ACAT Meeting - May 26, 2011

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Agenda is not available for this meeting.
Please check the meeting minutes for meeting details.

Sam Savona, Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. and attendance was taken.

Nil.

On motion of Howard Wax and seconded by Valdo Tammark, ACAT approved the agenda.

On motion of Brayan Bratanov and seconded by Mazin Aribi, ACAT approved the minutes of April 28, 2011 with amendments.

a) Wheel-Trans Service Demands

Angela Rebeiro asked if ACAT needed to review increased demands for WT service growth due to the aging population. Bill Frost advised that 600 new registrants per month were directly related to demographics.

b) Priority Seating Decals/Pictogram – No further update from Carla Basso to date.

ACAT noted that they require advance notice for deputation requests at least one week prior to ACAT meetings.

Administration Subcommittee (ASC)

The Administration Subcommittee met once in May and continued to review the Terms of Reference and Guidelines. The Subcommittee will be meeting more frequently to be able to present a revised Terms of Reference and Guidelines by August or September, 2011.

Communications Subcommittee (CSC)

Angela Rebeiro informed ACAT that two sets of draft Communications Subcommittee minutes were included in the ACAT Meeting package. Angela advised that WT e Alerts will be launched in the Fall of 2011 and that CSC reviewed action items from August, September, and October, 2010, which have been recorded on a new action list for follow up. The next CSC meeting is scheduled for June 29, 2011 and will focus on responding to items from the Customer Service Report, forwarded from SPS for CSC’s review and comment.

Design Review Subcommittee (DRS)

Craig Nicol (Chair) advised that the Design Review Subcommittee did not meet in May.

Service Planning Subcommittee (SPS) 

Glenn Johnston advised that Anna Noviss sent her regrets regarding being unable to attend the meeting and asked that he speak on her behalf.

On May 4, 2011, all ACAT members were invited to attend a presentation on the new accessible subway trains made by Minnie Gupta and Kam Kwok. SPS members inspected the new cars on May 25, 2011. Vehicle Engineering staff pointed out where changes had been made in the cars as a result of advice from ACAT.

Glenn advised that SPS developed a tips sheets use at the upcoming People in Motion show, which had been forwarded to ACAT members by email, and to be made available in hard copy at the end of the ACAT meeting. This information sheet was developed for ACAT volunteers and not for public use.

Wheel-Trans Operations Subcommittee (WT Ops)

On behalf of Dorothy Creaser (Chair), Susan Davidson advised that the WT Ops Subcommittee held one meeting in May. The majority of the meeting involved a discussion with Bill Frost about future eligibility criteria surrounding dialysis patients. Current service to dialysis patients could lead to other groups, i.e. chemotherapy patients, requesting transportation from Wheel-Trans.

Howard Wax, Robert Muzzy, and Susan Davidson formed a group to further address service for ongoing medical treatments, and will report back at the next ACAT meeting.

Valdo Tammark advised that the ACAT-approved minutes will be received as part of Commission minutes. The March 31, 2011 ACAT minutes were included as part of the Commission minutes for Meeting No. 1935 on May 11, 2011.

The City of Toronto has asked the Commission to recommend that two private citizens become part of the Commission. ACAT has requested that one of the two persons be an ACAT member, have a disability, or work with people with disabilities.

The Commission Meeting schedule has two changes: Wednesday, August 17 meeting is cancelled; Wednesday, September 21 meeting is rescheduled to Tuesday, September 20.

An ACAT member noted the following concerns regarding the Public Forum held on May 19, 2011.

• Some attendees were disappointed that their comments were not responded to at the time they were made.
• More frequent announcements needed to be made stating that no responses would be given at the Forum, after public comments were made.
• No ASL interpreters were present.
• A ramp was provided for Sam Savona; however, no table was available for his notes, (he was assisted by Mitch Stambler). The intention of presenting ACAT as a strong advocate for accessibility was lost as the impression was that ACAT was “second rate”.
• The Queen Elizabeth Building at the CNE as presented is not suitable for the Public Forum and does not give the impression that the Public Forum is being taken seriously and organized in a professional manner at TTC standards.
• As the Public Forum will be an ongoing event, logistics and the program presented to the community needs to be upgraded and well-planned in advance.
• Advertising for the event was insufficient. TTC Corporate Communications had not been involved in any of the event advertising.
• Targeted advertising to hospitals or interested organizations was not carried out.

On motion of Howard Wax and seconded by Valdo Tammark, that an ad hoc subcommittee be struck to address the 2012 Public Forum planning, ACAT voted against striking an ad hoc committee to address 2012 Public Forum planning.

Not carried.

Glenn Johnston advised that the ACAT-approved Terms of Reference already states that the Service Planning Subcommittee is responsible for advice on the public forums. He also pointed out the potential duplication between subcommittees and suggested learning from the previous inefficient and ineffective processes.

Sam Savona mentioned that the ACAT Executive had discussed striking a new committee which would include responsibilities of assisting with public events.

Some ACAT members noted that:

• The formation of an additional committee would impact staff resources.
• The outcome of the 2011 Public Forum Ad Hoc Committee was not particularly beneficial.
• The motion to strike an Ad Hoc Committee to address the 2012 Public Forum was not on the agenda and that ACAT members were not provided with any advance notice of the Motion.

Sam Savona responded that motions can be brought forward at any time.

It was noted that the 2011 Public Forum Ad Hoc Committee was struck close to the date of the Public Forum and did not have adequate time to contribute to planning.

In the absence of Anna Noviss, SPS Chair, Craig Nicol invited ACAT members to attend an SPS meeting to bring any Public Forum concerns to their attention.

On behalf of SPS Chair Anna Noviss, Glenn Johnston asked that all comments from individual ACAT members regarding the Public Forum be forwarded to Anna Noviss, for further review and consideration by the Service Planning Subcommittee.

A motion to create another Ad Hoc Committee was put to a vote.  It did not carry.

a) ;Accessibility Ramp Deployment on Conventional Buses

It was noted that audible signage or alerts of accessibility ramp deployment on conventional buses would help to educate passengers about accessibility features, alleviate frustration that passengers with disabilities face, provide notice that passengers in priority seating may have to move, and help Operators control passengers who are boarding ahead of passengers with disabilities. A message such as ‘Please wait, access in progress’ would be beneficial to all riders.

Glenn Johnston will contact appropriate TTC offices regarding information to customers concerning ramp deployment and will provide an update to appropriate Subcommittee chairs.

b) Subways in Station - Chime Alerts

SPS recommended that chimes be located on the exterior of the door so that blind passengers will know that the car is already in the station and waiting with open doors. The chime will provide safety and the noise of the chime will guide the visually impaired passenger to the open door.

Glenn Johnston noted that Vehicle Engineering staff had already been asked to research options regarding chime alerts for subways as a result of discussions on the operation of the new rocket subway trains and will provide an update to appropriate Subcommittee chairs.

c) Subway Station Naming Conventions

On motion of Howard Wax and seconded by Mazin Aribi, ACAT moved that Sam Savona make a deputation to the Commission on subway station naming conventions at the June 8, 2011 Commission Meeting.

The next meeting of ACAT will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2011, in the 7th Floor Boardroom, 1900 Yonge Street.

On motion by Heather Green, the meeting was adjourned at 2:30 p.m.

Lori Blinn
Recording Secretary