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 responsibilities related to the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities in the County.
The
Commission met the second Thursday of each month from Noon until 1:30 P.M. at
1400 Emeline Street, Room 206 with the exception of the following months:
August and December when the Commission did not meet. 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 Charles Stone (2nd
District) and the Vice-Chair was Joseph Quigg (5th District). The Commission
members, as of December 31, 2005 are:
|
District |
Commissioners |
|
1st
District |
Robert
McGaw, vacant |
|
2nd
District |
vacant,
Charles Stone |
|
3rd
District |
Michael
Bush, Jessie Schecter |
|
4th
District |
Jeanette
Cosentino, vacant |
|
5th
District |
Joseph
Quigg, Peter Heylin |
The
following Commissioners either completed their terms, resigned, or were
replaced in the last year: Chris Lewis and Erik Edmonds.
The
Commission is supported by a ten hour per week 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 2005.
V.
Attendance
|
Name |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
Charles
Stone |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Chris
Lewis |
A |
A |
A |
A |
X |
A |
A |
|
A |
- |
- |
|
|
Erik
Edmonds |
X |
A |
A |
X |
A |
X |
X |
|
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Jeanette
Cosentino |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
X |
|
|
Jessie
Schecter |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
X |
X |
|
|
Joseph
Quigg |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
A |
X |
X |
|
|
Michael
Bush |
X |
A |
X |
A |
X |
X |
A |
|
A |
X |
X |
|
|
Peter
Heylin |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
A |
X |
|
A |
X |
X |
|
|
Robert
McGaw |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
|
X=
present A= excused absence dash (-) =not on commission L= Leave of absence
The
Commission did not officially meet in September due to lack of a quorum.
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.
Due to extensive turnover on the Commission this year, the
Commission deferred addressing new projects outlined in their 5-year Strategic
Plan and concentrated on existing activities, urgent issues as they arose, and
recruitment of potential Commissioners.
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:
§
Mailed out Commission Information
Packets to community members who expressed interest in serving on the
Commission. The packets included past Annual Reports of Commission Activities
and a FAQ sheet to address concerns most often expressed by new Commissioners.
§
Revised
the Commission webpage to incorporate more information regarding the
Commission’s projects.
§
Maintained
the Commission Bulletin Board outside of the Commission Office.
§
Distributed
Commission materials at the Annual Job Fair in October at the Cocoanut Grove in
Santa Cruz.
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:
§
This
last year a Commission representative continued to serve on the IHSS (In-Home
Support Services) Advisory Committee. The Committee oversees County In-Home
Support Services, monitors contracts, and initiates community participation and
education on IHSS issues.
§
The
Commission continued to support and recommend County policies and projects that
promote access. Some of those projects included:
}
In 1998, two
“watch dog” positions were created stemming from the Commission’s 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.
In 2005, the MAP position housed at California Legal Rural Assistance was eliminated due to inactivity. Clients expressed a preference for contacting CCAH directly for problem resolution rather than a third party. Funding for the MAP position was diverted into the Wheelchair Awareness Program.
This coming year the Commission will hold a seat on the CCAH Advisory Committee.
}
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 was to be modeled after a program in Fremont[1]
that has been operating for years, however the Santa Cruz citizen patrol would
perform additional services such as vacation watch and vehicle abatement
adjunct to their parking enforcement duties.
Unfortunately since its inception, the program has faced some setbacks. The most detrimental to the success of the program has been the inability to secure liability insurance for volunteers to issue citations to violators. In lieu of citations, volunteers are allowed to issue courtesy notices, however, the effectiveness of this method is unknown.
The Commission continued to communicate with the Volunteer Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Department regarding liability insurance and the program activities. The Commission also recommended to the Board this year that priority be given to removing barriers to the success of this program be removed which prompted a new conversation with representatives from the Sheriff’s Department – Todd Liberty and Shea Johnson. The Commission learned that the policy now under a new Sheriff prohibited volunteers from issuing citations of any kind.
Based on this new information the Commission recommended some other ways volunteers could assist the Sheriff’s Department in addressing those who abuse disability parking spaces including photographing violators to be ticketed later by an officer. The Commission also continues to explore ways that other communities’ support enforcing accessible parking requirements.
On a final note – the Commission experienced great sadness over the passing of Lt. Joseph Hemingway. Joe had always been extremely supportive of the Commission’s work and we viewed him as an ally in creating equal access for persons with disabilities in our community. Joe played an integral in creating the Volunteer Accessible Parking Enforcement Team. His commitment to the project and his great sense of humor helped to ease tension in working through the tedious details. We miss him and his influence in championing for equal access for persons with disabilities in our community.
