City of Austin Americans with Disabilities Act

2007 Implementation Plan Report

INTRODUCTION

In 1973, Congress provided protection for people with disabilities through its enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Although other pieces of legislation were enacted between 1973 and 1990, it was not until 1990 that Congress took a step forward and enacted legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities.

On July 26, 2007 the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebrated its 17th Anniversary. The ADA, the most sweeping civil rights legislation, is an extensive law, which affects every aspect of life for over 59 million Americans by ensuring equal opportunity in the areas of employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. Although the ADA was signed into law in 1990, it did not become effective until January 26, 1992. At this time, city and state governments were required to insure non-discrimination on the basis of disability in all public programs, services, and activities. This grace period allowed these entities to assemble the necessary staff and develop a plan for its full implementation. The City of Austin, however, saw this as a priority and initiated implementation of its compliance program in 1991, before the mandated date for local governments. In January of 2007, the City entered its seventeenth year of implementation under the ADA.

Briefly, the ADA offers protections, under five separate titles or sections, which cover various areas. The five areas are: Employment, Public Services, Public Accommodations, Telecommunications, and a miscellaneous title, which prohibits threatening or coercing people with disabilities or those who associate with them. Currently, the law outlines the following definition for protection. A person must meet at least one of the following tests: 1) he/ she is substantially impaired with respect to one or more major life activities; 2) he/ she has a record of such an impairment; and 3) he/ she is regarded as having such an impairment.

CITY OF AUSTIN ADA OFFICE

Since the signing of the ADA, the purpose of the ADA Coordinator’s Office has been to facilitate the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act within the City of Austin as an organization. The ADA affects many areas including physical and programmatic public services, employment issues, communication, dispute resolution and accountability.

Although the appointment of the City-wide ADA Coordinator was a requirement of the ADA, the City committed to complying with the legislation, and required each department designate an ADA Departmental Coordinator. In fact, some of the larger departments have designated additional representatives, who as a team, address employment issues, facility issues, and coordinate the dissemination of information in alternative formats. Together with the City-wide ADA Coordinator, this network of ADA departmental coordinators has helped to expedite the implementation of the ADA in the City of Austin.

To help facilitate communication and discussion, the ADA Office invites and encourages ADA Department Coordinators to attend training sessions and events sponsored by this office and the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. As a result of these efforts, the ADA Office has created more friendly approaches to assist Departmental ADA Coordinators. Another component of compliance is to visit all departments on an annual basis and go over a survey tool that identifies ADA requirements and provides guidance on City processes for complying. On-site visits produce information that is much more valuable to the City and to the department as they provide a standard for comparison and a foundation for analysis.

The most important responsibility for the City-wide ADA Coordinator is to monitor effective compliance with the law. Compliance is required, not only in the area of physical accessibility, but also in the services the City provides and the programs it administers. Without the current network of people monitoring the compliance by their respective departments, an accurate assessment would not be possible.

In addition to working with the network of ADA coordinators, the ADA Office serves as the liaison to the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, provides the City of Austin with a wide-range of training and awareness workshops, provides consultations on ADA compliance issues and reasonable accommodations, and offers a wide variety of print, reference, and video resources on the ADA. This year the ADA Office conducted 26 training and awareness sessions. The City ADA Coordinator also represents the City of Austin in all media related situations including radio, TV and print.

ON-SITE VISITS

As part of the City-wide effort to ensure its compliance and obtain a more complete analysis, the ADA Office conducts annual on-site visits with each department. This on-site visit provides the department coordinator with an opportunity to discuss implementation issues and individual department needs. In order to formalize the visit, a survey tool was developed and the results are submitted in summary form to the coordinator and kept on file. Upon request, the survey assessment tool is shared with the Departmental ADA Coordinator ahead of the meeting time. Additionally, the Departmental ADA Coordinator may choose to invite other pertinent staff, thereby ensuring that more than one person is aware of their ADA responsibilities. This year the ADA Office conducted 21 On-site Visits. Highlights from the on-site visits are listed below.

FY 2006-2007 DEPARTMENTAL EVALUATIONS

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) called for the designation of a City-wide ADA Coordinator. The City of Austin, committed to its compliance with this legislation, designated departmental coordinators in addition to the mandated City-wide Coordinator. Together with the City-wide ADA Coordinator, the ADA department coordinators work to ensure the City complies with the legislation in the programs it administers and the services it provides.

