Pasadena Village Accessibility Task Force began meeting in July 2025 and is currently composed of Claire Gorfinkel, Janie Heinrich, Gail Miller, Suzi Hoge, and Nathan Wolford. Claire is a chaplain for the Pasadena Jewish Temple Center, and after her deafness increased, she recently received a cochlear implant. Janie Heinrich is CEO of Mobility Dog, City of Pasadena Accessibility and Disability Commissioner, and an active contributor to the disability community at large. Janie has mobility challenges. Gail Miller is a Villager living with hearing loss and has a passion for creating accessible and inclusive spaces for others. Suzi Hoge is an educator with knowledge of special education and adaptive equipment, as well as a parent of an adult daughter with Down Syndrome. Nathan Wolford, Villager & Volunteer Coordinator, is a double above knee amputee and volunteer for various non-profits serving the amputee community.

Early on the Task Force identified several goals and purposes:

Develop recommendations for consideration by the relevant Village teams/committees/task forces and advise as needed.
Align the Village with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and City of Pasadena
guidelines for accessibility.
Consider people of all abilities/disabilities (physical impairments/mobility issues, sensory impairments, cognitive and learning disabilities, neurological conditions, chronic health conditions, etc.)
Demonstrate to the Village at large that accessibility is an essential strand to be woven into all Village activities and committees, by all Villagers and Village leaders.

The Task Force agreed to focus on accessibility matters specifically related to communication, education, the office building/grounds and off-site Village activities. To date we have recommended the use of the Atkinson Hyperlegible font for Village communications when possible. This font is recommended as most readable for people experiencing degrees of vision loss and will help make our website, printed materials, and other communications more effective. Village meetings taking place on Zoom can enable the use of captions. The BenQ Board (the large screen in the Community Room) can now display live closed captioning during meetings and presentations. A ramp and safety rails have been installed by the entrance of the Village office.

Additionally, we have developed a Google form to describe accessibility of off-site meeting places, and this information can be shared with Villagers. The Task Force has presented educational material to help all Villagers understand the challenges. Future presentations will include a home modification workshop with a USC Professor, another version of the barrier free presentation, and a tour of Rancho Los Amigos Rehab Hospital.

We are working toward addressing additional needs such as:

Implementing an accessibility feature for the website which allows folks to toggle screen readers magnifiers, custom fonts and font sizes, color/lighting, and other accommodations.
Establish a more direct way for Villagers to communicate accessibility concerns.

Additional accessibility accommodations for the Village Office have been recommended to Flintridge Center building management. We asked them specifically to:

Make parking wheel bumps more visible;
Widen the ramp into the office;
Install signs/painting indicating an accessible pathway through our ramp;
Engage a Certified Access Specialist inspection through the state;
Install an automatic door opener for the office front door and solar lights outside the entry.

Having worked more than a year to get where we are, the Task Force is hoping to successfully conclude our work by December 2026. The hours dedicated to this effort have been both challenging and rewarding. It has been very satisfying to hear Villagers express gratitude for the accommodations we have implemented.

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