PARTICIPANTS NEEDED: FIRST FULL CITY ADA/ACCESSIBILITY SURVEY

FIRST EVER ADA AND ACCESSIBILITY SURVEY OF AN ENTIRE CITY NEEDS RESIDENT PARTICIPATION

Community’s comments will continue to prioritize comprehensive to-do list

UPDATE: The citywide survey on Somerville’s accessibility needs is being extended to a new deadline of Friday, Aug. 29. The online survey is available at www.HumanCenteredDesign.org/IHCD-Studio/Somerville-Survey and hard copies are available in a variety of places including elderly housing centers and other areas for those without online access. The City of Somerville, in coordination with the Institute for Human Centered Design, is undertaking this first ever survey of an entire municipality on accessibility needs to collect vital resident feedback that will shape the City’s roadmap for accessibility.

To learn more about the survey or to volunteer in distributing the survey, please contact ADA Coordinator Betsy Allen at 617-625-6600 ext. 2323 or by email at ballen@somervillema.gov. More information about the survey is available on the City website.

SOMERVILLE
–The City of Somerville, in coordination with the Institute for Human Centered Design,
is undertaking the first ever survey of an entire
municipality on accessibility needs and is asking residents to take the
survey—and volunteer to distribute it—to collect vital resident feedback that
will shape the City’s roadmap for accessibility.

This online survey through Survey Monkey at www.HumanCenteredDesign.org/IHCD-Studio/Somerville-Survey, available starting June 9 and open through July 11, is designed
to be accessible for users with disabilities and will also be compatible with
iPhones and tablets. In addition to the online format, a hard copy will be
available in a variety of places including elderly housing centers and other
areas for those without online access. Somerville
Commission for Persons with Disabilities members and
City workers will also fan out by foot across the City to help residents
complete the survey. Residents can contribute in this effort by
volunteering to help distribute and help residents complete the questionnaire.

“If the City is going to prioritize the accessibility barriers
and issues we have identified, we need to hear from those directly impacted by
these barriers so we can make a meaningful difference in their daily lives,”
said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “This survey is another important step, in
addition to the meetings we have held in the past year, toward keeping an open
ear so that we can hear from people in our community who are impacted by
accessibility issues. I am grateful that the Institute for Human Centered
Design is continuing to partner with us on this critical work as we strive to
make Somerville an exceptional place to live, work, play and raise a family—for
everyone and people of all abilities.”

Last
year, the City conducted an exhaustive
six-month self-evaluation of its infrastructure, policies, procedures,
programs and services. The City also conducted an in-depth examination of its
public right of way (PROW). Both the ADA
Self-Evaluation and Pedestrian
Accessibility Study are now being
incorporated into a living, multi-year action Transition Plan—a roadmap for the
future, with the help of the community, in an effort to ensure that residents
have equal access to the City’s streets, sidewalks, buildings, parks and
programs. Residents’ feedback is vital to the drafting of the Transition Plan.

“I know that any effort that gets the City closer to its
goal of equal access for all has Mayor Curtatone’s full and unequivocal
support. Our aim is the complete integration of persons with disabilities into
the very fabric of this City. This spirit of diversity and inclusion is an
essential part of Mayor Curtatone’s governing philosophy,” said Somerville ADA Coordinator Betsy Allen. “We are
launching a multi-prong, high-level, high-visibility outreach
effort to reach residents through whatever medium is available to them. We need
and we value residents’ help. We are guided always by a spirit of full inclusion,
where no one is left behind, every voice is heard and is valued. Help us make
Somerville the model of inclusion it is well on its way to be.”

To learn more about the survey or
to volunteer in distributing the survey, please contact ADA Coordinator
Betsy Allen at 617-625-6600 ext. 2323 or by email at ballen@somervillema.gov.