Monitoring, a chief component of the compliance effort, has been, and continues to be a challenge. Complying with the law required each local entity to produce a transition plan and conduct periodic self-evaluations. Briefly, the transition plan identifies structural changes needed to provide equal access to programs. The self-evaluation is meant to provide a review of a covered entity’s programs, services, facilities, policies, and aide in identifying potential areas for discrimination.

The City’s strategy was to produce a self-evaluation and transition plan for each department. Periodically, each department is required to complete self-evaluation forms. These forms are independent of the annual on-site visits conducted by the ADA Office. Together these documents provide the City and the individual departments with information that aids in, not only improving their respective departments, but also the City program as a whole.

CITY–WIDE ADA REVIEW TEAM

As of last year, a City wide ADA Review Team addressed in the Reasonable Accommodation Procedure has now been implemented. In response to requests from several departments, the City ADA Office spearheaded a group of experienced Departmental ADA Coordinators in creating and setting up guidelines for this team. The purpose of this team is to assist Departmental ADA Coordinators in making disability determination decisions, as well as, assisting with reasonable accommodations requests. It has been encouraged practice in the City of Austin to assemble an ADA Dept team when requests come up, in order that one person is not making disability determination or reasonable accommodation decisions alone. Some departments do not have the staff to form this committee and cases have become complicated enough to be difficult for one person. A nine-member team from departments, having the most experience handling ADA cases, has been assembled to draw from when requests for the City wide team are made. Included in the team will be a member of the Law Dept, who will not be an official voting member, but will provide legal advice. All participants have expressed this to be a good idea and welcome the opportunity to participate. To date, the team has been utilized a handful of times, but all with great success.

WINNERS – Governor’s Committee Martha Arbuckle Award for the Business of Work Seminar

This year the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (AMCPD) won the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities- Martha Arbuckle Award for their innovative program, the Business Of Work Seminar. The award was presented to Curt Voelkel, Chair of the Employment Subcommittee on October 25 in El Paso. The Business of Work Seminar was a partnership between AMCPD, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, Easter Seals Central Texas, DARS, Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center, Worksource, and Austin Travis County Mental Health Mental Retardation. The event targeted approximately 100 of the most “job-ready” employment seekers with disabilities. The Seminar was designed to help them obtain the skills to interview, get accommodations and get and keep jobs. Several guest speakers presented on a variety of topics, including disability job resources, interviewing methods, and networking skills. A number of local community groups were also on hand to provide information to the job seekers. Congratulations to the AMCPD and all community partners who helped to coordinate this event.

PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

FY 2006-2007 CURB RAMP PROGRAM ANNUAL SUMMARY

The ADA Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Program (ADA program) under the Department of Public Works and Transportation (PW & T) continues managing current curb ramp and sidewalk projects, as well as, plans and implements new projects with some guidance from the ADA Access and Sidewalk Task Force (ADA Task Force). The ADA Task Force is comprised of members of ADAPT, the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services -Division of Blind Services, City of Austin staff, Austin Energy, Capital Metro representatives, and several interested citizens.

To facilitate the selection and prioritization of sidewalk and curb ramp projects, PW & T worked with the ADA Task Force to produce project selection criteria and a project selection matrix. The project selection matrix was created by the ADA Task Force to assist in prioritizing proposed and requested accessibility projects using criteria established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Task Force list is managed by PW & T and is used to track the status of prioritized projects and related budgets.

The ADA Task Force continues to provide recommendations and input in establishing the ADA Program’s general protocols. Other ADA Task Force’s contributions include guidance in communications with other regulatory agencies, providing recommendations on formats for quarterly reports, and input on the Program’s position on accessibility issues. The ADA Task Force meets every other month to address current accessibility issues, discuss City accessibility policies, and update the project priority list.

