ACCESSIBILITY

Last year our nation celebrated 30 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which, among other things, ensured that people with disabilities can participate in everyday civic life, attain employment, participate in business and leisure travel, and enjoy equal access in health and child care. The ADA was groundbreaking legislation and improved the lives of millions, however, there is still much more work left to be done.

For our city to work for everyone, we need to make sure the voices of all members of our community are heard. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 adults identifies as having a disability. Beaverton must do better to ensure accessibility for all residents.

Ashley’s Accessibility decisions will always seek to:

  • Listen — to Beaverton residents with disabilities, ensuring that no decisions are made about residents with disabilities without including them in the process. 

  • Educate — the general public and Beaverton businesses specifically about accessibility and ADA requirements. 

  • Improve — the lives of people living with disabilities.

Support the Successful Establishment of a Disability Advisory Committee

The decisions made by the Beaverton City Council must be informed by individuals from all backgrounds and abilities. Ashley supports restarting the Disability Advisory Committee to ensure that Beaverton is accessible to everyone.  

Ensuring ADA and State Regulation Compliance in City Facilities and Businesses

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Oregon State Law prohibit the discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and access to state and local government’ programs and services. Often many businesses are unaware of some of the more obscure violations and may unintentionally discriminate against an individual with a disability. For example, service animals do not have to wear a vest identifying them as service animals under the ADA, however, most handlers will choose to ‘vest’ their animal. If we take the time to teach our community about ADA compliance, we create a more welcoming community.

To Promote ADA and State Regulation Compliance, Ashley will:

  • Work to establish ADA compliance seminars so that local businesses and city staff can learn proper practices, therefore proactively preventing unintentional discrimination.

  • Review the city of Beaverton’s ADA compliance self-review and determine what changes in staff education and resources need to be made.

Integrating the Principles of Universal Design and International Building Code (IBC) into Future Construction in Beaverton

  • The Building Code is the most significant chapter of the Municipal Code to reference the ADA. Beaverton adopted the 2012 edition of the International Building Code (IBC) as its building code in June 2013. The IBC includes provisions to make sure that public facilities are accessible to, and usable by, people with disabilities.

  • Ashley would like to see the city incorporate Universal Design principles in addition to the IBC. As buildings built in compliance with the IBC, have still resulted in challenges for people who use mobility devices.