County
of Santa Cruz
The Commission on Disabilities is an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors on issues concerning persons with disabilities. The Commission was established to (a) Review existing County policies that affect persons with disabilities and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding proposed changes; (b) Review Sections 503 and 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its implementing regulations and advise the Board of Supervisors on any actions necessary to bring the county into compliance with the federal requirements and to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities; (c) Review the provision of access for persons with disabilities to public places within the County and recommend improvements where needed; (d) Review the County’s Affirmative Action Plan and policies and recommend to the Board of Supervisors and Affirmative Action Commission any revisions which may be necessary to eliminate employment discrimination against persons with disabilities; (e) Review the County’s Personnel rules and job descriptions and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and to the Civil Service Commission, as necessary, to assure that any unnecessary barriers to employment opportunities for persons with disabilities are removed; (f) Advise the Board of Supervisors on any other appropriate programs and actions which would increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities; (g) Evaluate services provided to persons with disabilities in the County and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors based on their conclusions; (h) Review requests by persons with disabilities or organizations for County assistance and advise the Board of Supervisors; (I) Investigate citizen complaints related to concerns of persons with disabilities and make appropriate recommendations for action to the Board of Supervisors; (j) Review Federal and State Legislation of interest to persons with disabilities and advise the Board of Supervisors of their recommendations; and (k) Exercise other responsisbilities related to the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities in the County.
The
Commission meets the second Monday of each month from 2:45pm to 4:45 P.M. at
1080 Emeline Street, Building D, in the Small Auditorium. The mailing address
is 701 Ocean Street, Room 30, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
The
Commission on Disabilities is comprised of ten members representing five
districts. The Board of Supervisors appoints two Commissioners for each
district. The Chair and/ or Vice-Chair who are elected every January
facilitates commission meetings. This year the Chair was Thomas Ferr (5tht
District) and the Vice-Chair was James Lewis (2nd District).
The
Commission members, as of December 31, 2002 are:
|
District |
Commissioners |
|
1st
District |
Robert
McGaw, Krista O’Connor |
|
2nd
District |
James
Lewis, Charles Stone |
|
3rd
District |
Michael
Bush, vacant |
|
4th
District |
Jenny
Sarmiento, E. Marie Chrisman |
|
5th
District |
Thomas
Ferr, Peter McLean |
The
following Commissioners either completed their terms, resigned, or were
replaced in the last year: John Crowder, Rebecca Northcutt, and Gail Stevens.
The
Commission is supported by a ten hour per week (formerly twenty hours) staff
person – the Commission Coordinator. The Coordinator takes minutes, prepares
correspondence, and represents the Commission in some of the Commission
activities. Andrea Smith served as the Commission Coordinator for the year
2002.
V.
Attendance
|
Name |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
Charles
Stone |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
|
x |
X |
|
E.
Marie Chrisman |
- |
- |
X |
X |
x |
x |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
X |
|
James
Lewis |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
A |
A |
|
Jenny
Sarmiento |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
A |
|
John
Crowder |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
|
- |
- |
|
Krista
O’connor |
- |
- |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
X |
|
Michael
Bush |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
A |
|
X |
X |
|
Peter
McLean |
A |
X |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
A |
|
A |
A |
|
Rebecca
Northcutt |
X |
A |
x |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
- |
- |
|
Robert
McGaw |
A |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
|
A |
X |
|
Tom
Ferr |
x |
a |
x |
X |
x |
x |
x |
|
x |
|
A |
X |
X=
present A= excused absence dash (-) =not on commission L= Leave of absence
In
lieu of regular business meetings, the Commission participated in goal planning
retreats in March and April 2002.
The Commission is
in the process of finalizing a 5-year Strategic Plan which will be reviewed and
revised annually. The Commissions’ activities and priorities are determined by
the Commission mandate, and emerging needs as expressed by the community and
identified by Commissioners. Our
Mission Statement is as follows:
The
Santa Cruz County Commission on Disabilities is a pro-active advisory board
that serves to insure equal access for persons with disabilities in our County.
Toward that end, the Commission influences public policy by advising and
working with the Board of Supervisors and the County on issues impacting
persons with disabilities and their families, educating and informing its
constituencies, and increasing opportunities for persons with disabilities to reach their maximum potential in independence, human
development, productivity, and self-sufficiency.
