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A
Hello
and
welcome
my
name
is
rosemary
ciotti
and
I
have
been
an
arlington
resident
for
more
than
25
years
and
currently
have
the
honor
of
serving
as
the
chair
of
arlington's
disability
advisory
commission.
I
am
pleased
to
share
remarks
on
this
31st
anniversary
of
the
americans
with
disabilities
act.
I
wish
it
was
with
you
in
person.
However,
I
am
currently
running
a
marine
science
and
adaptive
scuba
camp
called
camp
open
seas
in
key
largo
for
kids
with
disabilities.
A
My
camp
is
open
to
children
with
disabilities
across
the
country,
but
most
of
the
campers
are
from
right
here
in
arlington
area.
Success
of
this
nationwide
program
is
a
credit
to
arlington
county's
own
aquatics,
director
helena
marcato
for
having
the
vision
to
allow
this
free
program
to
be
established
and
grow
right
here
in
arlington
county.
This
camp
is
more
than
just
about
a
week
of
scuba
it's
about
self-advocacy,
about
discovering
independence
for
these
kids
and
creating
dreams.
A
We
introduce
children
with
disability
ages,
10
to
16
to
the
possibility
of
a
career
in
environmental
science,
who
else,
and
where
else
would
they
ever
know
that
this
was
a
possibility
as
a
career
choice
and
while
they're
exploring
the
sea
they're
becoming
certified
coral
reef
conservationists
and
to
be
clear,
the
ada
is
what
mandated
that
docks
and
hotels
and
scuba
shops
and
educational
buildings
be
accessible.
That
then
allows
such
programs
to
take
place
and
flourish.
All
of
us
know
someone
who
lives
with
a
disability
visible
or
not.
A
They're,
members
of
our
family
they're
our
work
teams.
They
live
next
door
and
across
the
street
and
as
our
friends,
disability
has
no
boundaries,
no
racial
boundaries,
no
ethnicity
boundaries
and
no
income
boundaries
and
no
gender
boundaries.
It's
important
to
remember
that
the
americans
with
disabilities
act
is
a
civil
rights
law
that
prohibits
discrimination
against
individuals
with
disabilities
in
all
areas
of
public
life,
including
jobs,
schools,
transportation,
all
public
and
private
places
that
are
open
to
the
general
public.
A
However,
even
with
the
ada
people
with
disabilities
are
still
experiencing
challenges
and
boundaries
and
loss
of
opportunity
because
of
the
lack
of
accessible
housing,
hotels
or
bathrooms,
people
are
shut
out
the
limited
availability
of
accessible
taxi
cabs
in
2021.
We
still
cannot
call
cab
go
to
dinner
as
we
celebrate
our
success.
There
remain
barriers
to
necessary
employment
or
reasonable
accommodations
to
access
documents
to
hear
concerts,
seeing
performances
safely,
navigating
our
sidewalk
or
crosswalks.
A
So,
while
there
have
been
many
improvements
over
the
past
31
years,
we
still
have
work
that
needs
to
be
done.
I
am
so
pleased
that
arlington
is
focused
on
civil
rights,
especially
the
recent
efforts
aimed
at
race
and
equity,
asking
these
important
questions
about
who
benefits
whose
burdens
who's
missing.
A
And
how
do
you
know
and
what
are
we
going
to
do
about
it
as
we
strive
at
being
a
more
inclusive
and
welcoming
community
internal
and
external
to
government?
I
urge
all
of
us
to
consider
how
our
work
impacts,
people
with
disabilities
prior
to
becoming
the
chair
of
the
disability
advisory
committee.
I
served
for
10
years
on
the
county
planning
commission,
because
new
construction
gives
us
new
opportunities
to
meet
the
ada
to
meet
the
growing
needs
of
a
diverse
community
working
with
others
around
the
table.
A
Within
the
last
five
years,
arlington
has
now
established
a
mandate
for
power
doors
on
all
new
office
buildings
and
multi-family
dwellings,
no
more
waiting
for
somebody
to
come
and
open
the
door
for
us.
It's
imperative
that
we
come
together
to
establish
firm
policies
and
a
clear
roadmap
on
how
to
more
fully
implement
the
americans
with
disabilities
act.
A
We
can
be
more
inclusive
and
meet
the
mandated
requirements
of
the
ada
simply
incorporating
thoughtful
planning
such
as
is
the
room
where
you're
meeting
accessible
for
people
in
wheelchairs.
Is
there
enough
space
between
tables
for
people
with
walkers
or
service
animals?
Have
you
indicated
how
people
can
request
reasonable
accommodations
on
your
event?
Page?
Have
you
explored
opportunities
to
offer
accommodations
for
staff
with
disabilities?
Can
be
low-tech
or
high-tech
if
you're
doing
a
team
presentation?
A
Are
you
remembering
to
read
what
is
on
the
screen
and
preparing
documents?
Is
that
document
you're
preparing
accessible
to
people
with
visual
impairments?
Have
you
created
alt
tags
for
graphics
posted
on
your
website?
Are
you
using
a
format
that
allows
people
using
screen
readers
to
access
the
document?