Last year, the program completed Phase One of the Pedestrian Master Plan originally adopted in 2000. Phase One aimed at developing a framework for new sidewalk planning and prioritization incorporating input from community stakeholders and citizen groups; including the ADA Task Force, Downtown Austin Alliance, Austin Neighborhoods Council and the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. It piloted a GIS based inventory system and evaluation tool designed to manage and prioritize new sidewalk requests and plan logical extensions to the existing network. Phase Two, completed in FY 2006-2007, continued the field assessment of priority corridors completing the Phase One pilot work and adding several key components. Among these are a TDLR compliance tracking system, an update to the City’s ADA Transition Plan, an update to the pedestrian plan, the creation of a Pedestrian Infrastructure Management System (PIMS), and the creation of a web based Pedestrian Routing Application that acquires and displays TAS accessible routes online. Phase Two continued the expansion of data collection to go beyond the urban core to the periphery. This data will be used to generate a rehabilitation priority matrix that will be used to plan future PW & T improvement projects. Public input for Phase Two included key community groups, as in Phase One, as well as relying on adopted Neighborhood Plans for insight into specific sidewalk related neighborhood needs. PW & T used these inputs to create PIMS. PIMS uses a scoring matrix based on pedestrian attractor score 50% (pas), pedestrian safety score 40% (pss), and fiscal availability score 10% (fas). Additional points are added for special consideration (scs) and neighborhood plans (nps). All three matrix components are further broken down into subtypes that contribute to the overall score for each component. These subtypes were added after meetings were conducted with stake holders including the AMCPD, the Fitness Council, the Neighborhood Council and others. PIMS will assist in the management of the City’s pedestrian infrastructure just as the Pavement Management System aids in the management of the street network. Specific pedestrian infrastructure goals and performance measures will be developed and monitored – in much the same way as PW & T monitors and reports on the condition of the street network and the amount of annual street maintenance performed.

In the previous year, a member of the Pedestrian and Bike Program under PW & T completed training and obtained a certification as a Registered Accessibility Specialist (RAS). This training completed by Mark Cole, project coordinator with the Pedestrian and Bike program, will help the group to be more knowledgeable about the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS). The TAS are the same standards used by the City’s Watershed Protection, Development, and Review Office. TAS is the certified equivalent to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines.

The ADA Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Program has also been working with PW & T to formalize the construction of sidewalks and curb ramps as part of road reconstruction projects in order to leverage funding. The program contributes the sidewalk and curbs ramp construction costs to the overall road reconstruction project budget. In effect, the program pays for the construction costs and has engineering and management services provided free of cost.

Through these and other efforts in FY 2006-2007 the ADA Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Program constructed approximately 250 curb ramps and over 75,000 linear feet of sidewalk. Below is a list some the projects that have been completed by PW & T:

PW & T Sidewalk Improvement Projects

• 22nd, Leona to Stafford
• 38th, Shoal Creek to Medical Parkway
• Arthur Stiles at Johnson HS, Johnston HS to Lotus
• Lake Creek, HWY 183 to RM 620
• MLK, Perez to HWY 183
• Peaceful Hill, R. Ablanedo to Baldridge
• Redd, Mt Vernon to Gillis
• Shoal Creek, 38th to Foster Lane
• Stoneleigh, at Blue Dawn
• Woodrow, Koenig to N. Loop
• Elmont, Pleasant Valley to Town Lake
• Mt. Vernon, Redd to Casey
• North Bluff, S. Congress to Crow

AUSTIN AVIATION DEPARTMENT

The Austin Aviation Department strives to implement ADA improvements whenever and wherever new construction or renovations are made to existing facilities. Planning engineers work directly with PW & T to ensure that all aspects of the Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) are met in all new ABIA construction projects. The department also hires Registered Accessibility Specialists (certified inspectors for TAS) to assist in final walkthroughs before Aviation projects are completed. The following is one of the projects the Aviation Department worked on to improve its accessibility in FY 2006- 2007.

Improvement to the Learning Research Center

1. Completed construction of an ADA accessible ramp at the Learning Research Center (LRC) located at ABIA.

OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK

During FY 2006-2007 the Staff at the Office of the City Clerk made some notable web accessibility improvements to public information displayed on the city’s web page. These improvements will make the City Clerk’s web page more accessible to citizens who are blind or visually impaired and use JAWS or other screen-reading software to browse the web.

Improvements to web accessibility

1. Internet version of the City of Austin Code has been made compatible with JAWS facilitating persons with visual impairments in reading it.

2. City council approved documents are now also available online to JAWS users.

AUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER

The Austin Convention Center Department continues to go above and beyond the requirements for accessibility. In FY 2006-2007, with the help of the ADA office the Convention Center department trained its staff on how to evacuate people with disabilities during emergency situations. In addition to training, the department undertook accessibility improvements in a number of ways including the following:

ACCD ADA Improvements

1. Identified accessible curb cuts through visual markings in the South Circle drive. This is an additional preventive measure, prohibiting vehicles from blocking wheelchair access points along the drive.

2. Added an ADA accessible entry/exit with construction of a ramp to the main entrance at the administrative area.

3. Added three additional AED units at the Convention Center and have plans to add an additional seven for a department total of 23 AED units.

