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Got asked to leave a city council meeting in Dayton last month because my aide read my statement out loud
I use a speech device and it broke that morning, so my aide offered to read my 3 minute statement on accessible sidewalks during public comment. The mayor cut her off 40 seconds in and said only the person who wrote it could speak, even after I held up my device with the dead battery. On one side, rules keep meetings from turning into chaos. On the other, that rule left me with zero way to be heard that night. What do you all think, should cities let aides read for people with speech disabilities, or does that open a door nobody wants?
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gonzalez.mia4d ago
So when your aide read the statement, did the mayor actually give a reason why only you could talk? Cause if the rule is about making sure the right person gets heard, seems like the fix should be letting disabled folks pick who speaks for them, not shutting it down. What did the other council members say when it happened, did anyone push back?
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