[Frances Nwajei]: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the November slash December 2024 meeting for the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. I'm Frances Marger, DEI Director with the City of Medford. Over to you, Sue.
[Susan Bibbins]: Hi, I am Susan Bibbins, Commissioner, and I have lived in, I live in South Medford, and I've been a Commissioner for as many years as I can remember. Over to you, Kate and Joe.
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: Hi, I'll find that magic button in a minute. Joe Casey lived in Medford my whole life, lived in a couple of other cities off and on, but a commissioner for about a year and a half now or a year. And I'm just here to help out.
[Frances Nwajei]: Thank you, Joe. And we have a guest on with us today. Would you like to introduce yourself, John?
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Sure, hi, I'm John Shea. I'm a Medford resident, been living here 14, 15 years, lived in Somerville before that. I'm fairly recently disabled, meaning because of diabetes, I had my leg amputated. So, and I've gone blind three times this past year because of diabetes or diabetes. And so I was curious about this committee and I was hoping to see what you've been able to achieve and what your goals are and what you accomplish. And thank you.
[Frances Nwajei]: Thank you so much for joining us, Joe. So I, you know, you said you're curious about the committee, what we've been able to accomplish and what our goals are. So this committee is brought forth by ordinance. And I say that because some committees are brought forth by strictly community entities like non-profit organizations within a community. Some are mandated by governance like state. So ours is written in via ordinance. It has parameters in which we do the work, right? But the reality is that it is supposed to be representative or on behalf of those who live, work and do business and school in the city of Medford that have a disability or identify as having a disability. So it is everything from The most recent one, because you mentioned blindness, somebody reaching out because they need large print, right? They qualify for a residential exemption or, yeah, I think that's the word, some sort of exemption or abatement, right? Because they have a certificate of blindness on their real estate tax and they need large print. Here's the thing, that form, does not belong to the city, right? It belongs to the state. So there is no large print, right? It's a thing that comes out. So yours truly does things like gets the form and uses the copy machine to expand it to the fullest potential, of course, while communicating with the individual to ensure that the individual has access to information. Right, such specifics may not be spelled out in the audience, but I don't wash my hands and say, oh, I'm sorry, that's not my job, that's a state form, you need to go figure it out with the state. That doesn't help anybody, doesn't create a sense of belonging. It could be it's things such as my colleague, Sue and I have attended the Community Access Monitoring Training. It's a two-day training. It's pretty intense. It's pretty technical. It's put on by the Mass Office on Disabilities, and it covers everything from the width of doorways, right, to accessible parking, and whether you're parking straight or you're parking at an angle. what the minimum, because people hear ADA and they think, oh, the ADA is the set standard. No, the ADA is the minimum that you need to strive for. So if we're ADA compliant, it's not a big whoo, it means that we're a the basic, now we want to get above that, such as our inclusive park at McGlynn. So that, you know, my colleagues' attendance and mine at the CAM training, it's not written into ordinance, right? But if we're talking about representing and supporting, we have to be willing to expand our own knowledge. What else have we done, Sue and Joe? I mean, so many things. I believe Nicholas reached out to you, John. Nicholas is an intern.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he sent me a nice email. He was very helpful about transportation. Yes.
[Frances Nwajei]: So Nicholas is an intern that works out of my office. Nicholas has taken on a lot of the site roles. Those are the roles that require me to look at site plans for new development, or go and look at sites themselves. So Nicholas has taken over that because if I'm going out, there is a backlog that is occurring. Nicholas has also taken over like the internal being a support on site in regards to questions around accessibility within City Hall, which is a public building and working with the schools as well on their accessibility needs. So there are so many, There are so many aspects, right, to supporting people with disabilities. We haven't talked about the support for people whose disabilities are not visible. You know, folks that are neurodivergent. So there's a lot of work that I do on the internal side as far as providing the education, because we have to start somewhere. ensuring that there is access to like our job postings. Just now, just when I ran away for a little bit, it was because 12 cheers had arrived. It wasn't just regular cheers, but it was the fact that one day I noticed one of my colleagues struggling to get up from the chairs in the chambers. which is where we hold the public meetings. And when I looked around, I realized that none of those shears have arms. And the ones that do have arms are big, bulky, and have wheels. So we used ARPA funding to get 12 sets, a set of 12, so that at least that way they would be sprinkled around. Go right ahead.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: So is there funding for this committee to achieve its work? Do you work through the city council? I mean, how does this work?
