To mark the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law, Mayor Patrick Madden has announced the creation of Troy’s first-ever ADA Review Group to assist in the Collar City’s effort to improve access for individuals with disabilities.
Madden says the five volunteers who make up the group include local disability advocates, former elected officials, and individuals with disabilities from the Troy community... "...who are going to help us look at our systems, the way we do business at city hall, and make sure that the practices we employ or the forms that we use or the way we go about our day-to-day business, isn't inadvertently leaving anybody out. Isn't inadvertently making it more difficult for someone to more fully participate in what we do here. For example, if I don't hear as well as an average person, I shouldn't be precluded from participating in things at city hall. We ought to be able to accommodate that. If I don't see as well as the average person, we ought to be able to make sure that there are steps taken so that people don't feel that city hall isn't the place for them to be."
The group will assist the City’s ADA Coordinator and department staff conduct a comprehensive review of municipal programs, services and activities in accordance with Title II of the ADA.
Denise Figueroa is Executive Director of the Independent Living Center in Troy. "What we'll be doing is looking at not only physical facilities but also policies and practices that could have the potential to prevent people from being able to access services. And so this hopefully will improve access for people with disabilities of all kinds in the city of Troy."
input provided by group members will be used to develop a transition plan in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to remove any identified physical barriers that limit access in the city of roughly 50,000 people. "I'm a person with a disability and the majority of our staff and the people that we serve are people with all types of disabilities, and so having access to our community is really critical. It's what makes it possible for us to live independently, if we can utilize services like everybody else does in the city."
The following individuals will serve as members of the ADA Review Group:
Denise Figueroa – Executive Director, Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley
Sandy VanEck – Director of Innovation and Design, Arc of Rensselaer County
Robert Doherty – former Troy City Councilmember, District 4
Cliff Perez – Systems Advocate, Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley
John Salka – ADA Coordinator, City of Troy
