June 2021 Meeting | U-M Council for Disability Concerns

6/8/2021

Access Info
Introductions
Council Business
- Call for participation: CfDC Advisory
  - Most seats are reserved for representatives from various University and community organizations, but some seats are open to any Council member
  - Welcome to new Advisory Board member, Dan!
  - Email [email protected] if interested in joining
- Call for Participation: Fall Programming
  - Disability Pride Parade
    - Last year (2020), CfDC, AACIL, and DDP collaborated to organize the first Disability Pride Parade in SE MI, with sponsorship from ADA MI
      - Online event
        
        Previous planning committee made it easier to recreate the event this year (as opposed to starting from scratch last year)
      - Well attended event, lots of positive feedback, a lot of work to plan
    - Is there an interest in organizing this again this year?
      - Some members have interest in collaborating again
      - Council will follow up with a call for participation and more information
  - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Conference
    - October event (during Disability Community Month) to raise awareness about purpose of IDEA Board and inform the community on progress made on their University recommendations
    - Ways to get involved
      - CfDC members and other community member input is welcome about what sessions would be most beneficial for the Conference
      - Planning Committee is looking for participants
        
        about a biweekly commitment, with more frequent meetings as it gets closer to October
      - Reach out to Pam at [email protected] with questions/suggestions
    - Session Idea
      - Mental health, identity, and social justice through graphics and comics, featuring Maria Clowney-Robinson (therapist and librarian)
- Neubacher Award process update; Nominations open
  - Award Committee will be made of up members from various disability orgs
    - Committee Structure document has the complete list of orgs
    - CfDC Chair will chair the Award Committee this year
  - Commitment
    - Members will attend ~6 meetings in July through September
    - Members will attend a bias training and commit to self-awareness and improvement around biases
    - Members will review nominations and help select an award winner
      - ~75 nominations are usually submitted annually
    - More specific information available in the Committee Structure document
  - Nominations are now open! More information about the award and the nomination form can be found on the award website
    - Nominations can be submitted for anyone currently or previously affiliated with the University of Michigan (students, staff, faculty, alumni)
Michigan Flyer
- Ody Norkin (came to speak), Fred Wurtzel (couldn’t attend meeting)
- Bus company within Indian Trails since 2006
  - Operate around southeast and central MI (AA, Detroit, East Lansing, Brighton)
  - Funded through MDOT
- New contract to operate between AA and Detroit (D2A2) was halted during the pandemic
  - Busiest inter-city bus route in MI
  - Almost 30% of riders are elderly and/or disabled
  - Limited schedule currently exists, hoping to expand through this summer
  - $6-8 per ticket
- Customer feedback says that it’s difficult to get to the Blake Transit Center in Ann Arbor, especially early in the morning, and especially using A Ride
  - A Ride is a rideshare program, but they did not move to an on demand system
  - Early morning bus rides are common transit requirements for people with early flights out of Detroit
  - Michigan Flyer wants to team up with Via (another ride share company), which would guarantee a ride using a reservation system that is more reliable than Uber/Lyft
    - When purchasing a Michigan Flyer ticket, you could also buy a guaranteed reservation in the Via system instantly
- Grant proposal
  - Asking the state to fund the partnership with Via and to ensure these transit options are available (both to the bus stop and to the airport)
  - State funds would be used to create the programming for this
  - Request for CfDC Letter of Support
    - Letter will be shared with the mailing list before it is sent to ensure Council ideas are all included
    - May submit the letter as the Council, or may have individual members sign
- Questions and Discussion
  - Current Bus Accessibility
    - Detroit Connector has not always been accessible
      - Leadership was responsive to these concerns, but equipment was not always reliable
      - Each bus is “completely accessible” and has space for two wheelchairs at a time
      - New system allows for reservations with wheelchair accessibility so that the bus does not get overbooked
  - Detroit Connector was run by the University, but it has now been replaced by the D2A2 line
    - Originally created based on lack of transit options from AA and Dearborn campuses to Detroit
    - Issues with lack of frequency and accessibility (wheelchair lifts were inconsistently functional)
    - RTA funded new line (D2A2), so burden was not on the University or City of AA to pay for the buses
  - Are there discounted fares available from Michigan Flyer and Via for specific populations where the cost would be a burden?
    - Costs are already discounted from previous bus fares
    - Because the program is funded through MDOT, they are required to follow state-wide requirements, which means no specialized fares for anyone besides children under 16 with an accompanying adult
  - Night ride, with AAATA, is available during the hours that fixed route is not operating
Fall at U-M
- U-M WISE Recommendations follow-up
  - Subgroup has reviewed all 108 recommendations from an accessibility and disability lens
    - Asked who could benefit, who could be harmed, what’s missing, and asked clarifying questions
  - Next, subgroup will work on pulling out themes and writing a letter/report to distribute to WISE Committee and U-M Leadership
    - Will be shared with Council for review upon completion of draft
- Individual concerns, perspectives from your units
  - Expectations for on-site work
    - LSA Dean’s office is expecting ⅔ of staff to be in the office on any given day (regardless of vaccination status, personal health status, etc.)
    - Library is also expecting that the majority of workers who are in staff or librarian faculty roles will return to work on-site. How much space must be allotted to each worker for distancing has been decreased
      - Individuals can negotiate and/or appeal for an exception
    - HITS is going to a remote-work first situation
    - A lot is going to depend on supervisor discretion
  - So far, legislative and regional guidelines have been reactive to the pandemic (not proactive)
    - New variants are emerging (some of which are more transmissible and more fatal)
    - Would be nice to see proactive planning that specifically considers most at-risk populations and incorporates an awareness of these new variants, supervisory suggestions, etc.
  - Question: Difference between working with Work Connections and requesting accommodations?
    - There seems to be a lot of confusion about what Work Connections can do/when it is appropriate to use Work Connections
    - Work Connections can be used when a sudden and significant change occurs, but when more subtle changes to disability status or work ability occur, Work Connections may not be able to help
    - Work Connections will assign you a case manager, so that will determine some of your experience. They are focused on restoring you to your previous work functionality and returning people to employment, but not focused on long-term issues or solutions
  - MHealthy and Christina Kline are working with some staff to provide accommodations for continuing to work remotely
    - MHealthy ergonomics is also a resource
    - Inspection of home work spaces available to ensure University ergonomics standards are met
Adjourn: 1:00 PM