ADA Transition Plan

There seems to be nearly a complete lack of public awareness regarding accessible sidewalks in the residential areas all over Olympia. The problem seems to be particularly egregious in the residential areas adjacent to downtown, up both the west and east side hills and in southeast Olympia. some examples are homeowners planting gardens between the sidewalk and the road, by midsummer they block half of the already too narrow sidewalks. Property owners are routinely allowed to neglect maintenance of their bushes, shrubs and blackberry vines that obstruct sidewalks. It's nearly impossible to get anything done about it through the city... Continue reading

I have noticed that our streets are designed with a priority to move cars quickly instead of moving people safely. I also have seen infrastructure for people driving and storing their cars invade and impede the limited space remaining for people outside of vehicles. Excellent grade separated facilities for people using feet or wheels to get around just dead end at car sewers instead of continuing all the way to trip generating destinations. I plan to walk around my neighborhood today to take some photos of cliff drop corners that would be disastrous for people who have difficulty navigating grade... Continue reading

I believe the ADA states that for every so many parking spaces there hast to be a certain ratio of handicap spaces. How many parking spaces does the city maintain? There must be well over 700 in the downtown area alone.

Handicap parking during normal business hours is no problem as we can park in any metered space for free by state law. But after hours we’re simply out of luck. I used to be an annual subscription holder for the performances at the Washington Center For The Performing Arts. But having missed too many performances because I had to... Continue reading

I live downtown in the Boardwalk Apartments for Seniors. Both of our building are at full metal capacity and parking lot spaces are limited so many of us have purchased permits to park on the side streets. Recently however with the new construction/demolition going on in the neighborhood and an upsurge of illegal RV parking and drug dealing out of these vehicles, we are losing the parking spaces we so desperately need. There has been a rise in breaking into cars and intimidating and physically threatening behaviors towards this very vulnerable segment of the community. People are feeling that their... Continue reading

While the web site is more accessible than most state web sites. It is not compliant with federal 508 requirements. It is very frustrating to navigate without the ability to use a mouse or for those with limited visual abilities. Almost 20% of our residents access this web site differently. These are also the residents who find it the most difficult to access services in person and rely on the internet the most. It would be nice if the city invested time and money in becoming WCAG 2.1 AA compliant. I'm happy to discuss this further if someone wants to... Continue reading

As a person with a life-long mobility impairment, I feel strongly that there is a need to provide better city-wide ADA accommodations. Throughout Olympia you see broken and uneven sidewalks, overgrown trees and bushes that block sidewalk access, and curbs or steps without ADA access points or railing. There should be sound notifications at every lighted crosswalk for the visually impaired, especially throughout our downtown core. When downtown at night, I struggle with my balance and coordination from lack of overhead streetlights or other sufficient lighting. Even in the downtown community center, the elevator is small and old, and considering... Continue reading

As a citizen with a disability, it is so difficult to get rid of garbage in Olympia. My teenage son was helping a friend on home dialysis to get rid of used supplies, but she finally had to move to a different city. Our last city had one or two days a year when the city would pick up excessive garbage and you could clean out the garage. Garbage every two weeks isn't often enough and we store things like chicken carcasses in the freezer. We tried driving to the dump but I was not physically able to do it... Continue reading

Ok, I’m senior and disabled, our streets and sidewalks are traps. Walking with a walker, or riding a wheelchair, bumps and angles and drops and rises until your teeth rattle.

I have fallen next to the Columbia Center in the evening and people didn’t stop to help. I’ve had my walker collapse walking down the sidewalk due to the roughness of the surface. the wheelchair jerked and tilted crossing a railroad crossing not far from city hall.

others at the senior center have commented on the rough sidewalks.

Another complaint isn’t the lack of handicap parking around the center With... Continue reading