4. The Department plans to add Braille to “Stairwell Access” signs on the internal stairwell access doors; this is part of a larger plan to add signage.

AUSTIN ENERGY

Austin Energy during FY 2006-2007 made a few notable ADA improvements to it’s facility at Town Lake Center located at 721 Barton Springs Rd. The following are these improvements:

Austin Energy ADA Improvements at Town Lake Center

1. Re-modified first floor break room with an extra accessible sink, an extra accessible microwave, and ADA fixtures for the new additions were added also.

2. Made renovations to the first floor restrooms to improve accessibility including, installation of spring loaded hinges on the bathroom doors to make them easier to open for people with disabilities, grab bars added next to the urinals, longer ADA faucet added, and the soap dispenser and the towel dispenser moved to accommodate everyone.

3. The department is currently working on moving thermostats to ADA compliant height throughout the building. The first floor is completed, and work is currently being done to the second floor, the department will continue the work until all floors are complete.

THE AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department (A/TCHHSD) has continued to improve access to people with disabilities when considering improvement to facilities and services. One of the key services that catered to improve access was the drive- through mobile flu vaccine clinics designed specifically for people with mobility impairments. A/TCHHSD also strives to be sensitive to the individual needs of employees with disabilities. A team of Human Resource Specialists carefully evaluates each employee request for reasonable accommodation. The following are A/TCHHSD improvements made to facilities and services in FY 2006-2007.

Austin Travis County Health and Human Services Department facilities and services improvements

1. Installed an ADA Sidewalk at an ATCHHSD Facility at 7201 Levander Loop Building C in FY 2006-2007

2. Upon request, called in Sign Language Interpreters for deaf customers of ATCHHSD Communicable Disease Unit.

3. Held 3 drive-through flu vaccine clinics using the ATHHSD Health Promotion Disease Prevention Unit (HPDPU). A mobile HPDPU team would set up a mobile clinic, and give vaccines to people driving through in their cars. These mobile vaccine clinics were created especially to accommodate people with mobility impairments and other disabilities.

4. To make the center more accessible the department made structural improvements prior to opening the South Day Labor Center in July 2007, including installation of an ADA accessible door for bathroom, the addition of curb cuts and the installation of an ADA ramp.

NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

During FY 2006-2007, the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department (NHCD) continues its commitment to serve the needs of the disability community and to increase reasonably priced and accessible housing options.

NHCD PROGRAMS

NHCD funded the following programs to promote equal access to housing for people with disabilities:

Renters’ Rights Assistance/Fair Housing Counseling

NHCD contracts with the Austin Tenants’ Council (ATC) to provide tenant counseling and landlord/tenant dispute mediations. People with disabilities comprise over 50% of their total service engagements.

Architectural Barrier Removal Activity

The AHFC’s ABR Program uses a “communication board”—a visual aid that program staff utilize when explaining program services—to overcome communication barriers. After AHFC staff members Ruth Dalrymple and Glynis Laing attended the “ADAtude” training class, they were inspired to create their own communication board tailored to the ABR program services, such as walk-in showers, shower grab bars and wheelchair ramps.

Glynis uses the communication board during client home visits to give clients a clear idea of the construction services the program provides. This result is setting appropriate customer expectations and ultimately results in higher customer satisfaction.

Staff also implemented an ADA-inspired improvement to the ABR program brochure. Larger font sizes and photos of program services, like those in the communication board, improve the program’s marketing and outreach effectiveness.

Voluntary Compliance Agreement Program and Housing Information and Referral Service

The Voluntary Compliance Agreement Program verifies compliance with applicable federal, state and local accessibility standards. The Housing Information and Referral Service provides information and referral for S.M.A.R.T. Housing™ approved developments with accessible units by geographical location or zip code.

Austin’s Visitability Ordinance and S.M.A.R.T. Housing™ Policy Initiative requires new single-family dwellings, duplexes, and triplexes constructed with city assistance to utilize design features that provide accessibility and usability for visitors with disabilities. All new single-family and duplex units are visitable. At least 10% of the multi-family units are accessible and at least 25 % of the multi-family units are adaptable. All ground-level single-family, duplex, and triplex construction are required to be visitable.

OUTREACH

Information about NHCD’s programs and services is available in alternative formats in the office and by request. Two NHCD staff members use virtual TTY modems.

NHCD works with the disability community during its annual planning process. Members of the disability community participate with other stakeholders in stakeholder meetings, public hearings, and community needs surveys, throughout the planning process. Copies of all published documents are available by mail and in alternative formats, upon request.