[Frances Nwajei]: So I have used ARPA funding, which ends on the 31st of this year, right? So I've used a tremendous amount of ARPA funding to bring us up to date in terms of our language access. So if we need ASL interpreters, if we need documents to be translated, I've used that to cover, I've used that to make certain purchases such as the chairs that I just mentioned. I've also made a purchase and upgraded the assistive technology and devices in the chambers. Whilst we had some, Like we had some, it's pretty much, right?
[Susan Bibbins]: They were there.
[Frances Nwajei]: They were there, right? So now I know that we have a brand new set. We have the receiver. It's modern. It can be synced with a variety of different avenues. Our media production manager, Kevin Harrington, was present when we did a walkthrough and when we made the selection. So he knows exactly what we're going to be working with. We have brand new, what do they call the receiver kits? They're very, very small. You can clip them on or you can, you know, wear them as a necklace. All brand new, everything works. I went with rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. and headphones. If somebody needs one, they can just request one. It's there. We know it works. We know it's new. We don't have to look around looking for what part is here and what part isn't. What will happen in the future? I don't know. It would be a request that would need to be made. When I say this, I want to make sure that folks understand that there is no such thing as having a budget. for accessibility, right? There are laws that we need to meet, and if the need arises, it is our responsibility to figure out how to support that need. I could say, oh, I need $10,000 for this work, and it just so happens that that budget year, there's no need, and I've only used 500. Do you see what I'm saying? Or the need surpasses it. So I've done my due diligence to make sure that whether it's the library that's having an event or the senior center that's having an event, if ASL interpretation is requested, I have reached out to the Mass Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Even if they're not able to fulfill, it is important that we put our requests in through them because that helps them monitor what the need is, because ASL interpreters are contractors. They're independent contractors. And it's not like it's a language, right, option that people can take in school so they graduate and they get certified. And if somebody's asking to come to a meeting, I can't, you know, my friend of a friend is not a professional. These interpreters are trained professionals, right? So if I had a If I was of Latino descent and I required ASL interpretation, I would be looking for somebody who would be more familiar with the Latino style of speaking, which translates into the Latino style of interpreting. So many different nuances. So we're not fully there, but we are moving forward. steadily. What else has the committee done? It's reviewed stuff from the MBTA.
[Susan Bibbins]: We've done lots of advocating and We've done lots of advocating and pushing to get the Medford commuter rail station fixed up and accessibility at the Medford commuter rail station on near Placedead Road. And I believe construction starts next fall or this summer.
[Frances Nwajei]: I think they put something down already, but after 14 plus years is my understanding. Yes. And heavy advocacy from this commission. Yes. In addition with state rep, Sean Garberly, who really helped to support this commission's advocacy.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yes. We did a accessibility fair last October, I think it was, which was very well-loved. We worked on We consulted with the Planning and Playgrounds Commission on a number of parks and playgrounds.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: What did you do with the playgrounds?
[Susan Bibbins]: We consulted what personally and as a commission we'd like to see. um, as accessibility wise and as accessible playground and play spaces. Um, so, you know, um, equipment and, um, spaces around and, um, We consulted with the Medford McGlynn space. And then we consulted with Carr Park. And then we consulted with another park that I don't remember the name of.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[Susan Bibbins]: We didn't get all the things that we were suggesting, but they came to us in consultation. So a lot of people come to, a lot of people or planners come to us in consultation and say, what would you like what would you like to see in this space? And then we got, you know, we see a little of it or don't see anything or see a lot of it when the final thing is built. We're, you know, we just, but we make recommendations.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: You have a voice, that's good.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah, I mean, we do a lot of advocacy for streets and lights and sidewalks and stuff like that. I've done a lot of things with the traffic commission and sometimes that speeds it up. Most times they ignore me, but it helps me see when to react.
[Frances Nwajei]: The visibility and advocacy piece is important. I won't speak for the rest of my colleagues, but for me, the end goal is not about whether or not you take my recommendation. You can't take my recommendation if I'm not invited to the table. So it's more important to me personally that you know when to reach out to the Disability Commission. And it's really on almost everything. I mean, even things that I handle in my body of work, if I think it crosses over into the commission, it's on the agenda for the next meeting. And I will say, yes, I received, you know. five complaints about somebody parking in the accessible spot and it's the same spot. And I went out and called the police and people got ticketed, you know, or, yeah, you know, that horrible interception that has no curb cut is going to be getting a curb cut. You know, because or sometimes there are things that are code enforcement related. Right. We might see it now as the weather is getting colder. People will bring their barrels out because it's, you know, it's rubbish pickup day. So that cuts the width of the sidewalk. But then they also haven't shoveled or they shoveled haphazardly. And somebody is in some sort of device that needs to use the sidewalk and they can't. and then I get a call, you know, then that, you know, trans something like that transfers over and involves code enforcement. So small group, but mighty and also mighty in terms of lived experience, in terms of knowledge. Some of us have been doing this from when the ride was free. Yeah, there was a time when the MBTA ride was free. And then it was 50 cents you paid to have your support person ride with you, but it was still free for you. How long has this commission or community been around? commission since I first longest I've been with the city. Um, I think that the commission I can look and see the date of the ordinance. Um, unless I'm just curious.
