Title
Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan 2022 Report to the Community Briefing
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Receive a briefing on the Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan 2022 Report to the Community.
Report
Issue:
Whether to receive a briefing on the Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan 2022 Report to the Community.
Staff Contact:
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Planner, Public Works Transportation, 360.753.8575.
Presenter(s):
Michelle Swanson, AICP, Senior Planner
Background and Analysis:
The ADA Transition Plan
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990. It is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in access to jobs, accommodations, government services and programs, transportation, and telecommunications. This law applies to a wide variety of services, programs, and infrastructure the City is responsible for.
The City has long been committed to implementing the ADA. This commitment has been shown by adding curb ramps with many projects, retrofitting City-owned buildings to be more accessible, and ensuring that new construction is compliant with the ADA, among many other actions. Removing barriers to access for people with disabilities is a routine part of much of the City’s work, and it gets accomplished through capital projects, maintenance projects, and overseeing private development projects.
One requirement of the ADA is that agencies adopt a Transition Plan that inventories:
• The barriers to access for people with disabilities, and
• How those barriers will be removed within the jurisdiction.
In May 2021, the City Council adopted the ADA Transition Plan.
The 2022 Report to the Community
Recently, City staff published a report to the community that outlines the barriers to access that the City has removed since the Transition Plan was passed in May 2021 through the end of 2022. This briefing will describe some of that work.
Moving forward, we anticipate publishing an annual report that describes the accomplishments made in the previous year in implementing the Transition Plan.
Climate Analysis:
There is no direct tie to reducing the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from this work. However, making it easier for people who use walking aids, such as wheelchairs, walkers, or white mobility canes, to get around without needing to drive or be driven may reduce some emissions.
Equity Analysis:
Removing barriers to access for people with disabilities is a crucial step to making Olympia more equitable.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Public outreach was done as part of the development of the ADA Transition Plan. The feedback we received from that effort helped inform the Plan.
Financial Impact:
In general, costs for making the City more accessible are included in the capital projects listed in the annual Capital Facilities Plan and the maintenance and operations work covered by the annual Operating Budget.
Options:
1. Receive the Briefing.
2. Do not receive the briefing.
3. Receive the briefing at another time.
Attachments:
ADA Transition Plan 2022 Report to the Community