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ACCESS WATCH Volunteer Orientation

What is ACCESS WATCH?
The ACCESS WATCH Project is designed to educate and empower members of the community who are effected by physical and program access in their own communities. Whether it is the local market’s aisles that are too narrow for wheelchairs, not enough curbcuts around, or parking spaces for Disabled, we need to do something about it and the best way to accomplish that is together.

Why do we need this?
The issues that people with disabilities alert us to the most are lack of affordable and accessible housing, accessible transportation, inadequate health care, and employment discrimination. Other problems are Education, in-home care and lack of access to public services. The only way to combat these problems is for as many of us as possible to get involved locally to influence policy makers. Call attention to what is not accessible and get them to do the right thing. ILRC Staff cannot be everywhere at once and policy makers pay much more attention to the citizens who are experiencing the problem.

Who or What do we Watch?
Our own city councils and boards of supervisors make decisions about our communities on a weekly basis. Do we know if they are making any decisions about us? We wont know unless we watch them and find out what issues of access they are discussing and deciding upon. Our communities also have local boards and commissions that make decisions about our health care, housing and transportation services. If there are concerns regarding access in the community that are not being addressed, lets get them on their agendas.

How do we start?
Decide which issue effects you the most. It could be housing, transportation, public access to buildings in your community, health care, etc. Once you have made a decision, we will help you participate by educating you on what to watch for and how to alert us to an access issue. You may wish to monitor your city council, architectural board or county board of supervisors meetings on the government access channel to learn how their meetings work and watch for items that may effect people with disabilities on their agendas. These entities often put together committees that require representatives of the community and will need someone from the disability community. You may want to volunteer on a transportation committee, housing board or the Public Authority.

Getting Coordinated
The Systems Change Advocate will help you with information on your chosen access topic, help coordinate your meeting participation, provide you with bus tickets to the meetings in the community and help you fill out your Community Meeting Reporting forms. If you need and access accommodation at these meetings, look for the contact information on council, committee or board’s agenda. Request your sign language or other accommodation within the time frame they require.

ACCESS WATCH Volunteers can join the Empowerment Team in their on a monthly basis to discuss their activities, get and give feedback and plan future activity.

Reporting Access items of Concern
Once you are placed in a committee or observing City or County meetings and you come across an access issue that is up for discussion in one of these meetings, please report it to the Systems Change Advocate in your area. The Systems Change Advocate will involve you in the strategy and process of ensuring that the concerns of people with disabilities are heard by the council or committee.

ACCESS WATCH Gear
We want these committees, Boards and Councils to know they are being watched. We want them to remember the needs of people with disabilities when they make their decisions. To ensure that, we will provide all the ACCESS WATCH volunteers with T-Shirts and badges. We also provide notetaking materials and supplies such as note pads, pens or recorders for those with difficulty writing because of their disability. Bus tickets for regular public or para-transit transportation will be provided to volunteers for traveling to and from their assigned council, board or committee meetings.

ACCESS WATCH Volunteer Community Report Forms
We need to keep track of the activities of this project and be able to document your participation as well as track how you have made a difference in your community. We will provide you with these short, simple report forms to fill out each time you attend a meeting in the community. Please turn them in to the Systems Change Advocate on a monthly basis.

Thank you for making a difference in your community!