Jefferson County Emergency Management is offering vaccinations in homes of people who are not able to access regular vaccination locations. People who need this service are encouraged to call 360-344-9791 to schedule a vaccination in their home.
In the Fall of 2021 DASH presented its recommendations to WSDOT for making the proposed roundabout at Sims and Kearney accessible. The major issue is how to make the roundabout safe for blind people and people with visual disabilities. DASH worked with the Jefferson County Council of the Blind (JCCB) on this.
Part of our consultation with WSDOT involved setting up a simulation of crossing a roundabout while blind. WSDOT sent 6 traffic engineers and Larry Watkinson (WSDOT’s ADA Compliance Manager) to participate in this event. Steve King, City Public Works Director, and Laura Parsons, City Engineer, also took part.
The simulation helped to increase awareness of the specific issues to be addressed in the roundabout design to
accommodate people with visual difficulties.
The Port Townsend Leader covered the event
(https://www.ptleader.com/stories/traffic-engineers-cross-roundabout-
while-blindfolded,78010) and showed Port Townsend Public Works Director Steve King crossing while blindfolded.
The video taken by walkability expert Samantha Thomas shows traffic yielding to the blindfolded pedestrians with their white canes.
DASH provided 6 pages of recommendations to WSDOT on ways for handling traffic volume, especially when the ferry unloads, for designing solutions that will help blind people, and for providing training to prepare blind people and others with visual disabilities to navigate the roundabout. We also provided the ACCESS Board’s Advisories regarding roundabouts.
DASH consulted with the City throughout the Discovery Road Bikeway and Sidewalk Project to ensure the best outcome and full ADA compliance. The corridor from Rainier Street and Salish Coast Schools will provide safe pedestrian access and connect developing residential, business and school facilities.
DASH consulted with the City to establish an accessible path between the picnic area and the restrooms and clear signage for finding the ADA restroom. Now the picnic area, entrances, restrooms and arbor are all accessible with firm and stable paths and clear, easy to see signage.
The Jefferson Street improvements left the Haller Steps without a handrail that reached to the top 2 steps. For many with balance, visual or mobility issues, the steps were no longer an option for getting from uptown to downtown. DASH often uses photographs to illustrate a problem. Here you can see the problem of not having a long enough handrail.
DASH intervened and now the handrail is long enough and at the exact height needed to provide security when starting down the steps.
A rough trail between the Business Park and the adjacent neighborhood had the potential to link up all of the Business Park with its many fine businesses, the residential area and the shops at Castle Hill. Part of the trail was the responsibility of the Business Park. The problem was that the gravel on it was unstable and the trail was not possible if you use wheels. A further section (that needed some serious grading) was on City Right of Way. DASH intervened successfully with both the Business Park and the City resulting in a continuous accessible route that will benefit all, both businesses and residents.
This fully accessible portion of the čičməhán Trail is about a mile in length on level downtown sidewalks, the Rotary Centennial Trail on the waterfront at Point Hudson and the low-traffic Point Hudson streets. The area is served by the #11 bus. There are ADA parking spaces along the route and benches in several locations. Accessible restrooms are available at the Cotton Building and the Northwest Maritime Center.
A čičməhán Trail brochure is available for a driving route that takes visitors to 16 locations in Port Townsend. This longer route has transit stops, ADA parking and accessible restrooms marked.
A brochure and map was produced through collaboration between DASH, the Jamestown Tribe and the Native Connections Action Group. The brochure is available on the Links Page and at booths at Chetzemoka Park and the Maritime Center downtown.
November 28, 2018
DASH (Disability Awareness Starts Here) has been working for over a decade to convince the U.S. Postal Service to make changes to the Port Townsend Post Office that would allow all citizens accessibility. USPS substations were established in Port Townsend to allow access but subsequently closed. The closest post office to Port Townsend is 10 miles away. All other public buildings in Port Townsend are accessible, including the historic Jefferson County Courthouse.
The public can only enter the Port Townsend Post Office after climbing 13 steep steps, which makes it inaccessible for individuals with disabilities. Also, parents with babies in strollers and older individuals are among those who find it dangerous to climb the steps, especially with packages. The lack of accessibility also prevents disabled veterans or others with mobility challenges to work for the Port Townsend Post Office.
DASH has proposed a convenient, low-cost ramp, which USPS has refused to consider. The Port Townsend Post Office was built in 1893. Therefore, the USPS states that it has no legal obligation to make the building accessible for all since the Architectural Barriers Act only requires access to buildings built or altered since the law was passed in 1968.
DASH is working with our federal elected representatives and other communities whose post offices are not accessible. We encourage you to ask your elected representatives to amend the Architecture Barriers Act to require accessibility to all facilities built with Federal funds.
Pat Teal, President, DASH
Use Giving Assistant to save money and support DASH- Disability Awareness Starts Here
Golf Cart Transportation for mobility challenged patrons is available between the main gate of Chetzemoka Park and the performance area at the bottom of the hill. The cart runs from 5:15pm until 6pm. Please wait at the main gate (intersection of Jackson & Blaine Sts) for pick-up. After 6pm you may send someone down to the performance area to alert the driver. The cart runs at intermission (to the restrooms) and after the show.