Vancouver updates ADA transition planning, launches reporting portal and safe‑zone rollout

Lisa Bridal, deputy city manager, and staff from the Office of Equity and Inclusion briefed the Vancouver City Council on May 5 about accessibility work, staffing and community engagement plans, including a new public portal for reporting access barriers and an announced timeline for the ADA transition plan.

Jen Duggar Spalding, who has been carrying the office’s work during a recruitment for a permanent director, told council the office is conducting self‑evaluations required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and will begin physical evaluations of city buildings, parks and the pedestrian right‑of‑way. “The transition plan is then where we basically report what we found and what we’re going to do to improve the accessibility in the city,” Duggar Spalding said.

Nut graf: Staff described a multi‑year process that will identify barriers, assign departmental responsibility for remediation, estimate costs and publish a transition plan. The city also announced a new…