Me to say you can't get in.

Oh, we'll get started at 6 35.

This is the commission for persons with disabilities.

The city of Danbury, uh, February 10th, 2026.

Welcome.

Uh we have um John.

Well, let's go.

Let's go around because we have a guest.

Oh, okay.

I'm there as well.

I just now I can say so.

Speak speak up, sort of got the microphone can pick up your we have microphone issues.

So we have a guest, Ryan.

How do you pronounce your last name, Ryan?

Fucci.

Yeah.

It's my parents.

Oh, wow.

Very good.

Calibration, he's got a brace.

Yeah, it's fine.

Italian Irish butterman.

Oh, so does my son.

Oh, there we go.

Oh, by the way, just off the record, I met uh Steve Esposito.

Yeah.

Oh, you remember Steve.

Matt's Matt's dad.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We have uh children.

Children.

But uh they're in the social group.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

And uh Matt S.

Bazio used to be part of the social group.

Daddy in the dentist office.

John Michael went for his cleaning today.

So uh it's nice to see him.

Yeah, I'm sure it is.

Uh so now back on the rickety.

We have no new phone messages.

No, no messages came in this month from January to February.

Um old business uh commissioners.

We have uh Jeff is moved uh but I still keep him on as uh as guest or um an interested party for the commission, as I have other folks that you know want to just stay in touch with us.

I did get uh an email from um trying to think of the fella's name.

Oh my god, I got the email right here.

I know um this is okay, David Marchetti.

Remember David, he attended one meeting with us, had an interest in being part of the the uh commission.

He's somebody he he was somebody that worked in public safety police departments, uh, but he was retired, had he himself had a disability.

He passed away, so I got an email.

I got an email from somebody in his family.

Said that you know, take him off the list and passed away.

So I got my only email in exchange.

I don't speak to anybody.

And I don't know when he passed away.

Just sent me an email and said he passed away.

It's okay.

Um so that's a commissioner update.

Um of course the meetings will continue to be hybrid meetings and in person, so we're here and in person, and got nobody there, so which is a good thing.

We'd have to keep yelling in the um the minutes.

Everybody had a chance to review the minutes.

Yeah, we have.

I don't know if you're familiar with are you familiar with Zoom?

Yeah, you know they keep minutes, AI minutes.

What's how is that?

Did you find that?

Zoom took these minutes.

And it gives you the next steps, what you spoke about.

And it also filters out a lot of the nonsense conversation.

Oh please.

It takes me a whole afternoon to do the movement.

Now it takes me 15 minutes.

Thank you.

Thank God.

So I'll entertain them.

Well, it's three.

Yeah, it's I'll entertain a motion to motion to accept the motion.

John motion.

Okay.

I guess Rosemary, you'll say it.

Okay.

Yeah.

Hi.

All right.

We are seeking members.

We have four regular positions open.

And uh three alternate positions.

Our social media is a status quo.

Uh we used to keep a Facebook account.

Got into some issues with that.

So uh nothing bad, just people were putting items sale on the on the other city website.

Well had some it's not a suit.

The city has a Facebook website.

We had a commission the city of Danbury Facebook account, and they were putting stuff for sale and selling them to Anna or I'm still the person that was handling that didn't realize that he can't do that.

So we just kind of let let it sit.

City and uh just a real quick kind of bring you up to date, but the city had been kind of reluctant to even when people did complain about handicapped parking.

When the police would show up, if these were called, um they were kind of reluctant to issue the summons because the summons was very high.

It's like 250.

If you're illegally parked or you don't have a proper you know, placard.

Um they were kind of reluctant, say, you know, just move your car, get out of here.

You know, but that's that's not the point.

The point is the person who's looking for the spot that needs the spot.

Not able to park there, and meanwhile, they call the police.

The police, you know, yeah, okay, you kind of resolved the issue by opening up the spot, but the person already took care of their business, but anyway, you know, there was a whole inconvenience issue, right?

So we the commission went to City, the city uh um Deputy Chief Stern, police chief deputy chief has been very good working with us.

Yes, I did a study, and the study came back uh that you know it was being abused and and uh they issued a number of summonses, so now when put the police get called, not as reluctant to move you along, they'll issue you the summons and let the courts deal with it.

That also carries a part and sit there.

Yeah, listen to everybody else's movies or what perfectly one of those it was.

Oh, somebody's just joined.

There we are.

