Advisory Committee on Accessibility — Burlington, VT
Date: 2026-02-09
Time: 15:00

Advisory Committee on Accessibility

 Monday, February 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor
 of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

Meeting Invite information
https://zoom.us/j/94737776511?pwd=nqbaQTMsE0hP4khbZjTf9rCtK15exb.1

Meeting ID: 947 3777 6511
Passcode:745244
1. Call to Order

2. Adopt the Agenda

3. Adopt Minutes
  Subject 3.1. November Meeting Minutes
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 3. Adopt Minutes
  Department Other


  Type

  Subject 3.2. January Meeting Minutes
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 3. Adopt Minutes
  Department Other


  Type

4. News & Updates

5. Public Forum
6. Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter
  Subject 6.1. sign and adport best practices letter
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

  Category 6. Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

7. Other Committee Business
  Subject 7.1. Update on appointing additional members to the committee
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 7. Other Committee Business
  Department Other


  Type

8. Adjournment
  Subject 8.1. Motion to adjourn
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

  Category 8. Adjournment

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
  Subject 9.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. Persons with
 disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate are
 encouraged to contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours
 in advance so that proper arrangements can be made. The City of Burlington will not
 tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious
 affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual
 orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive
 status, crime victim status or genetic infromation.
Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
Category 9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
Department Council and Board


Type

Advisory Committee on Accessibility

 Monday, February 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor
 of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

Meeting Invite information
https://zoom.us/j/94737776511?pwd=nqbaQTMsE0hP4khbZjTf9rCtK15exb.1

Meeting ID: 947 3777 6511
Passcode:745244
1. Call to Order

2. Adopt the Agenda

3. Adopt Minutes
  Subject 3.1. November Meeting Minutes
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 3. Adopt Minutes
  Department Other


  Type

  Subject 3.2. January Meeting Minutes
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 3. Adopt Minutes
  Department Other


  Type

4. News & Updates

5. Public Forum



 Page 1 of 14
6. Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter
  Subject 6.1. sign and adport best practices letter
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

  Category 6. Open and Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

7. Other Committee Business
  Subject 7.1. Update on appointing additional members to the committee
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
  Category 7. Other Committee Business
  Department Other


  Type

8. Adjournment
  Subject 8.1. Motion to adjourn
  Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont

  Category 8. Adjournment

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
  Subject 9.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. Persons with
 disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to participate are
 encouraged to contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours
 in advance so that proper arrangements can be made. The City of Burlington will not
 tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious
 affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual
 orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive
 status, crime victim status or genetic infromation.




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Meeting February 9, 2026 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, February
 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont
Category 9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
Department Council and Board


Type




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Page 12 of 14
Date:
To: Mayor, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak,
CC: Chief Administrative Officer, Katherine Schad

From: Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Subject: Open and Accessible Meetings - Recommended Best
Practices

Dear Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak,


Since the resolution passed approximately one year ago
recognizing the Burlington Advisory Committee on Accessibility as
a formal City Committee, our members have been working
diligently to support the City of Burlington in becoming
increasingly open and accessible to all people with disabilities. We
will soon be outlining these accomplishments in our annual
report.
Looking ahead, we are focusing on several goals for the upcoming
year. One key priority is ensuring that all City of Burlington public
meetings follow consistent best practices that promote
accessibility for people of all abilities.
It has come to our attention that there are inconsistencies across
departments regarding how open meetings are made accessible
to the public. To address this, we would like to provide all City
departments with updated recommendations on best practices
related to accessibility so that all residents are better able to
participate.
In developing these recommendations, we reviewed several
national and municipal resources on accessibility best practices
and engaged in committee discussions informed by members’
lived experiences.




 Page 13 of 14
We respectfully recommend that the following best practices be
implemented for all public meetings to ensure broad accessibility:
  • Speakers should identify themselves prior to speaking,
 including when addressing other committee members or
 offering remarks on agenda items.

  • Provide clear instructions for accessing meeting locations,
 including information on physical accessibility for those using
 mobility aids. For hybrid meetings, ensure clear instructions
 on how to join and participate online.

  • Adjust meeting agendas so that information about obtaining
 materials in alternate formats (e.g., minutes, presentations,
 agendas) is displayed prominently.

  • Maintain meeting minutes and presentation materials in
 formats compatible with commonly used screen readers.

  • Ensure closed captioning is active and available whenever
 possible—both for online participants and for those attending
 in person.

