HomeMy WebLinkAboutGRAAC - 2007-12-20
Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC)
Thursday December 20, 2007 Kitchener City Hall, Conestoga Room
PRESENT: Sharon Ward-Zeller (Co-Chair), Taposhi Batabyal (Co-Chair), Brad Ullner, Chris
Douglas, Saul Herzog, Gail Brunsdon, Carol Moogk-Soulis, Gordon Cummer, Karen
Panchaud and Jennifer Tovell (Interpreters), Councillor Jane Mitchell, Leigh Golden, Ana
Popa, Val Hummel, Kelly Steiss, Linda Pretty (Recorder)
PRESENT (OTHERS): Anthony Cashin (Observer)
REGRETS (MEMBERS): James Hunsberger, Sharon Giles,
REGRETS (OTHERS):
ABSENT WITHOUT REGRETS: Frank Groenestege, Ian Ardill, Darryl Denny, Councillor
Karen Scian, Councillor Kelly Galloway
1.0 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Sharon welcomed everyone to the December meeting.
2.0 APPROVAL OF OCTOBER MINUTES AND REVIEW OF NOVEMBER AGENDA
?A motion was made by Taposhi, seconded by Brad, to adopt the December
agenda. All were in favour; carried.
?A motion was made by Taposhi, seconded by Saul, that the minutes of the
November meeting be approved. All were in favour; carried.
3.0NEW BUSINESS
3.1 Region of Waterloo 2009 Draft Plan: Summary of GRAAC Feedback
Ana Popa
?Ana reviewed the feedback collected at the October 31 meeting. She went
through each individual point and asked for a show of hands from those in
agreement with that point. Some feedback items requiring clarification were
discussed.
?Brad made a motion, seconded by Chris, that the document be approved in its
entirety. With a vote of 2 in favour and 6 against, the motion was defeated.
4.0 CO-CHAIR REPORT
4.1 Conestoga Room Lighting
?Kelly met with Building Department staff and a lighting consultant regarding the
low lighting in the Conestoga Room.
1
December 2007 - GRAAC Minutes
Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC)
Thursday December 20, 2007
?The options presented for improving the lighting were (1) to increase the wattage
of the bulbs which will only make the light brighter and won’t do anything about
the shadows in the room, and (2) to replace all of the lighting in the room which
will take time and money.
?The second option is the best option, but a plan will have to be developed and a
budget put in place. The lighting in both the Heritage and Schmalz rooms also
needs to be improved with a focus on energy efficiency.
4.2GRAAC Terms of Reference
Refer to Item 3.4 in the September 27 GRAAC minutes:
?In an update to members, Sharon said that a letter has been sent to scheduled
organizations informing them of a change in GRAAC’s terms of reference. Val
Hummel read the letter that advises them that, as they no longer attend GRAAC
meetings and do not contribute to the GRAAC budget, any reference to them has
been omitted from the updated Terms of Reference. Kelly Steiss contacted as
many of the scheduled organizations as possible to get their feedback on this
decision. She was advised that the organizations have created their own
accessibility committee and are in favour of the suggestion made by GRAAC. As
no response was received from the hospitals, Gail Brunsdon suggested that they
be contacted to see what plans they have in place.
?In response to a question, Ana Popa advised that the police are part of the
Regional Plan.
ACTION:
The issue of area hospital’s accessibility plans will be discussed further at a
future GRAAC meeting.
4.3Upcoming Meeting and Training
?The new members’ orientation meeting is scheduled for January 17.
?AAC training is scheduled for April 9 – the location will be in Cambridge, time to
be determined.
?Sharon attended a Compass Kitchener meeting on December 8 looking at plans
for the future of Kitchener. The philosophies and future plans of the various
committees that report to Council were discussed.
?Sharon also attended an older adult strategic planning meeting on November 29
and was interested in finding out the issues that both older adults and people
with disabilities have in common.
5.0 SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
A joint meeting of the Transportation Subcommittee (GTSC) and the Built
Environment Subcommittee (GBESC) was held on December 11 to review the Terms
of Reference of each committee, to share priorities and activities and to look at what
is duplicated or can be made redundant.
2
December 2007 - GRAAC Minutes
Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC)
Thursday December 20, 2007
6.0Joint Accessibility Plan – Val and Kelly
GRAAC members were divided into groups based on the barrier types, to provide
detailed feedback on the Joint Accessibility Plan. The feedback received will be co-
ordinated into a report and distributed to members of GRAAC as well as staff. Staff
will use the feedback in the preparation of the Joint Plan.
7.0 Volunteer Recognition
All GRAAC members were thanked for their contributions to the Committee over the
past year. Each member was presented with a small gift as a token of appreciation.
Jane Mitchell recognized and thanked those members whose term on the Committee
was completed. These members include Carol Moogk-Soulis, Chris Douglas, Ian
Ardill and Frank Groenestege. They received a certificate of recognition for their
volunteer service on the committee.
Sharon thanked Jane Mitchell for her valuable contributions to the committee.
8.0 OTHER
Councillor Mitchell provided an update that some, but not all, individuals will receive
funding to travel on Mobility Plus between Kitchener/Waterloo and Cambridge.
9.0 ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Brad Ullner to adjourn the meeting at 4:00 p.m. All were in
favour; the motion was carried.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday January 24 at Kitchener City Hall in the
Conestoga Room on the main floor from 1:30-4:00 p.m.
3
December 2007 - GRAAC Minutes