What
is the ADA?
The Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 - or ADA -- is not a person, an organization,
or an agency. The ADA is a federal law that gives civil rights'
protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those
provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national
origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for
individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment,
transportation, State and local government services, and telecommunications.
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City
Policy
It has been a long-standing
City policy to provide equal services and opportunities to all
its citizens and employees in accordance with federal, state,
and county guidelines with regards to race, religion, national
origin, age, sex, or disability. The City of Miami Beach is
proud to have passed the State of Florida's first human rights
ordinance prohibiting discrimination -- including discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation -- and providing for penalties
upon conviction of the ordinance.
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ADA
Transition Plan
For
a copy of the City's ADA Transition Plan, contact Heidi Johnson-Wright,
the City's ADA Coordinator at 305-673-7080 or by email at:
Hjohnson-wright@miamibeachfl.gov
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Disability
Access Committee
The
purpose of the City's Disability Access Committee (DAC) is to
review, formulate, and coordinate information, suggestions,
proposals, and plans, and to address complaints from the general
public to provide more conveniently accessible facilities, public
buildings, streets, sidewalks, and programs for the persons
with disabilities in the City. The Committee is consulted with
in terms of prioritization of accessibility-related improvements
to City facilities. The priorities are in terms of both the
order of which facilities to modify, and also the particular
improvements to each respective facility. The Committee may
provide accessibility-related input to the following City departments:
building services, recreation, culture and parks, police and
code compliance on behalf of persons with disabilities residing
in or visiting the City of Miami Beach.
The
DAC is composed of seven voting members who are direct appointees
by the Mayor and City Commissioners. Consideration shall be
given, but not limited to, the following categories: persons
having mobility impairment; deaf and/or hard-of-hearing persons
in the community; blind and/or vision-impaired persons in the
community; mental, cognitive or developmental disabilities;
and the industries of tourism and convention, retail, hospitality
(restaurant or hotel), and health care (or rehabilitation).
The
DAC meets once per month (except for the months of August and
December), usually the fourth Monday. Meetings are held at 1
p.m. in the Mayor's conference room on the fourth floor of City
Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, and are open
to the public. Below is the list of dates of DAC meetings for
calendar year 2007. Dates and times are subject to change.
January
22
|
July
23 |
February
26
|
August
N/A |
March
26
|
September
24 |
April
23
|
October
22 |
May
21
|
November
26 |
June
25
|
December
N/A |
Current DAC Members:
- Rabbi
Solomon Schiff, Chairperson
- Janet
Grant, Vice Chairperson
- John
Bennett
- Sabrina
Cohen
- Lawrence
Fuller
- Michael
Lantz
- Ann Thomas
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City
Wide Curb Ramp Improvement Plan
The City-Wide Curb
Ramp Improvement Plan is a systematic plan to install ADA-compliant
wheelchair curb ramps at intersections of City-controlled streets
throughout the City of Miami Beach, to the extent feasible.
The City's goal is to provide access to City programs and services
for all, regardless of disability.
To report a missing,
damaged, or non-compliant curb ramp on a City street, call the
Public Works Department at 305/673-7080.
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Miami-Dade
County Emergency Evacuation Program for Persons with Special
Needs
If
you or someone you know requires skilled nursing care, has medical
equipment that relies on electricity, needs assistance with
daily living, or may need assistance evacuating from ANY disaster,
it is recommended that you register them with the Miami-Dade
County Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program.
To
register, call: 311 (voice) or 305-468-5402 TTY
What
is the Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program?
When
disasters occur, people need to evacuate their homes quickly
to get to safety. Due to their medical or other conditions,
some Miami-Dade County residents will need assistance to do
this. The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has developed
the Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program (EEAP), which is
a registry of our neighbors that need help when an emergency
evacuation is necessary.
Who
is eligible?
Miami-Dade
residents who on a daily basis require skilled nursing care,
assistance with daily living, or have life-saving medical equipment
dependent on electricity should register with the EEAP.
How
can people register?
You
can call the Miami-Dade Answer Center at 311 (TTY 305-468-5402)
and request an application to be mailed, or download from the
Miami-Dade County Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program website
at: www.miamidade.gov/oem/eeap.asp
The application is available in Creole, English,
and Spanish. Please fill out the application and return it to
the address listed. Your vital medical information will help
OEM determine your eligibility for the program and the types
of services you’ll need. Please have your doctor sign the form
and then return it to OEM. If eligible, you will be assigned
to an appropriate facility, and a determination will be made
on the transportation type. OEM will then notify you in writing
of your assigned location. Don't wait; when a disaster is occurring,
services will be limited.
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City
of Miami Beach Departments TTY Phone Numbers
(Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf)
City
of Miami Beach Departments TTY Phone Numbers (Telecommunication
Devices for the Deaf)
The Answer
Center: 305-673-7218
Parks and
Recreation Department: 305-673-7220
To contact
all other City departments not listed above, persons with hearing
or speech impairments are encouraged to call the Answer Center.
Friendly, professional, bilingual operators can assist with
information and referral, comments and service requests. The
state-of-the-art customer tracking system will then direct your
request to the exact person who can handle the issue and tracks
the request electronically until it is resolved.
Callers
with hearing or speech impairments can also contact the City
via the Florida Relay Service: 711(V); 800/955-8771 (TTY); 1-877/955-5334
(STS).
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Assistive
Listening Devices
Assistive
listening devices for persons with hearing impairments are available
at the following locations:
- The Convention
Center
- The Commission
Chambers
- Colony
Theater
- Tenth
Street Auditorium
- Jackie
Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (TOPA)
- Meetings
of the Barrier-Free Environment Committee
- Byron
Carlyle Theater
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American
Sign Language Interpreter Services
Should a resident,
customer or visitor to the City of Miami Beach need sign language
interpreter assistance to allow him or her to participate in
City programs, services, and activities, such as:
- Commission,
Committee or Board meetings
- Public Hearings
- Job Application Process
- Job Interviews
he or she should
contact Heidi Johnson-Wright, the City's ADA Coordinator at
305-673-7080 at least five days in advance of the date services
are needed, whenever possible.
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How
can I learn more about the ADA?
The U.S.
Department of Justice has an ADA homepage with links to many
helpful publications. Click on the link below to visit its website:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
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State
of Florida White Cane Law
The State
of Florida has a statute regarding the crossing of streets by
persons who are blind or vision impaired. This law, Florida
Statute 316.1301 (2): Traffic regulations to assist blind persons,
states:
Whenever
a pedestrian is crossing, or attempting to cross, a public street
or highway, guided by a dog guide or carrying in a raised or
extended position a cane or walking stick which is white in
color or white tipped with red, the driver of every vehicle
approaching the intersection or place where the pedestrian is
attempting to cross shall bring his or her vehicle to a full
stop before arriving at such intersection or place of crossing
and, before proceeding, shall take such precautions as may be
necessary to avoid injuring such pedestrian. A person who is
convicted of a violation of this subsection is guilty of a moving
violation punishable as provided in chapter 318.
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Tax
Incentives Packet on the Americans with Disabilities Act
The U.S.
Department of Justice, on its website, features a packet of
information to help businesses understand and take advantage
of the tax credit and deduction available for complying with
the ADA. To access this information, click on the following
weblink: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/taxpack.htm
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