  • To improve comprehension for individuals with cognitive or
 language-processing disabilities, maintain minutes,
 presentations, and discussion summaries at an approximate
 fifth-grade comprehension level.

  • Thank you for your consideration and support in ensuring
 that the Queen City is accessible to people of all abilities. We
 look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
City of Burlington Accessibility Committee




 Page 14 of 14

Advisory Committee on Accessibility

 Monday, February 9, 2026, 3:00 PM, Sharon Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City
 Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont


In Attendance:
Members of the Committee
Tim Williams, Lisa Black, Scottie Taylor, Ashley Parker, Nate Besio, Katherine Schad, Sharon
Henault,

Others in Attendance: Meaghan Diffenderfer, Jon Adams-Kollitz

Members of the Committee absent:
Karen Downey



1. Call to Order
 a. Called to order by Chair Besio 3:04 pm
2. Adopt the Agenda
 a. Motion by Lisa, seconded by Katherine
 i. All in favor, so moved and adopted.
3. Adopt Minutes
 a. Motion to adopt the November meeting minutes as written by Tim, seconded by Ashley
 i. So moved and approved
 b. Motion to adopt the January meeting minutes as written by Sharon, seconded by Lisa
 i. So moved and approved.
4. News & Updates
 a. Tim Williams shares with Committee that he will be stepping away after this meeting in
 his role as staffer as well as his Committee appointment.
 b. Meaghan Diffenderfer introduces herself, she will be stepping in as future staffer for the
 committee.
 c. Committee needs to fill both the seat emptied by Tim as well as the Alternate slot for
 the committee.
 i. To fill seats, members need to be approved by HRPC (Human Resources Policy
 Committee) and then full Council.
 d. Braille love notes are now on display at Fletcher Free Library as a part of the CEDO /
 CSM love note campaign. Some were also translated into other major spoken
 languages (not including English) spoken in Burlington.
 i. Next year the committee hopes to engage with CEDO around this campaign
 even earlier in hopes of finding other creative accessibility for this campaign
 ii. VT
 e. VT Coalition for Disability Rights is holding a day of advocacy at the State House to
 meet with representatives on Wednesday, February 11.
 f. Sharon asks about the committee stipends – hers have not been received yet.
5. Public Forum
 a. Jon Adams-Kollitz introduces himself. Jon is a member of the Parks department. They
 have just completed construction on two universally accessible restrooms at Oakledge
 in the lower pavilion. They are family style and gender neutral. They feature the first
 adult changing table in the Parks restrooms. There is work being done to make the
 space universally accessible.
6. Open & Accessible Meetings Best Practices Letter
 a. Committee working to submit this letter to the Mayor’s Office with the recommendations
 to make accessibility practices standard across all open meetings. While the letter is
 not fully inclusive, the suggestions are meant to exist as a living document that can be
 updates as ideas and suggestions arise. Topics include:
 i. Introduction before speaking at each meeting
 ii. Clear instruction to accessible meeting locations
 iii. Maintain minutes in formats compatible with screen readers.
 b. Scottie raises if, along with these recommendations, do we want to make specific
 action points or set what accountability looks like for the other committees to be sure
 these are adhered to?
 i. Offering help and support on how to assist other committees to meet these best
 practices – create a checklist for committee staffers during the transitionary
 period into this practice?
 c. Next steps:
 i. Adjust letter to include the checklist for consideration.
 ii. Each member will review letter and send any edits to Meaghan and Nate, and
 will be discussed at March meeting.
7. Other Committee Business
 a. Update on appointing additional members to the committee.
 i. We will have one vacant seat for City of Burlington employee, and alternate
 spot(s)
 ii. Sharon moves to approve Meaghan Diffenderfer to fill the City of Burlington
 committee seat. Lisa seconds.
 1. All in favor, so moved and approved.
 iii. Sharon moves to approve Jon Adams-Kollitz as Committee Alternate. Lisa
 seconds.
 1. All in favor, so moved and approved.
 b. Lisa thanks Tim for all his hard work and all he has done for the Committee.
 c. Next meeting will be March 16.
8. Adjournment
 a. Tim moves to adjourn, Ashley seconds. All in favor, so moved and approved.
9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
  Subject 9.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. Persons
 with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to
 participate are encouraged to contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-
 7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours in advance so that proper arrangements can
 be made. The City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or
 discrimination on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color,
 national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime
victim status or genetic information.