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Board approves renaming of Equal Access ordinance to Language Access; sponsors to propose follow-up for ASL and Braille
Summary
The board passed on first reading an ordinance renaming the Equal Access Ordinance to the Language Access Ordinance; supervisors debated whether American Sign Language and Braille should be explicitly included and a follow-up bill on disability access was promised.
The Board of Supervisors voted on first reading to amend the administrative code to rename the city's Equal Access Ordinance the "Language Access Ordinance" and to add associated findings. The measure passed in the consent sequence after brief discussion about coverage for people with hearing and visual disabilities.
A supervisor raised whether the ordinance as drafted included arrangements for people who are deaf or blind, and whether American Sign Language (ASL) or Braille are covered. The chair said the ordinance was drafted to address language access and noted that "American Sign Language is considered another form" of language; he also observed the ordinance applies, as drafted, to groups comprising more than 5% of the city population for a given language. A later speaker, referencing discussions with the Mayor’s Office on Disability, said ASL and Braille were not included in the current legislation because adding them is more complicated, and promised follow-up legislation to address those modalities. The board adopted the ordinance on first reading.
The clerk later recalled the item and confirmed a supervisor would submit follow-up legislation that specifically includes ASL and Braille to ensure disability access is covered.