Yeah, can you hear us?

Can you hear me?

Hello.

Hello, can you can you hear me?

Uh-huh.

How are you?

Yes, I can.

Good.

How are you?

I'm good.

Yeah, we have a little lag time in the in the uh in the zooms.

Bear bear with us a bit, okay.

Okay.

Um demand transportation is another thing we've been working on for almost the entire time I've been on the commission.

I've been on the commission 30 years.

Uber setup.

You would call get a accessible vehicle.

Quentin, can you put your your uh something going on here?

Quentin, you're up on the thing twice.

Can you mute?

I don't know if I can mute him.

Okay.

Uh so the the underman transportation would be at this same cost as anyone else.

For cab fare, regular cab.

There's no additional cost because like right now, someone is in a wheelchair and they need transportation, they call a uh special vehicle, equipped vehicle, other than the heart transportation.

Um they would pay like upwards of eighty to a hundred dollars a ride for like a private vehicle.

Um their other alternative that's that's a reasonable cost as heart, art isn't like the door-to-door service you would get if you come to CAP.

Like would come to your house, drop you off where you want to be, you call them when you're ready to leave.

You know, hard is the business.

The bus service is good when my husband had me in the wheelchair to go to dialysis three days a week.

Yeah, that's a good thing.

Yeah, once you think very good for picking up.

It's just like not one of these things.

What do you want to do tonight?

Let's go to the movies.

You call up, you get a cab or somebody, go to the movies.

The movie's over, you call them up, you come right.

You know, you they got the you have to wait, you've got to know all that stuff.

Gotta do the pre-scheduling and all that.

Yeah, I know I had to do that for my husband's dialysis being in the wheelchair.

Uh so now we're we're at uh uh new business.

Uh we can we continue to work with the state DOT and Hart.

Uh they're putting in additional uh bus shelters along the routes in Danbury.

I think Danbury got I think five out of seven bus bus shelters out of the five though, two of refurbished existing bus shelters.

But uh so we get three new ones.

Uh city they have to work in conjunction with the city because the state requires that once they put the shelter in, somebody has to maintain it.

So make sure it's clean of debris.

Yeah, make sure if it's snow.

So we continue to work on that program.

Now we're at open discussion, and at open discussion we have a guest, Quentin.

It's Ryan Fauci.

Fucci, Fucci, who's Sicilian.

And he's he's with uh Puzzle 5K, which is an autism organization.

Yeah, I'll say yeah, and he's gonna explain and he's gonna uh well how he got to us is through Sean Ratford, which is the parks and recs director.

And uh we're gonna we I I committed the commission to work with their event on April 25th, and I'll let Ryan explain.

Okay.

Um so like I mean I um when I first graduated, I had the privilege to do it was my first time ever.

I never I never worked with that community, and it ended up being the most amazing experience I could have ever had.

Um, especially because I was with the 18 to 21 nonverbal.

So I really was exposed from different like behaviors and work with the parents and the doctors, and it was really a cool experience.

Um, and so long story short, I I I knew I didn't want to become a special teacher because I wanted to be in the general classroom, but I knew that I wanted to still stay connected with this community very much.

Um so then this led me to um in June.

Uh there was a big uh the Italian uh festival that happens in in the city.

Um so I was there and and I just noticed that that Dan Barry, people come out for events, and and I was like, you know what?

There's really nothing for autism in the city.

Um so then a fast forward that led me then to start this nonprofit called puzzles.

Puzzles is used to be this the symbol for autism.

Now it's the infinity sign or the ribbon sign.

Um it's not um a puzzle piece anymore because they they recognize it as something that's broken that needs to be fixed.

So people saw it as a negative thing.

So they said no, we don't want that.

So I'm trying to re ran the the pieces of the puzzle.

Um so now um I figured that this is a nonprofit, the best way to really get us going quickly is to have uh an event.

You know, I could have took in small routes and had like small, like meetings at the library, and and and I will do that, but I really wanted to get the word out that hey, that this is this is what we are trying to build in this city.

Um, and and the more that I speak to people, the more that I'm realizing that this is a really an important event for many people that I need that that they didn't even realize that they uh needed or or appreciated.

So I saw this event, um, it's it's it's a 5k run, which there's many, many, many 5Ks that happen throughout the world all throughout the year.

So this is not anything new or special, but what makes us special is in addition to that, we have five live bands from WestCon, which they're all really talented and really cool.

