U.S. Access Board to Hold Panel Discussions in New York City on May 15; update with meeting results

UPDATE ON MEETING RESULT, BELOW ORIGINAL POST

The U.S. Access Board will conduct public briefings on its work and hold several panel discussions on accessibility in New York City on May 15. The agenda also includes public question and answer sessions. The briefings will cover guidelines for outdoor developed areas on federal sites that the Board issued last year and new supplementary guidelines it is developing for emergency transportable housing.

Several panel discussions will be held on various topics, including New York's experience improving access to taxicabs, enforcement activities by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and rebuilding efforts after Super Storm Sandy. Briefings and panel discussions will take place in a morning session and an afternoon session. Both sessions will include open forums where members of the public can pose questions or comments on these or other topics of interest concerning accessibility.

All events are open to the public and will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in lower Manhattan. People can attend all events or just those of particular interest. For further information, contact Kathy Johnson at johnson@access-board.gov, (202) 272-0041 (voice), or (202) 272-0065 (TTY). The Board requests that attendees refrain from wearing perfume, cologne and other fragrances for the comfort of all participants.

U.S. Access Board Briefings and Panel Discussions
May 15, 9:30 – 4:00
Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, 6th Floor, Conference Rooms A/B
26 Federal Plaza at Broadway and Worth (use Broadway entrance)
Program
9:30 – 12:00

• Board Briefing: Final Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas
• Panel Discussion: Taxicab Accessibility in New York City
  featuring Jim Weisman, United Spinal Association Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and Janice Schacter Lintz, Chair, Hearing Access Program
• Panel Discussion: U.S. Department of Justice ADA Enforcement Actions
  featuring David Kennedy, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
• Public Question and Answer Period

1:30 – 4:00

• Board Briefing: Supplementary Guidelines on Emergency Transportable Housing
• Panel Discussion: Rebuilding after Super Storm Sandy
  including: Susan Dooha, Executive Director for the Center for Independence of the Disabled, Rosemary Lamb, Executive Director for the New York Commission on Quality of Care & Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, Edith Prentiss, Disability Advocate, and Marcie Roth, Director of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Public Question and Answer Period

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UPDATE 

Board Holds Town Hall Meeting in New York City

The Access Board travelled to New York City to hold a town hall meeting on May 15 that included briefings on its work, panel discussions on accessibility, and question and answer sessions. At the event, Board representatives conducted presentations on new guidelines for emergency transportable housing the Board recently issued and guidelines for outdoor developed areas on federal sites released last fall. The agenda also included panel discussions on taxicab accessibility in New York City, enforcement activities by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and rebuilding efforts after Super Storm Sandy.

The panel discussion on taxicab accessibility focused on a recent New York City directive that will require half of city cabs to be wheelchair accessible by 2020. This agreement, which the city entered into in response to a class action suit by advocacy groups, will be implemented through rules to be issued by the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission. Panelists also addressed a New York City requirement for induction loops in all new taxicabs to improve access for people with hearing impairments and initiatives to promote taxicabs fueled by natural gas. Panelists included Jim Weisman of United Spinal Association, Janice Schacter Lintz who chairs the Hearing Access Program, Jean Ryan of Disabled in Action, and Marc Klein of Airports Nationwide, Clean Energy.

David Kennedy, Chief of the Civil Rights Unit for the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, provided a briefing on U.S. Department of Justice enforcement actions under the ADA as well as the Fair Housing Act. He reviewed litigation and investigations by the Department involving landmark facilities such as Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, and the Apollo Theater. He also outlined efforts to improve wheelchair seating in historic theaters in Times Square, as well as ADA cases involving New York City hotels, restaurants, and polling places, and complaints concerning apartments filed under the Fair Housing Act.

Another panel led a discussion on emergency preparedness and response and rebuilding efforts after Super Storm Sandy. Panelists included Marcie Roth, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, Edith Prentiss, Disability Advocate, Rosemary Lamb, Director of the Division of Advocacy at the NYS Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, and Susan Dooha, Executive Director for the Center for Independence of the Disabled. This discussion focused on efforts made by Federal, state, and local emergency management agencies to further integrate accessibility into emergency response and management operations. Panelists also noted areas where accessibility problems with emergency response and evacuation remain, including incidents identified during the response to Super Storm Sandy.