Loyola Parking Lots: safety concerns facing residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities

I am enclosing the Report of Amyra Henry, an expert witness of North Shore Citizens to Preserve Green Space, Inc. Ms. Henry and North Shore Citizens believe that Wilmette should be safe for all of our neighbors, including those with developmental disabilities and special needs. The severe traffic problems in the neighborhood immediately adjacent to Loyola Academy cannot be evaluated without a stepped-up concern for our challenged neighbors.

I know this message will resonate with the Village because of its strong commitment to inclusionary housing and Wilmette’s strong sense of community.

Ariel Weissberg, Legal Chairman for North Shore Citizens

Amyra W. Henry

2847 Idlewood

Highland Park, Illinois

60035

May 16, 2016

Mr. John Adler via email: adlerj@wilmette.com

Director of Community Development

Village of Wilmette

1200 Wilmette Avenue

Wilmette, Illinois 60091

Ariel Weissberg, Esq. via email: ariel@weissberglaw.com

Legal Chairman of North

Shore Citizens to Preserve

Green Spaces, Inc.

1049 Manor

Wilmette, Illinois 60091

Re: 2016 Special Use Permit Application of Loyola Academy

Gentlemen:

I am providing this report on behalf of North Shore Citizens to Preserve Green Spaces, Inc., which is opposing Loyola Academy’s construction of parking lots on Thornwood and Illinois Avenues in Wilmette. My report will focus on safety concerns for developmentally challenged individuals residing in the immediate neighborhood. My report will supplement the prior submissions of North Shore Citizens to Preserve Green Spaces, Inc.in opposition to the Application of Loyola Academy for a special use permit pending before the Village of Wilmette.

Manor Drive in Wilmette is a quiet residential street, and for that reason, among others, has been selected by Clearbrook as the site of a supervised group home for four adults with intellectual disabilities including those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This home is opening this summer, 2016 (see enclosed letter from

Clearbrook dated April 20, 2016). Presently, another home on Manor serves as a supervised residence for an adult with intellectual disabilities.

Members of this community are very proud of the opportunity to have challenged adults live in their neighborhood and to help them feel accepted and valued for their uniqueness and abilities. These two residential facilities exemplify the value of community inclusion for diverse people, with benefits for both typical and special needs neighbors. The challenged residents have access to community resources, activities and life experiences which help to promote positive self-esteem stemming from a sense of belonging and acceptance, as well as increased independence. However residents of this neighborhood are now strongly concerned, with justifiable cause, that potentially serious traffic safety issues, resulting from the proposed additional parking lots will present barriers to full community participation and inclusion for their special needs neighbors.

People with intellectual disabilities and ASD demonstrate marked impairments in several areas that necessitate close supervision. They typically demonstrate:

• Cognitive and learning challenges, which make safety training difficult
• Language and communication deficits, limiting the ability to discuss events clearly
• A slow rate of processing
• Limited ability to perceive or interpret social cues accurately
• Limited understanding of the seriousness or consequences of situations
• Limited awareness of danger
• Heightened distractibility and inattention
• Difficulty filtering out background stimuli
• Significant impulsivity
• High levels of restlessness, including an inability to “wait”

Additionally, people with ASD present unique safety risks due to their tendency to wander from home, similarly to Alzheimer patients, and/or to exhibit impulsive, bolting behaviors when they are walking in the community. Unfortunately, we are all aware of frequent news reports of ASD individuals who have eloped from home and have had “close calls” or actual fatalities due to traffic injuries or their fascination with water.

Finally, insurance statistics support the conclusion that young, beginner teenage drivers are involved in a high rate of traffic accidents. In fact, this is why many states have imposed restrictions on these new drivers. Teen drivers tend to be easily distracted, and are more likely to make poor decisions due to adolescent risk taking behaviors and inexperience. Males in particular are more likely to perform an illegal maneuver or to drive aggressively.

Additional factors contributing to teen driving accidents include:

• Driving with several teen passengers
• Listening to music, including changing radio channels
• Cell phone usage
• Driving late at night
• Driving on two-lane roads
• Driving without wearing a seat belt

The increased traffic and safety issues in the neighborhood directly related to the proposed parking lots potentially pose a serious risk to this quiet community and particularly to the safety of the special needs residents of these two supervised group homes. The cognitive and behavioral deficits demonstrated by these challenged neighbors would very likely significantly impact their abilities to accurately and quickly perceive, make decisions about and appropriately respond to traffic safety situations. Furthermore, the cognitive, communication and social skills impairments of the special needs residents make it difficult to teach and have them retain information about community dangers and ways to stay safe. The building of additional parking lots is shown to increase the volume of traffic with many beginner drivers in this quiet, secure neighborhood. This poses a significant safety risk to the challenged residents of these group homes, as well as a barrier to their full participation and inclusion in this community.

Yours Truly,

Amyra W. Henry, LCSW, ACSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

amyrahenry@gmail.com

1-847-380-2591

Enclosure: Curriculum vitae

Cc: North Shore Citizens to Preserve Green Spaces, Inc.