[Susan Bibbins]: I've been on the commission. I think, um, since 2015 or 14. Okay. Um, and And I know it was spanning years before that. So.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Joe, have you been on for a long time?
[Frances Nwajei]: Joe? Yep. Have you been on the commission for a long time? John was asking.
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: I think I said about a year, year and a half. OK. I should have added it earlier. I have a 32-year-old son that had two brain surgeries, and he's got a major handicap. And what was it? I'm grateful that I've been fairly healthy, but for about a year's time, I was in crutches and things like that. I just couldn't believe how people going into stores or people not holding the door for me or things like that on crutches. It was quite an awareness. I just couldn't believe it. I forget what school. I think it's Belmont has a program at the high school, they have 25 wheelchairs. And I guess they asked the kids to spend the day in a wheelchair. And it was a great idea. And the kids get to know what it's like. And what is it? Um, I know I'm old school and I got to catch up with things, but I did work in a building that had to be handicap compliant with the updated stuff. And I learned a lot. And, um, I also have a contractor's license that I learned a lot of special building codes that, uh, my handicap assessabilities. So I don't know, like, uh, kind of like a little bit of everything. Um, but. Big part of my life is having a handicapped person in my family. And there's all types of handicaps. And a lot of them, like people keep saying, they're not always visual. But I just think a lot of people just don't have the awareness. of other people that might have different disabilities.
[Frances Nwajei]: Right. Joe, it's a good thing you didn't need to take the commuter rail, because if you did, Joe, you would have had to fly up from your crutches. Yeah.
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: Oh, I used to work in Boston for 25 years. I took the commuter stuff a lot.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yeah. when I went because I kept, I was told that it wasn't accessible and none of it made sense to me, right? It's, you know, 2022, it's got to be. What do you mean it's not accessible? And I'm like, oh, you know, maybe they don't like the car and stuff. No, there is a lip. And I mean, not a non-noticeable one. Enough of a difference that if even they dropped a little ramp, gravity itself would tip you over. If you, yeah. And then it became a... So if they touched it the way the federal law was written, because they were using some sort of federal grant monies, they had to sort of like circumvent some style of law that was the holdup. All I know is I was happy earlier on this year when we got the invite and I saw that Medford was one of the 14 communities selected to have work start on the community route. You know, and people might say, well, what is the big deal? Well, it is a big deal when you talk about accessibility, right? If somebody has a job in Boston, right, the community rail might be the straight point for them to go from their home location into work. Now that option is eliminated for them. It's not so easy as doing a workaround. You know? And it's getting us to think in terms of not all we need to make sure things are accessible, but we need to make sure that the tools that we use or things that are created are created for all people. The roads need to be for all people, whether you walk, whether you're in a carriage, whether you're the person driving the stroller, whether you're in your motorized scooter, whether you're in your walker, whether you're in your power chair, you still need to feel comfortable on the road. The curb, the area for the curb cut needs to be wide enough. and at a gentle enough gradient, not where you go and your back's like this and you're trying to hold on to your baby carriage because it's so steep, right? These are all things where, you know, when you have Typical house, right? It's heat two feet walk. You can feel the bottom of the ground as you're walking Doesn't concern you but a change like that is major major for people who don't who can't sense the bottom of their feet Yeah, you know and these are things that get taken for granted So small but mighty voices here need to be the ones that say, hey, on behalf of all those others who you haven't thought about, you know, they bring those issues forward. And then I also have to make sure that I don't just sit and twiddle my thumbs. My knowledge doesn't stop because the stuff doesn't come naturally to me. Right. It's not like, oh, there's this giant office. So I have to make sure that I'm engaged in my local trainings, my state trainings, my federal trainings. I'm up to date on the law. And it's at the point where I've given up now. Everything, I just put them all in a manual because there is nothing, no space left to retain. Right? So that that information is always accessible and always current. And if, you know, somebody from DPW comes in and I'm not around, Nick can point them to the manual and they can look at the, you know, look at the, what you call it, the numbers that they want. You know, it's everything down to our lighting. People don't realize that it's coding around lighting. My big one right now, my big project, I'm working very closely with our facilities director. We have to do something with the loos. You know, the loos need to be accessible for all people. What needs to be accessible? Oh, I'm sorry, the bathrooms. Toilets. I said loos, sorry. The bathrooms. Yeah. You know, they need to be accessible for all people. And