[nfbwatlk] Fw: Some early background on the proposal for a Seattle Commission on DisAbilities Issues

Jacob Struiksma lawnmower84 at hotmail.com
Thu Jan 15 00:04:43 UTC 2009


---- Original Message ----- 
From: Chris Leman 
To: Neighbor 
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).



More information about the NFBWATlk mailing list