The Clark County Council unanimously approved the creation of the Accessible Community Advisory Committee following a public hearing Tuesday.
“They help advise local legislative bodies on matters related to disability issues, and they also give the county the ability to apply for grants through the governor’s office,” said Jordan Boege, senior policy analyst for the county.
In Washington, $100 from each disabled parking violation fine goes into a special fund. The funds are then distributed to local jurisdictions as grants for accessibility projects.
According to Boege, several residents came to the county in April asking to create the committee. Councilor Karen Bowerman worked with the residents to draft the ordinance before coming back to the full council.
“This is a group of really dedicated residents who are … very interested in providing what help they can to the community, to disabled citizens in the area, at no cost to the county,” Bowerman said during the meeting.
Battle Ground resident Eric Thorstenson was among those who worked on creating the advisory committee and also spoke during the public hearing. Thorstenson said he got involved with the project as a way to help others.
“I think that’s the biggest thing. I was thrust into the lifestyle by an accident, and it kind of turned my world around overnight,” he said on Wednesday. “All of a sudden, you’re here as a disabled person in this brand-new world, and it’s difficult to navigate.”
Thorstenson said people often don’t understand or recognize the challenges disabled individuals can face. Whether it’s a lack of wheelchair access, poor lighting, small doorknobs or people parking in the aisle (the area with white diagonal lines) adjacent to a disabled parking space, navigating Clark County’s public spaces can be a challenge.
“There’s lots of issues. We do have the (Americans with Disabilities Act) laws, which do help us, but they’re not always followed, or people don’t understand them,” he said.
Thorstenson said education for individuals, business owners and government jurisdictions will be an important part of the committee’s work.
Councilor Sue Marshall thanked Bowerman and the residents for their work and for bringing the issue to the council.
“I look forward to hearing all your good ideas and all the things you come up with that we can do to make things more accessible and for people to live as independently as possible,” Marshall said during the hearing.
The advisory committee will have five members selected from the county’s urban and rural areas. A majority of the members must be individuals with disabilities. Specific details, such as the application process and selection of committee members, dates and times of meetings, meeting locations and more will be announced at a later date.
