Clift Notes: MACCD gets new direction

Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities

By Christina Clift

On Wednesday, November 8, 2017 members of the Memphis Advisory Council for Citizens with Disabilities met for their last meeting of the year.  During the meeting new officers were elected, new members were introduced, and committee reports were given.  

The meeting started and ended on a somber note.  At the start of the meeting Gary Smith, the MACCD Chair, read a letter written by Mayor Strickland to Michael, the son of Veronica MacKinney, who passed away on October 22, 2017.  Veronica served as a member of the MACCD for many years and advocated tirelessly for local business to hire individuals with disabilities.  At the end of the meeting Gary Smith announced that he would be retiring from his position with the state, but that he would continue working with the council and other entities to improve the lives of people with disabilities in our community.

On a more positive note, new officers were elected during yesterday’s meeting.  They including Brandy Fox as Secretary, Deborah Carter as Vice Chair, and Christina Clift as Chair.  These individuals will hold their positions for the next two years. 

There are also seven new members on the MACCD to replace those individuals who had to step down, who died, or who did not meet the attendance requirement set forth in the bylaws.   

The new council members were given the opportunity to introduce themselves.  You can find a complete list of members by visiting http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/General-Services/MAC-for-Citizens-with-Disabilities

Finally, council members received updates from each committee on their progress towards their strategic goals.  The Housing and Community Access Committee is currently working on compiling information regarding resources for home modifications that assist in making homes accessible and enable people to remain living in their community. 

 

The Transportation Committee is working on auditing the five routes with the highest ridership to determine whether or not they are calling out stop announcements. This would enable people who are blind, memory loss or intellectual disabilities reminders and the ability to stay oriented as they travel on the bus.  The committee is also working with MATA to streamline the recertification process for MATAPlus.  

The Education and Employment Committee is working on recruiting and training local employers about hiring individuals with disabilities and their goal is to provide training for 12 businesses by August 2018.  

The Disability Awareness Committee is starting to plan for the 2018 Abilities Conference which will highlight the strengths of people with disabilities.  They are also working on developing a media campaign to promote the accomplishments of Memphians with disabilities as well as emergency preparedness.