Yorktown to Form Accessibility Committee
The Town Board will form an accessibility advisory committee to help identify physical barriers for disabled residents and craft more inclusive policies.
The accessibility committee’s members include Thomas Panek, the president of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a Yorktown-based not-for-profit organization that trains guide dogs to people with vision loss. Panek told the Town Board on May 25 that the committee’s work will benefit all Yorktown residents, citing sidewalk curb cuts that proliferated in the 1990s and early 2000s.
“One of the downstream benefits of that being done was not just for wheelchair users, but for people with baby strollers, tricycles, wagons,” said Panek, who will serve on the committee. “If you do something that’s good for one, usually it’s good for the community.”
Supervisor Matt Slater noted that the playing fields off Route 202 are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“Recently I heard from our parks and recreation superintendent who’s helping an individual attend their son’s baseball games,” said Supervisor Slater. “I do it every Saturday with my son Charlie, so just knowing that we have another fellow parent struggle just to watch their kid play a sport, I thought that was completely unacceptable.”
The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990 and it prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in public accommodations and facilities. According to the U.S. Census, about 12.7 percent of the U.S. population has a physical or cognitive disability.
Councilwoman Alice Roker said that Westchester County was sued when she worked there by a group of disabled people.
“There are times we don’t even recognize little things. There was a lip at the front door,” Roker recalled. “Imagine how hard it is for someone to get a wheelchair over that lip.”
Councilman Tom Diana has volunteered with Guiding Eyes for the Blind raising and socializing their puppies. While raising one dog he went on a blindfolded course with the dog, which he described as a learning experience.
“You need curb cuts. You need ramps,” Councilman Diana said. “People that are involved in this know that.”
Councilman Ed Lachterman has also worked with Guiding Eyes for the Blind through the Yorktown Lions.
“It’s beyond most people’s grasp how much work actually goes into trying to help accommodate people that want to be self-sufficient,” Councilman Latcherman said.
The Town Board is expected to adopt a resolution forming the committee on June 8. In the coming weeks, the Town Board will begin interviewing residents who are interested in serving on the committee.
Also expected to serve on the committee is Kathleen Macias-Torres, the executive director of SPARC, a social service agency offering recreational, arts, athletics, and wellness programs for Westchester’s special needs community.
“We do have individuals who are in wheelchairs who have a hard time walking and I’m honored to be representing them as their advocate,” said Macias-Torres.
