Yep.

Okay, good.

All right.

Good evening.

It's uh 6 36.

Commissioner for persons with disabilities.

April 14th, 2026.

Welcome everyone.

We have no guests.

Well, we have one guest to think about.

I don't treat her as a guest.

Well, okay.

Drink it again.

Phone lock.

We had two calls.

Okay, one was from my phone is not muted.

I don't know what happened.

Hey, yay.

Hi, Quentin.

Just in time.

We just got started.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

I've lost you.

No, I can't.

I think you're talking to your own.

Okay.

Can you uh hear me now?

Yes.

Okay.

She moved from Danbury from New York to Danbury.

She lives in Ives, man.

She has a disability.

She has a disability.

Yeah, that's not working.

I'm gonna take I'm gonna turn the phone off.

Okay.

Um and um she said that she did the Department of Social Services in New York State never told her that if she moves to another state, she loses her New York benefits.

Yeah.

Yep.

So she had no benefits, and she's she was uh you know PO'd that uh uh New York never told her that they told her after the fact.

So um and then she went on to explain that she had some issues dealing with doctors and doctors not transferring her information from her, I guess her GP to the specialist or specialist to the GP back and forth.

So I said, you know, there's not much I can do, but um putting you in touch with CHRO.

I said if if you have a complaint, those are the people you have to talk to.

So she was happy to get that information.

She did contact the Department of Social Services in Connecticut, and they should resume her benefits once she's once she's established.

But I mean, yeah, I don't know if there's a waiting period now or meeting.

I don't know.

Yeah, if she was getting them in New York, she's not a new applicant, you know.

She's just moved.

Well, it's state, you know, it's state funded.

Yeah, you know, she's not on she's not on federal stuff, she's on state stuff.

Oh, oh okay.

I'm no expert.

Maneuver her through the system choices.

The choices program.

Um helped her maneuver through the system by the system.

I don't know.

She seemed to get she seemed she said she contacted DSS, so she was all right with that.

But she might have got a complaint about the doctors not following up the way they should.

So I put her in touch with CHRO.

But the choices program might be able to help her more with or another voice for her to get to the medical doctors are like that.

You know, they uh maybe she didn't make it clear that she had moved physically, so she needed to see you know other doctors, or um, some of them just won't.

They won't be cooperative, they don't want to lose your business.

Well, there was one doctor here in Denver that used to charge a dollar a page for the medical records.

Yeah.

But uh, you know, we'll see what happens with her.

So then I got another call from uh Paul.

Chilis.

Child Paul Childs.

Um Mark has a disability, lives.

Um what's the uh the hotel in uh the old hotel in down main street?

Um what's the name?

Yeah, the old the old hot speed uh Danbury Hotel.

Yeah, I don't know the number of questions.

Yeah, the kid is uh having problems, but uh I call the guy back.

Yeah, you call somebody, they answer the phone, but there's nobody there.

Right, you know they answer, right?

And I say, hello, hello.

This is John Genteel, you call the commission, right?

No response, and then hung up and called I called right back, figuring that he wasn't sure who it was.

So I left a message and then called back, called back.

But anyway, so those are those are the two calls we had this month.

Okay.

Everybody's doing well.

Isabel, you're doing okay.

I survived, yeah.

All right, uh meetings.

Uh our meetings continue to be in person and on Zoom.

Good to see you in person.

Uh we're happy to have you here.

Um still seeking four regular and uh three uh three alternates.

Um I've made that flyer.

I I sent the flyer out is gone.

I don't know if you've seen it.

I it was late this afternoon when I sent it.

No, I didn't, I didn't I haven't checked my email since you know.

I I I went I went to your original message to sign in for tonight.

Yeah, it it's okay.

The uh when you get a chance, you could look at it if there's if there's any edits.

There's any edits, you don't have to do it now.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

Does any edits to the flyer?

Just let me know before the 25th before I print it.

Uh it's for the 25th for the 5k run.

We haven't had a table there.

But now I gotta, I thought I'd I'd have Ryan here.

I was gonna ask him.

I'm gonna have to call him.

