The speaker at our April 7th meeting was Jason Beloungy, Executive Director of Access to Independence, which is one of eight such organizations in Wisconsin. It serves Columbia, Dane, Dodge and Green counties. Today he spoke of the collaboration between his organization, the Downtown Madison’s Beyond Compliance Task Force, and the City of Madison’s Disability Rights Commission.
The goal of this alliance is a fully inclusive and accessible downtown which includes entrances to buildings and within their interiors such as restrooms as well as the accessibility to outdoor events and parking opportunities. Achievements of the last three years began with conducting a survey of persons facing barriers to accessibility that help prioritize the group’s efforts. From this, two separate guides have been developed.
The first was for streetory which involved entrances to buildings and the way to provide the best accesses to and within outdoor dining areas. The second guide developed is for festivals and outdoor events. The current project centers on “Well Built Conferences” which addresses designs and best practices for buildings.
Jason feels that individuals and organizations can help by getting directly involved with the Disability Rights Commission; getting input from those with disabilities; hiring people with disabilities; and by promoting accessibility and inclusion.
Our thanks to Jason Beloungy for his presentation this week and to Larry Larrabee for preparing this review article. If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/IGFkTbDrKD8.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 