Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
KOAC debates charter wording on 51% membership target for people with disabilities
Summary
Members debated whether to define 'disability' and whether the 51% membership provision should be aspirational or mandatory. The group favored rewording the section to make the 51% target clearly aspirational and will continue drafting offline.
Committee members spent substantial time reviewing proposed charter language that currently states that at least 51% of members should be people experiencing disabilities.
Members raised two recurring concerns: how to avoid pressuring applicants to disclose a protected status and whether the charter should attempt to define ‘‘disability’’ (visible vs. invisible). Amanda Hammer cautioned that requiring more specific definitions could be difficult and potentially harmful, while others suggested clarifying language to be explicitly aspirational rather than mandatory. "I think ... it poses the challenge of individuals ... self‑disclosing a protected status," Amanda said; John Halen and Liz Woodin urged keeping language broad to avoid alienating potential members.
Cassandra (staff) proposed language options that preserve the intent without creating a mandatory disclosure. The group coalesced around softer, aspirational wording (for example: "The committee's goal is to have at least 51% of members be people experiencing disabilities") and agreed to continue work offline with a small group to refine inclusive phrasing that covers both seen and unseen disabilities.
Next steps: staff will connect interested members to draft alternative phrasings and present suggested edits at a future meeting (work to continue offline, with follow up in August).