these things are... Yes, they're expensive, right? But I'm not doing it because I want fancy aesthetics. I'm doing it because anybody who wants to use the loo should feel comfortable using it. It's a public space. So even if I just get to one, right, I'd much rather do one and do it right than hurry to get them done. And obviously, it wouldn't be me doing them. You need to get a design consultant in there. You know, a facilities director has to be involved. Procurement has to be involved because we've got to figure out, OK, which vendor are we using? Then you have to make sure that you're using the most up-to-date items, you know, all these cute, fancy items that you might, you know, dream of or might want in your home, not considered accessible, you know, and even just something as simple as, you know, if it's an automatic thing and the water comes out, everything is measured, like the speed and stuff like that. Yeah. So that's like, that's the back end of what people don't see. And all this, the big picture of all this falls under diversity, equity and inclusion. Why? Because DEI is civil rights. Disabilities laws protected under the Civil Rights Act. Thank you. So since we're here, I'll just let everybody know that we did get the grant for new lights over at City Hall, and they have actually, yes, I know, I'm very excited about that, and they have actually started to change the light fixtures in many offices, and the light fixture in mine, they've changed one, and I will say that it is a lot warmer, I haven't worked under it yet for a full day. And I'm told that once they change the second one, might be able to get dimmers. So we shall see. I might be able to work under typical lights. for the first time in a very, very long time. So again, these things are important. And Paul and I continue to look at different, Paul is the facilities director for the city, so he is responsible for all the city buildings, but continuing to look at different ways that we can access funding, to do things like the wayfinding. We did apply for a grant through the MOD last year, and we didn't get it. And then we applied in collaboration with the school department the year before, and we still didn't get it. But we do need to update our wayfinding. It is not up to code. Even the way the Braille signs are, they're not done that way anymore. So Paul and I are anxious to get a move on things, but it is cost prohibitive right now. So we'll continue to look for grants, but our big focus in our primary one is, I will say attacking the bathrooms. It's an attack on the bathrooms. Not even upgrading, attacking the bathrooms.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. City Hall, what about the schools? Are they accessible?
[Frances Nwajei]: The schools should be, the schools were built at a different time. The schools definitely would be more accessible than us. We are also hampered by the fact that we were also designated a historic, I don't know, we have a designation as being a historic building. But that's not enough for me for us to continue as is.
[Susan Bibbins]: We're a public building.
[Frances Nwajei]: There you go.
[Susan Bibbins]: Thank you. It's not enough to be a historic building. It's for a public building that falls out the window.
[Frances Nwajei]: That's right. Yeah. And again, these are not, it's not Sue's decision. It's not my decision. It's the law. Oh, and we, our elevator. So it's my understanding that the elevator hadn't had proper TLC for a very, very long time. It was consistently breaking down. So we had it go out of service for about, six to eight weeks, an intentional out of service. And whilst we were able to maintain the facade of the interior, the behind the scenes, all the wiring was replaced and everything was brought up to date and up to code. And A couple of weeks ago we had a fire alarm. The fire alarm went off. It was not a drill. It was unannounced. The fire alarm went off and the elevator did what it was supposed to do, which was it went right to the first floor, opened its doors and remained there, refused to move, refused to obey any commands, just remained as is. So that was a good way of testing. But on the other side, there is a button that if you push the button, it connects you directly to our 911 services. So I was fortunate enough to test that. Obviously, the fire chief was in it with me because I don't want people coming coming out and thinking like oh my gosh you know something's happening. So he radioed in to let them know that we were running the test. And I pushed the button and it says help is on the way. Help is on the way. And then somebody answers. Yeah. somebody answers and, you know, just able to say that we were, you know, just running a test. But had we been on for not a longer period of time, other things would have happened as a result. You know, so I'm happy. I'm happy about that. Imagine having a disability and being stuck in a lift by yourself, right? no avenue, no ability to talk to anybody. You've got your cell phone, your cell phone's on 30%. Then you look at it, it's going down to 23. You know, it's always in an emergency that the battery starts to leak power. Then you look at it, it's down to 1%. If I'm not mistaken, I saw an outlet that you could plug something in. So it's good, at least even just having somebody talk to you, I think. But all that I learned is a result of the fire alarm. I learned some other things, but... Do you have any other questions for us?
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: As far as reaching out to people that are blind, does the committee or the city send things out in Braille? Do you know who's blind in the city?
