Birmingham marks 35th anniversary of ADA; Capital Projects outlines transition plan and staffing vacancy

The City of Birmingham commemorated the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act during the July 29 City Council meeting, with a proclamation read by Mayor Randall L. Woodfin and remarks from city Capital Projects staff and disability-service partners.

The mayor read a proclamation recognizing the ADA’s role in prohibiting discrimination and underscoring the city’s investments in accessible infrastructure; staff from the Department of Capital Projects described recent and planned work to improve access in public facilities and services.

Veronica Merritt, chief compliance officer for the Department of Capital Projects, told the council the city is subject to Title II of the ADA and that the department is preparing a new transition plan required by the U.S. Department of Justice. “We are actually working on a new transition plan. That is one of the Department of Justice requirements. We hope to be releasing that new plan by the end of the year,” Merritt said.

Merritt introduced her project team and listed recent accessibility work, including curb cuts and public-building modifications. She noted an expansion of ADA-accessible parking at the Birmingham CrossPlex and said the city recently reinstated an ADA Community Advisory Committee to work with stakeholders and citizens with disabilities. Merritt also said the city has advertised a vacancy for an ADA compliance administrator and has been recruiting for about six months; applicants can apply at jobsquest.org.

John Roper of Disability Rights and Resources described the partnership between the city and local independent-living centers and cited a concrete measure of impact: Disability Rights and Resources has completed critical repairs and modifications on 316 homes in Birmingham during roughly two and a half years, work Roper said helps people “age in place.” He thanked the city for ARPA funds and other support that have aided accessibility-focused work.

The mayor’s proclamation recalled that President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, and urged continued investments to remove physical barriers in public spaces.

The administration and disability partners characterized the work as ongoing; Merritt said the department will continue assessing facilities and services as it finalizes the transition plan and fills the compliance administrator position.