Introduction of the Accessibility in City Programs, Services, and Activities Bill

This bill is a follow up to the Language Access bill that we passed at the end of last term. Recall that the bill requires each city agency to develop a language access plan for consumers, public meetings, and more. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) will coordinate and train each agency to fulfill the language access plans and ongoing implementation.

Through discussions with the ASL community, it was clear that a similar process was needed for American Sign Language, and further research showed that was also the case for residents with disabilities writ large. With the help of the LAW Department, the Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR), the Disabilities Commission, advocates, and the Mayor’s Office, the bill before you lays out a similar process. All city agencies must develop a plan to ensure residents with disabilities have full access to their services, public meetings, and more. OECR will be the coordinating entity.

You will note that a lot of the general principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act are also embedded in the bill. If the federal government decides to remove these rights, our laws here in Baltimore remain in place.

I look forward to the discussion and passage.