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Sacramento disability advisory commission reviews digital accessibility, Stockton safety project and language‑access program
Summary
At its Aug. 5 meeting the Sacramento Disability Advisory Commission received staff briefings on a digital‑accessibility compliance and staff training plan, a Street Bike gap‑closure safety redesign affecting Stockton Boulevard, and the city’s Language Access program. Commissioners requested follow‑up data and approved procedural motions including extending the meeting.
The Sacramento Disability Advisory Commission met Aug. 5 and heard three substantive staff presentations and follow‑up questions from commissioners on digital accessibility, a street safety and bike network infill project, and the city’s Language Access program.
Natasha Grier, a city IT program specialist, told the commission the city is pursuing software and standardized training so municipal documents and web content meet accessibility requirements. “Estamos buscando un software que realice automáticamente comprobaciones de accesibilidad en archivos PDF,” Grier said, and she noted the U.S. Department of Justice delayed an earlier compliance deadline, giving the city until April 26, 2027 to make progress. Commissioners asked for clearer internal completion metrics and departmental compliance rates; Grier said staff would follow up with Human Resources for those figures.
Public Works engineer Chally Lacey presented the Street Bike gap‑closure project for Ford Street and Stockton Boulevard, which would rebuild four corners at a five‑way intersection, add an accessible refuge island, audible pedestrian signals, CCTV/video detection for bike and signal activation, new bike lane striping, and relocate an RT bus stop. Lacey said the upper‑end construction estimate is about $6,000,000 and the team hopes to finalize design in winter 2027, advertise for construction in spring 2028 and begin work summer 2028. Commissioners pressed on emergency‑vehicle access, bus stop relocation, and outreach in Spanish‑speaking neighborhoods.
Alicia Schuler, the city’s Language Access coordinator, summarized an external audit that led to 16 recommendations and the publication of a city Language Access policy in May 2025. Schuler said the city translated roughly 2,600 documents in the last fiscal year (about 70% into Spanish), maintains a roster of certified bilingual staff and community ambassadors, and operates interpretation services for 25+ languages through a contracted provider. She described tools for residents — an online request form, “I speak” cards and outreach videos — and urged departments to budget for professional translations when documents are legally sensitive.
Procedure and next steps: commissioners agreed to receive follow‑up materials on departmental training completion rates and to review vendor contract language for accessibility. The commission approved the consent agenda and a motion to extend the session beyond two hours.
The commission adjourned after brief committee reports and agreed to place nominations and pending items on a future agenda.
