Item B: Annual Meeting with Human Rights Commission

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HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM FY 2006 ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY Accessible Pedestrian Signals: The Accessibility Committee lobbied for funding for the installation of accessible pedestrian signals CAPS) at signalized intersections to provide audible cues for people with visual impairments. In March 2006, members of the committee made a successful request for $59,990 in funds from the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee. Later in the spring, committee members regularly attended City Budget Com- mittee meetings and urged city councilors and committee members to add ad- ditional funds to the FY07 budget to fund signal purchase and installation. The Budget Committee approved $190,000 to retrofit approximately 30 signals with APS hardware. Public Works staff developed and implemented a new policy that APS features be included at all new intersections equipped with traffic sig- nals. In Mayan event featuring APS at the new Coburg Road signalized inter- section at Oakway Center was attended by Councilor Poling, Accessibility Com- mittee members, and staff and was covered by the media. Public Works staff, human rights staff and Accessibility Committee members attended a workshop on APS facilitated by the National Transit Institute in Portland in June 2006. 10th and Olive: Part of the conversion of 10th Street from one-way to two-way to accommodate LTD's EmX rapid transit buses was a plan to convert the intersection of 10th and Olive, at which the library, LTD Eugene Station, and Atrium building are located, from a signalized in- tersection to a four-way stop. Community members expressed their concern that a four-way stop poses greater hazards to people with dis- abilities than a signalized intersection. City Traffic Engineer Tom Lar- sen spent time listening to community concerns and consulted with tenants of the buildings at this intersection before agreeing to honor the request of disability community members and keep the intersection signalized. Hult Center Assistive Listening System Improvements: After an event at the Hult Center marking the 15th anniversary of the Americans With Disabili- ties act highlighted deficiencies with the current 20-year old assistive listening system, Hult Center staff and Accessibility Committee members worked to- gether to identify needs for an improved system. Hult Center staff successfully secured grant funds for a new system and invited volunteers to test new equipment before making a final purchase. Atrium Assistive Listening System Improvements: Community members requested that an assistive listening system be installed in the Atrium's Sloat Room, which is well-used by city groups as well as the Lane Independent Living Alliance. Planning and Development staff approved and agreed to provide funds for this request. The system was purchased in spring 2006 and is in the process of being installed, possibly in the Saul Room, in which the system is more compatible Public Information Preliminary work on making public information and meetings more accessible to the public was started by Accessibility Committee members and staff comprising the Public Information Team. This work to improve standards and policies for making public information more accessible will continue in FY 2007. Web Portal Access: In response to concerns raised by people with visual impairments about the readability of the City's new web portal, the City's Infor- mation Services Division and E-government team contracted with a consultant with expertise in website accessibility to improve the portal's functionality. Members of the Accessibility Committee participated in the multi-step process to identify issues and make recommendations. The E-gov team agreed with the consultant's recommendation to eliminate the 508 accessibility mode and focus on making the regular web portal more accessible. After making initial improvements, users were invited to test the portal and provide more feed- back. Improvements are ongoing. City Hall Complex: Consultants soliciting input on city hall complex development attended an Accessibility Committee meeting in February and asked for feedback on collecting information about accessible fea- tures and needs of the new complex. FY FY 2006 Annual Report and Eugene Human Rights Commission