By Colin Wilfrid In 2025, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will reach its 35th anniversary. Signed into federal law in 1990, the ADA is quite possibly the most important piece of disability rights legislation in United States history. This law has been responsible for elevators in multi-story buildings, handicap… [ Keep reading ]
Often, when people hear the phrase historic preservation, the first thing they think of is saving old buildings. And while, yes, that is sometimes the outcome, it is certainly not that simple. Historic Landmarks are rooted in community. They are tangible connections to the people and events that have shaped… [ Keep reading ]
This year marks the 15th anniversary of our Community Liaisons (CL) Program. The program was established in 2009 to help the City do a better job of engaging with and serving historically underrepresented communities in Seattle. Community Liaisons support departments across the City of Seattle by serving as a neutral… [ Keep reading ]
By Colin Wilfrid WARNING: This story talks about a disability-accessible school that the person this story focuses on, Janet Taggart, founded. The school’s original name uses ableist language that some readers may find offensive. Just like all mothers across the world, Janet Taggart loved her daughter, Naida, and she did… [ Keep reading ]
In 2023, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation Program received a grant to support work toward building inclusion in our history writing and landmarking process. Historic Preservation staff have been supporting a team of researchers and advisors to gather information on the history of disability activism in Seattle for… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle has awarded $1,123,111 to support 27 community-initiated projects through the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF). Twenty-seven community groups received awards averaging $41,597 and have pledged $1,034,436 to match their award through local cash donations, volunteer hours, donated materials, and in-kind professional services. Beginning… [ Keep reading ]
In April, Seattle was named as a finalist for the prestigious All-America City Award. Over a weekend in early June, a group of leaders from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) traveled to Denver for the 75th annual All-America City Award Event to show how Seattle exemplifies the power of… [ Keep reading ]
The Section 504 protests were a landmark civil rights demonstration that took place in 1977 demanding implementation of laws requiring equal access to federal projects for people with disabilities. Sit-ins and demonstrations happened across the country, and as part of our Disability Activism History Project, we have learned that Seattle… [ Keep reading ]
This article was written by the City of Seattle Innovation and Performance team and was originally published on their blog. Walking through Seattle streets, you are bound to pass a Department of Neighborhoods P-Patch community garden, a lush plot of land dedicated to vegetables, herbs, and flowers. P-Patches are so… [ Keep reading ]
The Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC), which was formed in 2022, just celebrated their first full year of collaboration. This year, they collaborated with the Office of Intergovernmental Relations to host the first Tribal Nations Summit, which resulted in plans and actions including those that further their mission to be a… [ Keep reading ]