Because I saw in one email that he sent out that people asked about coming, what do I need?

You know, all that.

You have to bring your own table.

Yeah, I gotta lug a table, Jazz.

So I gotta I gotta, I'm gonna have to make a note to call Ryan.

So we'll see.

No, no complaints, no.

I haven't run into any issues.

Um seen any issues.

I did see one truck at the movie theater.

Guy parked in a handicapped spot.

And I was too short to jump up to see whether he had it on his like to put them on their dashboard.

It was one of these big oh, yeah.

Yeah, whatever, whatever it is.

Yep.

And I didn't feel like jumping.

And Dodger, I am that's all, yeah.

Yeah, right, those big things.

Yeah, um business.

We have the 5K run, which is eight April 25th, which is a Saturday.

Um at Hatters Park.

And like I said, there's a space available for the commission to be there.

Um 10 to 2.

Uh it's near my house, so I'll be there.

I'd be I'll be there definitely before 10.

So we'll see.

Like I said, I was hoping Ryan would be here, but he seems to be real busy with that.

Uh yeah, I I told him, I said, you better be careful of ambition, it leads to work.

Um anybody got anything they want to bring up?

No.

I um I spoke with now I can't remember her name.

The woman who's um the safe streets uh program and she's the commissioner here in Danbury.

Oh golly, I forget her name.

I'm I'm I can't Evans Emmons Hammond's on their same.

Uh no, I don't think so.

Um anyway, we talked for quite a bit.

And I uh I told her about uh about my need for a crosswalk here where I live and how difficult it is because it's it's three jurisdictions and you know at the end of town.

So but she you know, she said one of the things you know, and then I also gave her two suggestions for where to set up, you know, to get to hear from more people.

One was the senior center.

Um the mayor had a town hall there a while back, and it was well attended, and the questions were good, and you know, he had the answers, or he would ask his staff, or he would he got back to the people.

And the other one I suggested was the farmers market, but that hasn't started yet.

Oh, I was on that.

I I was on that uh Zoom thing.

So oh, yeah, but I talked now later.

I know she's said to have you uh that she would take your call.

So she works for uh uh what do you call it?

The yeah, I can't remember the details.

I I have it written down somewhere office, yes.

She works for him.

Well, I forget her name.

That's he's committee.

The last time I think is Emmons.

Golly, maybe it's too long ago now, it's several weeks.

Because I I called her uh she got we talked Monday morning following that that call when we were all talking about safe streets planning and zoning departments, Emmanuel.

Oh starts with Jake.

That's that's who she called.

What did she say to you, Isabel?

Um we would just we were discussing you know the the need that I have for the crosswalk.

Right.

Did she offer anything about it?

Um just you know, it's not gonna be a high priority, and it's it's really a jurisdictional problem.

It's a state road and it's on the Bethel Danbury line.

Right.

And but for half a mile, there's uh there's not even a stop line at the at the traffic light.

You know, you if you want to the light turns red and theoretically I can cross, but there's no room because the cars come right up to the curve.

You know, and on the other and the at the other end, it's in um uh it's in Bethel.

My bank is uh uh is oh it's a short walk from here, and I would like to go without having company, you know.

Sure.

And but there's no way to cross the road.

There's no solid sidewalk on either side.

And um, I know it's not a high priority, but you know, we discussed it.

Yeah, but sitting on this thing, you you it kind of opens your eyes to make you look at things that you never saw before as far as parking as far as uh traffic lights, timing of traffic lights, um, you know, the location of traffic lights, stop signs, uh I mean a whole slew of things.

And this thing makes you look at everything at all of that.

Theoretically, where I live is an industrial area, but they're there were I I don't know.

There's a huge uh the Timber Oaks uh um uh condo complex that's in Danbury and Bethel, and there are three smaller ones, and there's a whole line of apartment buildings now between the sidewalk and the railroad tracks.

I don't know how they switched it in or how they they uh tricked people into going there.

I cleared you that the train is right goes right behind the back of the building.

Well, that's that's what this is all about the safe streets thing.

