Athens Commission on Disabilities urges reinstatement of business accessibility grants, pushes for ADA transition plan

The Athens City Commission on Disabilities told the City and Safety Services Committee on Jan. 13 that Uptown Athens remains difficult to navigate for people with mobility and sensory impairments and asked the city to resume a matching-grant program that helped small businesses install accessible entrances.

The commission’s chair, Davy McNelly, said the commission held monthly public meetings, ran local events including its Walk, Talk and Roll of Uptown Athens and produced an “accessibility matrix” the commission wants to be maintained as a living document and hosted on the city website. Michelle Hahn, cochair of the commission’s Outreach and Communication Committee, and Ali Hughes, cochair of the Accessibility Advocacy Committee, joined McNelly for the presentation.

The commission provided examples of small improvements the matching grant produced,…