We are live.

All right.

I am Drew France and I will call this meeting to order.

This is the May 26th regular meeting of the Human Rights Commission of the City of Tulsa, and we do have a quorum.

What we don't have today is a presentation from Compassionate Tulsa.

So I'll move on to the agenda item of considering the prior meeting minutes for approval.

You were provided a copy of the April 26th regular meeting minutes for advanced review.

And I am certainly open to discussion or corrections.

So moved.

So motion to approve.

Do I have a second?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed, say nay.

The minutes are approved as presented.

I need to abstain since I wasn't there.

Noted the abstention.

For those that were absent.

As always, I will take the liberty to go in a different order from the meeting agenda.

Uh typically I'm going to do that not to be difficult, but to ensure that we spend time where we need to on the issues that are likely to have the most discussion.

But I will continue with the chair and vice chair reports going a little bit out of order.

It's been a very busy month since we last met.

Several of us uh toured the center for individuals with physical challenges on May 12th.

Uh, three human rights commissioners were there, two city staff, including Lexi, were there.

I want to thank Commissioner Meadows, who I don't think is here, but he's the one that connected us to staff to arrange that tour.

I myself have not been there in a long time, so long that when I was there, what was the new building and the new gym are now the very not the new building and not the new gym.

And not only double those, but they're in the process of major new construction and further expansions are underway.

If you haven't been, it's really uh an incredible facility.

Um their mission is to provide opportunities for youth and adults with physical challenges to enhance the quality of their lives.

And in case you don't know, they've also absorbed uh another nonprofit, so they've added deaf and hard of hearing services.

So that means interpreters to provide American sign language for businesses, schools, courts, hospitals.

Uh they've added deaf services, which are typically one-on-one services to meet individualized needs.

They've also added community resources which provide presentations on how best to serve the deaf community.

Uh Commissioner Meadows was quoted uh about two weeks ago in an article in the paper where he called the center Tulsa's best kept secret.

I would have to agree.

It is an amazing facility.

It has excellent gymnasiums and recreational areas for adaptive sports.

They do basketball and soccer and everything in between, and these beautiful gymnasiums.

They have spaces for uh social and wellness activities, for yoga, for therapy, for group connections, poetry, photography, you name it, it's going on in there.

Uh they have some horticultural spaces, both indoor and outdoor.

Uh, every plant I've ever killed is on display in driving in their area.

So, some really great partnerships in terms of folks that understand gardening and plants.

They do arts and crafts and stain, like stained glass, ceramics, it's all there.

So I don't know how many square feet it is, but it's a heck of a facility there at 11th and Utica.

Uh, and it really I think also the tour underscored the range of clients that they they help.

Uh there are folks that maybe have had a stroke, uh amputees, folks that have had spinal cord injuries, the visually impaired, those with brain injuries, those that have MS or MD or Parkinson's.

It's just a remarkable asset for Tulsa, and it's aligned with the goals of the human rights commission.

So appreciate uh Commissioner Meadows for uh him uh extending that invitation for us to visit.

I do encourage you to get there if you haven't, and I'll just pause to let others that were there share any impressions that you had.

I know Councillor Roberts, you were there.

Lexi, you were there.

My favorite is the rock climbing wall.

I just love those two spaces and two things that as an able-bodied person who generally spends you know time in spaces that aren't necessarily set up to support those with physical challenges.

Um, you would never think about somebody who utilizes a wheelchair being able to rock climb, and like how amazing is that that you can do anything and everything there, and it's it's just such a positive fun space.

Yeah, great, great example.

Anyone else?

And that rock climbing section is just right on the corner.

Yeah.

Look at the buildings.

So we're curves, so long with that, totally different now as that kind of building.