Portland Commission on Disability

THE NEXT FULL COMMISSION
MEETING WILL BE:

Friday, June 14, 2013
10 am to 1 pm 

The Steele/Bridge Rooms

Office of Equity & Human Rights (OEHR)

421 SW 6th Avenue, fifth floor
of the Commonwealth Building in downtown Portland

The Commission on Disability conducted its second candidates forum
on October 12 which featured Amanda Fritz and Mary Nolan.
The two candidates are running for City Commissioner Position No. 1
in the November election. The forum recorded and the video is available
for viewing at this YouTube link with captioning.

The Commission also held a Mayoral Candidates Forum
on August 10. The forum was well attended with both Jefferson Smith
and Charlie Hales present to answer questions provided
by the Commission and other forum attendees.

If you were unable to attend, a video was recorded and is now available
for viewing. It has been created with captioning which you can activate
by opening the video in YouTube, by clicking on the YouTube icon, 
and turning on the captioning by clicking the CC button.

Mission:

The mission of the Portland Commission on Disability is to guide the City in ensuring that it is a more universally accessible city for all.

The Portland Commission on Disability will:

• Broaden outreach and inclusion of persons with disabilities in Portland;
• Represent a wide spectrum of disabilities on behalf of the residents of the City of Portland;
• Facilitate increased collaboration and information exchange between persons with disabilities, City bureaus, and City Council.

Guiding Principles:

• Every individual must be treated with dignity in a manner that is culturally respectful to him or her. Every effort shall be made to overcome misconceptions and biases regarding persons with disabilities.
• Individuals with disabilities have the right to attain their highest level of independence, self-determination and self-support.  In exercising self- determination, people with disabilities have the right to make and express choices in all aspects of their lives, in all stages of their lives.
• People with disabilities have the right to participate in all community activities, and shall have equal access to all programs and services that serve the public.
• There are a broad range of disabilities and, therefore, a broad range of needs in the community.  Policies and procedures shall be flexible enough to address the changing and varying individual needs of persons with disabilities.
• Because the experience of disability also includes friends, family, associates, and loved ones, these guiding principles also apply to them.
• Input and participation from persons with disabilities at all levels of decision- making, goal setting, and policy formation shall be considered and included.
• A universally accessible city is a more livable city for all persons, and represents a new paradigm of how we thrive in a city and respect its diversity.