Minutes
Winthrop Commission On Disabilities · from the Town's website · 1 page · 183 KB
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Winthrop Commission on Disabilities Minutes April 28, 2022 Meeting hosted via Zoom Present: Linda McGeorge, Karla Murphy, Andrew Carr, Susan Smith, Denise Quist Absent: Jon Rosid, Kathy Kane Meeting called to order at 6:05 pm. Chair L. McGeorge offered a welcome back to everyone on the committee for the first meeting since the pandemic began. She offered a recap of the projects the commission had been previously discussing as issues/areas to address that the commission had previously discussed or were recently added to the list. These included: accessible access at all Winthrop restaurants, accessible apartments in Winthrop including the housing authority, town list of those who have a disability and who may need assistance if evacuation was necessary, snow removal on sidewalks at homes that a person with a disability may live in, snow removal in curb cuts for equal access, and an accessible beach wheelchair for Winthrop residents to use. L. McGeorge also reported that someone (through the tax write-off program) is currently checking all handicap parking signs and people registered to them. A reminder was given that the application for these signs must be renewed every two years. Commission members discussed having various people who have specific knowledge on some of these topics come to future meetings to talk with the commission. It was also discussed that looking at other towns and cities to see what they offer for people with disabilities and seniors. It was agreed that the town resources available to people with disabilities are not well known and we need to work on changing that. It was noted that the work published should be done in the languages that residents of Winthrop speak to be inclusive of all. The Commission decided to make creation of the town evacuation list for people with disabilities and accessible housing priorities. Two residents spoke during the public comment time. The commission was encouraged to have someone attend the town council meetings and to meet the new town manager. A resident also discussed the difficulty they have had in getting a handicap parking space near their home. L. McGeorge explained the process, what the hurdles were and that an order for the sign to be placed had been done and it was expected to be installed very soon. D. Quist noted she would try to arrange for Peg Lyons to speak to the commission around housing at an upcoming meeting. Commission was reminded agenda items need to be submitted one week in advance of upcoming meetings. Next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 24 at 6 pm via Zoom. Meeting adjourned 7:29 pm. Respectfully submitted, Susan Smith Secretary