D.A.R.E. 2007 ("DisAbilities Access Report and Evaluation 2007) Project was funded, in part, by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) administered by this Entitlement Community's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Other funds were donated by community disAbilities Rights advocactes. Over 400 citizen volunteer hours were donated towards outreach and collaboration efforts, dissemination of surveys, individual and group interviews and discussions, collection of information, analyzing responses, writing reports, and follow-up interviews.

A Final Report was delivered to city planners, who will use this information in documentation and planning efforts specific to HUD_funded, City-run programs.

An edited version of this Final Report is available here: http://www.slideshare.net/eilily/somerville-ma-access-report-fy07/

This report may be copied in whole, but not in part, for purposes of disAbilities rights advocacy only. ©2007, 2008 somdisAbilitiescomm

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