[Frances Nwajei]: Do I know who is blind? The registration of who's blind and who needs it. So the keeper of that information is mass commission for the blind. Information that I have would be if people identify as having a disability, but that wouldn't be residents because I can't go up to a resident and be like, hey, you have a disability, right? Why do I need to ask that question? That is just like employees, and that's part of just EEO for tracking. And you don't identify the disability that you have. It's just simple, a yes, no, I choose not to disclose. That's, you know, the federal paperwork. Now, on another hand, I work with employees, so when employees approach me for an ADA reasonable accommodation, I will know more about them as part of that process. than other people would. But as far as people who are residents of the community, I wouldn't know unless somebody told me. Mass Commission for the Blind would know because in order to get that certificate for the blind, you go through Mass Commission for the Blind. they're the keepers of those records. I'm sure that if there was some legitimate reason, if we needed to get information out, let's say there was a federal thing or a state thing that we needed to get out to Medford residents who were visually impaired, I'm sure that they would partner with us in some way. But I don't think that it's just a simple, oh, here's a list of all the people.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: So is the term visually impaired as opposed to blind now?
[Frances Nwajei]: There are two different things. There are people who are blind, right? Just like hearing impaired and deaf. And there are people who are visually impaired. So under visual impairments, you have depth perception, which is why we need to have good curb cuts, good sidewalks, actual gradients. I want to say colored markings. I can't think of the other words. You know, see the mats that go down on the curb cuts.
[Susan Bibbins]: The inclines. Yes.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yes. There's supposed to be specific colors.
[Susan Bibbins]: Gradients.
[Frances Nwajei]: Gradients. Yep. One of the reasons why I know everybody wants, people want the rainbow crosswalk. And I would love to give people the rainbow crosswalk, but I can't give it to them where they want it. They want it on high visibility, high traffic area. Unfortunately, that's the worst area for the rainbow crosswalk. We're actually advised against that National Transportation Safety Board advises against because those cuts. and not an alignment for people who are visually impaired. But if we're going to do it, we should do it where there's not that much amount of traffic. Because especially at night, when it rains, reflection, this, that. I was reading the whole thing. I was like, oh my goodness. But yeah, so there are two different things and I interchange and I will typically defer to the individual how they want to be addressed. I have people, some people tell me that they prefer the term handicap. Some people tell me that they prefer having a disability.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for answering all these questions. Hopefully I didn't interrupt your agenda, but I was just very curious about the committee and what you do, what your goals are.
[Frances Nwajei]: You're very welcome. I mean, you didn't interrupt and I think that, you know, you're asking of the questions only helps members of the community who could be watching through other means better understand what it is that we do. We are recruiting. We're still severely short. Everybody that is here so far, including one of our other members who isn't here today, is very passionate and brings their own lens of what disability means to them and, you know, is here to be a support to the community. My office of one, there's only so much we can do. At some point, we must sleep. The good news is Nicholas will be continuing until 2026 when the last ARPA funds are being spent. And that's because the contract has to be done now. So that's great. I will take the 15 hours a week extra over no hours a week extra. I mean, if I think about like it was August and September, the amount of off-site things that I would have had to do. I really don't know what I would have done. Everything from a walking tour of Tufts because they wanted to put something, you know, to the, you know, the accessible playground, to like site visits because another business was opening and somebody was complaining about something. Yeah, 15 hours a week are going to be huge. To also doing the research, right? Which is also huge, right? getting information back to residents who reach out to the city. It's huge. So I will definitely take the 15 hours a week. I'm really happy about that. Okay, thank you. You're welcome. All right, update on the date. So I checked on the dates and basically summer schedule, spring to summer schedule right now is clear, but we were asked to stay away from Memorial Day weekend. which I would agree with, because I think that that's the first weekend where people start looking, going away. So I didn't know, did you, I know it was end of April to mid-May, we were looking for, how many of us, yeah, the disability fair, I think using the inclusive. How many of us are confident that the weather will... I know, Sue, I know, I know.
[Susan Bibbins]: I'm not confident at all in the weather, just because of what's happening now. But... I think that late April, early May is good. Okay. I think late April is fine.
[Frances Nwajei]: It's pulling up a calendar.
[Susan Bibbins]: All except Passover and I can't remember what that is. I think it's April 14th or something.
[Frances Nwajei]: For Passover?
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: I just pulled up my time and date. Let me Google when it's Passover.
[Susan Bibbins]: I know we did this last time and I just can't remember.
[Frances Nwajei]: If you could remember, Sue, I would be very afraid. Passover is on the evening of Saturday, April 12th, and then it runs into Sunday, April 20th.
