Nomination Process for the Robert Gorski Access Award Set to Move Forward This Week

Pasadena’s Accessibility and Disability Commission will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 28, to receive a presentation by the Health, Wellness, and Inclusive Community Ad Hoc Committee and discuss and possibly approve the nomination process for the Robert Gorski Access Award. 

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Community Center at 1020 North Fair Oaks Avenue. It’s open to the public. 

The Robert Gorski Access Award is presented to a Pasadena resident with a disability who has made a significant contribution toward improving accessibility and quality of life for people with disabilities and Pasadena’s disability community. The award is named after a long-time City employee and disability advocate who was Pasadena’s Accessibility Coordinator from 1989 to 2016, and continued his work as a disability rights advocate into retirement until his passing in January 2020. 

The first Robert Gorski Access Award was given in 2021 to Donna Pomerantz, a former Chair of the Accessibility and Disability Commission who advocated for several initiatives that positively impacted the quality of life of residents with disabilities. 

In 2022, it was Zebreda Dunham, who was born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), an affliction characterized by multiple joint contractures found throughout the body at birth, who received the award. 

This year, actor and burn survivor E.R. Ruiz was given the award during a City Council meeting in July. 

The presentation by the Health, Wellness, and Inclusive Community Ad Hoc Committee will delve into a list of accessible features tailored for incorporation into development plans in the city. These features aim to revolutionize the design and remodeling of various spaces, including homes, apartments, office buildings, city facilities, and public places, in order to provide robust accessibility for individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities.

The Accessibility and Disability Commission’s mandate involves studying existing inequities in access across various domains, ranging from physical spaces to social and cultural environments. The commission also plays a pivotal role in recommending policies, procedures, programs, and legislation aimed at dismantling these inequities.

The commission convenes on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the Jackie Robinson Community Center 1020 N Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena.