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Date: 7/13/2021
EASTHAMPTON – Easthampton’s Commission on Disability (COD) recently released a survey that will be used to identify barriers to full participation in the community for people with disabilities.
The overall goal of this survey is to seek input from the Easthampton disability community on what aspects of the city could be improved when it comes to accessibility for disabled people. The findings will help the city apply for grants to help improve access around Easthampton.
“Hopefully we get this survey out to as many people as we can,” said Angelique Baker, the chair of COD. According to Baker, the survey is not limited to just people who live in Easthampton. People who work in Easthampton or provide services for someone with disabilities can also participate in the survey.
“I really just want the community to feel heard,” said Baker.
Kelsey Hall, the secretary of the COD, told Reminder Publishing that her main responsibilities are to take notes during COD meetings, organize information, support Baker with communications, and find different ways to interface with the community.
When Hall officially became secretary at the beginning of the year, one of the main laboring items for the COD was releasing this survey that has been in the works for a couple of years now. According to Hall, releasing the survey was very important because there was an interest in understanding how the Easthampton disability community perceives their ability to seamlessly interact in all facets of the community.
“The intent was to give a voice to a largely underrepresented population across the board, not just in Easthampton,” said Hall. The survey does consider caregivers in Easthampton, and their perceptions on how accessibility and inclusivity could be achieved throughout the city. It also touches on organizations that exist within Easthampton like the Council on Aging and others.
The survey’s progress had to pause in 2020 due to COVID-19 and other health issues but the work started back up in the fall of 2020. According to Hall, the people’s feedback from the survey will help the city make a greater case for requesting grant funding for projects that can enhance the experience of disabled citizens and look at new innovations that can help disabled people navigate easier.
“The opportunities are endless,” said Hall. “But having that data can help us to make a case to the state or other types of funders, and to obtain that and execute some of the hopes and requests from our citizens.”
According to Hall, the state of Massachusetts has different types of grant funding that come from a variety of spaces, especially when it comes to city or town enhancement. For example, a town or city can try to obtain funding if they have a high disability population in town and they need money to improve old infrastructure for better accessibility. Money can also be used for accessible trail networks or ramps throughout town.
Another example Hall provided is finding easier ways of navigation downtown for people who are blind or have low visibility. Hall said that there are a variety of wayfinding tools and technology – as well as mobility training and orientation – that can be leveraged in a city or on a trail to assist those who are blind or have other cognitive disabilities.
There are other ways of improving access as well, such as developing sidewalks and crosswalks, or improving access to some of the general activities or any general space so there is a better sense of belonging for those who are disabled.
After the survey results are gathered, the COD hopes to implement a one-year, three-year, and five-year plan based on community input and what they have found throughout Easthampton. There is a survey subcommittee that will meet to discuss the results when the survey is closed, according to Baker.
“When we hear from people about what challenges they face, it can help us prioritize how we approach certain things and how we can connect what people are asking for to other initiatives in the town,” said Hall. “[The survey] helps us to understand how we can best interface with other commissions and community groups that exist.”
The survey will be open to the public until Oct. 15. People looking to participate can find it at https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=yWPoQTvQg06crXS8bKW8vPqYhNJxvuJAk1zlwqV9q59UOUc3SjlBMEo5Sko2VUMwQVE3NDM0NkU4Wi4u.
The survey is anonymous, and analysis of the data will be posted on the city’s website and possibly shared to the City Council, public service providers, and local organizations supporting disabled people.
The Commission on Disability is an advisory committee of volunteers that were appointed by the mayor. The goal of the group is to make the Easthampton community an inclusive environment. They also provide public outreach and education on disabilities, recommend changes to increase access to all in municipal, business, and public buildings and sites, among other things.