Accessibility Advisory Committee

Consider creation of a disability advisory board or committee. The community engagement activities drew comments from a broad swath of people, including people with disabilities, parents or family members of people with disabilities, and medical professionals. A committee such as this could meet quarterly and provide feedback to staff, as well as undertake initiatives related to access and inclusion of people with disabilities. It would require staff support but could be beneficial over time.

- 2019 Accessibility Audit by the WT Group


In response to this recommendation, Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission created the Accessibility Advisory Committee to perform the following functions: 

  1. Serve as a bridge between CCPRC and the local community of individuals with disabilities, acting as our advocates in their groups and amongst their peers. 
  2. Advise CCPRC on services, programs, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities that may be lacking in the Charleston community, make recommendations to CCPRC for inclusion. 
  3. Suggest opportunities to educate agency staff and serve as one of our expert resources. 
  4. Visit parks/facilities, programs/events, and navigate agency services (such as visiting our website or registering for a program) to audit accessibility and provide feedback regarding their experiences to appropriate CCPRC staff. 


How to Apply

 

Member Selection Process

  1. The committee will be made up of at least 8 representatives from Charleston County and should represent the diversity of disabilities found in our community. 
  2. Ideally, at least one member will represent a different faction of the disability community. (Note that disability doesn't always fit neatly into "specific categories," and members may represent different aspects of the disability community.) Charleston County disability statistics should be taken into consideration when determining committee representation (see statistics at bottom of document). 
  3. Long-standing CCPRC contacts, frequent customers, and participants in the February 2020 ADA Audit Public Engagement Process will be contacted to fill out a short application for consideration. Any other interested members of the public may also fill out the application. 
  4. The application process will be open for 2-3 weeks, with selection and invitation to take place in the following 1-2 weeks.
  5. Disability representation will ideally reflect the following committee representation:
    • Ambulatory
    • Visual
    • Hearing 
    • Self-care or independent living difficulty
    • Intellectual/developmental/learning
    • Mental health
    • Medical professional  


2022 Charleston County Census Data

  • Ambulatory: 5.2%
  • Cognitive: 4.6%
  • Visual: 2.5%
  • Hearing: 3.3%
  • Self-care difficulty: 1.6% (often concurrent with other disabilities)
  • Independent living difficulty: 4.4%
  • Total % with a disability 11.9%

Other disability groups to represent (% based on US population): 

  • Intellectual/developmental (ex: autism): 1.8% children (1 in 54), 2.2% adults (1 in 45) 
  • Learning: 10%
  • Mental Health: 26% 
  • Medical professionals: recommendation to include 1-2 on committee 

 

Questions?

For more information on accessibility in your parks, please contact the ADA Coordinator at 843-795-4386 or by email.