Summary
of Objectives
The
Commission on Disabilities’ objective is to be the eyes, ears, voice, and
conscience in insuring equal access to persons with disabilities of Santa Cruz
County. We will advise the Board of Supervisors and serve persons with
disabilities in our community in the following ways:
1)
Provide
an accessible, inclusive, and appropriate place for persons with disabilities
to express community concerns.
2)
Identify
and address visible and invisible barriers preventing children and adults with
disabilities from exercising their rights to live a full and productive life.
3)
Educate
and promote awareness on disability issues and rights.
4)
Provide
referrals and initiate collaborations, bringing together needs and resources to
inspire community action.
5)
Take
an active role in advancing Local, State, and Federal Legislation that insures
and maintains equity and access for all people with disabilities.
Below
are brief descriptions of the Commission’s activities in support of the
objectives identified above:
1.
Provide an accessible,
inclusive, and appropriate place for persons with disabilities to express
community concerns.
Activities in
support of this objective include:
§
This
last year a Commission representative participated in the County’s Cultural
Competency Standards Project. This coming year the Commission will participate
in a self-analysis based on the standards from this project.
§
The
Commission webpage was revised to incorporate more information regarding the
Commission’s projects.
2.
Identify and address visible
and invisible barriers preventing children and adults with disabilities from
exercising their rights to live a full and productive life
Activities in support of this objective include:
§
The
Commission wrote a letter of support to fund the development of an Access Guide
prepared by Shared Adventures. Shared Adventures specializes in creating
recreational opportunities for people with disabilities.
§
The
Commission continued to support and recommend County policies and projects that
promote access. Some of those projects included:
}
The Commission
continued to work with the Director of General Services and the ADA Officer
regarding access problems with the County courthouse jury staging area. We are
working together to correct access barriers to the restrooms and other areas.
}
Two “watch dog”
positions were created stemming from the Commission’s 1998 investigation of the
Central Coast Alliance on Health (CCAH, formerly SCCHO). These positions, the
Members Advocate Position (MAP) and the Disabilities Liaison Position were
created to remedy problems with service delivery to CCAH members. The Members
Advocate Position serves as an objective party to assist persons with
disabilities when confronted with problems obtaining services through CCAH. The
Disabilities Liaison position works in-house to assist members with
disabilities with any health care issue that may arise.
The MAP staff is housed at California Legal Rural Assistance and this past year the Commission continued to monitor efficacy through quarterly reports on cases handled through their office.
} The Commission wrote a letter of support to the State Medical Assistance Commission supporting CCAH’s revenue proposal to prevent exhaustion of reserves, which would ultimately lead to decreased services to persons with limited income and disabilities.
}
This
past year the Commission continued to monitor and support the formation of the
Volunteer Accessible Parking Enforcement Program through the Sheriff’s
Volunteer department.
In 2000, with the support of the Commission, the Sheriff’s Department formed the County’s first volunteer parking enforcement team to address increasing accessible parking violations. The Santa Cruz Team is modeled after a program in Fremont that has been operating for years, however the Santa Cruz citizen patrol performs additional services such as vacation watch and vehicle abatement adjunct to their parking enforcement duties.
One of the Commissioners enrolled and completed the Sheriff’s Volunteer Training, including the newly created Accessible Parking Enforcement component. Unfortunately due to liability insurance issues, the program has been stalled for most of the year.
}
The
Commission developed and distributed a wallet-size information card on who to
call to report accessible parking violators.
}
The Commission
was represented at the Cabrillo College Disabled Student’s Services Emergency
Response Training to identify any gaps in their emergency plan.
Access Santa Cruz County
}
In 2000, the
Commission conducted a survey of 70 parking lots in the unincorporated areas of
the County for compliance with the ADA and Title 24 Regulations. Our
survey revealed that 67 or 96% of the parking lots were out of compliance.
After working with the County Planning Department
and Administrative Office on possible solutions, including the requirement of
permits for parking lot resurfacing, the Commission recommended a community
awareness/education program to inform property and business owners of access
requirements for parking lots. The program is called Access Santa Cruz County and includes an informal educational
brochure, technical quick sheets, and eventually workshops for contractors and
business owners.
This last year the Commission worked with the Planning Department to develop the final version of the brochure. The brochure was sent out to over 3000 businesses and is being credited with an increase in calls requesting technical assistance for accessibility requirements.
