Comment On The Draft College And District ADA Plans In Skyline College

Press release from Skyline College:

September 25, 2020

The San Mateo County Community College District has spent the past year evaluating compliance of its facilities and services with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. ADA provides comprehensive civil rights protections to qualified individuals with disabilities in the areas of employment, public accommodations, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

The District’s findings and recommendations have been assembled in a draft report that is ready for review and comment by our District community and the public. The draft ADA plan covers all three campuses and the District Office. To download the report, visit https://smccd.edu/ada2020/.

There are two components of the ADA plan:

1. Transition Plan: this identifies physical barriers in buildings, roads, stairs, ramps, etc.
2. Self-assessment Survey: this evaluates the accessibility of services to students, staff and the public such as ITS, websites, and human resources.

Highlights

Though the transition plan includes findings in many areas, many of the barriers fall into the categories below. Download the plan for details.

• District Office: restrooms
• Cañada College: restrooms, door vision lights, reach ranges and protrusions, cross slope and ramp landings
• CSM: restrooms, reach ranges and protrusions, door vision lights
• Skyline College: restrooms, reach ranges and protrusions, door vision lights and door pressure

Altogether, the District has identified about $30 million in upgrades and repairs. Some items have already been remedied, such as vegetation trimming and furniture relocation to provide required clear spaces at doors. Other items are currently being addressed in the design of capital projects. The remaining and majority of items will need to be planned, prioritized and budgeted over a 10-year period.

The District had not updated its ADA plan in more than 10 years, and ADA regulations underwent changes in 2010, so it was expected that there would be a significant list of items to address. The ADA allows institutions to spread improvements and upgrades over a period of time as long as it can show that steady progress is being made to achieve compliance.

Please take the time to review the plan and post any feedback or questions using this online form. Also consider attending one of two District-wide ADA plan presentations. Held via Zoom, these meetings will include an opportunity to ask questions and comment.

District ADA Plan Presentation and Comments:

• Zoom Meeting #1
• Thursday, October 1
• 9-11 am
• Zoom webinar link: https://smccd.zoom.us/j/91930705571

• Zoom Meeting #2
• Thursday, October 1
• 3-5 pm
• Zoom webinar link: https://smccd.zoom.us/j/96065929366

This press release was produced by Skyline College. The views expressed are the author's own.