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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015, 03-18, Committee on People with Disabilities Minutes William P. Kenoi William H. Farr, III Mayor Acting Executive on Aging MAYOR’S COMMITTEE ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES c/o HAWAI‘I COUNTY OFFICE OF AGING Aging and Disability Resource Center, 1055 Kino‘ole Street, Suite 101, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720-3872 Phone (808) 961-8600 Fax (808) 961-8603 Email: hcoa@hawaiiantel.net  West Hawai‘i Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi 96740 Phone (808) 323-4390 Fax (808) 323-4398  MINUTES Wednesday, March 18, 2015 The County of Hawai‘i Mayor’s Committee on People with Disabilities met at 10:10 a.m. at the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1055 Kino‘ole Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i. The meeting was chaired by Laura Tobosa (Secretary). MEMBERS PRESENT: Gena Avilla, Janice Mancini, Sam Nagasawa, Laura Tobosa and Pauline Aughe via videoconference. ABSENT: James Souza and Paige De Lima. OTHERS PRESENT AND GUESTS: Teri Spinola-Campbell, HR; Alisa Mitchener, Recreation Specialist, P&R; J Yoshimoto, Deputy Corporation Counsel; Jesse Floyd, Program Specialist for the State DD Council; W. Horace Farr, Aging; Sandy Arriola, Aging; Kauila Haumea. CALL TO ORDER L. Tobosa called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 18, 2015, MEETING L. Tobosa S. Nagasawa called for approval of the minutes for February 18. made a J. Mancini motion to approve. It was seconded by . It was approved and seconded. Motion passed There was no discussion. All were in favor. . STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC (Agenda Items) No statements from the public. UNFINISHED BUSINESS J. ManciniA. Mitchener inquired if the bids for Richardson’s had already gone out. replied that it was stalled with a grievance by the Historic Preservation Agency. Hawai`i County is an equal opportunity provider and employer. NEW BUSINESS Discussion Regarding the Lava Flow J. Floyd would like to have an agency attend the meeting to discuss what worked for the County, issues they saw as barriers to the delivering of effective and efficient services to people out there, what resources they need to have, and also what resources they had a hard time incorporating. Discussion could also include what the County did well, not just the providers, but the recipients of services, the people with disabilities, and family members; what they need to do to better prepare themselves and provide a basis for future responses. S. Nagasawa suggested Hawai‘i Island United Way who was spearheading services in the community to provide supplies and services to Puna. Civil Defense was another option. J. Floyd stated that to help insure that the results are systematic, they need to be engrained and built into the system now so the next time it happens we don’t have to invent the wheel. We know that years from now we are going to have new people come in. If we don’t do this now, when that happens say 30 years from now, there is going to be a lot of rehashing the same old things. It should be done now. P. AugheA. Mitchener felt the committee should start with Civil Defense. agreed and also felt that it would be good to understand what services were offered by the County and which were not. There also was support and services that came from agencies and non-profits and individuals who were stepping up to the plate in an emergency situation. And that’s what an emergency is. It is not the County that is going to rescue everybody. The County has specific duties. Pauline had concerns about whether or not the National Guards and other groups that were patrolling had disability awareness where they would know what to do to help the disabled person. Some of the things that were needed were how to get people who are severely disabled out of there before the road is closed, make sure they have enough food and assure that they are monitored and all that stuff. A. Mitchener stated that in past discussions on emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, the emphasis was not on the services that others offered but on being independent and self-sufficient in times of an emergency. There were trainings and support systems which promoted independence and helping people to prepare for them because each person’s unique needs would be different. And their support systems would be different. She stated that what was always emphasized was that we cannot offer a false sense of security by saying the County is going to rescue you. This is what you need to prepare. You have your evacuation backpack, you have your neighbor on call, you have a place to go when you evacuate. Getting out is one thing, but where do you go? Helping people by talking through how they could be better prepared helps to alleviate fear, gives them an action plan. How you re-enter your community psychologically is something you also need to prepare for. Those kinds of support systems might be something that would be offered. But again folks need to understand that we are in it together, and have every individual do as much as they can to protect themselves and to plan for situations like this. -2- J Yoshimoto informed the committee that Darryl Oliveira did provide a presentation for the Council recently. So, maybe as a precursor to this invitation, we watch the February 3, 2015 meeting. Go to the County website at hawaiicounty.gov and click on Council meetings on the left margin, look for Public Safety and Mass Transit Committees, and fast forward to the discussion with Civil Defense. . A. Mitchener feels that the committee needs to educate themselves about the whole disaster process before they make recommendations to the Mayor. So, once they have a common piece of information, then they can call for public response. Discussion Regarding Representation from Kona L. Tobosa inquired about suggestions regarding Kona representation. According to Laura, in the past, the committee would go to Kona every third month or so. One month would be in Hilo and the