Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities Committee Minutes Hybrid Meeting, hosted virtually via Zoom and in person at Tacoma Municipal Building August 14, 2025 Call to Order Lucas Smiraldo called the meeting to order at 4:16 PM. Land Acknowledgement read out loud by Lucas Smiraldo. Commissioners Present Officers Amin Tony Hester and Hayley Edick Commissioners: Aimee Sidhu, Lukas Barfield, Wanda McRae, Lukas Barfield, Carletta Skinner Commissioners Absent Excused: Cheri Coleman, Anthony Caldwell Unexcused: Billie Periman. City Staff Present Lucas Smiraldo, Gail Himes. Darius Thompson, Samuel Lewis Guests Present – Community Ashlyn Sidhu, Ivan Tudela, Julian Wheeler Ice Breaker What spice of herb are you most similar to? Adoption of Agenda Sidhu moved to adopt and Edick seconded. Passed unanimously. Acceptance of Minutes Edick moved to accept, Sidhu seconded. Passed unanimously. Public Comment Julian Wheeler expressed appreciation for the work of TACOD and indicated that as he travels, he believes that the commission is a leader across the region. Guest Presentation from Samuel Lewis and Darius Thompson from Public Work Regarding Sidewalk Complaint and Repair and Replacement Process. The Sidewalk Program is responsible for Receiving, Inspecting, Notifying, Project Planning & Managing, the replacement of substandard sidewalks throughout the City of Tacoma IAW TMC 9.17, 10.18 & RCW 35.69. 1. What Is a Substandard Sidewalk? * Defects in sidewalks that make sidewalks difficult access for pedestrians include, but are not limited to: * A height differential or separation greater than ½ inch in height located on the sidewalk surface. * Cracks, separation, or hole in the sidewalk greater than 1 inch in width. * Undermined sidewalk. * Undermined sidewalk. * Intersecting cracks that divide a sidewalk panel into multiple parts resulting in missing or depressed sidewalk. 2. Complaints: Any form of communication that can be received will be accepted. * Once a complaint has been received, they are logged into a GIS Map that city inspectors can access from their cell phone. New requests are red when they’re entered and turn green once the inspection has been completed. This process streamlines the complaint to the inspector in the field. * Once the complaint has been inspected an Overall Defect Rating will be given to the Defect. * Minor Defect, Can be repaired by other methods. * Severe Upheaval, needs replaced. 3. Sidewalk Notification * Sidewalk Notifications are currently sent out quarterly. * Property owners will receive a letter through the mail from my office. * The letter will notify them that a complaint was made and verified. * A brief description of the defect found. * Instructions on how to fix the defect. * The letter will identify whether the sidewalk needs repaired or replaced. 4. Sidewalk Project Planning * The City is funded to put together 1 large project per year (150-250 Properties). * Sidewalk Project Areas are based on the following: * Past contract locations * Locations of most complaints * A partnership letter is sent to property owners. * The City will participate financially up to 50%. * Partnership letters outline the opportunity to partner with the city on a city ran project. * Property owners are offered a Reduced Cost Sidewalk Option (city pays up to half) or * No-Cost Sidewalk Replacement Option (must apply and be approved based of total household income. * In many cases, the offer is for a limited time and is on a first come first served basis. * Partnership letters outline the opportunity to partner with the city on a city ran project. * Property owners are offered a Reduced Cost Sidewalk Option (city pays up to half) or * No-Cost Sidewalk Replacement Option (must apply and be approved based of total household income. * In many cases, the offer is for a limited time and is on a first come first served basis. 5. 2024-2025 Project * 2024 – 2025 Contract Locations * Partnership letters sent December 2024 * Project locations finalized February 2025 * Payments made Mar 18-Apr 18, 2025 * Contract bid opened June 9-July 8 2025 * Currently awaiting approval from City Council (Aug 19, 2025) * Low bid $995,060 before tax * 213 total properties, 64 No-Cost properties on project. 6. 2026 Project * We are currently looking to nail down the 2026 project areas. We are looking to do two to three smaller projects a few months apart to serve more residents. For Follow Up Contact: Samuel Lewis Sidewalk Program Manager Public Works/ Engineering 747 Market Street, Room 522 Tacoma, WA 98402 SLewis2@tacoma.gov (253)591-5270 Commissioner Questions and Feedback: Edick: Do you take pathways to health centers into account when planning? A: Need cooperation of nearby property owners Q: How do you prioritize defect rating? A: Back log is in the hundreds so look for more severe issues for immediate response. Letters sent to impacted property owners annually for follow up. Hester: Wheelchair owners can’t get past upheavals and become isolated. Lewis: We try to partner with businesses when we can to impact longer sidewalk stretches. Guest Presentation from Ashlyn Sidhu, Your Senior Tech 1. About Your Senior Tech ? Mission: Empower older adults to confidently use technology for daily life, safety, and connection. ? Founded after firsthand experience volunteering in a retirement community, where seniors often felt left behind by modern technology. ? Team: Background-checked high school & college students delivering patient, person-to-person tech help. 2. Core Services * One-on-One Tech Help: Phones, tablets, computers, printers, TVs, email, apps, passwords, Bluetooth, hotspots, and more. * ? Group Education Sessions (Tech Talks / Lunch-and-Learns): * Scam prevention & online safety * Password managers & account security * Smartphone basics & troubleshooting * Understanding cookies, QR codes, AI, and other digital tools * Custom topics based on resident/community needs * Device Setup & Replacement: Helping select, purchase, and set up devices. 