Authorizing the Committee on People With Disabilities and Special Needs to hold a hearing regarding the state of accessibility in the City of Philadelphia, including ensuring the celebratory events that will be held in Philadelphia in 2026 are maximally accessible to every person in the City.

WHEREAS, It is imperative that the City of Philadelphia guarantees accessibility, particularly for community events and celebrations designed to bring people from across our City together. Philadelphia will experience a particularly busy year in 2026, including hosting the international soccer World Cup and celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, The City has committed to being maximally accessible to every person in the City. This means the City must engage in serious investments to guarantee all forms of accessibility including but not limited to language, visual, auditory, mobility and cognitive accessibility; and

WHEREAS, Existing challenges to accessibility are very likely to get worse within the context of a city packed with visitors. Philadelphia has worked to identify and smooth over potential trouble spots, including working to implement more and better public transit options as well as more and better signage to help travelers identify and pursue itineraries; and

WHEREAS, Proper preparation is only achievable through constant communication with key stakeholders, in particular members of the disability community, who can identify, troubleshoot and resolve barriers to accessibility when empowered to do so by the City; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Authorizes the Committee on People With Disabilities and Special Needs to hold a hearing regarding the state of accessibility in the City of Philadelphia, including ensuring the celebratory events that will be held in Philadelphia in 2026 are maximally accessible to every person in the City.

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