HomeMy WebLinkAboutM1999_04_01Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities April 1, 1999
A meeting of the Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities was held on Thursday,
April 1, 1999 at 9:10 a.m. in City Hall. Present: Kurt Cogswell, David Hoyt, Allen and Lynda
Muller, Marla Muxen, Nancy Hartenhoff, Aimee Baltezore and Emily Bennett. Terry/Shelly
Pederson, Kristi Bloom, and David Bertelson were absent.
1. Hartenhoff called the meeting to order.
2. Anda, (L, Moller/Cogswell) M/S/P to adopt the agenda.
3. Minutes. Deferred until May.
4. Announcements. Wheelchair clinic information is still forthcoming from Kurt Osborne
next month.
5. Next Meetine. Thursday, May 13`x' at 9:00 a.m.
6. Updates:
A. Barrier Awareness Day. Muxen reported that this year 190 children were provided
with exposure to some of the barriers faced by people with disabilities (70 at
Medary, 72 at Hillcrest, 48 at Cental). We were helped by 20 volunteers from the
Mayor's Committee, SDSU, and Vocational Rehabilitation - some of the
volunteers were there for more than one day of presentations. Emily Bennett
involved 7 co-workers in helping and Kay Cutler brought 9 of her students. David
Bertelson got the display there and set up before each day's activities. Cogswell,
Cutler, Lynda Muller and Bennett were also diligent volunteers. Graduate students
Herschel Jackson and Linda Johnson from SDSU were also very helpful.
The Brookings Register printed an article and picture a few days after the event.
Reports from the school principals, teachers, children and volunteers were positive.
School staff felt that the activities were age appropriate and that the volunteers did
particularly well at involving the children. The schools and children seethed
pleased with the event.
Recommendations for next year: There will be significantly more children
enrolled in third grade next year at Medary and Hillcrest and possibly Central.
Kathy Tutland estimates perhaps 50 more at her school and probably the same
increase at Medary, based on the current size of second grade classes. She
recommends that we come to each school twice, perhaps once in the morning and
once in the afternoon, involving two of the four third grade classrooms each time.
This would keep our groups of children at about 8 per station if we have 6 stations
again. We may want to shorten the time at each station to about 10 minutes if we
do it with smaller groups.
Mr. Thompson, Central Elementary, recommends that we request that the dividing
net be lowered in the gym that we use. We may also need to do a little more
advance work with that school to make sore the tables are set up before we arrive.
Mayor's Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities April 1, 1999
The coordinator needs to contact the newspaper earlier, perhaps with an advance
notice of the event and then a picture report of the kids after the event.
B. Homeshow Event. We had the best freebies there. Better traffic this year, better
attention from attendees. Definitely worth repeating next year. If we do it again,
we should begin earlier to locate assistive tools, etc. to demonstrate and to give
away. Hartenhoff wondered if, perhaps with Dakota Link, we could collaborate in
the use of a portable accessible restroom and have it there.
Contractor's Workshop. May 26`1' at the Elks Club, 6.7 p.m. social hour, 7:00 p.m.
workshop. Bertelson suggested we have our booth there. Muxen wondered if the
Committee could/should also be there. (This follows the workshop here on the 25`x' for
the committee members).
8. Advocacy Outreach. The Arts Festival Committee will be meeting at 7:30 p.m. April 7".
We are the first agenda item after housekeeping items, Baltezore, Cogswell and Hoyt will
attend this meeting.
Things we want to address with them:
A. The bus company they contract with will provide accessible transportation. Ask
them to be sure that this is included in the contract.
B. Location of wheelchairs at the transportation drop-off sites in two places: southeast
corner and northeast corner entrances.
C. Accessible parking - how to let people know where it is. Make sure it is part of the
leaflet. Possibly signs to indicate locations.
Meeting adjourned
Submitted by Marla Muxen
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