3. Why This Matters for TACOD’s Work * Many older adults also live with disabilities—tech access can be a gateway to independence, safety, and social inclusion. * Your Senior Tech’s work overlaps with TACOD’s mission by: * ? Closing the knowledge gap for vulnerable communities * ? Building confidence in using online platforms and resources * ? Reducing barriers for people with limited mobility or vision/hearing challenges 4. Main Challenges in Designing an Accessible Resource Platform From experience working with seniors (and many with disabilities), here are key obstacles to anticipate: * Accessibility Across Devices: Platform must be optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktops with simple navigation. * Inclusive Design: Must comply with ADA/WCAG( Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards—screen reader compatibility, adjustable text size, high-contrast modes, captions, and voice commands. * Digital Literacy Levels: Some users will need step-by-step guidance; plain language and visual cues are essential. * Trust & Privacy Concerns: Many are hesitant to share information online—clear privacy policies and visible security features build trust. * Ongoing Support: Training and live help options are key—access to a person when tech doesn’t work prevents drop-off. * Content Organization: Resources should be logically grouped with a strong search function to avoid overwhelming users. Artificial Intelligence * How AI Could Be Incorporated into TACOD’s Platform * AI-Powered Search: Natural language search so users can type or speak a question (“Where can I find transportation services?”) and get direct, clear answers. * Accessibility Features: * AI transcription for meetings and videos * Automatic language translation for multilingual access * Text-to-speech and speech-to-text for users with vision or mobility impairments * Personalized Resource Suggestions: Based on a user’s profile and needs, AI could highlight the most relevant services without overwhelming them. 4. Content Summarization: AI could provide shorter, plain-language summaries of complex resources so users with lower reading levels can still understand. 5. Chatbot Assistance: 24/7 help answering basic questions or guiding users to the right resource. 6. POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO TACOD’S PROJECT ? Offer user testing feedback from seniors and disabled individuals. ? Assist in designing training materials that work for low-tech or first-time users. ? Host community workshops to promote and teach the new platform when launched. Your Senior Tech is excited to collaborate and share insight from on-the-ground experience helping seniors and disabled individuals navigate technology. Our goal is the same—to make technology a bridge, not a barrier Commissioner Feedback: * Take inclusive design into account around tech support * Vet natural language platforms with humans to make sure they are accurate for different languages * Use tester feedback * Edick: Sight impaired do not benefit from a mouse. Keyboard is more effective. * Ashlyn: We find that tablets are more user friendly than laptops in general. Chair Reports Chair Hester: * Had to leave early to take his shuttle transportation so passed on facilitation of meeting to Vice Chair Edick. Vice Chair Edick: * No report Liaison Report – Office of Equity & Human Rights – Lucas Smiraldo 1. New Zoom Webinar Format Tonight (Panelist Status) Discussed the need to adapt to webinar to include commissioners keeping cameras on so host can rename or renaming themselves. 2. Network Access Sub Committee Meeting Update. Will schedule for September and will include CFI, TACID, Your Senior Tech and Others. 3. Lucas beginning work on an ADA Guidance Document for COT. 4. Invited Commissioners to an Equity Index and Map Workshop on September 29th. 5. CBC Orientation June Debrief Meeting was well attended both in person and online. 6. Reminder to complete Open Public Meeting Act (OPMA) Training at Attorney General Website and Report Access Issues. 7. PACE Program presentation in September 8. Sympathy for Commissioner Caldwell and Recent Loss 9. Thoughts for Commissioner Coleman and recent medical procedure. Report from Active Subcommittees Disability Resources and Access Platforms * The group met online along with Nalani Lander of TACID and Faith Stevens of CFI. Group recommended topics of focus for a September meeting including a new online app for clients, caretakers and advocates and need to have one to one support from these same communities. Transportation – * There was a very fruitful meeting with Sound Transit in which Commissioner Edick gave substantial input at the Tacoma Dome Station site.. Public Works – * Gail Himes reported that the new access corner at 64th and McKinley is ready for a visit and that Public Works had completed substantial upgrades much like those on 64th and Pacific. * Emergency Management: See Tudela Report below Action Items * Plan and agenda to be completed for the Network Platforms and Access Subcommittee. * Invite Ashly Sidhu to all future TACOD meetings. * Corrections to Spelling of Commissioner Skinner name. Emergency Management See Tudela Report Below Ivan Tudela– Pierce County Human Services * Ivan will send a survey to commissioners to respond to Piece County Wildfire Protection Plans. * Ivan invited commissioners to participate in tabletop emergency simulation event on September 5th. One has signed up thus far. * Fall Prevention Event Scheduled for Monday, September 22, 2025, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Mel Korum Family YMCA, 302 43 Ave SE, Puyallup, WA 98374 Report from Pierce County Access Commission (PCAC) No report Committee Reports No additional reports Individual Commissioner Reports No Reports Invitation for Community Input None New Business or Good of the Order None Adjournment Moved by Sidhu and seconded by Barfield. Passed unanimously. Adjourned at 5:58 p.m.