The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutGRAAC - 2018-02-22 Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee Date: Thursday February 22, 2018 Location: Conestoga Room, City of Kitchener Present: Sharon Giles (Co-Chair), Rob Bender, Donna Hartzler, Greg Moore (Co-Chair), Keri Cameron, Gail Brunsdon, Rhonda-Marie Parke, Ben Benninger, Mike Shipley, Brenda Robinson, Councillor Sue Foxton (Region of Waterloo), Councillor Yvonne Fernandes (City of Kitchener), Lolita Paroski (City of Kitchener/City of Waterloo), Gina Hickman (Region of Waterloo) Aleksandr Eng (City of Waterloo), Ashley Sage (Township of North Dumfries), Amy Black (Township of Wellesley), Jeff Smith (Township of Woolwich), Leslie Roach (ASL Interpreter), Janet Null (ASL Interpreter) Janis McKenzie (City of Kitchener) Regrets: Paula Saunders, Jolene MacDonald, Andrew Tutty, Dawn Clelland, Councillor Bob Mavin (City of Waterloo), Dawn Mittelholtz (Township of Wilmot) Guests: Chris Hodgson (City of Waterloo), Louise Finlay (City of Waterloo), Kevan Marshall (Region of Waterloo), Aleksandr Eng (City of Waterloo) 1.0 Welcome and Introductions  Greg Moore called the meeting to order at 1:30 pm.  Round table introductions 2.0 Approval of January Minutes and February Agenda  Motion to accept the January minutes – moved by Donna Hartzler and seconded by Sharon Giles, carried and February Agenda – moved by Gail Brunsdon, and seconded by Brenda Robinson, carried. 3.0 Declarations of Pecuniary Interests  none 4.0 Farmers Market Trail - Chris Hodgson, Louise Finlay, Kevan Marshall Chris led the presentation to provide Information regarding the Farmers Market Trail. Public consultations have taken place.  Stage one – Farmers Market to Northfield  Stage two – Northfield Drive to R & T Park  Narrowed down to five alternatives, alternative five (West Route – Parkside – Northfield, 2.1 km long) within existing road right-of-way along Wes Graham Way, Parkside Drive and Northfield Drive is the preferred option.  A portion of trail already exists in the boulevard along Wes Graham Way and Parkside Drive (580m, or 28% of the entire route length).  Highly visible route, not located behind buildings or in isolated areas.  No / minimal potential private property impacts.  All major road crossings are signalized.  Avoids potential trail user conflicts with ION or CN trains.  No impact on ION/rail infrastructure or operations.  Lowest construction and maintenance costs.  Easily accessed for construction, and can be phased with minimal disruption to active transportation users during construction. Next Steps Stage 1:  Prepare detailed design and cost estimate  Prepare maintenance and operations costs  Complete permits and approvals  Make ready for tender Stage 2:  Complete preliminary design  Undertake detailed design and cost estimate  Establish budget for implementation Discussion:  Feedback has been heard from the public  Goal is for trail to be accessible Questions Will you have rest areas along the trail? Rest areas along the trail came out strongly during the public engagement. What is the surface and width of the trail? Asphalt and 3 meters wide throughout the duration of the trail, with the exception of a few areas that do not have the 3 meter allowance because of private properties. Will you have lighting along the trail? The trail is for 24/7 use, therefore lighting is important. GRAAC has asked if Chris can return when he has a detailed design. Chris will ask the consultant to present to GRAAC once details are available. 5.0 Councillor Reports – All Councillors  Councillor Yvonne Fernandes (City of Kitchener) Nothing to share at this time – three upcoming committee meetings on Monday.  Councillor Sue Foxton (Region of Waterloo) Snow removal paper was well written by the committee and suggested that it be sent to all the candidates in the upcoming election. BREAK 6.0 City of Waterloo 2018 Elections Accessibility Plan – Aleksandr Eng, Julie Scott The draft Elections Accessibility Plan was sent as an attachment previous to this meeting.  Information on the City of Waterloo Election’s page to be linked to each individual candidate’s webpage.  Waterloo City Hall designated as the accessible vote anywhere location this year.  Publicity is needed around this year’s vote anywhere location. Julie asked GRAAC members for suggestions about possible publications to advertise the accessible vote anywhere location.  In the future, to have one accessible vote anywhere location to be set up in every ward.  Julie and Aleksander are requesting GRAAC volunteers in the fall for a one hour commitment. During the past election, GRAAC’s input into the accessible voting equipment was very helpful. They are hoping for two volunteers minimum to test the accessible voting equipment. Sharon Giles is interested in the volunteer opportunity. Aleksander will send Lolita more information, closer to the fall. Discussion and Recommendations from the committee:  GRAAC member suggested that signage and wayfinding be added to Elections Accessibility Plan.  Provision of seating in case of long line ups.  Interpreter in one location not enough as deaf community spread out over the city.  If more interpreters not feasible – explore other options.  Accessible door entrances need to be working and turned on.  School boards have been notified that on Election days, schools should not be blocking the parking lots for student drop off to be open for voters.  Appropriate signage with wayfinding to direct person to the voting spot.  Future consideration – Think about those who may be illiterate or speak different languages. Consider creating a poster with all the candidate pictures so voters that do not recognize the name could recognize the face.  Ensure accessibility to election locations.  Will start site visits to all 37 locations within the next couple months. 7.0 Township of Woolwich, Wellesley, North Dumfries 2018 Joint Elections Accessibility Plan – Jeff Smith, Ashley Sage, Amy Black  Elections Accessibility Plan sent as an attachment previous to the meeting.  Anyone with access to the Internet connection or telephone can now vote – security measures are in place via voter cards to be sent individually to each member of the household – voter ID and pin number needs to be set up as entry into the system. Comments from the committee: Persons with visual disabilities – how will they use cards? ASL as first language – online language needs to be plain language. What if individual is both deaf and blind? No income/No vehicle Any more input to share should be sent via email to Jeff Smith. 8.0 Disability Awareness “Language Specific” discussion – Greg Moore, Keri Cameron, All Members Greg Moore introduced the discussion on language used to identify disability. Keri Cameron presented the difference between Medical and Social models. Medical Model  Result of impairment  Management of the disability is aimed at improving, functioning, and finding a “cure”. Social Model  Barriers in our community  Buildings not accessible (environmental)  Attitudes of people  Organizations not accessible with processes and procedures Keri Cameron will send a video link to all members Language Person 1st Language – person with a disability (to stress that a person is not defined by their disability) st Identify 1 Language – disabled person (society that is disabling, disability, also used as an identity) Discussion: Who is the label for? Not about removing barriers but making the environment open and accommodating to everyone. Community is for everyone Attitude Barriers may never be broken the same as physical barriers Represent all disabilities 9.0 Co-chair/Staff Reports – Greg Moore, Staff Reps  Greg enjoys the Co-chair position and is happy to be in that role. We have receptive staff and Councillors attending. Motion to Adjourn by Donna Hartzler, seconded by Ben Benninger and carried. Next meeting will be on Thursday March 22, 2018 City of Kitchener, 200 King St W – Conestoga Room Please send regrets to: Janis McKenzie at janis.mckenzie@kitchener.ca or call 519-741-2200 Ext. 7225