[nfbwatlk] Fw: Proposal for a Seattle Commission on Disabilities Issues

[Mike Freeman]

Fellow Federationists:

This guy seems to have a fixation that people with disabilities have it 
terrible in Seattle. I've received numerous posts and I believe someone 
put one of them on this list a while back.

Frankly, I think the idea of a city disabilities commission to be 
absolutely wacko! If, as the guy says, disabilities are diverse, than no 
single commission dealing with multiple disabilities could address the 
needs of each disability properly. In fact, I think a commission like 
that would be downright harmful in that it would allow all and sundry to 
think they'd solved the problem and thus not have to pay attention to 
the real problems of the blind, the deaf, the developmentally-disabled 
and on and on ad nauseum.

Were I a citizen of Seattle, I'd right opposing this nonsense.

Read below.

Mike Freeman

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Leman" <cleman at oo.net>
To: "Neighbor" <cleman at oo.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 02, 2008 11:01 PM
Subject: Proposal for a Seattle Commission on Disabilities Issues


One outcome of the Oct. 28 Seattle Neighborhood Summit was a proposal 
for a City commission on disablities issues.  The present system is not 
working well, in which there is typically one disabled invidual on the 
Human Rights Commission and one on the Pedestrian Advisory Board.  The 
disabled community is extremely diverse, and would benefit from having 
the voice of a City commission. As reflected in the letters below, some 
individuals are advancing such a proposal to members of the City 
Council.  Whatever your views, please consider writing to the 
Councilmembers about this issue.   The issue is urgent right now because 
of the ongoing budget process.

Seattle City Council: P.O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025
sally.clark at seattle.gov 684-8802
tim.burgess at seattle.gov 684-8806
tom.rasmussen at seattle.gov 684-8808
jean.godden at seattle.gov 684-8807
richard.conlin at seattle.gov 684-8805
jan.drago at seattle.gov 684-8801
bruce.harrell at seattle.gov 684-8804
nick.licata at seattle.gov 684-8803
richard.mciver at seattle.gov 684-8800

The above alert was prepared by Chris Leman, (206) 322-5463, 
cleman at oo.net, as an individual.   Please share this message with others 
who may wish to make a difference.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Beth Lum <mblum08 at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 1:44 PM
Subject: Request for Disability Rights Commission

Dear Councilmember Licata,

My name is Mary Beth Lum.  I am a long time resident of Seattle and an 
active member in the Disability Community.  I am directing this letter 
to you in your role as the Chair of the Culture, Civil Rights, Health & 
Personnel Committee, as well as to the entire Council, to request that a 
Commission on Disability Rights be established under the Office of Civil 
Rights.

The current commissions (Human Right Commission, Women's Commission and 
the Sexual Minorities Commission) were created as arms of the Office of 
Civil Rights to help them better serve minority populations and the 
unique issues they face.

Because the Disability Community encompasses such a broad range of 
people, and the issues of this community are complex, it is not 
reasonable or sufficient to place the onus of addressing this spectrum 
on the shoulders of one person (i.e., a single representative on a city 
board, task force or commission).  This misses a large percentage of the 
population.  A commission would serve as a forum for hearing all voices 
of the Disability Community.

Although legislation exists to address discrimination and the particular 
barriers, both physical and attitudinal, faced by people with 
disabilities, they continue to be marginalized and lack access to 
housing, transportation, employment and recreation, among other things. 
The establishment of a Disability Rights Commission would help support 
the OCR and the City Council to properly address these types of issues 
and to proactively respond to them.

Not addressing the concerns of the Disability Community is actually a 
disservice to the city of Seattle and its citizens.  Incorporating 
People with Disabilities in the planning and creation of city projects 
and programs will enrich and enhance neighborhood diversity, and 
contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.  [HB 2794]

I respectfully ask for your action to create this commission.

Sincerely,
Mary Beth Lum  2743 NE 140th St. Seattle, WA 98125  (206) 235-2706


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Julianfwheeler at aol.com
Subject: Request for Establishment of Seattle Commission on Disabilities 
Issues

Councilman Licata, Chair of the Civil Rights Committee,

To follow up on the communication below, I hereby request that you and 
the Seattle City Council consider establishing a Seattle City Commission 
on Disabilities Issues for the reasons given below.

Furthermore, I hereby request that you and the city council consider 
repositioning the budget and staff arrangement of the Seattle Office of 
Civil Rights (OCR) for the purpose of accommodating the new Commission 
as requested.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Julian Wheeler,
Seattle Human Rights Commission
(title provided for personal identification purposes only.)

Copied Text From Previous Communication Follows:

Dear Councilmember Licata, et al.,

Please accept this letter as a request that the Seattle City Council 
consider establishing a commission on the subject of issues that concern 
the disabled in Seattle, e.g., a Seattle Commission on Disabilities 
Issues.

I respectfully ask for your consideration for the following reasons:

1. The disability community is at once unique and widely defined. Such a 
commission as requested would be a visible venue that would serve to 
direct petitions for redress of grievances by the disability community 
and its supporters to the City. Also, it would provide a tool for 
ascertaining the extent of concerns that impact the disability 
community, and will give the City, and the office that will staff it, 
the ability to gain an advance sense of issues that arise at any given 
moment, including through the activities of its commissioners.

2. This would provide the disability community the opportunity to 
express its concerns in a forum where it will be heard as one community, 
wherein its concerns will be heard by a body of commissioners whose 
definition and majority will be composed by those whose affinities 
should favor pursuit of disabilities issues, discussions and solutions. 
Currently, addressing disabilities issues through different bodies with 
at least one representative of the disability community puts its input 
at risk of marginalization, given the possibility that disability 
community representatives can be out-voted on these bodies, i.e., 
advisory boards, task forces, city commissions, etc.

A commission as requested will give the disability community a chance to 
thereby speak with one coherent and united voice. It will further 
provide the disability community with an opportunity to resolve issues 
that are internal to the community, so as to build on what unites it and 
thereby strengthen its ability to ascertain emerging issues.

3. There are issues currently impacting the disability community 
disproportionately, where the shares of people with disabilities who are 
so impacted are greater than its share of the population in general, 
resulting in needs that are not being adequately met. These issues 
include, but are not limited to: employment, transit, homelessness, and 
police conduct.

These issues are going either unmet, or are characterized by the broader 
community as being of lesser importance.  This can lead to, for 
instance, community projects not incorporating sufficient accessibility 
as to make them usable by many people with disabilities.  Ultimately, 
this may make it more difficult for people with disabilities to pursue 
employment, entertainment, housing, or other opportunities.

Additionally, I further request that the city staff this requested 
commission with the Seattle Office of Civil Rights, which can further 
pursue its mission to promote social justice for everyone.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Julian Wheeler, Member,
Seattle Human Rights Commission (for personal identification purposes 
only).