Berkeley Municipal Code Ch. 3.66 Commission on Disability

The council finds as follows:

A. It is the policy of the City of Berkeley to promote the full integration and participation of persons with disabilities into all areas of economic, political, and community life.

B. The City of Berkeley is committed to utilizing all available resources and to coordinating efforts toward removing barriers to full integration and participation of persons with disabilities.

C. There is hereby established a Commission on Disability for the City of Berkeley. The commission shall have nine members, which positions shall be filled in accordance with Berkeley Municipal Code Section 2.04.030 et seq. The appointment of any member of the commission shall terminate upon such members absence from three consecutive meetings pursuant to Berkeley Municipal Code Chapter 3.02 et seq. (Ord. 5704-NS § 1, 1986)

The functions of the commission shall be:

A. To actively promote the total integration and participation of persons with disabilities into all areas of economic, political, and community life.

B. To serve as a coordinating body for the purpose of receiving input from citizens on the needs and concerns of the disabled community, to formulate and recommend solutions to these identified needs and concerns, and to convey such recommendations to appropriate citizens and governmental bodies.

C. To work with the City to identify and eliminate conditions, policies, or practices which may operate to discriminate against, exclude, or hinder the full integration and participation of persons with disabilities.

D. To work with the City to create conditions, to establish policies and practices, and to develop programs which will facilitate the full integration and participation of persons with disabilities into all areas of economic, political, and community life.

E. To render advice and assistance, to monitor, and to evaluate all City policies, practices, and procedures which immediately or remotely impact upon persons with disabilities.

F. To maintain working committees when appropriate to oversee areas of concern such as, but not limited to:

Transportation

Architectural accessibility

Housing

Education

Health

Emergency services

Employment, and

Disability awareness training

These committees shall appoint one of their members to act as a liaison to their respective City commissions. In addition, the commission may designate one of its members to act as a liaison representative to any other board, commission or committee, of the City. The functions of such liaison representatives are to attend meetings of such other board, commission or committee as appropriate; advise the Commission on Disability of the background and reasons behind the actions of such other board, commission or committee; and to advise such other board, commission or committee of policy, procedures and decisions of this commission that may bear upon matters under discussion by such other board, commission or committee.

G. To coordinate training and public education programs, hold hearings and workshops, and conduct investigations about the integration of persons with disabilities.

H. To monitor compliance with such codes, ordinances, and statutes that affect disabled persons in Berkeley. (Ord. 5704-NS § 2, 1986)

A. The commission membership shall be primarily persons with disabilities. The commission membership shall be representatives of different disability groups, including physical, sensory and mental disabilities, and shall be representative of gender, age, and racial groups in the community.

B. An officer or employee of the City designated by the City Manager and approved by the commission shall serve as secretary of the commission.

C. The City shall provide accommodations for the known physical, sensory or mental disabilities of commission members and other participants in commission activities, including, but not limited to, assistance with reading, writing, communicating and aids such as tape-recorded, Braille or large print materials.

D. The commission shall annually elect one of its members to be chairperson and one of its members to be vice-chairperson.

E. The commission shall establish a regular place and time for meeting. All meetings shall be noticed as required by law and shall be scheduled in a way to allow for maximum input from the public. The frequency of meetings shall be as determined by City Council resolution. The scheduling of special meetings in addition to those established by City Council resolution, except special meetings that take the place of cancelled regular meetings, shall be subject to approval by the City Council. A request for a special meeting shall include the reason for the proposed meeting and should be expedited on the City Council’ s agenda, or in the alternative, placed before the Agenda Committee for approval.

F. The commission shall make and alter rules governing its organization and procedures which are not inconsistent with this chapter, the Commissioner’s Handbook, or any other City ordinance.

G. The commission shall keep a record of its proceedings and transactions and shall submit an annual report to the City Council. (Ord. 6898-NS § 1, 2006; Ord. 5704-NS § 4, 1986)