So they're gonna make it lively.

Uh we have um 12 inflatable blow-ups that were sponsored from uh CBD.

We have over 30 businesses that are going to be there either as a vendor or we have ABA businesses or local uh schools like Apex uh just uh joined us uh today.

Um so we have uh 30 different uh vendors, we got food trucks, we're gonna have have the race uh sanctioned by track uh USA track and field, meaning that that we have their insurance, meaning that they're gonna get some of the top runners within the state uh to uh be competing at this as well.

Uh we're expecting minimum at least 200 runners.

So far, we have 40.

Um, we're expecting at least six to seven hundred people at this event total.

Um so it's gonna be very exciting.

It's gonna be very, very, very exciting.

And and it's and it's just a first.

And the point of puzzles is not just to have autism awareness and to have these kind of free events because I because the keyword is free because many people, especially now working so many different uh communities, can't afford you know bigger events.

Um, is to have free events, but also to highlight the resources that are in this community for autism specifically.

It's not just a resource um fair where there's all these different businesses.

No, it's just the businesses that fully support autism.

So not only is there business being highlighted, which I think is really important for the city of Dan Bear's economy, uh, but it's also important because a lot of these families, like uh my girlfriend, she uh her family comes from Brazil, and and they have uh a cousin that has autism, but they don't know where to go.

Um so families like like that, they can come to this and they will be educated about like these are the the uh resources or families that may have resources, but there may be uh more specialized resources for their uh their children, right?

So this is what this event is, it's it's the first of many events.

Now I'm not gonna quit my job tomorrow, but the goal is but the goal is to make this my full-time investment and to really grow puzzles, which is really exciting.

It's it's a brand new journey for me, but it's one that I have met so many amazing people.

I have met so uh made so much uh cool connections.

I have learned more about the city or about autism than I ever thought I could.

Um, and I'm really excited for this.

So this is this is the I couldn't print it in flyer um in uh color at the moment, but that is the official flyer that was made from the city, and you can have that.

I have multiple different flyers, which I can uh get more in the car.

I have one car, but yeah, this is Puzzle 5K, and um the event is April 25th, uh like you mentioned at uh Hatters Park.

Um we've also been working with the uh police department uh to get the permits.

The uh roads are gonna be shut down.

It's gonna be from Hatters Park to the Amber Room and back.

It's a total of that five miles.

It's it's no uh so a five K is uh okay.

I originally thought that that's what a five here was, but a 5k is a uh 3.1 miles.

5.1.

Yes, yes, um, and you know, this is uh this is both gonna be a competitive and non-competitive, like there are gonna be some people who are going to be like lightning bolt and are going to run this in in 10 minutes, and there are some that are gonna walk, and they'll take an hour.

Um, and so that's and so that's the beauty of this that's walk, run, jog.

Um so I'm really excited.

I'm really excited uh for this first of many events.

Yeah, I'll email this out to the first.

But yes, we want to try to get as many people at this as possible.

We've invested so like at this point we had the foundation of the event set.

Now we're just filling in the holes.

Uh such as I I don't think I have.

Let me uh you email that to me or the state agencies?

Thank you.

And I will definitely reach out, but yeah, that is putting a table out yes, exactly.

Yes, one of the people.

Sure.

Yeah, sure.

And eventually, puzzles, the goal for puzzles eventually is to branch out to two disabilities.

But now we're focusing on autism because that is just our we're just starting off.

That's our our mission, but eventually the goal is to uh get further.

What's it very important?

That's true.

True.

We have people such as Ability that are going to be there, uh, Pure Point that are gonna be there, um uh connected talk that are gonna be there, a bunch of different resources within um we've covered some of Westchester and some of New Fairfield.

So it's not just Danbury.

So this has been a cool journey.

I I started this completely from uh from uh scratch, but now I have a lot of people who have their hands on a deck with this.

Right.

So there we go.

Yeah, yeah, we're gonna have a ticket for us.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yes, absolutely.

We have to bring a table, but I will move make sure that that you have a spot.

Okay.

Yes.

In the in in what we're calling the vendor village.

Yes, yes.

Yes, eventually, yes, where it's yeah, there's over uh 30 different uh business, some businesses that are selling things like there's like a business that we just got today where it's a young man, he's 19, he has autism, he sells soap um and candles.

So, yeah, so like it's all part of like that mission, yeah.

And then um what we raise after all the costs, because obviously an event like this is not cheap, what I'm learning.

Um, but after all the costs, what we raise is the winner of the race, they will uh choose one of the organizations to donate half the proceeds to.

So if we raise $2,000, a thousand of it, it will choose to one of the organizations that are at the event.

And then the other half will be invested into doing more of these events.

Yeah, oh I love that.

Yeah, um, but still you sounds good.

Okay, what can I do?

Okay.

Okay.

Please send me all the information to with all these uh organizations, and then I will reach out to them personally.

And if you have any notes, I will definitely first four.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

Yeah, I would love that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I would love that.

Uh is that my give you my phone number?

You want to write it down?

I can send it uh you want in uh in color too, so if you have a color printer.

Uh nine one four five eight nine one three two originally from Waschester, that's why it's nine one four.

Yeah, originally from Summers.

Right here.

Yeah, we're thinking about Yeah, of course.

Oh yeah, yeah, I'm familiar.

Okay.

Yeah.

Yes, a little bit.

Uh you have AI do it, you're your best friend now.

Yes.

You have any questions.

Uh Quinn, uh, you have any questions?

Unmute yourself.

I want to make sure that that we get his voice.

He doesn't know how to unmute.

Um no questions so far.

Okay.

All right, just make it sure.

Yeah.

But the event sounds good.

I look forward to seeing you there though.

Yeah.

Yes.

Uh ten to two.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah, you have to come and set up and that's probably you can walk then.

Yeah.

Yeah, there we go.

Uh we're hoping as long as it doesn't pour, then yes.

Okay.

Yes, if it pours, then no, yeah, then we're gonna make it the next day.

But if it's drizzle from what I've been talking to like a like a lot of like running coaches and experts in this field, and they said that people would still show up if it drizzles.

Okay for cloudy.

Obviously, like the ideal is forty-five and sunny, but it's April.

Exactly.

It could be forty-five and sunny and beautiful, but no, that's probably hard.

Is it on it?

Oh no.

Any questions?

Okay, I'm glad.

That was that's a goal.

At this point, after working on it every day for the last eight months, I think I've almost cleared everything.

Sometimes I'll get new questions.

Huh?

It was very I love going.

I think it was my first year going last year, but I plan on going every year now.

Why not?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Of course, you have to go.

I was gonna say now it's mainly Portuguese.

No mainly true, true there is and we don't bilingual teachers.

Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

No, it's it's it's now it's extremely diverse now.

Like the English is still the common language, but Spanish is right there.

Like it's key, it's like right there with English.

Yeah, it's so close.

Right, right.

Wow.

Oh that's just one speaker to be just less than citizen.

Yeah, it's because I had to go down there, it's like one of my little things.

Right, that's important.

Oh, that's really interesting, actually.

Uh in that people have uh oh yeah, that is what that's really surprising.

Now they they teach it all over the the uh world English.

Like in every school.

Like I um when I uh went to uh Brazil, they have a s like a school dedicated just for this kids to learn English.

Oh yeah, yeah, and like Portuguese is the first language, but so really interesting.

Right.

Oh interesting.

Really interesting.

Right.

Oh my goodness.

Right, it is, it is new.

Really interesting.

Right.

Right, I can't even imagine.

Yeah.

And like that's and this is probably like before like technology where you can translate things.

Like now, like I I I I have to print out like four different worksheets.

One in English, one in Spanish, one in this, one in that yeah.

Like one, yes, it so but like luckily we have the technology, yeah.

Well, because like I want them to like be able to read and have a fair advantage, but it's it's it's like it's it's beautiful that we have this technology, but like it's also you know, unfair to these students, they don't understand you know, so yeah.

All the Portuguese people to dance for you.

The one that had to change for all the Hispanic people now.

Maybe that's not the same as it had been for our parents.

True.

And maybe your grandparents or great grandparents.

Look at them.

Oh my gosh.

A lot of work.

We're getting ready to wrap up, Ryan.

Do you have anything else you want to?

Okay.

So I'm I'm gonna entertain a motion to adjourn.

I'll make a motion that we reach adjourn.

Uh this disability meeting on February tenth at seven sixteen PM.

Okay.

Rosemary, Quentin, you want to second it?

Quentin.

Do you want to second the adjournment?

Yeah.

Okay.

All in favor.

Meeting is adjourned.

Thank you, Quentin.

See you next week.

Next month.