I'm sorry, I can I said that's that's what this is all about, the safe streets thing, because the city's growing and it's expanding, and the roadways and the traffic lights and the stop signs and are not keeping pace with the growth of the city.

They're not there.

So at least in you know, in my area, that it's just not there at all.

No, but I mean it's it's all over, it's not just in your area.

Oh, I know.

But I live here, so you know Yeah, but uh uh Charles Sotero, you know, Charles Sotero.

Oh, yes.

He uh all the areas that I had you know that I noted, you know, as far as where there's issue, he brought them all up in the in the meeting.

So I think there's like three or four that he brought up areas that yeah, traffic lights and intersections that need attention.

Yeah, and um and I I I you know I also sat in on the I-84 project.

And the comment I made to the safe streets is we always get the overflow of 84.

So when 84 is backed up, people fall out onto the city streets.

And 84 backs up quite regularly.

It's not just it's not just during rush hour.

No, it's not and people use it as a local road.

So yeah, and uh I said until they straighten out that road, and they're not going to.

No, they're not gonna do it in our lifetime.

No, straighten that road out because they have the two curves, they have the curve coming when you're coming from New York into exit three and four, where that you go under the underneath and it makes that turn, and then you go up a hill.

That slows everybody down.

So until you fix that, you're not gonna stop people from slowing down.

And the same holds true at the other end, when you get going to exit eight where it splits seven and eighty-four.

Yep.

They're gonna fix one piece eventually.

They it's in the pot for money, is moving seven to a right-hand exit.

And 84 will continue straight on.

That'll solve some of the problem, but they're not gonna fix the curve.

There's another problem.

When you're getting on, when you're getting on to that area, you're coming from you're going past target and getting on that entrance.

Yeah, they're gonna fix that.

Oh, not getting on.

There's a yield sign that nobody obeys.

Yeah, they're gonna tell you how many times we have been pushed.

That whole intersection is supposed to fix that.

That's all part of the project where they're gonna fix things, but yeah, but that's not safe street.

That's not the safe streets part.

No, safe streets just identifies the problem downtown as a city problem.

It's 84 and the state DOT that's got to fix those those things.

Yeah, but three out the F.

They had complete detailed maps and recorded supply museum website because anybody wants to see it.

So there's how you recruited it.

No, you know what?

There's two reasons why they won't do that.

One is the money, yeah.

It's gonna cost too much.

Yep, and the other one is right-aways.

Exactly.

It's too eminent domain, it's too much involved.

When 84 and 684 were first built, my dad got on them.

My parents lived in Summers, New York, and he said he would he said he almost got off because there was no other traffic on there.

He didn't think it was open yet.

I used to, I I commuted from Dover Plains down to Mount Vernon.

And I used to drive down 84 and say, why did they make this road three lanes?

There's nobody on it.

If I caught the lights, there was three trffic lights from Dover Plains to where I got on 84 and Bruce.

If I caught those three lights, I didn't have to breaks until I got them on running.

You were just you were just practically a sparkle in your mom's eye.

A long time ago.

It went from 84 went from three lanes, the Golders Bridge where it was two lanes.

And then when it got to the sawmill, it became two lanes again.

Oh, I'm losing you, John.

I want to get a good story.

It got to Goldensbridge, it turned to two lanes.

Yeah, that's where we're going to be able to do it.

And the reason why is they kept that road from Goldersbridge to the sawmill was not Route 84, I-84, it was Route 22.

It wasn't until I forget what year, like late 70s, 79 or 80 when they changed it and made it three lanes and took off 22 and put I-84 on it.

Because it wasn't until that guy got killed.

Do you remember that?

No, that was a good one.

Guy from Fairfield.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Truck was crossing the road because they were allowed to, because it wasn't an interstate.

It was a state road.

Trucks were allowed to cross over.

Oh one truck crossed over to the island.

It would, these were the tractor trailer dump trucks.

One truck crossed over onto the island.

The next truck went.

He thought the guy on the island went.

He didn't he stay.

So now the back end of this.

My husband survived a similar survived a similar accident.

A tow truck.

Took the police turnaround, and he just he he didn't look, he just pulled out.

My husband missed the tow truck that hit the car behind that he was towing.

