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Building an Accessible Community

 

Statistics | Materials | Evaluations

An informational forum on building accessible communities was held on March 19, 2008 in Owosso, Michigan.

Presenters and Activities

The day was kicked off with a short talk by Phil Hathaway from the Owosso Chamber of Commerce. Other community speakers included Bud Kraft who spoke on the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) and local RICC member Linda Morovitz who spoke about her stories advocating for accessibility in Owosso. Participants also attended several hands on workshops on 3 important topics...

  • Negotiation and Assertiveness
  • Talking to the Media
  • How to Assess Accessibility of Public Buildings

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Statistics

Attendance

  • 33 people attended (not including speakers)
    • Of those, 24 were people with disabilities, 7 were professionals, and 2 were personal assistants
  • 4 speakers attended
  • 2 MDRC staff attended

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Materials

The following materials were provided to participants. If it is not available in a format that is accessible to you, please contact us and we will work to make that format available to you.

Evaluations

How much did you learn about home ownership?

  • 67% of respondents said “much” or “a lot.”
  • 33% of respondents said "Some."

How likely are you to use the information you received today?

  • 100% of the respondents said “very likely” or “definitely.”

Do you feel like you have the knowledge base to talk to policy makers about accessible communities?

  • 50% of respondents said “yes."
  • 50% of respondents said “maybe.”

What did you like best about today?

  • “The different talking points and groups."
  • "Important issues even if not the main topic were talked about and discussed with probable goals."
  • "Break out sessions."
  • "Working in small groups and getting to talk and participate."
  • "Information about disability and things you can do."
  • "The tour where we were able to learn through hands on assessment of the facility."
  • "Everything."
  • "That I learned a lot about something I didn't know."
  • "That the speakers talked personally with me and the people whom I came with."
  • "The talking to the media section and the assertiveness workshops."
  • "The information on media coverage."
  • "The breakout sessions."
  • "The assertiveness training and talking to the media. Also that I got accommodations - large print."
  • "I learned a lot I didn't know."
  • "Talking to the media."
  • "Visual aids and written information to study and take home."
  • "Hands on opportunities."
  • "The materials and what we learned."

What did you like least about today?

  • “Nothing."
  • "Room temperature too cool."
  • "Nothing. It was all great."
  • "Could not follow the powerpoint for the access speech."
  • "The assertive piece."
  • "Not enough time to learn everything."
  • "The accessibility piece was vague."
  • "Nothing."
  • "Nothing. All good."
  • "Nothing."
  • "Nothing."
  • "Break up the speakers instead of all in the morning."
  • "Need another training for some of the other issues."
  • "It was more consumer driven than professional."

Do you plan on taking action around accessible communities?  If so, what will you do to take action?

  • “Work for adequate handicap parking spots along with van accessibility."
  • “Help raise community awareness."
  • “Start to realize what things need to be done to make a community accessible."
  • “Accessible transportation."
  • “Schedule a follow-up training with RICC members to further learn and practice skills."
  • “Continue on the committee for accessibility. ”
  • “Keep fighting for inclusion."
  • "Use the knowledge I gained to help improve/resolve important issues in community."
  • "Research building codes."
  • "Work on transportation issues in my county."
  • "I will be assertive on my own to address the problem. I also want to get a team together to address some accessibility issues."
  • "Go to Council meetings."

How can we improve today’s activities?

  • “Get more people aware of this issue."
  • “Maybe have some of the written information be more closely matched with the oral presentations."
  • “No need for improvement."
  • “Make two presentations - one for newbies and one for those who have more professional knowledge."
  • “Have speaker repeat questions."
  • “Does not need improvement."
  • “More information and time for questions about building codes and guidelines."

Overall, how would you rate your satisfaction with this seminar?

  • 100% of the respondents were “satisfied” or “very satisfied.”

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