[Susan Bibbins]: um only the first like two or three days of Passover are the important bits okay so we do have the weekend of
[Frances Nwajei]: So Passover, the important days would be like 12, 13, 14 soon, right? Yeah. So we do have the weekend of the 19th and the 20th. I'm just wondering though, is there not a holiday? Is there an April holiday, Patriot's Day?
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah, Patriot's Day is usually the 17th. Okay. Um...
[Frances Nwajei]: just to make sure.
[Susan Bibbins]: It's sometimes celebrated on the Monday afterwards.
[Frances Nwajei]: Okay. Patriots Day 2025. So Patriots Day is on this day, the 21st. Okay. That's my day too. Isn't that when they do a, um, Isn't that when they ride through the square?
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Not to cut in, are we talking outdoors, indoors, or 50-50?
[Frances Nwajei]: I thought we were talking 50-50 the last time. What did you think, Sue?
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah, we were talking 50-50. I think maybe we should schedule it for the weekend after.
[Frances Nwajei]: The 26th?
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: Okay. Joe, you're good for that date? Yeah, I'm good. Okay. Maybe do the 26th and then do a rain date for the 27th? Yeah.
[Unidentified]: Great idea.
[Frances Nwajei]: Okay, all right. And then I was thinking... Yeah, because the 20th is Easter Sunday. Oh, it is? So Easter Sunday. Yes, it's on the bottom of the calendar. Oh, wow. All right. I will put a hold on our behalf for both of those dates. And as far as time, are you thinking you want to do like an 11 to 2? Or do you want to do like a 1 to 4?
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: Oh, I like the 11 to 2.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yeah. 11 to 2, good. Yeah.
[Susan Bibbins]: Because it gets, it avoids that nap time for our kids.
[MCM00001753_SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. Yeah. Never mind the kids.
[Frances Nwajei]: For adults. We all like naps.
[Susan Bibbins]: Well, yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: For adults too, okay. I will. I'm at the high school tomorrow. I will talk with Dr. Cushing because I want to see if I can do a quick tour. Because in my mind, I can see it, but I might be mixing up my schools as per usual. But I sort of want to make sure that the school I'm thinking of has different areas where we could have like a sensory area for those who might want to come, but may not necessarily want to be a part of the big everything that's going on, but still want to participate.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah, and we could have a quiet area.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yeah, that's what I was thinking, like a quiet era with different types of sensory activities taking place in that area. All right, so I'll report back to you by email to just let you know that it's all booked and we're good to go. And then I think we have plenty of time. You can start emailing me your ideas if you want me to bring vendors. I have that master list of all the vendors that came the last time. Maybe the weather will be nice enough and we can get some baby goats.
[Susan Bibbins]: That's a good thing. I can try to get the MBTA accessibility people.
[Frances Nwajei]: That would be the ATA group? Yeah. That would be fabs. And especially their community engagement group. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but the MBTA community engagement group has been everywhere. They're literally going out to communities. And I think it would be fantastic for them to come out so that people can hear about the different options that there are. And I think, is it the red line or the orange line? Last week or the week before, celebrated the first time it ran without a slow zone.
[Susan Bibbins]: Something about the first... Yeah, the orange line, I think, because the red line and the green line are under repairs.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yeah. So I do think that it would be good for the community engagement folks to come out. And I've also noticed a different style of signage, not in Medford. So I did just wanna throw that out there. I don't know if the MBTA is changing its signage. I noticed at Beachmont on my way home, I don't know why, for some reason, it just caught my eye that the sign was a little lower than it typically is, but a lot bolder and a lot cleaner. Like, you could actually read it.
[Susan Bibbins]: They're changing. They've changed and working on their wayfinding.
[Frances Nwajei]: OK. That's huge. Yeah. Because I don't know how anybody could read these things in tiny little fonts.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: And their buses seem to start to have a sense of humor now. They have like funny little messages.
[Susan Bibbins]: Yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: Oh, so I think that that would be wonderful to have them come around. So I will share the master list of names of the vendors from before, and then I'll share that via email, and then each person can just email me back individually if there are some that you're like, OK, I really want you to ask this person to come back.
[Susan Bibbins]: OK. I will work on the MBTA people as soon as you get the days set because they go fast.
