pages: CommissiononPersonswithDisabilities/2018-05-09.pdf, 20
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CommissiononPersonswithDisabilities | 2018-05-09 | 20 | COMMISSION ON DISABILITY MEETING MUTES OF Wednesday May 9, 2018 6:30 p.m. go into businesses and talk with them about it? I know at one point we were talking about going into businesses and saying, "Hey, here are some easy ways that you can make it more accessible." So are we going to go for the business associations or the Chamber of Commerce as an entry point? Or is that where we distribute the information? How are you thinking about that? Jenn Barrett: I think that there's a lot of different ways that we can tackle it. But I think that since Alameda's businesses seem to be very well networked through the Chamber of Commerce and other groups on the island, I think that's a good place to start at least, and then spread out from there and maybe go to businesses and speak to them specifically. But I know you had a few ideas on it. Anto Aghapekian: I support it. And I have enough experience working with merchants in situations as this. And the minute you start talking accessibility, the merchants usually put on a defense. It's like suddenly this wall comes between you and them, because they don't want to deal with the city, with the permit process, the fees. And sometimes they even end up opening up a Pandora's box, you know, one thing leads to another, another, and this small doorknob ends up being the whole door, the whole facade, the whole thing. And people don't want to get involved with that. All they want to do is make a living, they're busy as it is. Anto Aghapekian: So I think that especially, it's so much easier to be working with the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations like the DABA [Downtown Alameda Business Associatin] is one, and WABA [West Alameda Business Association] is another one, who do basically the ground work gently, who let the merchants know that this is a voluntary program, it's my preferred expression, it's a win-win situation, and let the legwork or the prep work be done by people that they deal with day in and day out. And once one person is interested or a merchant is interested, that's when something like this can easily be given to them. And if even need be, they need to talk with somebody, they can do it through the City, or they can do it through the Commission, our Commission. So that things are done not in an adversarial attitude, but done in a friendly manner, in a helping manner. It's good for them to make their base accessible, and it's also good for people to be able to use it. I have strong reservations about going as a commissioner, of me to go to a business and recommend that they do a certain thing. I think that's going to backfire and the word is going to spread very fast among the merchants, and we're not going to go any place with it. I think we should do it through their own organization. Jenn Barrett: I agree. Jennifer Roloff: I have a question. I know that there's WABA and DABA, all these different business associations, I believe they are the same as Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce organization proper just happened to have that name first, like the other organizations are the same. I know that they have a lot of mixers, do they actually have formal meetings too, where they have agendas where we could come and present to them? Do we know? Lisa Hall: Yes, they have both. Jennifer Roloff: They do have both? Okay. Lisa Hall: The mixers are good, but those are more of a kind of a mixer party kind of environment, 05/30/18 Page 20 of 32 | CommissiononPersonswithDisabilities/2018-05-09.pdf |