[Access] Minutes of the Accessibility Committee meeting, May 6, 2008

[jeannemarie moore]

What an excellent job, as usual...
j-m.
 
 


  _____  

From: access-bounces at uueugene.org [mailto:access-bounces at uueugene.org] On
Behalf Of Cindy Pitcairn
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 3:33 PM
To: Accessibility group; Martha Osgood; Suzanne Whaley
Subject: [Access] Minutes of the Accessibility Committee meeting, May 6,
2008



Below is the final draft of the minutes of the May Accessibility Committee
meeting.



Minutes of the UUCE Accessibility Committee Meeting
May 6, 2008




Present: d. maria, Leslie Gilbert, David Gilmartin, Jeanne-Marie Moore, Mary
Otten, Cindy Pitcairn, Ken Ross 

Chalice lighting and a reading by Leslie Gilbert were followed by brief
check-ins. The agenda was amended at maria's request to include a
consideration of problems with the handling of hearing-assistive devices.



Liaisons with Other Committees
Ken Ross reported that the Facilities Council had completed painting white
stripes along the edges of the concrete pathway leading to the lower level.
The paint includes tiny glass crystals that add sparkle, making for greater
visibility at night when the path is lighted. maria reported that the
Committee would be included with the proposed Social Justice Cluster
quarterly meetings. Leslie Gilbert and David Gilmartin said that they had
nothing to report from the RE and BPOC committees, respectively. 

Taboo Game Night Plans
Leslie Gilbert and Jeanne-Marie Moore, with help from Dick Loescher, have
come up with ideas for 40 disability-related cards to be used for the Taboo
game night scheduled for Friday, May 16th . These will be printed in large
type and Braille. As Fred Schultz had offered to help with the game night,
maria offered to call him about helping out. maria also offered to provide
some "white elephant" door prizes.

Access Checklist for UUCE Events
The draft of a checklist written by Cindy Pitcairn was discussed, and it was
agreed to rewrite the items dealing with placement of walkers and with space
around tables. Upon approval of the subsequent draft by e-mail, it will be
distributed to the Coordinating Council at their meeting on Saturday, May
10th, as part of the Committee's report. It will also be linked to the
Committee's web pages and sent out on the UUCE "Biz" listserv.

Hearing-Assistive Devices
Two of these were missing and one was left turned on after the second Sunday
service. The Committee discussed ways to prevent them from straying in the
future. One idea was to ask people to deposit their driver's licenses in
order to borrow one. Another suggestion was to have a sign on the welcoming
table and the basket in which they belong clearly marked.
    Although the handling of these devices is overseen by the ushers and the
sound group, it is also an accessibility issue, as are other items that are
dealt with primarily by the ushers, such as removal of a chair to allow
placement of a wheelchair or walker and having Braille hymnals easily
available. The Committee felt it would be good to ensure that awareness of
such items was included in usher training sessions in the fall.

Future of the Committee
The Committee discussed continuing and future directions for the coming
year. Possibilities include a workshop, a Sunday service with a focus on
accessibility issues, a panel with other area churches, applying for
membership in the National Organization on Disability's Accessible
Congregations Program, and continued development of our web page as a
resource.


New Officers
The following have agreed to serve as officers for the coming year: 
    Leslie Gilbert, Chair; Mary Otten, Recording Secretary; Cindy Pitcairn,
Corresponding Secretary. 

Next Meeting
The Committee agreed to hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 11th at 7
pm so that the Rev. Landale can attend. We considered some of the things for
which we would like to have his input, mostly concerned with how we, and he
as our minister, can make our congregation more aware of, and knowledgeable
about, ableism. Seven of our members and friends use wheelchairs, three are
blind--that's about 2.5% of our congregation with obvious accessibility
issues. Add in those who have less obvious, but more common disabling
conditions, such as hearing loss, diabetes, severe arthritis, obesity, and
various stages of major diseases (cancer, heart disease, Parkinson's,
Alzheimer's) and you have a far greater percentage.

Although we have made some progress in terms of architectural modifications,
childcare provision,  an excellent sound system, and the establishment of
this Accessibility Committee, there has been no major thrust against
ableism. In fact, many in the congregation are only vaguely, if at all,
aware of the concept.

We have several ideas of ways to improve this situation and would like Rev.
Steve's ideas about their potential effectiveness:  


*	a worship service focusing on ableism, 

*	a full- or half-day workshop on it, 

*	official affiliation of our church with other churches pursuing
accessibility (such as the National Organization on Disability's Accessible
Congregations Program) 

*	clarification that our committee's role in the church structure,
and, by extension, that of accessibility, does not fit neatly into one
category, such as Social Justice, Facilities Council, Events, or Membership,
but is an over-riding concern 

*	outreach to other churches in the area, perhaps a panel discussion
on the issue of accessibility 





The meeting was adjourned at 9 pm. 

Respectfully submitted,

Cindy Pitcairn, Scribe

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