}
The
Commission also continues to distribute a wallet-size information card,
developed by the Commission, on who to call to report accessible parking
violators.
} The Coordinator participated on behalf of the Commission in the 5310 Funding review process for Para transit services..
IHSS (In-Home Support Services) and
Medicare
}
Through participation on the IHSS
Advisory Committee, the Commission monitored proposed cuts to IHSS services,
Medi-Cal re-design, and Medicare modernization. Commissioners participated in
various rallies, actions, and media events to oppose cuts and revisions that
would reduce or compromise services to consumers.
Voting
}
One of the Commissioners participated
in a survey of polling places mandated by the State Attorney General. The
locations were evaluated for accessibility for both workers and voters. One of
the Commissioners also served as a consultant to the Election Department to
remedy access issues.
}
In response the lawsuit brought by
the California Attorney General – the Commission issued a letter support the
County and the Election Department’s commitment to providing voting access to
our residents.
3.
Provide
referrals and initiate collaborations, bringing together needs and resources to
inspire community action.
Activities in support of this objective include:
§
On September 15, 2003, Santa Cruz lost Terry Brickley, an
extraordinary citizen committed to expanding access, broadening awareness, and
improving the quality of life for all persons in our community with and without
disabilities. Before the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, Terry
Brickley lobbied for elevators in buildings, accessible transportation, and
"curb cuts" to allow sidewalk access for those with mobility
impairments. He also pioneered the push for accessible parking spaces in
downtown Santa Cruz, and accessible public buildings and bathrooms throughout
the County. Terry was also instrumental in the formation of the County
Commission on Disabilities, which influences public policy as it relates to
persons with disabilities in the County.
In his own words, Terry’s goal was always "to assist change, and it didn’t make a difference if it’s on a political level, at a city council meeting or on a personal level, counseling a couple. There will always be barriers, whether in architecture or attitude."
In an effort to continue Mr. Brickley’s vision to “assist change”, the Commission collaborated with the Cabrillo College Foundation to establish the Terry Brickley Educational Enhancement Scholarship. In May 2005, the second annual $500 scholarship was awarded to student Geoff Middlekauff to assist in his education at Cabrillo College.
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.
§
This
year several Commissioners participated in a Speakers Bureau and at several
events regarding disability issues.
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:
·
In
August, Commissioners participated in the Universal Design Conference organized
by local Occupational Therapist, Jeanette Cosentino. The Conference featured
speakers such as Edward Steinfeld, Arch. D and Professor of Architecture and
Director IDEA Center at the State University of New York in Buffalo.
The mission of the Conference as stated on the Conference website is:
Accessible
design solves access problems and is a subset of Universal Design. Universal
Design integrates accessible (and other good) design into the social fabric
creating conditions where persons with disabilities (PWD’s) do not need to
be treated as outside the norm; "special."
As important
as the practicalities of the event planning are, we are keen to take advantage
of the lead-up as an opportunity for community education, networking, and
goodwill-building around Universal Design. Some very powerful networks and
collaborations are going to be built in this process.
·
The
Commission lobbied the State Architect to consider revisions to the State
Building Code that prevent more economical elevators from being installed in
homes and as secondary elevators in multi-unit buildings.
Guest
speakers welcomed by the COD in 2005:
Alexa
Routson, community member
Barri
Boone, Care Provider
Gail
Pellerin, Elections Department
Isleen
Glatt, Central Coast Alliance on Health
Jeanette
Cosentino, community member
Jeffery
Roth, Housing Choices Coalition
Jennifer
Hutchinson, County Planning Department
John
Daugherty, Santa Cruz Metro
Lily
Kephart, community member
Manuel
Diaz, County Personnel
Michael
Bradshaw, Central Coast Center for Independent Living
Ron
Routson, community member
Sam
Finkelstein, Housing Choices Coalition
Thom
Onan, Central Coast Center for Independent Living
Tim
Ahearn, President SEIU Homecare Providers Chapter
Respectfully
Submitted,
Andrea
Smith
Commission
Coordinator
Approved by the Commission on
Disabilities on 1/12/2006
[1] A recent article (attached) reported that the Fremont
Volunteer Parking Enforcement Team generated $175,000 and more in revenue for
the city.