by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Workspace: The City’s Disabled Services Office
Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation that mandates access for all citizens to public buildings and events.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act is really about civil rights because it makes all groups of the community equal,” said Katie Metz, manager of the City’s Disabled Services Office.
Metz leads a four-person staff that includes Parking Enforcement Officer Bobby Thigpen, Administrative Assistant Lois Smokes and Social Services Aide Jackie Caruso. They coordinate programs and services needed by more than 200,000 Duval County residents.
Metz said statistics indicate that about one in five people lives with some sort of disability. That could be sight or hearing impairment, paralysis or age-related issues such as arthritis.
The ADA went into effect on July 26, 1990, but Jacksonville’s effort to provide services for its disabled citizens began about a year earlier when former Mayor Tommy Hazouri established the office and the Mayor’s Disability Council.
“They knew the City would have to prepare to enforce the ADA,” said Metz. “All the City facilities had to be surveyed and then modified to make sure all of them were physically accessible and that all the programs were accessible.”
One of the changes brought about by the ADA was the requirement to provide public parking designated for the exclusive use of people with disabilities. It’s also one of the office’s main focuses.
Three years ago, the City started its “Parking Posse,” a group of volunteers empowered to issue citations to people unauthorized to park in spaces intended for disabled motorists. From its small beginning, the force has grown to about 100 members who are authorized to issue $250 parking tickets to violators.
Thigpen is the only Parking Enforcement Officer assigned to enforce the ADA law full-time. He also recruits and trains the posse. Recently, Thigpen has also been training security officers who work at the Mayo Clinic and St. Johns Town Center to support the effort.
Thigpen explained it’s not just about writing tickets, even though 70 percent of the collected fines supports local programs for disabled people and the remainder helps fund the Police and Fire Pension Fund.
“We say it’s education first and citations second,” said Thigpen. He and the posse distribute thousands of brochures each year that explain the parking laws.
Metz said the volunteers issued more than 2,600 citations last year. “We want to see those numbers go down. That would mean fewer people are parking illegally and more of the spaces would be available for those who need them.”
Metz and her staff are working this week on what she called the “biggest event for disabled citizens in 10 years.”
The film “Music Within,” which tells the story of a disabled Vietnam War veteran who was instrumental in making the ADA a reality, will be screened Friday evening at the WJCT Studios
Saturday at the Arena, the City, in partnership with the Independent Living Resource Center, Brooks Rehabilitation and the Spohrer & Dodd law firm, will present “Abilities Within,” an adaptive sports showcase. The USA Wheelchair Rugby Team will present an exhibition, as will disabled athlete Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, who performs skateboard-style stunts in his wheelchair.
“He is really inspiring,” said Metz. “Aaron’s message is that people can do so much beyond their disability. In some ways, the world adapts to them, like through the ADA, but they’re also going to have to adapt.”
For more information about the film, the showcase or other programs, call the Disabled Services Office at 630-4940.
356-2466