The Federal Way City Council shared a proclamation for Disability Pride Month at its Aug. 12 meeting, recognizing the anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990.

With serendipitous timing, the council also voted at the same meeting to award a construction contract to improve accessibility of 13 ramps in seven intersections in the city center.

Councilmember Lydia Assefa-Dawson read the proclamation, which stated that Disability Pride Month “serves as a tool to tackle ableism, bias and discrimination; and reshapes false negative perceptions of individuals with disabilities as people with value, talents and significance.”

The proclamation was accepted by Jenn Ramirez Robson from the Northwest Center, who noted that 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the organization, which was founded by “parents who refused to institutionalize their children with developmental disabilities.”

She also noted that Washington state was a leader in the country in advocacy for education for individuals with disabilities. The founders of the Northwest Center “won approval for the Education for All Act in Washington State, which served as the blueprint for the modern-day Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).”

While Northwest Center has a broad impact, they work specifically with five employers in Federal Way and with early learning programs as well.

To her, disability pride matters because it “counteracts stigma and fear around disability. Living with a disability doesn’t mean that you’re always sad or pathetic. People with disabilities experience joy and accomplishment. They experience life milestones and abundance and yes, pride. I am proud of how my own disabilities fill me with more empathy for others. I am proud of my problem solving skills. And I am proud of the work that I see my team members, clients, families and community members accomplishing every day to rid the world of ableism.”

She also encouraged those in attendance to “think about barriers to including people with disabilities in your community and beyond.”

Just a few of those barriers will be reduced soon with the council’s approval of awarding the ramp contract to Calli Denney Construction for ADA retrofits.

The contract will be for $274,895.50 and is funded under the Public Works Department Capital Project #36228.

To determine which ramps to focus on for this project, civil engineer Charskie Kinloch explained the team went through a rigorous project. Kinloch said he worked with the asset management coordinator and had an intern last year who examined the city’s accessibility.

They went through a lot of the ADA ramps throughout the city, evaluating “cross slopes and running slopes of the road to determine whether these ramps were out of compliance, and if so, how much out of compliance.”

Next, they compared that to high traffic pedestrian routes, seeing where people were going the most, what improvements would have the most impact, what what would be the most positive impact on the community.

They then took all this information and compiled it into a spreadsheet that gave them scores to determine the highest scoring ramps within budget to be part of the project.

When more money becomes available, they can then select the next set of ramps for next time.

“That analysis is something I think we’re doing constantly, so that list will continue to update,” Kinloch said.

Ramps at the noted points will be improved after a contract was awarded to a construction company for the work at the Aug. 12 council meeting. Courtesy image