THE SALEM COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, September 21st, 2010
Introduction
The Salem Commission on Disabilities met on September 21st, 2010 at 4 PM at SATV. Present: Co-chairperson, David Tracht, co-chairperson, Debra Lobsitz, David Martel, Jean Harrison, Mike Taylor, Jack Harris, Andy LaPointe, Jean Levesque, Assistant ADA Coordinator, David Moisan, and Jim Nowlan.
David T.: I’d like to thank Jack Harris and Charlie Reardon for their long service as co-chairs. And I want to welcome back Jean Levesque.
OLD BUSINESS
A lot of people aren’t aware of what we do so I thought I’d write a mission statement. I’m going to read our mission:
Our Mission
Our mission is to be committed to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. We want to maximize their level of independence and achieve equal integration into our community by removing barriers and obstacles to their independence.
Our consumers want to be as productive as everybody else. Over 20% of Salem’s population has some kind of disability.
Our city, including our business community, must be aware of them and welcome them into the city and its marketplace.
The Commission on Disabilities will be advocates for the disabled community and will assist those persons with disabilities in becoming advocates for them whenever possible.
Reasonable accommodations can often help in integrating the disabled community with all of Salem, resulting in a greater, more productive life and a stronger Salem.
Jean L.: Can we have this in the meeting video?
Dave Martel: It could scroll up on the screen.
David Moisan: Every two years, although this is not an election year, I try to review the graphics we use for meetings. I’ve used the same style for a number of years. There’s no reason for me not to do it, but I’ll need to take my time. The October meeting would be a good time to do this. I may need to revise it to fit on TV.
Jack Harris: Put it on our website.
ADA Proclamation Ceremony
David T.: Many of us met with the Mayor on July 26th for the 20th anniversary proclamation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We got to see the new city hall elevator, though it’s still not complete. David Moisan was out taking pictures of the event. Debra will read the mayor’s proclamation for us again:
Debra Lobsitz:
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS: July 26th, 2010 marks the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); and
WHEREAS: The ADA set regulations that have made it easier for people with disabilities to work, shop, go to school and enjoy recreational activities with their neighbors; and
WHEREAS: Community leaders, businesses and government officials should celebrate the contributions that people with disabilities have made and continue to make to our community; and
WHEREAS: We should acknowledge the rights of all persons with disabilities under the ADA and their daily activities, struggles and triumphs; and
WHEREAS: The City of Salem is commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Mayor of Salem, I, Kimberly Driscoll, do hereby proclaim Monday, July 26th, 2010 to be:
SPIRIT OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) DAY
In the City of Salem, and urge all of the citizens of Salem to commemorate this anniversary by renewing our commitment to uphold the nondiscrimination principles of the ADA and to support them in their efforts to become as independent as possible.
Signed,
Mayor Kimberly Driscoll
July 26th, 2010
Jean: You missed an opportunity with the Mayor. When I was introduced to the Commission, I was asked to sit in a wheelchair and I was moved around.
Jack: Blindfold people. I’d like to do that for the City Council too.
David Moisan: Get a pair of sunglasses. And sandpaper. Sand the glasses. Have people wear them.
I wanted to do this to the SRA when the chairman told us we were lazy because we couldn’t walk around the sidewalk at Tavern in the Square, even though it had nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with limited vision. The chairperson should perhaps wear those glasses and then he might understand.
David T.: At the Mass. Commission for the Blind, we had luncheons for the sighted people. They were blindfolded. It’s amazing how things are different when they have to wonder where the knife and fork and peas are. It’.
David T.: Salem Gazette put out an article that week that we were very happy with.
David Martel: City Hall is the 2nd oldest city hall In the country—and it will now be accessible.
Disability Indicator Form
Debra: The disability indicator form is now available on the SCOD website and mass.gov website. You can get the form from Lisa Cammarata at City Hall or Sgt. Dennis King of the Salem PD. This form is a way for people to provide extra information to the 911 center about any conditions they may need to know of.
We are really encouraging people to fill out this form.
It is available by request or online.
It is confidential. Lisa can be called at 978-745-9595, ext. 5678.
David Martel: This worked very well during the spring floods.
David T.: Absolutely a lifesaver.
Debra: Remember to update if you move or there is a change. This notifies Salem PD, the state 911 center and the local public safety answering point.
Loring Ave. at~Monroe Rd. sidewalk
David Martel: The crosswalk is still in work. I’ll ride down.
David Tracht: Andy, you see anything?
Andy: No, that’s the problem. <laughs>
Andy: It was smooth walking. A constituent asked me about one of the contractors that claimed they didn’t need to make changes to the curb cuts when the sidewalk was repaired. Brought that to Dave Knowlton’s attention and he agreed something needed to be done—he looked at a satellite photo.
Debra: I go by there, I can look at it.
