Accessibility advisory committee invites HREC to May 8 "Walk and Roll" tour; highlights transportation, snow removal and advocacy priorities

At the April 30 Human Rights and Equity Commission meeting, Liz Woodfin, chair of the City of Bend Accessibility Advisory Committee (Kovac), presented Kovac’s work plan and invited commissioners and community members to a Walk & Roll accessibility tour on Thursday, May 8, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., meeting at Hawthorne Station.

Woodfin described Kovac’s purpose as advising the city manager on measures to make city programs, services, activities and facilities accessible to community members with disabilities. The committee, she said, was established in February 2010 and maintains a membership goal that at least half of voting members be people who experience disability.

Why it matters: Kovac’s initiatives aim to identify physical and programmatic barriers—such as sidewalk obstructions after snow, gaps in on-demand transportation for people who use mobility devices, and inaccessible building features—so the city can prioritize fixes that affect daily access for residents with disabilities.

Highlights from the presentation included Kovac’s public events and outreach calendar, advocacy letters and campaigns, and ongoing concerns about accessible transportation. Woodfin and Cassandra Kehoe, the city’s accessibility and equity manager, described two draft letters of support Kovac was preparing, a continuing snow-removal awareness campaign and a request to Parks & Recreation to consider accessible landings at Miller’s Landing.

Woodfin also flagged a gap in on-demand transportation: many private providers lack wheelchair-accessible vehicles, which limits options for people who cannot use standard taxis or rideshares. Kovac members said they will pursue letters, trainings and community engagement to increase awareness and influence permitting and procurement.

Kovac invited HREC members to attend the Walk & Roll tour on May 8 to examine sidewalks, transit stops and parks for accessibility improvements. Kehoe said the committees should view their work as overlapping—“not separate, but very much overlapped in its work, in its intention,”—and expressed appreciation for prior collaboration between the advisory bodies.

Ending: Kovac encouraged HREC members and the public to attend the May 8 Walk & Roll and to join future events such as CityFest and Welcoming Week to help identify and remove barriers to access across Bend.