Advisory Committee on Accessibility — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-06-16
Time: 15:00

Advisory Committee on Accessibility



  Monday, June 16, 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon
 Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington,
 Vermont and online over Zoom.

Meeting Invite information
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92356452507?pwd=Zk6QCJswEJla4hSa3seazYvWwFa3Uh.1
Webinar ID: 923 5645 2507
Passcode: 120399
1. Call to Order

2. Adopt the Agenda

3. Adpot Minutes
  Subject 3.1. Advisory Committee on Accessibility Monday, May 19th 2025
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 3. Adpot Minutes

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

4. Commitee Members Introductions

5. Public Forum
  Subject 5.1. Written Comments Submitted - Meeting minutes as posted on Civic Clerk
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 5. Public Forum
  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 5.2. Written Comments Submitted - BPRW Adult Programing: ASL classes
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 5. Public Forum

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

6. News & Updates
  Subject 6.1. Update on operating budget request for walking path mural.
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 6. News & Updates

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 6.2.

 1. Update on capital budget request for Leddy Park elevator



  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 6. News & Updates

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

7. Accessible Parking and Accessibility of City Construction Projects

8. Other Committee Business
9. Adjurnment of Public Meeting

10. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements

11. Election of Officers
  Subject 11.1. Election of Chair
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 11. Election of Officers

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 11.2. Election of Co-Chair
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 11. Election of Officers

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

Advisory Committee on Accessibility



  Monday, June 16, 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon
 Bushor Conference Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington,
 Vermont and online over Zoom.

Meeting Invite information
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92356452507?pwd=Zk6QCJswEJla4hSa3seazYvWwFa3Uh.1
Webinar ID: 923 5645 2507
Passcode: 120399
1. Call to Order

2. Adopt the Agenda

3. Adpot Minutes
  Subject 3.1. Advisory Committee on Accessibility Monday, May 19th 2025
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 3. Adpot Minutes

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

4. Commitee Members Introductions

5. Public Forum
  Subject 5.1. Written Comments Submitted - Meeting minutes as posted on Civic Clerk
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 5. Public Forum



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  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 5.2. Written Comments Submitted - BPRW Adult Programing: ASL classes
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 5. Public Forum

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

6. News & Updates
  Subject 6.1. Update on operating budget request for walking path mural.
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 6. News & Updates

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 6.2.

 1. Update on capital budget request for Leddy Park elevator



  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 6. News & Updates

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

7. Accessible Parking and Accessibility of City Construction Projects

8. Other Committee Business

 Page 2 of 10
9. Adjurnment of Public Meeting

10. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements

11. Election of Officers
  Subject 11.1. Election of Chair
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 11. Election of Officers

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action

  Subject 11.2. Election of Co-Chair
  Meeting June 16, 2025 - Burlington Advisory Committee On Accessibility - Monday, June 16,
 2025, 3:00 PM, This hybrid meeting will take place in the Sharon Bushor Conference
 Room, first floor of City Hall 149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont and online over
 Zoom.


  Category 11. Election of Officers

  Department Other


  Type

  Recommended Action




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From: Bethany Whitlock <bwhitlock@burlingtonvt.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2025 9:39 AM
To: Vanessa Santos Eugenio <veugenio@burlingtonvt.gov>
Subject: City meeting minutes change + accessibility

Hi Vanessa,

I hope you're well and enjoying the sun!

I'm emailing because I have an accessibility query/concern, and I seem to remember you're on
the City accessibility committee - please feel free to send this on to someone else if needed.

I have hearing loss in both ears, and rely pretty heavily on the minutes posted for City meetings
to know what happened. The minutes used to be detailed and helpful, but recently there seems to
have been a change where folks are just giving very short (one or two sentences) summaries of
events/actions taken and then linking to the meeting recording and directing folks there for more
detail. The recordings are poorly, if at all, subtitled, which essentially means that I can't access
the meetings, some of which (City Council, DRB) are important for my role. You can see the
difference in the minutes produced in the City Council agenda packet from last night - the old
style ones are from 2/10 and 2/18 and the new style ones are the minutes from the March
meetings. I imagine some other City staff and residents are also encountering the same issue. Is
there any way we can do something about this?

Thanks, and best,
Beth




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From: Keaton Knowles <kknowles@burlingtonvt.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 10:20 AM
To: Timothy Williams <twilliams@burlingtonvt.gov>
Subject: FW: Feedback about adult learning programs through Parks and Rec

Good morning Tim,

I’m forwarding this to you as the staff contact for the Advisory Committee on Accessibility. Below is an
email I sent to Natalie Hutchison this morning regarding the upcoming cuts to the adult learning
programs offered through Parks and Rec. I won’t re-write the email below, but for a quick TL;DR I want
to say that I have been taking American Sign Language classes at Miller Center since September, which I
started taking because I noticed a gap in accessibility in City Hall. That’s why I think this class (and many
others like it) are related to the Advisory Committee on Accessibility.