Jean: I live there. They have No Bus signs there.
Crosswalk at Highland Ave. and Salem Hospital
David Martel: Poles are refurbished and there is a new audible speaker (old buzzer type).
David Tracht: It’s taken care of?
David Martel: Yes
David Martel: Problem was that the sun comes up in that area in the AM and it is very hard to see when crossing to the hospital in the morning.
Ramp at Burba Dental
David Martel: Ramp at Burba Dental has been completed and appears to be in compliance.
Jack: The AAB will review that. The inspection department has given its OK. It will most likely be approved and resolved.
David Martel: They did not skimp on it—it looks very nice and there is a nice granite walkway
NEW BUSINESS
Collaborating with Salem businesses
David T.: One of my goals is, since we work a lot with restaurants and accessibility, to work more with restaurants and improve our relationships with them. We have Greg Shea, of Seaport Café on Derby St., here with us today. Ann and I have eaten there over the summer and we loved it.
Greg Shea: Thank you very much for having us.
Greg: We liked the space—all on street level and three big doors and a curb cut. All of our furniture is movable; it’s been a home run for us. We had a veteran’s group here a few days ago. We have a loading zone so chairvans can let them off.
Mary Margaret Moore was here. She loved the space.
Part of our plan there is for everyone to be able to come! We welcome service dogs. We have braille bathroom plates.
David Martel.: Water bowls?
Greg: Yes.
David T.: Menu?
Greg: Fresh seafood. We spent a fortune on ingredients. We go through so much of it it’s always fresh. We know it’s a long winter and we want locals to come in during the winter. It’s about 50/50 between tourists and locals.
David T.: The mayor came in.
Greg: Derby St. is unique—everybody stops by and we’re the biggest little neighborhood in Salem. Stop once a week, once a month, we’d love people to stop by.
Greg: People love to window-shop the restaurants on Derby St.
Jack: Is there anything the Commission can do to help?
Greg: Is there literature, materials, etc.
Jack: I was thinking more about employees and how they deal with disabled people, blind, deaf and so forth? We’ve done training like this in the past.
Greg: We’re not stupid. We encourage staffers to be open and friendly.
Jack: That, as well, but you talked about younger employees—do they know how to approach a blind or wheelchair person without being awkward about it.
David T.: Greg is a member of the Salem business community. We want to have more restaurant operators—Greg is the first and I hope we will have more guests.
It is ongoing. We would like to focus on all business in Salem, collaborating with all businesses in Salem
Andy: We can work with Main Street and perform sensitivity training and other things, how to deal with disabilities in the general public.
Congress and Derby Intersection
Jack: We haven’t heard about this in a while. We need to push a little. It may be impeding people who are nervous about the traffic on the way to Greg’s restaurant.
David T.: Is this something Tom St. Pierre can be notified on?
Jack: Yes.
Dash program/education
Andy: The DASH (Disability Awareness Starts Here) program, in Boxford/Middleton/Topsfield, is a program for second graders that deals with blindness issues. They use the cane. They use a slate and a stylus like I do to handwrite Braille. They have a mock restaurant. It starts in January and ends in April and I come with my service dog and my equipment and show it off.
The third graders learn about mobility impairment and wheelchairs. And fourth-graders learn about hearing-impairments. There is a storyteller named Tony whom Debra probably knows.
Debra: Yes.
Andy: He was interpreting for someone. I was totally engrossed in his words.
Andy: It’s not cheap but I think it is something we should work on. I talked to the superintendent—it requires a lot of people to run. I have a copy of the program. We should probably enhance it.
David T.: How to get started?
Jack: Talk to Margaret Maranis Smith, our new Special Ed director. She works with kids in district and out of district.
Andy: It really needs volunteers—teachers cannot take the time—and a committee and parents to do this. We really need people
Jack: You need to build relationships with the teachers. No investments—no results.
David Martel: It’s new to them.
Jack: I’m not sure about that. Scott Maguire, who used to be a commissioner and a neighbor of mine, told me once that the kids had no problem asking questions. They weren’t afraid of anything. The issue was whether they could understand what it was like.
Andy: 99% of the questions I got were about my dog. As far as the devices I bring, everything I have, they have a question about that, it’s like Star Wars. They’re not afraid to ask questions. These are second-graders now. They’re very well educated. They just can’t raise their hands to ask a question—I can’t see them!
I’ve got a new dog now and it’s hard getting people to realize the dog needs to be trained and doesn’t come out of the school knowing everything.
If we can get a group of volunteers…Jack, with your two girls…it really needs to be taught to the public.
David Tracht: Any reason for second graders in particular?
Andy: No, it’s just how the schools organize things.
Jack: Nationwide program?
Andy: No, only Boxford-Topsfield-Middleton. I had a child in high school that remembered my presentation back in 1998.
David Martel: A lot of people don’t realize the simple devices that the blind use, like the water level indicator.
