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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMACAI 2023-04-20 agenda.pdf - City of Maple Ridge MUNICIPAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVENESS AGENDA – REGULAR MEETING Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 4:30 pm Meeting Access Information Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness (MACAI) meetings are held in a hybrid format. Members of the MACAI and the public are asked to join the meeting in-person in the Blaney Room at Maple Ridge City Hall or remotely using the following access information: Join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone https://mapleridge-ca.zoom.us/j/88911083894 Or join the meeting using your phone Dial: 1-778-907-2071 Meeting ID: 889 1108 3894 1. CALL TO ORDER 1.1. Land Acknowledgement 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES – February 16, 2023 4. DELEGATIONS 4.1. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT- BC) 4.2. Local Immigration Partnership – Carolina Echeverri 5. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS 5.1. Accessibility and Inclusiveness Awards 5.2. MACAI promotion at events 5.3. Maple Ridge Low Cost Directory 5.4. Event Accessibility Grant LIAISON UPDATES 5.5. Staff Liaison 5.6. Council Liaison 5.7. SD42 Liaison 6. SUBCOMMITTEE AND TASK FORCE UPDATES 6.1. Age-friendly Subcommittee 6.2. Awards Task Group 7. QUESTION PERIOD FOR THE PUBLIC 8. ROUNDTABLE 9. ADJOURNMENT Next Meeting: June 15, 2023 Agenda Submission Deadline: June 1, 2023 QUESTION PERIOD Question Period provides the public with the opportunity to ask questions or make comments on subjects that are of concern to them. Each person will be given 2 minutes to speak. Up to ten minutes in total is allotted for Question Period. mapleridge.ca City of Maple Ridge Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Meeting Minutes February 16, 2023 The Minutes of the Regular Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Meeting held via Zoom teleconference and hosted in the Blaney Room at Maple Ridge City Hall on February 16, 2023 at 4:30pm. COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Councillor Ahmed Yousef Council Liaison Alex Ward, Chair Member at Large Hudson Campbell, Vice Chair School District 42 Board Trustee Jenn Boone Member at Large Kim McLennan Fraser Health Representative Carolina Echeverri Family Education and Support Centre Representative STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT Stephane Labonne General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture Petra Frederick Staff Liaison, Community Coordinator Arsh Dhillon Committee Clerk ABSENT Jenna Christianson-Barker Member at Large 1.CALL TO ORDER – 4:33 pm 2.APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA R/2023-MACAI-001 It was moved and seconded That the February 16, 2023 Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness agenda be approved as circulated. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 3.ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES R/2023-MACAI-002 It was moved and seconded That the minutes of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness meeting dated September 22, 2022 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 4.DELEGATIONS – NIL 5.NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS 5.1. Welcome/Member Introductions New and returning members introduced themselves to the group. 3.0 mapleridge.ca Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Minutes February 16, 2023 Page 2 of 4 5.2. Advisory Committee Overview A. Dhillon, Committee Clerk, provided a general overview of Committee proceedings and functions. P. Frederick, Staff Liaison, described the mandate and ongoing work of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness. 5.3. Chair and Vice Chair Selections The Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness appointed Alex Ward as Chair and Hudson Campbell as Vice Chair for 2023. R/2023-MACAI-003 It was moved and seconded That Alex Ward be appointed as Chair of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness for 2023. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY R/2023-MACAI-004 It was moved and seconded That Hudson Campbell be appointed as Vice Chair of the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness for 2023. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY R/2023-MACAI-005 It was moved and seconded That the paper ballots and virtual votes cast during the Chair and Vice Chair selection process be destroyed. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 5.4. 2023 Meeting Schedule The Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness adopted the 2023 meeting schedule. R/2023-MACAI-006 It was moved and seconded That the 2023 Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness meeting schedule be adopted as circulated. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 5.5. 2023 Draft Work Plan The Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness approved the 2023 Work Plan and forwarded the recommendations to Council for approval. Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Minutes February 16, 2023 Page 3 of 4 R/2023-MACAI-007 It was moved and seconded That the 2023 Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Work Plan be approved and forwarded to Council for approval. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 5.6. Accessibility and Inclusiveness Framework/Strategy P. Frederick, Staff Liaison, presented the Accessibility and Inclusiveness Framework/Strategy. Topics included: purpose, role of the City of Maple Ridge, engagement approach, findings and next steps. 5.7. Maple Ridge Low Cost Directory A. Ward, Chair, provided an overview on the Maple Ridge Low Cost Directory. 6. LIAISON UPDATES 6.1. Staff Liaison P. Frederick provided an update on the following: • Launch of Engage Maple Ridge • PRC Master Plan • Community engagement, events and accessibility grant for the Albion Community Centre 6.2. Council Liaison Councillor Yousef provided an update on Council Strategic Planning and mandate. 6.3. Council Liaison Trustee Campbell provided an update on the School District 42 budget approval process. 7. SUBCOMMITTE AND TASK FORCE UPDATES 7.1. Age-friendly Subcommittee P. Frederick, Staff Liaison, provided an overview of the mapping platform for seniors to determine the distance of daily activities, accessible parking, grocery stores, and many other resources. 7.2. Awards Task Group A. Ward, Chair, provided an update on the Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Awards process. Topics included: promotions, marketing, timelines, and framework. Municipal Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness Minutes February 16, 2023 Page 4 of 4 8.QUESTION PERIOD FOR THE PUBLIC Kelly Jorgenson – Member of the Public K. Jorgenson asked about accessibility improvements and safety at the Albion Community Centre transit drop-off locations. 9.ROUNDTABLE Committee members provided updates and reports on issues and activities relating to accessibility and inclusiveness in the community. Note: J. Boone left the meeting at 5:37 pm. 10.ADJOURNMENT – 5:40 pm Arsh Dhillon, Acting Chair Alex Ward, Chair /ad March 16, 2023 Councillors Judy Dueck & Ahmed Yousef City of Maple Ridge via email: ayousef@mapleridge.ca jdueck@mapleridge.ca Dear Councillors Dueck & Yousef: Re: Barriers to Accessing Community Centres for Persons with Disabilities I am writing to you in my capacity as the Regional Director of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT-BC) that represents approximately 1500 occupational therapists (OTs) throughout BC. OTs are regulated healthcare professionals that work to improve the health and well-being of British Columbians by creating client-centred solutions that help individuals participate more fully in activities that are important to their everyday lives including returning to work, participating in community life, maintaining social engagement, and caring for themselves, their families and their homes. Our members work directly with people with disabilities to improve their physical, cognitive, and emotional well being. Our services enable individuals to maintain or improve their functioning and participate in meaningful activities; often following significant injury or illness. We are engaged by private individuals, insurers, government agencies and many others to assist clients with disabilities who are living in the community. Many of these clients have what can be best described as “invisible disabilities” such as those with brain injuries or severe mental health concerns. Part of our programming to assist clients includes the utilization of a rehabilitation attendant (i.e., Rehabilitation Assistant, Kinesiologist or another qualified Therapist such as an Occupational or Physical Therapist). These attendants may be engaged to work with clients in their neighborhood community centre to complete guided exercises, pool therapy or for social engagement as part of the client’s rehabilitation plan. Typically, clients with the most significant disabilities are those that require community reintegration programming utilizing community-based facilities. These client’s needs are not adequately addressed in outpatient therapy clinics which are usually attended by clients with less complex disabilities or temporary conditions. Thus, for years, use of community facilities has provided a vital therapeutic setting for clients with more complex disabilities. I write to you today to express concerns on behalf of our members regarding barriers to access these facilities for the purposes outlined above. Given the current work being done to improve accessibility in British Columbia, especially for those living with disability, I would li ke to bring these specific barriers to access health care to your attention with the hopes of working together to find a solution. 