Through its partnerships with various organizations and development of initiatives to eliminate some of the barriers to affordable, accessible housing options, NHCD continues to demonstrate its commitment to serving the needs of the disability community and to increasing affordable, accessible housing options.

AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AND ZONING

The Neighborhood Planning and Zoning department (NPZD) HR Manager/ADA Coordinator met with Dolores Gonzalez the City’s ADA Coordinator twice in FY 2006-2007. The purpose of these consultations was to update NPZD on the employee accommodation process. The consultations will better equip the NZPD to deal with any potential employee accommodations when they arise by following a set of procedures.

AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION

The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) continues to make significant strides toward ADA compliance. More and more park facilities and programs have improved accessibility; this has allowed many individuals with disabilities to enjoy the public parks, lakes, recreation centers, hike and bike trails, disc golf courses, museums, golf courses, nature preserves, wilderness parkland, swimming pools, transportation for senior citizens and various summer programs. PARD is primarily responsible for these projects; however, they do work closely with other departments to combine resources for further improvements. One fine example of program access is the regular provision of Sign Language Interpreters for the traditional Zilker Tree Lighting Ceremony. Attached to this report is a list of project improvements in FY 2006-2007 including some of the following:

PARD is continuing the renovations to Austin parks adding ADA playscapes, making Austin’s parks accessible to children with disabilities. In March 2007, PARD completed a project at Gracy Woods Park that provided an ADA playscapes with an ADA connection from an existing Hike and Bike Trail.

One of the major PARD project was the complete renovation of Pickfair Park, which included accessibility improvements. PARD has completed the first phase of what is expected to be three phases of construction, completing floor improvements to the park earlier this year. PARD is working on adding ADA restrooms; accessible path improvements to the parking lot, and improvements to the outdoor playscapes. PARD plans to complete the ADA renovations to Pickfair within the next three years.

AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Austin Public Library Department has made a continuing effort to improve services for library patrons with disabilities during FY 2006-2007 including the following facility improvement projects:

Austin Library ADA Facility Improvements

Twins Branch Library

To enhance accessibility to the currently leased location of the Twin Oaks Branch Library, the Library Facilities Division installed an ADA compliant automatic front door. This door was installed when the facility was being remodeled.

Spicewood Springs Branch

The Austin Library Department recently reopened the Spicewoods Springs Branch on March 31, 2007 after an extensive ADA renovation project. The branch underwent an interior and exterior expansion, which included the construction of more ADA accessible parking spaces. All of the newly renovated spaces passed TAS inspection. The branch was originally built in 1985 therefore, in order to bring the branch to current accessibility compliance, the project focused on all aspect of ADA compliance including doors, restrooms, etc.

AUSTIN WATER UTILITY DEPARTMENT

The City of Austin Water and Waste management has gone the extra mile in providing accommodations to departmental employees, who have demonstrated eligibility. These accommodations include closer parking access for employees with disabilities, and also the changing of keyboards and monitors. In FY 2006-2007, the department also took steps to make facilities improvements to accommodate employees with disabilities including the following:

Austin Water and Waste Water Department Facility Improvements

1. Replaced the 8th floor Waller Creek Building sinks with wheel chair accessible sinks to accommodate employees with disabilities.

2. Installed four audio visual safety alarm units in the Waller Creek Building Conference Room.

3. Made several employee accommodations by modifying workspaces, and by exchanging keyboards and monitors.

AUSTIN MAYOR’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In addition to ensuring the compliance with ADA in the services it provides and the programs it administers, the City wide ADA Coordinator also serves as the liaison to the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (AMCPD). As such, the ADA Office offers assistance to the AMCPD in developing, coordinating and administering all of their programs and projects.

The AMCPD was established in 1987 by City Ordinance 870319-J, which states the purpose is “to carry on a program to encourage, assist and enable persons to participate in the social and economic life of the City of Austin and achieve maximum personal independence; to become gainfully employed; and to enjoy life fully and use all public and private facilities available within the community.”

AMCPD operates within the geographic city limits of Austin in cooperation with the Governor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. The committee’s membership is made up of nine local residents appointed by the Mayor, who serve two-year staggered terms. Other interested citizens known as Associate Members volunteer their unique skills and knowledge and work alongside committee members in pursuing AMCPD goals.