Thank you!
Keaton


From: Keaton Knowles
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 9:49 AM
To: Natalie Hutchison <nhutchison@burlingtonvt.gov>
Subject: Feedback about adult learning programs through Parks and Rec

Good morning Natalie,

I’m hoping you can pass this along to whoever should hear this feedback. And I recognize that you are
likely also shocked and frustrated by these changes, so I want to start by saying I’m in solidarity with
you, and I greatly appreciate the work you’ve done for the city! These remarks are not directed toward
you or your work. I am sending this to you since I believe you are the point-person for the adult learning
classes through Parks and Rec.

I work in the Clerk’s Office for the City of Burlington. Since this past September, I have been taking
American Sign Language classes through Burlington Parks and Rec, taught by instructor Alex Grist. I have
taken level 1, level 2, and I am currently in level 3. The compliments I have for this class are too many to
list, but I will give an abbreviated version of why I think this class (and others like it) are VITAL to our
community, and why losing them is a complete disservice to our residents.

  In a time when our society and culture as a country are moving toward divisiveness and losing
 accessibility services, classes like these are directly fighting back. My classmates and I have
 learned invaluable information from Alex. He not only teaches American Sign Language in terms
 of vocabulary and sentence structure, but he also heavily emphasizes learning about deaf
 culture so we can better understand the community we’re communing with. I originally signed
 up for this class in September because I noticed a gap in accessibility services that we offer at
 City Hall, and I was glad to be able to do my part in closing that gap. I am so appreciative at this
 stage to have a “conversational” understanding of the language for my personal life as well, but
 the primary reason I took the class was for my work with the city. In fact, one of the first phrases
 I made sure I knew how to sign was, “How many copies of your marriage certificate would you




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 like to purchase?” which is a sentence my coworkers and I ask customers in City Hall almost
 daily.
  Aside from wanting to offer better accessibility as a city worker, I have also witnessed stories
 from some of my classmates who have used ASL in their own work and personal lives. One of my
 classmates is a children’s librarian who has been able to use the ASL from this class with her
 young patrons. One of my classmates is a tattoo artist who has used ASL in her shop. One of my
 classmates works at the Pride Center, where they are now able to offer basic communication
 with anyone who might live in the intersection of being a member of both the deaf/HoH
 community and the LGBTQIA+ community. The skills we’re learning in this class are already
 being utilized in so many spaces across our region—not just by my classmates, but from the
 many students of the ASL classes that have been taught by Alex through Parks and Rec over the
 years.
  I understand that we, as a city, are in a budget crisis. I work in the Clerk’s Office. I attend City
 Council meetings. I know city leadership is having to make tough calls and “killing our darlings,”
 so to speak. However, cancelling or limiting adult classes is an inappropriate and misdirected
 response to this issue. Part of our overall “crisis” as a city is that people aren’t spending time
 with each other as often as they used to. There are many factors as to why, but we should be
 doing all we can to encourage people to gather. The lack of social scenes in town is breeding
 disinterest, mistrust, and disfavor among our residents. I hear this feedback all the time in my
 role with the city, working customer service in the Clerk’s Office. How can we expect people to
 want to invest in making this city better overall, if some of the few positive experiences being
 offered in return are being cut?
  On that note, Burlington has fewer and fewer spaces where people can gather to participate in
 non-retail activities together. Taking these classes has been a massive breath of fresh air; I am
 comfortable speaking for all of my fellow classmates when I write that this class is the absolute
 highlight of our weeks. And I am comfortable speaking for them because that’s what we tell
 each other every week when we discuss the class, either beforehand during our carpool or
 afterwards in the parking lot where we often chat. There have been some very hard weeks over
 the last year, on every level (local, federal, and global). Throughout all of it, this class has been
 reliable as a source of positivity and fun. Where else in town these days can strangers get
 together for a common interest, without having to either buy a round of coffees or be kicked
 out for loitering? The adult learning classes are it. They are THE space to do this.
  It’s also important to note how effective these classes are. I am only on level 3, and I already feel
 fairly comfortable communicating in ASL. My current class has two students who have already
 taken every level of ASL classes that the city offers, and watching their confidence with signing is
 rubbing off on the rest of us—we can see directly that if we stick with it, we’ll be at their level
 someday. That is, we’ll be at their level if the city continues to offer these classes.

I have so much more that I could write, but I don’t want to belabor the points. I truly feel that cutting
the adult learning classes (including ASL, but not limited to ASL) is a crushing disservice to our residents.
It goes against the culture our city is built upon. I do feel that Burlington is losing its luster; not because
of perceived safety issues downtown, not because of the seemingly endless construction (although that
doesn’t help), but because we are losing activities and spaces that brought residents out of their homes
to spend time together in positive environments.

I ask that these cuts be reconsidered, and that Parks and Rec program managers not be so heavily
targeted by the layoffs. Without program managers, we will have weak or nonexistent programs. And




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without programs that offer education, safety, community, and general vibrancy, I feel a deep sadness
for the direction this city is going.

Thank you very much for your time.

Keaton




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