[Frances Nwajei]: Yeah, I will. I'll definitely talk to Dr. Cushion tomorrow because we'll all be in the same place. Yeah. Okay. Thanks. So I'm just moving to new business, Joe. Joe, you had asked a couple of questions. What are the biggest disability related complaints that the office receives? It's really accessibility. Neighbors that aren't being too kind, so they let their trees grow over into the roadway. And sidewalk accessibility in terms of people thinking that it's okay to take that one accessible spot because you're running to the store for five minutes. The curb cuts are a big one, but in a way, the curb cuts are easier to address because the city has a plan. You can't do them all at the same time, but there's a giant list. But I do think that the one that hurts the most is the accessible parking and the utilization of the accessible parking. You have people that will, if we have two accessible parking spots and we have the gradient in the middle, people will actually park in the middle. If a van pulls in, the van can't drop the lift because there's a car. Those are the biggest issues, I would say, that the office receives. Once in a while, I might get something about a business. I will typically reach out to the business. I will encourage the person to complete a civil rights violation form. Because if you don't complete a form, there's really nothing that gives me the authority to go to a business. I wasn't there, I didn't see it. There's no police report rate. But if you complete a form, I can say, hey, I'm giving a call. because you're a business in our community. And as you know, we value all people within our community. And I'm told that this occurred. Would you like some support so that this doesn't happen in the future? And most times people are open and are, oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. I will have to look and see who was on shift that day. Or yes, we do have training. Every once in a while, There'll be somebody who will give you the go mind your business attitude. And depending on what it is, reaching out is usually enough. If they're really, really adamant, then I have cause for concern because they're a business in Medford. We don't want people to feel that they're not welcome in the city. So I'll usually go up the ladder and reach out to their corporate office. But that's few and far between. That's only happened about three times since I've been here. I will, I'm sorry, go ahead Sue.
[Susan Bibbins]: What kind of complaints have you gotten about businesses?
[Frances Nwajei]: So there was a woman who used to live in Medford, relocated to another town, but likes to come back to Medford to do a shop at a particular location because it's near an appointment that she has. went to that location. She says she's always done it. She, um, it's difficult to use the carriage and the motorized scooter as well. So she uses the carriage for balance, takes her time, enjoys her way around the store. Afterwards, she'll usually put her things in, then she will take her bags out in the carriage, use the carriage to balance, put her bags in, get out her scooter and use her scooter to push the carriage back. She's done it all the time. There was an incident that this woman reports that unfortunately, it didn't just stop as don't take the carriage out, the person physically pulls the carriage from her. Now remember, not every disability is visible. So as a result of pulling a tool, right, that the person uses to balance. So like that required some, yeah. Oh. And again, it is not the store that did this, but it is a person that works for the store, right? So therefore the store has to be made aware. And it wasn't comfortable for me to make this call because it's like, I hope this is accurate, right? But the woman gave me a good enough description. And when I called the store, they said that they knew exactly who the person was. And I just said, you know, it's just concerning to me. I said, you know, I have to do a lot of training for folks to understand that, you know, you can't just take things at face value. There's typically a lot more going on with a person than what you see visually. And even if your policies may be that you don't take your carriages to the car, sometimes when people are taking that carriage, you should ask yourself, does this person need this? I said a different way would have been just saying, hey, do you need some assistance? Because we can't take the carriages out. But to physically remove the carriage, I don't really understand what should have been no physical contact. Um, so I was assured that, um, it would be handled. I got the impression that the person may not have been an employee that they were willing to go to bat or keep. Um. Yeah, so, but that was. That was that was really difficult to hear. That was really, really difficult to hear. Yeah. Again, don't, you know, it's not our, that's not how we behave in Medford, right? But all it does, it takes just one person. Yeah.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Frances Nwajei]: Person who had lived here for so long, downsized, you know, but still comes back here. Yeah. So that one was, that was not a good one for me to deal with. Yeah. That was really problematic and difficult. me. And you know I had to swallow my own anger and frustration and try to have like a civil conversation. But fortunately on the receipt on the other hand they were willing to hear. So yeah. So that's the one. Sometimes the other ones that I've had about business aren't really disability related. They fall more in terms of the diversity angle, feeling like they're being treated differently based on their national origin. And it's funny because the two that I have received complaints about are not Associated with people who are residents and it's the people who come to do. Business that has. Pay these complaints and then another 1 had to do with housing. So, anything, you know, there are John, there are different parameters to anything that has to do with housing, especially if it's public housing. I got to make sure that person knows how to get in contact with. They have a very strict process. Like, you don't, you don't discriminate against people because. They have housing subsidies that that is. violation of the law and it's hard when people are using realtors. I've received more calls, more inquiry calls from realtors looking for support and assistance around service animals and emotional support