TKC BREAKING NEWS!!! ADA COMPLIANCE OFFICER RIFFED AS KANSAS CITY BUDGET CRISIS FORCES ACCESSIBILITY APPEALS INTO UNSUITED 311 HELP LINE!!!
The Kansas City budget crisis at city hall has created a dangerous situation for residents in need of help with accessibility issues. A reduction in force eliminated assistance for many residents and redirects concerns to an overworked an unreliable local call center.
Accordingly . . .
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ISSUES ARE NOW HANDLED BY THE COMPLETELY USELESS 311 HELP LINE!!!
This is a disaster in the making that should be obvious to anyone who has ever called 311 and waited for months, weeks and years for help on non-critical issues like fencing, lawn, or trash pickup disputes.
Previously, the ADA compliance officer Meg Conger had earned national recognition for her excellent work in this field.
The local rumor mill among non-profit workers contends that Ms. Conger was subject of a reduction in force like so many city hall workers as of late. A quick check of KCMO's ADA website confirms that calls are now handled by 311.
Here's the problem . . .
311 DOESN'T HAVE THE TRAINING TO HANDLE ADA ISSUES AND NOW THERE'S A DANGEROUS BACKLOG THAT'S RIPPLING ACROSS LOCAL COMMUNITIES THAT NEED HELP WITH ACCESS!!!
For those who don't know . . . 311 takes calls about overgrown lawns, messy neighbors and petty issues that go mostly unsolved.
Here's the important distinction . . .
An ADA compliance officer is certified to address access issues and help people who have special needs. 311 isn't built to address those demands.
Accordingly . . .
THERE IS A VERY REAL DANGER THAT KANSAS CITY ADA ISSUES WILL NOW BE IGNORED LIKE MOST OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS UNANSWERED BY THE 311 HELP LINE!!!
The implications of this crisis in the making are far reaching and we'll have more follow-up soon . . .
For now, it's important to understand that cuts at city hall threaten to leave locals without access and strip away help from those who need it most.
Developing . . .
Kc needed real leadership to get through covid. Instead we got social media celebrities. Sad.
ReplyDeleteHomeless freezing and now help for people in wheelchairs. Welcome to Kansas City.
DeleteAnother reason Lucas has to go. Another Kansas business was just handed 25K to move to the Missouri side but we have no money for someone to take care of the ADA issues.
ReplyDeleteKC has always had screwed up priorities.
ReplyDeleteThe ADA has been in effect for 30 years. All new building projects (new construction and renovation) must abide by current building codes which incorporate ADA, and are reviewed by code officials prior to issuance of permit. At this point, there are very few legitimate instances of ADA non-compliance, and little jysyification for a highly paid ADA advocate.
ReplyDeleteWhen the budget is busted you have to make difficult decisions... this just happened to be an easy one.
The new city manager should consider a pay cut instead of hiring an expensive equality supervisor when employees can speak for themselves. Good performance sometimes gets a raise.
ReplyDeleteWe actually don't go very many days without a demonstration of the ineptitude of our silly social media mayor.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Must the ADA officer be a BIPOC gimp or cripple to be hired?
ReplyDelete11:58am you are 100% wrong. Codes doesn’t review for ADA compliance and mistakes are still being made in buildings. For example, the new East Patrol, not to mention street corners. As an advocate, myself and others watched this closely and there was a well-educated and certified person to work out problems. Now there isn’t. The disabled community is not happy and the able-bodied community shouldn’t be either. The city is under a decree from the DOJ and the city is supposed to have a qualified ADA specialist. Now we don’t. It was a terrible and short sighted decision.
ReplyDeletetony your source - i don't challenge it - but is ada and disability and wheelchair accessibility even on the radar screen of the city hall planning and development burearcracry - look at all the high curbings that go into every streetscape design. developers have to do it the city staff makes them. nothing new goes in without all kinds of 10 or twelve inch curbings projected everywhere, with barely any curb cuts for wheelchair and not in the places where walking paths would naturally follow
ReplyDelete12:22 stick around bc i want to ask you -- is it a complete streets design that makes the city mae those corners so bad in the police area of 10th and charlotte
ReplyDelete12:27, we wheelchair users wonder that, too. I really can’t answer if it’s a complete streets design. As it was explained to us, it’s often a lack of knowledge on the part of contractors and inspectors. The city auditor did an audit on the Public Works department on these incorrect corners. I know Meg would personally inspect corners and get them corrected or get them changed if they were under construction. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few others at the city hall that care. They just don’t have someone now advocating and leading the way.
ReplyDeleteWe need more bicycle lanes. We could use the train to go to the airport to bring those 25 million visitors to 39th main to shop and buy drugs.
ReplyDeletethe ADA has eliminated the need for bike lanes.
ReplyDeletebicyclist can ride on the side walk now with a nice access ramp.
Forty-three million dollars for a soccer complex, but no help for ADA?
ReplyDeleteSome animals wash their food. Others, like the Mayor, lick pure poop.
I probably would have started with my budget cuts in exactly the same place.
ReplyDelete12:22... completely wrong. As an architect I can assure you that ADA compliance is part of permit review, Nd I have NEVER come across an "advocate" as part of the construction process.
ReplyDeleteWait til we have a BLM compliance officer and a homosexual/lesbian compliance officer. Their complaints won’t be ignored.
ReplyDeleteNo, not with a black, homosexual mayor, they won’t
DeleteFuck ADA compliance officers we need need more equity and diversity officers to increase diversity then make sure all the incompetent diversity hires get special treatment.
ReplyDeleteSeparate the wheat from the chaff...
ReplyDeleteAnd go with the chaff.
It's the KCMO way.
It never changes.
Yet the city still has funds to cover FREE bus rides. Lucas only cares about creating a legacy for himself. Jerk.
ReplyDelete2:08, sorry but you’re all wet. As a current employee I can assure you the folks who approve building plans do not check for ADA. It even says so on the paperwork. And if you’re an architect designing curb ramps, where they do (or did) check, you are out of your element.
ReplyDeleteHow about a compliance officer for normal, hard working, tax paying people? Who represents those people? It sure isn’t the piece of shit mayor or city council.
ReplyDelete2:55 exactly right, equity and diversity issues are not the governments concerns, just wait till chyna joe and both his hoes take over and watch the huge increase in spending on worthless programs like these all at the expense of more worthwhile projects that the people really need.
ReplyDeleteFixing the murderous blacks and their mental health problems should be at the top of all dimwit run cities lists.
ReplyDeleteFixing mental health issues will eliminate blacks, homos, lesbos and trannies problems so we wont need “equity and diversity” programs.
This is Mayor 10-10-10’s unconscious bias at work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonky individual.
Singlehandedly bring KC to its knees.
Vote no for the E tax and Combat tax.
ReplyDeleteTell all the disabled people to go look at the nice BLM murals on the roadways. That's where the money went.
ReplyDelete