ACCESS SUBCOMMITTEE

The Access subcommittee’s focus is on insuring accessibility and barrier removal throughout the community, providing citizen input on accessibility projects, promoting ADA compliance, and providing information and policy recommendations on accessibility of City of Austin services and facilities.

ACCESS SUBCOMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2006-2007

• Right to Risk Documentary Project - The Mayor’s Committee in collaboration with KLRU/PBS hosted a preview screening of Right to Risk, a documentary that accompanies eight people with significant physical disabilities on a 15-day, 225-mile whitewater raft trip through the Grand Canyon. The screening included exhibits of adaptive recreational equipment and a panel discussion on how Austin’s public and private recreation programs can successfully include people of all abilities. This documentary is the foundation of a national campaign to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities by changing perceptions, removing attitudinal barriers and increasing choice.
• Worked on Austin’s disaster management and homeland security planning to better address the needs of citizens with disabilities. A new group, including UT Disabilities Studies and the Office of Emergency Management was formed to develop a communication tool for first responders assisting persons who have speech impairments and who may use Sign Language. Work is ongoing in this area.
• Sponsored 3rd annual Austin Access Awards, which is a recognition program for local businesses that meet or exceed accessibility requirements and offer a welcoming business environment for customers with disabilities in celebration of the 17th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was an exciting year with a record 24 nominations and 9 winners.

  Committee hosted a stakeholder meeting to introduce the Texas Ramp Project to the Austin community. The AMCPD recommended that NHCD explore a warehouse space and a potential contract relationship for the ABR program.

• Provided ongoing representation on City ADA Access and Sidewalk Taskforce and monitored progress of the City’s Pedestrian Master Plan.
• Monitored and provided input on changes to transportation policies affecting passengers with disabilities served by Capital Metro and local taxicab providers. Provided customer service training to Taxi cab drivers for serving passengers with disabilities.
• Commissioner Jesus Lardizabal served on the 2007 IBC Committee to review and monitor accessibility changes to Austin’s building code.
• Continued regular monitoring of Neighborhood Housing and Community Development’s Architectural Barrier Removal and Visitability programs.
• Hosted international delegations sponsored by the U.S. State Department from the Ukraine and Uzbekistan. A roundtable discussion of disability subject matter experts and tours were coordinated by the Committee.

AWARDS SUBCOMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2006- 2007

• Hosted 28th Annual AMCPD Employment Awards Program (October 24, 2007). The event was held as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Councilmember Lee Leffingwell graciously presented the awards this year in Mayor Wynn’s absence. Seven employers of varying size were recognized, including two area grocery stores.

EMPLOYMENT SUBCOMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2006-2007

• Co-hosted Community Career Expo with Goodwill Industries of Central Texas and the Austin American Statesman. The Expo offered a fully inclusive job fair with accommodations including Sign Language Interpreters, sighted-guides for blind job seekers, and assistive technology. The Community Career Expo served over 1,300 job seekers with barriers to employment.
• The AMCPD hosted the Second Annual Business of Work Job Readiness Seminar in partnership with Easter Seals Central Texas, DARS, WorkSource Career Center, Goodwill Industries, and Capital Metro. The workshop served 41 of the most job-ready persons with disabilities.

YOUTH SUBCOMMITTEE ACCOMPLISHMENTS FY 2006-2007

• Promoted inclusive and accessible recreation activities for youth with disabilities through a recommendations letter to PARD to expand the MacBeth Recreation Program to other areas of Austin.
• Hosted 4th Annual Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) October 17, 2007

  Objectives:
  This community collaboration included AISD, ACC, UT- Disability Services Office, CTD, Hays County ISD and Goodwill Industries of Central Texas,
  Successful participation included 38 mentees and 14 mentors.
  Expanded role of partner organizations to include participation by AISD Partners in Education and greater participation by Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.

• Hosted 2007 White Cane Day on October 15th 2007 at Republic Square Park: Increased public awareness about the abilities and contributions of citizens who are blind.

  A Proclamation was presented by Mayor Will Wynn to more than 300 attendees commemorating the independence blind citizens.
  Partners included Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Austin Lighthouse for the Blind, DARS-Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center and the Downtown Lions Club.
  Lead planning was provided by the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center staff, Ron Lucey and Dolores Gonzalez representing AMCPD.

• Provided annual monitoring and oversight of Work-based Learning Program participation for youth with disabilities.
• Awarded four post-secondary scholarships to Austin area students with disabilities.