Andy: They’re getting smaller. Not always cheaper, but it does help.
David Martel: Color blindness is hereditary and very common. Most men are color-blind.
Jack: Lots of this stuff is integrated into everyday things. I got a smartphone—it has a bar code reader!
David Martel: iPads have book readers. Expensive, though.
David Moisan: I attend a tradeshow every year, tomorrow in fact, that’s devoted to building small devices like that. Most people think of a processor and think of the ones in their computers. But these chips are put in cell phones and Andy’s color reader and all kinds of things. It’s a true and unrealized fact that there are many many more of these processors in those devices than there are in devices like my laptop—there may be three or four processors built in. The camera that is filming this meeting has multiple processors.
David Moisan: Sometimes there are accessibility-related items I am interested in. Other times I am looking for things I can implement cheaply for SATV. I go once a year and expect to see many interesting things there, especially for those of a technical mind.
Andy: Back in the eighties, a friend of mine had the Mac. He was demonstrating speech recognition—before screen readers.
I have no screen hooked up to my computer. When my computer wasn’t working, I nearly called 911! I have my checkbook there, I have Word, I have the Internet—I make my money on the Internet. Back in the eighties there was a dictionary of 75 cassettes and it would take me minutes to find a word. But I go on the internet and find it in an instant. But if my computer doesn’t work...
Public transportation
Jean Harrison: There’s a key station plan from the Federal Transit Administration covering stations with higher than average usage that are intermodal. Salem is not included even though it is higher than average usage and it is intermodal. The federal government will give $557,000 but the cost is expected to be 40 million.
Keenan says the state can’t afford 40 million and the cost drivers included all the things that were asked for at the public meetings that have been done.
We really need that high-platform that we asked for. We really have to be listed as a key station. Mayor Driscoll is very aware of this.
Jack: I have spoken with the mayor’s office on this matter. From a personal perspective I would be jumping up and down if some of these things were not done, particularly the high-platform which is very important. Money ebbs and flows and it is very, very important for the community to advocate for these issues.
We’ve gone through this with the bypass road and other projects. Money is an issue but not always the most important one. If it is considered important enough, the money will be found. It is a matter we must constantly stay on.
Jean Harrison: The mayor is aware of this and she, I don’t think, wants a station that would be worse than the one there now.
Site visits
David T.: Great Escape opened at the Jail, 50 St. Peter. Next week they open for their regular hours. Dave Moisan has volunteered to do a site visit.
David Moisan: I will have a lunch date, probably first full week in October. I’ll stop in, have lunch and go to the restroom. I’ll assume the ladies’ room is similar to the men’s for my purposes. It’ll be my first site visit. I’ll just eyeball all the dimensions in the restrooms. I’ll look at lighting and obstructions.
I understand the lighting in a restaurant is low-key and it is what it is, but I’ll still pay attention. I watched the building while it was under construction. Charlie Reardon wondered how they would deal with the massive concrete structure inside.
They tore it out. All of it. On my blog is a picture of the restaurant space that I took from another part of the building before the walls went up. The inside of that space was torn out as well.
I will be looking for trip and fall situations. Sometimes that happens to me with my poor vision. If I’m lucky, people will ask me if I’m OK; if not, I’ll be told to watch where I’m going, pay attention, open my eyes, etc. The courtesy and demeanor of the waitstaff will make an impression.
David Tracht: If a second visit is needed let us know.
Jack: The building inspector could show up on the second visit. Most operators cooperate.
David Moisan: I’ll go by myself at first. I’m very curious. I think the restaurant entrance is on the other side of the Jail at the sally port, off of the greenspace. I have been in the other part of the building; I didn’t get to arrange a site visit but I did go to the open house and saw that the residential side was accessible, they were building a ramp at the time I was there and I saw the elevator. The fixtures in the unit I saw looked to be in place.
David Moisan: The greenspace area was not completed yet when I last visited. I have been in and around the site taking pictures.
Jack: If we were to have any questions, the building inspectors would be happy to help.
Variances
David T.: The Adriatic is trying to get a variance for the bathrooms.
Jim: I work with Shawn McDuff at the ILCNSCA and we were both going over this as we are trained community access monitors. The variance seems to pertain to the women’s room and we are going to take a look.
David Tracht: Please keep us updated at the next meeting.
Collaboration with Salem Businesses
David Tracht: I want to improve our relationship with Salem businesses. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Andy: There is $50 million of spending by the disabled community. Many are coming here.
Andy: Charlie and I went down to Old Town Hall and held a presentation about how to manage the person with a disability that might come into their business. I talked to Main Streets and had their planner at the time do a section on people with disabilities and I collected various tutorials.
David Tracht: Jennifer Bell of Main Streets will be here next meeting. Meg Robertson will be here as well—good guests for Halloween week!
