City Announces Members of Portland Disability Advisory Committee

PORTLAND, Maine -- The City of Portland is pleased to announce the members of the Portland Disability Advisory Committee (PDAC), which advises the City Manager on issues of importance to people with disabilities and also recommends policies, practices, and legislation in matters affecting people with disabilities consistent with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Committee Membership includes a diverse array of individuals, including business owners, individuals with disabilities, family members of individuals with disabilities, and representatives of organizations that advocate on behalf of the disabled, all of whom share a collective commitment to help create inclusion and quality lives for individuals with disabilities in the City of Portland.

The Committee Members are:


Hanna Aistrop, individual member residing in Portland


Michelle Ames, representing Disability Rights Maine


Lisette Belanger, individual member residing in Portland


Bud Buzzell, individual member residing in Portland


William Campbell, Jr., Chairperson, individual member residing in Portland


James Devine, representing Homeless Voices for Justice


Steve Leighton, representing Woodfords-Oakdale Neighborhood Association


John LeMieux, individual member residing in Portland


Derek O’Brien, representing Alpha One


Haley Pass, Vice Chairperson, representing STRIVE


Karen Perry, individual member residing in Portland


Jessica Russell, individual member residing in Portland


Ken Shapiro, representing Unum


You can learn more about the Committee Members at https://www.portlandmaine.gov/2290/Get-to-know-the-PDAC-Members. 

Since the Members were appointed in September, 2017, the Committee has devoted time to a few important initiatives, most notably creating informational materials to educate Portland places of public accommodation about the many benefits of keeping closed captioning activated on at least one television in use.  The Committee has also hosted a number of guest speakers on ADA-related topics, including City Manager Jon Jennings; Public Works Director Christopher Branch; Simon Thompson from the Portland Parks Conservancy; Zoe Miller, Project Manager at Greater Portland Council of Governments; and engineers from the engineering firm conducting the City’s ADA Self-Evaluation. 
The Committee is currently finalizing its priorities and initiatives to focus on in 2018.

Join us!

Future PDAC Meetings: Members of the public are welcome to attend the PDAC’s monthly meetings, which are generally held the first Wednesday of the month from 11 am to 12 pm in Room 24 in the basement of City Hall.  For confirmation of meeting dates, please see the PDAC’s website at http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1547/Portland-Disability-Advisory-Committee (which also includes past meeting agendas and minutes) or the PDAC’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pdacmaine/. 

Additional questions regarding PDAC? Please contact Mandy Levine, City of Portland’s Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Specialist and Title II ADA Coordinator, at alevine@portlandmaine.gov or 207-874-8620/TTY 207-874-8936.