Advisory Commission on Disabilities

400 S. Eagle Street City of Naperville Naperville, IL 60540 http://www.naperville.il.us/ Meeting Minutes - Final Advisory Commission on Disabilities Thursday, February 5, 2026 6:30 PM Meeting Room C PUBLIC COMMENT: CA. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Siddiqui called the February 5, 2026, Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. B. ROLL CALL: Present 6- Wendy Pligge, Lisa Cesal, Suhel Siddiqui, David Halleck, Donielle Deering, and Ghousia Wajid Absent 1- Supna Jain Also present - Dawn Portner, City Clerk, Mary Hamill, Chair, Accessible Community Taskforce, Student Representatives Pragnya Guptha and Sophia Pandya. Commissioner Cesal entered the meeting at 6:30 p.m. A motion was made by Commissioner Hallack, seconded by Commissioner Cesal to allow Commissioner Wajid to participate by phone due to illness. The motion carried by voice vote. C. PUBLIC FORUM: No speakers under Public Forum. D. REPORTS & RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Receive an update from the Occupational Students at North Central College on their ADA Community Audits On September 24, 2025, members of the ACTF and community members participated in North Central College's Occupational Therapy Students’ Community Mobility and Access Assessments. Locations included the Riverwalk, Nichols Library, the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, Jewel/Osco grocery store, and a local restaurant. The students presented their findings on the Riverwalk. Portner will contact the Riverwalk Commission to arrange a time for the City of Naperville Page 1 Printed on 5/8/2026 Advisory Commission on Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2026 Disabilities students to present their findings. 2. Receive an update from the Accessible Community Task Force Mary Hamill, Chair of the Accessible Community Task Force (ACTF) updated the Commission on the following ACTF initiatives: 1) The Naperville Park District recently updated its ADA Transition Plan (available at https://napervilleparks.org/ada ). This version replaces the 2014 plan. Meanwhile, the City of Naperville’s Facility Plan was last updated in 2016. At the October 7, 2025, City Council meeting, the City presented its ADA Transition Plan for sidewalks, including the 2026 program schedule. Has the City established a date to update its ADA City Facility Plan? Can there be a location on the City’s website for the updated ADA Transition Plan and the updated Sidewalk Program? 2) ACTF members participated in the November 5th, 2025 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Meeting with representatives of the City’s consultant company Epstein. The focus was more on pedestrian access rather than bicycle networks, but a “creation of a more efficient network will provide people with additional active transportation opportunities to get around the community.” There will be a community open house at the Fort Hill Activity Center on January 31st, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and at the Municipal Center on April 23rd, 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 3) On November 10th, 2025 ACTF members attended the North Central College Occupational Therapy Students’ Community and Access Assessments presentations on accessibility at locations including the Naperville Riverwalk, Nichols Library, the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, a Jewel/Osco grocery store, a Chili’s restaurant, and the Naperville Illinois Secretary of State DMV location. 4) The Eagle Street Gateway Grand Opening Ceremony was held on November 14th, 2025. The impetus for the $3.5M project was a Naperville resident who the City with her issue with the Riverwalk: she and her daughter, who used a wheelchair, could not navigate the previous stairs- only path. Every speaker at the Grand Opening spoke of the Riverwalk now be accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. 5) The ACTF has promoted the Naperville Police Department’s Blue Envelope Program with organizations in Naperville and through social media. The student members of the ACTF suggested that information about this program be shared with the D203 and D204 driver’s education programs and local driving schools. 6) At the November 19, 2025 Building Review Board Meeting City staff recommended visitability design elements related to washroom/powder room design and door and hallway design to be incorporated into the new Municipal Building Code of Naperville. However, a requirement for a step free entrance design element will not be incorporated in the new Municipal Code of City of Naperville Page 2 Printed on 5/8/2026 Advisory Commission on Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2026 Disabilities Naperville. However, other communities have reached out to the ACTF to learn more about visitability. ACTF members will continue to advocate for these design standards and will be participating in a meeting hosted by the Northern Illinois Region 1 Planning Council to discuss accessible housing. 7) At the December 2nd, 2025 Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction Meeting, the Committee presented the Riverwalk Commission’s Riverwalk Master Plan Draft. The Netzley Overlook has steps but they will not be replaced with a ramp in the proposed renovation. 8) ACTF members have been working with U.S. Representative Bill Foster’s office to host a non-partisan round table discussion on issues effecting the disability community with community stakeholders and service providers. It is scheduled for February 20th, 2026 at the Bolingbrook Village Hall. 9) At the January 20th, 2026 City Council Meeting, the City approved the agreement with Ride DuPage in the amount of $345,000 for transportation services for seniors and persons with disabilities. At several past ACTF meetings, ACTF members have shared their experiences with using Ride DuPage and Access Will County Dial‐A‐Ride and many of these experiences have been negative and challenging. At past ACD meetings, the ACTF has brought up that the websites of the Townships that encompass Naperville and found that many do not include information for persons with disabilities. How should we proceed with working with the Townships to have them include resources for persons with disabilities on their websites? How can we ensure that the City’s funding of Ride DuPage is effectively meeting the transportation needs of people with disabilities in Naperville? 10) Beginning next month, the ACTF will be requesting nominations for the Student Recognition Awards to be presented at the May 5th, 2026 City Council Meeting. In the past the ACD presented Ramp-Arts awards to recognize people in the wider community. 11) The ACTF is in the early planning stages of facilitating a “My Daily Experiences As A Person With Disabilities” event where people without disabilities use mobility and accessibility devices to navigate daily tasks - such as buying a cup of coffee in downtown Naperville. We plan to invite Naperville elected officials, City Staff, and business leaders to participate to better understand the barriers that exist in our community. 3. Receive an update on Naperville becoming an Autism Friendly Community Portner stated the City is continuing its efforts to become an Autism Friendly City. Staff have met with Little Friends, Neuro Consulting Solutions, and Turning Pointe Autism Foundation to develop a survey that will be distributed to City department directors, as well as Naperville Public Library and Naper Settlement. Once the survey is completed, the team will use the results to develop a needs assessment and implementation plan, including recommendations for training to be conducted in the coming months. . City of Naperville Page 3 Printed on 5/8/2026 Advisory Commission on Meeting Minutes - Final February 5, 2026 Disabilities E. OLD BUSINESS: 1. Review and approve the 2025 Advisory Commission on Disabilities Annual Report A motion was made by Commissioner Pligge, seconded by Commissioner Deering to approve the 2025 Advisory Commission on Disabilities Annual Report. The motion was approved by a voice vote. 2. Approve the minutes from the November 6, 2025, Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting body A motion was made by Commissioner Hallack, seconded by Commissioner Deering to approve the minutes from the November 6, 2025 Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting. The motion was approved by a voice vote. F: NEW BUSINESS No New Business. G. ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made by Commissioner Pligge, seconded by Commissioner Cesal to adjourn the February 5, 2026, Advisory Commission on Disabilities meeting at 7:35 p.m. The motion carried by a voice vote. s/s Dawn Portner Dawn Portner City Clerk City of Naperville Page 4 Printed on 5/8/2026