Jack: The two of you (Mike Taylor and Andy) need to get into City Hall and ask to be reappointed. Andy, you need to be reappointed?
Andy: Been there done that.
CapTel
Debra: CapTel: This is new technology that has come available in Massachusetts. CapTel is a phone with captions. It’s a device that allows you to make a call and have one side of the conversation captioned. You can read the captions on the phone.
David T.: Is it like texting?
Debra: You don’t need to type, but it is texting in the sense that you read it.
Jack: Does it work through Comcast?
Debra: Service provider does not matter. It comes from the equipment distribution program and it has to be made available to residents regardless of the carrier. In order to have a CapTel phone, you need to have a documented hearing loss, just as for other equipment like an amplified phone or a TTY. Call 800-300-5658 or log on to www.massrelayedt.com.
Debra: You place a call, and the person who receives a call has everything repeated to an operator using voice recognition software, and that goes to the captions. CapTel is unlike a relay service in that you can hear the caller and read the captions. If you have two phone lines, you can call your CapTel phone direct without a relay service. Otherwise it goes through a relay service.
David Tracht.: What have you heard? How long has it been in service?
Debra: I’ve heard good and bad. When the captions work it works very well; sometimes it doesn’t work so well. I’ve tried it and it’s much like voice carryover service. I could have set it up with two phone lines so the callers would not have to go through the relay service; that’s the only difference.
GOALS
SCOD budget ideas
David Tracht.: Salem budgeting for the Disability Commission. Ideas? Increase the budget. Thoughts? Email me.
We want a better relationship with the ILCNSCA. I’m glad you’re here today, Jim.
We want a closer relationship with the Mayor’s office, so that we can work on issues that we have in common.
Internships
Jack: Jean had an intern working with him on the playground issue. It requires a little work that could be done in Lisa Cammaratta’s office.
Jean: Look into the Career Center. That’s how I got the intern for my study of the parks.
David Tracht: Any idea you have for using interns, no matter how wacky it may seem, send them to us. If we have three or four good ideas we can pick some.
David Tracht: How do interns get funded? Salary? Paid by a grant?
Jean Levesque: The salaries were paid by the city in a kind of part-time program for young workers.
David Tracht: We will go over and over this before because this is important.
Commission on Disabilities Office
David Moisan: We have a loose end I think we need to resolve. Many of you know Ken Bonnacchi, our former commissioner. He’s been working on and has wanted us to have an office for a long time.
In fact, we have an office, in the South Harbor Garage.
Truth be told, I am not a big fan of the office. It assumes people will come in personally and conduct business with us. Jean Levesque has a de facto office in City Hall that people visit on Commission business sometime. Jean, how many people stop by your office.
Jean Levesque: Very few walk-ins. Most people call.
David Moisan: I am not keen on the idea of an office because of the effort we need to put into manning the office and getting furniture and computers and computer access. I’ll be frank and say I have very mixed feelings about this. I don’t want us to decide right away but we do need to think of this.
Jack: I had several frank discussions with Lisa Cammaratta and Jason Silva, during the last administrative handover, about the St. Joseph’s site and the proposed senior center there. There were plans to have an office in that facility.
The Commission would now look at an office in the new senior center on Boston St. I will advocate for it. The commitment has been made several times over. The space is being developed. This is for the Commission to decide but I think we should have an office.
It will need nudging from the Commission.
David Moisan: I’ll go along with it however we decide. I have been looking for items from SATV that we can surplus out and use in an office, for several years. We need to look for other ways for us to do our business such as an iPhone app. I think or fear that it will be very difficult to get an office furnished and staffed. If we decide we want to do this I’ll certainly go along but I think it’s hard.
Jack: For the past ten years the Commission has been promised office space in several different locations. I did not advocate as hard as I should have and I wanted to trust people but it didn’t work out.
David Moisan: All of us want to do business with a smile and a handshake. None of us want to lawyer up. I know this very well from my experience with the audible signals on my street which we had been promised the newer signals but got the old kind instead.
I’ve spent a lot of time sitting at the front desk at SATV and doing reception duties.
Jack: This is recognition that we need space to do our business, to have private meetings and etc. I leave it up to the Commission but I don’t want us to forget this.
David Tracht: That is something we will work on in the future.
Future presenters
David T.: I’m a big believer of guest presentations because it informs our viewing audience. Mike T., do you have any suggestions about adaptive sports? I’ll reserve the time.
Mike Taylor: As of October 1st, Shaughnessy Hospital will be named Spaulding North. It opens more doors, and makes the North Shore more visible. Adaptive sports programming would fit right in to the meetings.
OTHER
David Tracht: This has been a long meeting. If any of you in the audience have questions, please call us at 978-745-9595 x5678. Our next meeting is Tuesday, October 19th, 2010.
Adjourned at 5:44 PM
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