dogs. you know. And at my last quarterly tee with the M.O.D., there's going to be new guidance or clearer guidance around that, you know. But the rule of thumb is still to ask, you know, oh, What tasks is your animal trained to perform? And that's how you can determine if it's a service and an animal, because there are tasks that we may not be able to see. you know, dogs, service animals, smell changes in body chemistry. I was with a trainer who talks about the cheese tacks, and there was a woman who had a dog who accidentally trained her dog to be her service animal. Did not intend on training the dog, but every time her blood sugar dropped to something, she would go to the fridge. and eat a piece of cheese, like one of those little thingies of cheese. And one day, the dog went to the fridge and brought her a thing of cheese. And she was like, oh, I'm OK. I mean, she didn't feel great. And when she checked, sure enough, her blood sugar was going down. Through observation, the dog learns this. That's very cool. Yeah, I mean, what service animals are able to do in this day and age, it's absolutely amazing. Yesterday, I had gone somewhere and I was driving, and there was a man with his service animal that was crossing in front of me. But the service animal was independent, and the man was walking behind him. independently, not immediately behind. There was no leash. And they crossed in front of me. And he said, I think he either said halt or he gave a command. and he put his hand up, even though the dog was going, looking forward, the dog turned to the left and literally stopped. And I was like, this is great, what's gonna happen? I couldn't see anymore because of course the light turned green and I had to move to tonight. But I was just curious because that's not one that I had seen before, right? I'm used to seeing service animals with their, you know, with the person that they're caring for right next to them in like a workspace and stuff. So it was really cool to see that and the service animal had on their working vest. And I learned that with some service animals, you can now pet them when they have their working vest on. It will actually say on the vest, yes, it is okay to pet me. So I was always from the old school where you don't touch the service animal and you don't pay attention to the service animal because you don't want to distract them. But I learned that. And then last week there's a service animal that goes into the classrooms at the high school, Kelsey. You can now pet them. So everything is changing. And that's why I feel like you have to be a curious creature. You have to be willing to invest in your own learning in order to be supportive of people with disabilities. You say you're going to be an advocate. You just can't be an advocate from what you last read or, you know, the last training that you went to 25 years ago. And then Joe, I will make sure that there's a reminder on the city website about clearing the snow and ice from the walkways. Okay, I'll see if maybe Steve or Emma's team can do it as a pop-up. Anybody have any other questions? Anybody have anything else to add?
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: I want to cut in just real quick quick. During Halloween, they had a big thing down Method Square. And I noticed some of the departments from City Hall had tables out giving candy to kids. I thought it was great. So the mayor there saw the fire department and some maybe Chamber of Commerce and something else. I'll volunteer next year if you want to put a table out there and give candy out from the Department of Disabilities. And there was another thing that we were talking about is, I'll look into it more, but years ago, maybe about five years ago, they sent the census out. to the residents of City tied in with 911, that if there was somebody at that particular residence that had a disability or maybe heart problems or anything like that, that if there was ever an emergency at that address, the 911 center has an idea of what they might be responding to. So like if there was a fire and somebody was in a wheelchair, they know there's a good chance that person is still in the property. And I'm going to look into that because of, um, I think I put my son on that listing and, um, It kind of gives them an idea why they're coming to the emergency, what they might be up against.
[Frances Nwajei]: Joe, I believe it's one of two things that you're talking about. There is one called SMART 911. That one you have to update it every six months, right? And then there's another one. It's a little red packet. And I wanna say that it's called Facts for Life. I have to ask Captain Clemente. That is the one that stays somewhere visible, whether it's your refrigerator or whatever. And it's like a little red plastic envelope. You list like your medications on there, your emergency contact. Now, Smart 911, I was trying to see if I could get my hands on the hard copy. I had emailed out probably a year and a half ago. But I think that might be what you're talking about, and it's connected to the 911 center. But it is something that must be updated every six months. But perhaps between you and I, we could look at it or maybe invite Captain Clemente to talk about it at our next meeting, if you'd like.
[MCM00001818_SPEAKER_06]: That would be a great idea. Because there's a lot of people that move in and out of the city or new residents, you know, things like that. I know they're doing their job fantastic, but I think we just got to educate the public, that's all.
[Frances Nwajei]: Definitely, definitely. All right, John, I think you were going to say something. I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me and I appreciate this. You are very welcome and in case I didn't do it already, I will share the link to the ordinance with you. Okay. So that that way you have them. Well, I don't know if anybody has anything else to share. As we are all on here and we have different celebrations, I want to wish you all compliments of the season. May good fortune find you and stay with you throughout the new year. Enjoy time with your friends, your family, your loved ones. And wow, I can't believe I'm saying see you in 2025. Oh, wow. Yes. I know. Can you tell me when does December go up? Yeah, so it's almost that time. So we'll reconvene our next meeting January 22nd, 2025. All right, everybody, you take care. Have a wonderful rest of your evening. Nice meeting you. I love you.