But the cabin was it stayed in, you know, stay.

It was all it was all safe.

He walked away.

Good.

That's good.

That's what you that's why you buy Cadillacs.

Yep.

That was the only one we could afford.

We had it for a whole year.

My husband had a big bonus.

That's what I used to say.

If I got a great big Cadillac or a small little Honda, and we have an accident, guess which one's gonna survive.

But anyway.

So anybody else have anything?

No, anything?

No.

I'd love to get some help on some technical stuff.

Like I had in the past.

Yeah.

Technical stuff.

Yeah.

I can't hear, so they're talking about trucks on the highway.

Oh, okay.

Well, that's that's all I have.

That's all we have.

Oh, maybe we'll see see everybody on the 25th.

I don't know.

You want to stop by, you know, come say hello.

Yeah, unfortunately.

That's all right.

The runners are gonna be losing.

I have I have had I'm losing the regular aid that I had for quite a a couple of years.

I'm losing her, and I have no coverage for the other days, so I'm I'm talking to the age, but at the moment I am housebound.

Uh oh.

You need you need to get another aid.

Yes, I yeah.

I talked to the agency already.

All right.

Well uh run is a running.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, I'm sorry, I haven't for a very short time during the day.

You know, to go food shopping, run errands, and go to the doctor.

That's all I can afford.

I don't have a you know, I don't have full-time 24-7 aids.

Medicaid doesn't do that.

No, they don't.

No.

I found out uh yesterday, my sister in law is in the hospital.

Oh no.

They charge you uh she was in Bethel Bethel Nursing Home.

Yeah, yeah, Bethel Hill Nursing Home.

Yeah, and they wanted to they took her from there and sent her to Danbury Hospital because she was in congestive heart failure, but she she's okay now.

So they call the house, Bethel called the house and said, Do you want us to reserve the room for you know, because it spoke to my brother in law to reserve the room?

They wanted $500 a day to reserve the room.

Yeah, then they also they also found, and that's out of pocket.

That's not covered by then they also found out they charge you extra if you get a uh a bed near a window.

Okay.

My husband was there for a while, and totally taken care of.

He can't he kept going back to into the hospital.

I said, put me always there's up to me.

I said, put me in the basement.

How much is that?

Extra for a window.

Most people can't even pick up the heads or look out the window.

Yeah.

They get you coming and going these days, I'll tell you.

And you know, they cut back on you know, Medicare Medicaid keeps cutting back on what they provide and what they give you and how much they get, how much you're gonna get.

They're trying to cut back on that money follows the person.

Yes, and it's like, oh wait a minute, you're trying to get people into their homes.

And yes, they don't they don't want to pay for people to be taken care of, you know, which is like what are you guys thinking about?

Yeah.

I have uh written words.

I've lost the sound.

I haven't opened the reposition.

Um happened.

That's them.

And they just said, okay, sorry, uh, you know, sorry, sorry about that, and they just walked away.

They didn't even say, like, gee, is there anything we could do?

Nothing.

So I wrote him a note, uh letter.

I did it uh a Chuck Schumer.

I wrote wrote him a strongly worded letter.

I mean I'm sorry, I missed the whole story.

The sound just came.

My strongly worded letter.

Document everything.

So I'll I'll entertain a motion.

Well, I should have let's do it this way.

I'll entertain a motion for 50 minutes.

I'll make a motion for 50 minutes from all 10th, right?

Second, Quentin.

The second, yeah.

Everybody all in favor?

I and now I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.

Six, seven, seven or six.

Well, up there it's seven oh six.

Seven oh seven, okay.

Okay, is anybody second?

I'm always like, okay, let's go.

All in favor?

Aye.

Okay, guys.

Well that's it.

It is.

Well, it's good that it's large.

Yes.

Digital one.

Okay, guys.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Isabel.

Thanks, Isabel.

You're welcome.

I missed most of it, but I'm not sure.

Oh, you we you got on the whole meeting.

Don't worry about it.

Take care.

We'll see you soon.

Okay, you too.

Good luck on the 25th.

I'll look at that email.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Okay.

That's a weekend.