next in Kona. Because of budget cuts Kona meetings had to be limited. There was one meeting in Kona and no one from the public attended. Jesslie Hook was the representative from Kona but she resigned. G. Avilla will ask people from support groups in Kona if they would be interested in J. Floyd being a member. will be in Kona on the first Wednesday for IDD and he stated that if the committee had something that they wanted announced he could issue an announcement to them. A. Mitchener announced that in the past the committee had a brochure that outlined their purpose and contact information. She will check if she still has it. She suggested it would be good to have a flyer or a brochure to share and say that we’re actively seeking members from Kona. REPORT OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘IEQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICER AND ADA COORDINATOR, TERI SPINOLA-CAMPBELL See attached report. REVIEW FROM COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I ADA RECREATION SPECIALIST, ALISA MITCHENER See attached report. ANNOUNCEMENTS J. Floyd announced that the 2015 East Hawai‘i Disability Legislative Forum will be scheduled for August 20, from 4-7:00 p.m. at Aunty Sally’s. We’re looking at having the organization which the State of Hawai‘i belongs to and that is called Employment First do a mentoring program. It is going to be scheduled for May 20 for Hilo. There will be three sessions. One in the morning, which is for front line staff. From 2-3:30 p.m., it will be for employers. The one in the evening is from 6-7:30 p.m. and it’s going to be a family informational session with families and advocates. Once I get that done, I’ll have more information on where it’s going to be. -3- There’s a paradigm shift in thinking where everybody has a right to employment at competitive wages. G. Avilla announced that Ace One Taxi is getting a wheelchair lift, wheelchair van. (Tiffany Kai informed the office that Ace One Taxi now has an ADA vehicle and is in operation for either cash or shared ride coupons. Phone number is 935-8303.) J. Floyd said that he would contact Mass Transit and see what their schedule is for the airport. Roy Kunishige announced that his taxi company, Kwiki Taxi has started operations and has an ADA compliant vehicle in their fleet along with five vehicles. They will be participating in the shared ride program. NEXT MEETING Next meeting will be scheduled for Wednesday, April 15 in Hilo at the ADRC Training Room at 10:00 a.m. ADJOURNMENT Meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m. Transcribed by: Sandra Arriola -4- March 2015 Mayors Committee on People with Disabilities Parks & Recreation Report Alisa Mitchener, Recreation Specialist I coordinated anIn-Service Staff Training: Homeless Issues in Our Parks on Feb 27, 2015 for 56 participants. Guest speakers: J Yoshimoto, Corporation Counsel; Dale Ross, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney; and Police Officers Gregg Silva and Gavin Hashimoto. Guests also attending were Kaloa Robinson from Housing and Community Development; Clarysse Nunokawa from the Chronic Homeless Intervention and Rehabilitation Project (CHIRP), Mayor’s Office; Jason Armstrong, Public Information Officer of P&R; Priscilla Cardoza, Supervisor from Parks Maintenance, and Randell Kokubun from the Elderly Activities Division. Highlights included networking with Community Police Officers, increased awareness of the complexity of homelessness and the stigma of mental illness, new awareness of laws and the Aloha Spirit, and a glimpse of social service programs in Kona. We identified tools that may help staff solve problems and recorded suggestions, requests, and fears from staff. A Wheelchair Tennis Program request prompted discussion for a demo and beginner’s clinic in December 2015. We need a tennis coach and players with ball feeding skills who want to learn about wheelchair tennis. We talked about connecting with UH students, Wounded Warriors, and other professional wheelchair athletes on neighbor islands. Here’s a link for more info on the sport: http://www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/Wheelchair-Tennis/Wheelchair/ I spoke to a leader in the Hilo Lion’s Club about collaborating on Swimming Pool Orientations for people with visual impairments. She mentioned that their young Leo’s Clubs participated in our Mobi mat days at the beach and may be interested in assisting with orientations at the pool. The County Department of Research and Development offers grant listings through e-Civis Grants Network which is available at no cost to any community-based non-profit organization on Hawaii Island. http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/rd-funding-and-grant-resources Merrie Monarch Week begins Sunday April 5 with free Ho’olaulea performances at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Free night performance is on Wednesday April 8, 2015 at the Edith Kanaka’ole Multipurpose Stadium. For more information please call the Merrie Monarch Office at 935-9168. -5- ADA Coordinator’s Report March 18, 2015 On March 4, 2015, Deputy Corporation Counsel J Yoshimoto, Parks Planner, James  Komata and I had a conference call with the Judge, the Court Monitor and the Plaintiff’s Counsel in Russell v. the County of Hawai’i. James reported that the Parks and Recreation Department has three large parks and nine small parks left to complete on the Transition Plan. The County will be dedicating $6,000,000.00 from the current bond float to these ADA projects. Another conference call was scheduled in six months. I was asked to participate in the Multimodal Master Plan for Downtown Hilo which is  being coordinated by the Planning Department. As I understand it, the focus of the plan is to make downtown Hilo a better place to work, live, and play. Recommendations will be presented to the County for consideration when the plan is completed. On February 19, 2015 the consultants conducted a focus group to get feedback from various stakeholders including people with disabilities. The focus group meeting was well attended and there was robust participation. -6-