Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura

"I loved UUCV Pre-February 2023. Now I fear UUCV leaders who retaliate against members who quietly and peacefully advocate for safe disabled pedestrians' access between public sidewalk and the church main entrance. By "pedestrian" I mean blind and visually impaired walkers and also sighted wheelchair users, in addition to attendees and students who walk instead of drive. Our UUCV building also provides donation-collecting support groups and a tuition-charging private school. Why not ensure disabled peoples' and pedestrians' safe ACCESS on a path protected from cars and/or designated by blue paint? Of all the money spent to repave the parking lot for drivers, why not spend up to 20% to welcome and protect pedestrian attendees? Why use the National Evangelist Association's 36.102e ADA exemption to exclude and endanger disabled attendees and prospective employees? If you turn a blind eye to UUA principles and rely on the 36.102e exemption, then why not paint the north curb white to at least make sure paratransit has a place to pick up and drop off disabled attendees by the more accessible north side-entrance? Why not let a team of volunteers install an ADA grades-compliant footpath blind attendees can use instead of mixing with car traffic between public sidewalk and main entrance? The argument that this would compromise what was achieved with the new East fence is flawed by the fact that there is already a driveway that unhoused people use to walk directly to the front door. The key need is to protect disabled people and provide them a sensible path separated from cars. Removal of the non-native overgrown shrub/tree that's too close to the north side of the church could be part of the effort, and would reduce our church's susceptibility to fire and structural damage from tree roots. Just as our UUA supports women's ACCESS to reproductive health care, so should our church support blind people's, wheelchair-user's, and pedestrians' safe ACCESS to our church from the public sidewalk to our main entrance. The National Evangelist Association lobbied hard against ACCESSibilty for Disabled Americans, just as they are lobbying hard now against women's rights to ACCESS reproductive health. The UUA and local UU Church I thought I knew rarely align with the National Evangelist Association,... why would we align with Evangelists now? Any of us could become disabled any day. Overlapping auto traffic with foot traffic only increases that risk. Pedestrian Safety helps motivate people to walk, and many in our congregation are becoming disabled now in ways that could be reversible if they felt safe to walk more. We could also walk as groups to nearby businesses more safely on the new path advocated here. If you feel we must leave the new fence as is, blocking ADA crosswalk access to the public bike path at our Eastern boundary because you fear unhoused people, then can you please at least provide a safe pedestrian path west of our driveway, between the public sidewalk and the church main entrance, with no overlapping vehicle traffic? There are various viable options, and a gate can be added if desired. I respectfully ask this in the name of Carmen Ramirez, Nick Haverland of our locale, and thousan others injured or killed by cars and trucks all across our nation. God rest their souls, but let us not rest until safe ACCESS for pedestrians, both the disabled and the conscientious, is provided and protected. I also ask this in honor of lives lost to apathy, that can be saved by activism: people protected with safe, equitable access for the visually impaired, wheelchair users, or folks who, like Gandhi and Reverend Martin Luther King, simply choose to walk. Will you please join me in asking our leaders to please protect and welcome disabled attendees to our main entrance from the public sidewalk? Perhaps if they hear the request from women in particular, then they will make more compassionate decisions. See also CaBldgCode 11B-244.1. Also please advocate UUCV playground compliance with CalDAG requirements."

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"Caring community of religious liberals. Lots of groups to join to facilitate integrating into the community. Good minister and interesting services. Lots of community service happening, too."

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