Sarasota ADA board finalizes outreach plans for Global Accessibility Awareness Day, discusses EcoRover repair and website compliance

At its May 11 meeting the Sarasota ADA advisory board reviewed final materials for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), authorized a small brochure order with shipping, discussed an out-of-service EcoRover beach wheelchair, and received an update that the U.S. Department of Justice has granted the city an additional year to meet website accessibility requirements.

Staff presented color proofs and distribution plans for GAAD brochures and asked the board to authorize ordering 200 brochures. The quoted printing cost for 200 brochures was $187 (shipping excluded); the board approved including up to $2.50 per brochure to cover shipping and finalized the order by voice vote. "If the board would be interested in having those ordered, I could authorize the usage of maybe, like, up to $2.50 just to include shipping," staff said; members agreed and the motion passed.

Members debated brochure imagery and legibility at length, focusing on whether the cover photo of the EcoRover clearly conveyed an accessibility device. Several members urged a brighter, clearer photo or using the international symbol of accessibility; staff said she would consult communications and, if possible, swap a brighter image without delaying the May 23 distribution date.

The board discussed the EcoRover beach wheelchair separately: staff reported the EcoRover has been inoperable because beach renourishment at Lido Beach placed equipment behind fenced work areas and vendor access is constrained by coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Staff said she would inspect the site and return with a status report at the next meeting.

On website and PDF accessibility, staff said the Department of Justice granted the city an extra year to comply. IT is running automated Siteimprove scans and contracting manual testing to catch issues an AI cannot; the city is also looking at Crawford Tech for long-term PDF remediation and aims to be compliant by 2027. "They gave us an additional year to comply," staff said, adding that manual testing is necessary because automated tools only catch 50–60% of accessibility problems.

Board members also discussed outreach partners for GAAD, including a pending contact with Southeast Guide Dogs to bring service-dog handlers for training demonstrations. Members expressed practical concerns about crowds and privately owned dogs at the farmer's market and requested staff confirm handler plans before the event.

Next step: staff will finalize the brochure files with communications, confirm the EcoRover repair timeline with the vendor and Army Corps coordination, print the brochure order and report back to the board on pending partner confirmations.