Disability Commission to Weigh Work Plan Updates Aimed at Resource Library, Evacuation Guidance

The Accessibility and Disability Commission is scheduled Tuesday to discuss and approve updates to its work plan and special events calendar for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a roadmap that would steer the panel’s advocacy on housing, transportation and emergency readiness through next June.

The work plan covers July 28 through June 22, 2027, and organizes the commission’s agenda under three ad hoc committees, each with a stated objective purpose, chair-appointed co-leads and a list of action items. Chair Valerie Struski is assigned to all three committees.

The commission is strictly advisory. Its stated purpose is to advise the council on accessibility issues in Pasadena, and the action items in the work plan are goals the commission has set for its own advocacy rather than directives to city departments. Any policies, procedures, programs or legislation the commission recommends would take effect only if the City Council chose to adopt them, and the City Council retains final authority.

The first objective, resources and community engagement, is co-led by Vice Chair Patricia Herrera and Commissioner Aaron Johnson, with Commissioner Janet Miller and Chair Struski. Its purpose is to assemble a resource library with input from community members to increase disability education and engagement. Action items call for nominating, selecting and recognizing the annual Robert Gorski Access Award recipient and for assembling resources to help community members navigate the world of disability, with examples including reasonable accommodation, advocacy and adaptive tools. The committee would create a resource list, publish it on the commission’s web page and develop an ongoing maintenance and marketing plan for it. It is also assigned to speak with community groups and to host an Oct. 14 anti-ableism question-and-answer session with author Tiffany Yu.

The second objective, accountability and strategies for emergency readiness, is co-led by Commissioners Janie Lynn Heinrich and Melly Rosehaven with Struski, and is aimed at improving emergency accessibility readiness and individual safety practices. Action items call for educating community members on best practices for preparedness for both day-to-day living and emergencies, and direct the committee to finalize a list of best practices for presentation to the City of Pasadena Emergency Manager and the Pasadena Public Health Department, to create a QR code for the housing guide that would serve as a resource for evacuations or sheltering in place, and to secure approval of that material from the full commission. The committee is also assigned to collaborate with first responders to increase public safety measures and relations through education with and for people with disabilities.

The third objective, accessibility of housing and public infrastructure, is co-led by Commissioners Andrea Jennings and Liz Schiller with Struski, and would advocate for strategic improvements to city infrastructure projects and the built environment. Action items direct the committee to regularly update and widely promote the Guide for Accessible Housing to the community and to housing developers while soliciting feedback, and to follow up with the Planning Department on ADU standard plans, encouraging the department to ensure all standard plans include universal accessibility options. The plan also calls for collaboration with the Department of Transportation on Greenways, Safe Streets for All, the Active Transportation Plan and planned corridor upgrades including Pasadena Avenue and North Lake, and for proactively and widely soliciting input to inform recommendations on improvements to the public right-of-way and curb ramp installations.

The accompanying special events and presentation calendar, updated July 28, schedules a September presentation from Planner Ani Garibyan and Principal Planner Anita Cerna of the Planning Department introducing preparation of a new General Plan element addressing environmental justice. Tiffany Yu, author of “Anti-Ableist Manifesto,” is listed for October, and the Adaptive Sports Festival for November. The calendar also carries a monthly commitment to support the iBook Club of Pasadena, including dissemination of its monthly newsletter.

Items listed as still to be scheduled include tabling at a minimum of three city or community events to increase awareness and visibility of the commission, law enforcement training with the Pasadena Police Department, a presentation from Art Center students on their classes and projects, a presentation from Nathan Press, division manager of social and mental health services at the Pasadena Public Health Department, on the intersection of disability and homelessness, a presentation from Disability Rights California, and a presentation from the Rose Bowl Operating Company on accessible seating and viewing areas for the general public.

The Accessibility and Disability Commission is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 North Fair Oaks Ave., in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-4124 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.