Ridgefield's Commission for the Disabled Hosts Public Meeting on December 12 at Town Hall

Commission for the Disabled Meeting on December 12 Features Special Guest, Betsy M. Allen

Ridgefield's Commission for the Disabled is hosting a public meeting on Monday, December 12 at 6:30 PM in the large conference room on the lower level at Ridgefield Town Hall.  This meeting will feature a presentation from Ms. Betsy M. Allen, Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and ADA Coordinator for the City of Somerville, MA.  

In April, 2017 the Board of Selectmen asked the Commission to recommend an action plan for a town-wide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment.  The Commission is working with the New England ADA Center and the Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD) to understand best practices in order to make a formal recommendation to the BOS.  Ms. Allen was contacted through a referral by IHCD.

All residents are encouraged to attend. 

Ms. Allen was instrumental in helping Somerville work through a set of accessibility studies, and has been a key figure in implementing the recommendations from the study.  The Commission urges Ridgefield residents to attend this special meeting to better understand the benefits and implications of the upcoming accessibility study.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. The enactment stemmed from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which required, under Section 504, that recipients of federal funds make their programs and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. It stated, in part, that “[n]o otherwise qualified individual with handicaps in the United States…shall, solely by reason of his/her handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

In 1990, Congress passed the ADA extending Section 504’s non-discrimination mandate to all activities of state and local governments, regardless of receipt of federal funds.  Congress amended the ADA on January 26, 1992 incorporating many of the concepts and terms first set forth by the Rehabilitation Act to increase access for all. 

Under the broad requirements of the ADA, all towns, including Ridgefield, have an obligation to give people with disabilities an equally effective opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, its services, activities, and programs.  In accordance with the ADA and Connecticut statutes and regulations which mandate that local governments provide equal access and opportunity to individuals with disabilities, the town must provide unencumbered access to all of its programs, services and activities. 

For more information on Ms. Allen, her department and Somerville's ADA initiatives, please visit the city's website here.