DISABLED PARKING ENFORCEMENT

Members of AMCPD not only work throughout the year to meet the needs of each of the four subcommittees, many also participate in the Volunteer Disabled Parking Enforcement. The AMCPD recognized a need for stronger enforcement by local authorities regarding illegal parking in accessible parking areas.

On October 7, 1993, the Austin City Council approved Ordinance No. 931007-C, (Sec. 16-2-3 of the Code of the City of Austin, 1992) authorizing the Director of the Department of Public Works and Transportation to appoint qualified and trained persons, acting under the title of disabled-parking enforcement volunteers, to enforce the disabled parking law in Austin and to issue citations for violations of the law.

In 1994, the City of Austin deputized 28 volunteers to issue parking tickets, to assist the City of Austin Police and Parking Enforcement Officers. This established a core of volunteers responsible for issuing citations within the Austin city limits to vehicles parked illegally in spaces on public and private property, blocking ramps or any other access reserved for people with disabilities. Revenues generated from September 2006- September 2007 totaled $23,860.50. Since the program’s inception, the Volunteer Disabled Parking Enforcement Deputies have generated $328,189.50 of additional revenue for the City of Austin.

During the spring of 1999, the Austin Police Department took over the administration of the program. The program is under the umbrella of the Police Department Volunteer Program. As such, two trainings are held per year to allow for more volunteers to join the Disabled Parking Enforcement Volunteer Force. Currently, the total number of volunteers has grown to 93 as of this report. During a meeting with the City Manager in July 99, the members of AMCPD asked for the money generated through the program to be earmarked for use in the ADA Office. See attachment detailing uses for budget year FY 06-07.

FY 2006-2007 RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. AMCPD recommended the passage of a City Council Resolution in the spirit of the recently expired Voluntary Compliance Agreement for a continued commitment for accessible/affordable City funded housing.

2. AMCPD recommended that the City of Austin adopt the same funding assistance level of $15,000 provided by previous funding source for both new and used homes for qualified first-time home buyers with disabilities served by the Home of Your Own Program.

3. AMCPD recommended the inclusion of provisions for the employment of persons with disabilities in the creation of the City’s Economic Development Plan. AMCPD offers its assistance and expertise towards these efforts.

4. AMCPD recommended that the City work with citizens with disabilities to propose a more effective process for receiving approval from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for complex outdoor sidewalk and curb ramp projects built within the right-of-way in areas of the City involving challenging terrain and topography.

AMCPD offered its assistance as a resource for the City’s legislative plan during the 79th Texas Legislative Session. Members are prepared to offer witness testimony and legislative analysis on any proposed bills directly impacting on Austin citizens with disabilities.

Conclusions and Recommendations/Actions:

The information in this report has been carefully gathered and analyzed; it accurately represents current compliance in the City as a whole. After evaluating all the city departments, the ADA Office assembled a list of needs and recommendations. The results are as follows:

Need:
Ensuring that the Notice of Compliance Poster is on display in all public lobbies is an ongoing imperative. It is the general practice that most departments have not framed their posters. Therefore, replacement of posters is essential and follow up reminders at the annual On Site ADA Visits is essential.

Recommendation/Actions:
Continue following up at the annual On Site Visits with Departmental ADA Coordinators to make certain that good quality posters are always on display in all public lobbies. Make available and/or deliver posters as needed.

Need:
There was continued coordination of the Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Program in the Public Works and Transportation Department with City of Austin staff and community members. ADAPT and AMCPD lead the community in working with staff in furthering this effort. This partnership has resulted in a very productive and successful collaboration.

Recommendation/Actions:
The ADA Access and Sidewalk Task Force (the Task Force) continues to work effectively. Along -side city staff, the citizen representative group has helped to determine priorities, assisted in prioritizing projects and coordinated with appropriate agencies such as Austin Energy and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Additionally, the Task Force continues to monitor the Pedestrian Master Plan. With the agreement from the entire group, the meetings have been spaced to every other month or as needed. Additionally, a five member ad-hoc subcommittee was formed to address immediate concerns or questions that may come up between meetings. Current participants include members of AMCPD, ADAPT, Capital Metro, Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services- Blind Services Division, Austin Energy, Watershed Protection, Inspection and Review, Public Works & Transportation, and some individual members of the community at large.

Need:
Training is ongoing. ADAtude awareness training for all city employees continues to be a strong need as monthly classes are well attended and offer positive evaluations. Also, departments have scheduled individual training sessions for their staff such as the Austin Convention Center, Parks and Recreation- Senior Services and Library Department. This year a new class was developed, ADAtude II. This class targets the topics of Deafness and Mental Illness and includes videos, interactive exercises with subject matter experts as invited presenters.