The Commission plans to conduct another Parking Lot Survey at the end of 2003 to see if there is a measurable improvement.
3.
Provide
referrals and initiate collaborations, bringing together needs and resources to
inspire community action.
Activities in support of this objective include:
§
This
last year Commissioners worked closely with a local developer to monitor
accessibility in a proposed Senior Housing Complex in Watsonville.
§
The
Commission wrote a letter of support for a small local contractor, Easy Access
Developer, LLC in the development of an accessible housing development in Santa
Cruz.
4.
Educate and promote
awareness on disability issues and rights
Activities in support of this objective include:
§
In
support of promoting employment for persons with disabilities and disability
awareness, the Commission tended a table at the County’s Access Job Fair at the
Coconut Grove. The event was well attended and provided opportunities to
network with other services offering support to persons with disabilities
trying to get into the job market. The Commission disbursed Commission
brochures and Access to County Employment brochures.
§
The
Commission also tended a booth at the Ability Awareness Fair sponsored by
Shared Adventures at the Louden Nelson Community Center. The event was well
attended and provided an opportunity to share the Commission’s work with the
community.
5.
Take an active role in
advancing Local, State, and Federal Legislation that insures and maintains
equity and access for all people with disabilities.
Activities in support of this objective include:
This past year the Commission channeled significant
energy into initiating and maintaining influence on local legislation to
promote inclusion and access for all people with disabilities.
§
The Commission responded to proposed
cuts to the Commission during the County Budget Hearings by successfully
persuading the Board of Supervisors to maintain the Commission’s staff and
autonomy.
The goals of the ordinance are to:
1)
To
provide our community with homes that can be easily and affordably adapted to
meet the changing needs of a growing senior population.
2)
To
ease the severe shortage of accessible housing now and in the future.
3)
To
allow persons with disabilities and seniors to visit the homes of their friends
and neighbors, thereby including them in the wider community.
}
At
least one zero-step entrance for easy movement into the home. This entrance is required to be on an
accessible route from the street and can be at the front, side or back of the
dwelling, including the garage. The
door to this accessible entrance must be at least 32” wide. (Current Santa Cruz
County building codes requires at least one 36” entrance door)
}
Interior
doors on the main floor at least 32” wide, with lever hardware. (Current Santa
Cruz County building codes requires 30” net clearance on interior doors)
}
A
minimum 36” wide level route through the ground floor, except at doorways.
(Current Santa Cruz County
building code requires 36” hallways)
}
Ground
floor bathroom walls reinforced for possible installation of grab bars and
other mobility aids. Fiberglass shower
surrounds are excluded from this provision.
}
Light
switches, electrical outlets, thermostats and other environmental controls
installed at accessible heights and locations.
The ordinance allows light switches to be set no higher than 48” and
thermostats set no higher than 54”. (Current Santa Cruz County building
practices set light switches at 48”)
A phase-in period is part of the
ordinance, to allow builders time to adapt to the changes in the code. In addition, waivers are allowed for
difficult topographical conditions. This ordinance would only apply to the
construction of new homes located in the unincorporated areas of the County and
would not require any existing homes to be retrofitted.
Guest
speakers welcomed by the COD in 2002:
Michael
Bradshaw, Central Coast Center for Independent Living
John
deCourcy, County Planning Department
Alan
McKay, Central Coast Alliance on Health
Barbara
Flynn, Central Coast Alliance on Health
Charles
Stone, community member
Jackie
Rubin, Volunteer Coordinator, County Sheriff’s Department
Tom
Onin, Central Coast alliance on Health
Dinah
Phillips, County Administrative Office
Stephen
Davis, Bay Area and Western Chapters of the Veteran’s Hospital
Patricia
Spence, Transit Commission
Mark
Dorfman, community member
Joseph
Quigg,
Sebastian
Defrancesco
Krista
O’connor, Easter Seals
Mark
Demming, County Planning Department
Frank
Baron, County Planning Department
Foster
Anderson, shared Adventures
Anna
Maynard, community member
Sandra
Seeger, community member
Megan
Baker, community member
Edy
Rhoades, Central Coast Center for Independent Living
Casandra
Fox, MASTF
Alberta
Crimshaw, community member
Respectfully
Submitted,
Andrea
Smith
Commission
Coordinator
Approved
by the Commission on Disabilities on 02/13/03