4.1 CAOT-BC·ACE Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists British Columbia ------- Excessive Fees Many payers of community-based healthcare services have long complained about the fees charged by community centres for the rehabilitation attendant to accompany a client with a disability. Our members report that while payers are generally in agreement with reimbursing client admission fees, so long as those fees are not higher or result in more restrictive access than those charged to patrons without disability, the payers are increasingly refusing to reimburse our members for the client’s rehabilitation attendant’s admission fees. More recently, our members report that Insurance Corporation BC abruptly stopped reimbursing rehabilitation attendant fees for Kinesiologists and Occupational Therapists. When our members are forced to absorb the cost of rehabilitation attendant admission fees in whole or part this results in a financial loss (up to 20% of the session fee) to the service provider (our members) and as a result, our members are unable to service clients with disabilities in their home community. For example, the Maple Ridge Leisure Centre charge rehabilitation attendants $9.24 to accompany the client. The client is also charged a $6.00 admission. In these scenarios where there is a service denial or barrier which reduces the availability of treatment due to the fees charged for the attendant, the negative impact lands on the client with a disability as they are prevented from accessing the facility to receive the treatment they require. Inconsistent and sometimes onerous documentation requirements Our members acknowledge and support that documentation should be sought when admitting a client and their rehabilitation attendant. However, this should be made consistent across all centres and not be utilized as means to deter access. Reasonable documentation includes proof or insurance and a signed letter or “prescription” from the healthcare professional who is overseeing the program (e.g., registered healthcare professional or doctor). Why do These Barriers Exist? It is our belief that these barriers exist for a few different reasons. Primarily, leadership and staff of the community centres regard our rehabilitation services in the same vein as personal training for persons without disabilities. In fact, when referring to their policies regarding access they refer to their “external trainer” polices even though rehabilitation attendant personnel are not “trainers”. To the untrained eye, completing guided exercises with a client who demonstrates no visible sign of disability may look like personal training but this is not the case. Rehabilitation attendants are or work under the programming and supervision of regulated health professionals to support targeted complex rehabilitation plans for the person living with a disability. Remedy Our clients are a protected group under Human Rights Legislation (people with disabilities). We trust that the City of Maple Ridge does not support discriminatory pricing practices and has no intention of reducing access for patrons with disabilities who require their own rehabilitation personnel to be present with them. By eliminating the fees charged for a rehabilitation attendant (which are often not reimbursable) and ensuring that client access fees which are reimbursable remain consistent with those of any other patron using community centre facilities, the City of Maple Ridge can ensure that no unintended access barriers are continued. Just as a centre would not charge an extra fee for a client to access their facility if they require a wheelchair to enter it, clients with invisible disabilities should not have their programs subjected to additional fees because they require a rehabilitation attendant. Additionally, we recommend that a review be undertaken of what documentation should be submitted to gain entry into a community facility when a rehabilitation attendant is require d with a view to streamlining this access to avoid any unnecessary delays. We are happy to assist with providing suggestions on how to efficiently differentiate such programs so the appropriate fee scheme can be applied so as not to result in any barriers for clients with disabilities. We have attempted to work with community centres directly for many years and are finding there is no consistent solution that solves this health access problem for those living with disability. At this time, we believe it has become a significant accessibility related issue for our clients living with a disability and therefore requires decisive leadership to address this growing problem. Maximizing Utilization of a Public Good It would seem the true test of success of any public good would be the extent to which it provides the most utility to the most people for whom it was created to benefit. Our members and their clients are community members who seek to access, without delay or unnecessary barriers, facilities that were created to benefit people of all abilities and backgrounds who live in the relevant city or near the facilities in question. A fully utilized facility should be regarded as a successful one and we trust you will take steps to support full access to the facilities which fall under your mandate . Sincerely, Tanya Fawkes, BA, MOT Regional Director CAOT-BC