Yesterday I attended a board meeting for the Arizona Center for Disability Law, which recently moved into the brand new Disabililty Empowerment Center. (Thanks to the Arizona Bridge for Independent Living for data on the center and the pictures on its site.)
This amazing 62,000 square-foot facility is located at 5025 E Washington Street in Phoenix, and is truly designed to serve the disabled. Here are a few pictures from my visit:
All of the restroom cubicles offer disabled access. The toilets and sinks are automatic. All main doors have the ability to be opened automatically. The four-level parking garage is wonderful, and right now not very full, and has ample ADA parking.
Two bridges conect the parking garage to the second level of the office building. This ensures ease of access and evacuation in case of emergency.
The DEC will house not only the Arizona Center for Disability Law, but Raising Special Kids, the Arizona Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Joni & Friends, the Statewide Independent Living Council, Arizona Autism United, the Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association, Valley Center of the Deaf, and PRN Medical.
This is an energy efficient, green facility that is 99% environmentally friendly. Our board meeting was held in one half of the beautiful Nina Mason Pulliam Conference Center. Oh my, the sound system is incredble. While we had board members from Flagstaff and Tucson, we had teleconferencing going on with Tucson and Yuma.
We had two guest speakers: Steven G. Biddle, of Littler Mendelson, and Barbara Brent, of the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Biddle presented training on Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Brent discussed the State of DDD.