As for the ADA Employment Training, components have been modified adding a Power point presentation, a quiz and practice exercises. Adding the video “Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities” compliments the expanded training session. Individual sessions are available for requesting departments. Departments taking advantage of this service include the Police Department, Public Works and Transportation and Parks and Recreation.

Recommendation/Actions:
Monthly ADAtude and now ADAtude II training sessions are being planned and scheduled for the whole year. Also, as requested, trainings were conducted throughout the departments. (See table) Continue conducting Title I - Employment refresher training available to all departments for supervisors, managers, departmental ADA Coordinators and interested employees. Training sessions have been planned and scheduled for the entire year. We will be designing a new display to be used for exhibits, but also at training sessions to market upcoming sessions and other services provided by the ADA Office.

Need:
In conjunction with the City ADA Coordinator and partner organization, VSA Arts of Texas trainings have been conducted for Arts Contractors regarding ADA requirements and other useful information allowing them to better serve patrons with disabilities. Additionally, VSA Arts of Texas was instrumental in developing an assessment tool to assist contractors in identifying their responsibilities. It is required that all Arts Contractors attend an annual training for every year they receive funding from the City and to submit an annual assessment.

Recommendations/Actions:
ADA Trainings will continue to be a regular component of the Arts Contractor Application Process. The assessment will continue to be required by all contractors to be on file, as a requirement for their ADA Narrative element of their contract. Recently added this year, is a tracking system to ensure that all contractors are complying with their assessment and training obligations. Letters will be sent to non-participatory contractors. Trainings are enhanced by participation of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, VSA Arts of Texas, Department of Rehabilitative Services-Division of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Imagine Art and interested patrons with disabilities.

Need:
Over the past several years, it has become clear and necessary to address the issue of a City of Austin Disability Handbook. The handbook will address such issues as service animals, Sign Language Interpreters; outstanding issues relating to Reasonable Accommodations particularly how the accommodation gets expensed. Other areas include accessible parking, adaptive technology and maybe a “frequently asked questions” section.

Recommendation:
The goal for this year is to complete a draft and submit to appropriate staff for review.

SUMMARY

This report identifies positive actions taken by the City. Compliance is an ongoing process. The City continues to offer consultation to cities, counties and state agencies on their current progress of ADA implementation. Even though there is still work ahead, the City of Austin has an enviable record of compliance, in large part, due to the support of upper management including the City Manager, Mayor and Council.

The City should continue proactively including individuals with disabilities in the planning process to utilize its limited resources to yield the maximum level of accessibility. Citizen request programs, advisory committees, and citizen led taskforces are an effective means of gathering this information.

When readily achievable and fiscally responsible, the City should exceed the minimum standards of accessibility to allow greater opportunities for Austin citizens with disabilities to participate in the economic and social life of their community.¹

The City ADA Office works to make Austin the most livable city in the nation for all its citizens through proactive programs to implement the ADA and increase community-wide inclusion. The City of Austin has demonstrated state and national leadership in its accessibility practices through innovative policy initiatives that remove barriers to inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

¹ This entire document serves only as an information piece and is not intended to reflect the legal opinion or position of the City of Austin with regards to ADA. For legal issues, consult with your legal advisor.

ADA Budget Money Uses FY 2006-2007

Parks and Recreation Department ADA Improvements

2006 though FY 2007

Completed Projects FY 06-07

• Gracey Woods ADA Playscape
• Silk Oak ADA Playscape
• Big Stacey Pool ADA Showers
• Givens Recreational Center ADA restrooms, showers, and water fountain improvements

Projects Currently under construction

• ADA Renovation at Doris Miller Park scheduled completion 2008
• Shoal Creek Trails Phase III ADA Improvements scheduled completion 2009
• ADA renovation at Pickfair Park scheduled completion 2010
• Construction has begun on wading Pool ADA Renovations at Pease, Ricky Guerrero, and Rosewood.

Projects in planning, permitting, or funding

• PARD has received funding to make ADA improvements to pools, Recreation Centers and Trail throughout the park system. The City has recommended 55 Million for renovation which all include ADA improvements.
• Pools: PARD is currently selecting a consultant rotation list to begin pool designs that will improve accessibility at 15 area pools.
• McBeth: PARD has received funding to begin design on this recreation center that will include additional parking and expansion of the center. We are currently developing the complete scope.