Transcription of my speech to city council

In 2021, I stood on live television and praised this City. I did so because I believed Danville was ready to lead with accountability. I believed we were turning a corner. I believed you were listening. And I believed that when residents brought serious concerns forward, this Council would act.
I am standing here today with a very different reality. For more than a decade, I have come before this City with warnings about safety, communication access, and the treatment of residents like me. I spoke in 2012. I returned again in 2021. During that time, I provided written ADA information directly to the City Attorney, Mr. Whitfield. That information was placed in your hands. Yet the response was minimal, and it was not enough.
Because of these ongoing failures, I have been forced to seek nearly all of my medical care outside of Danville. When I did attempt to receive care here, communication access was unreliable. Video Remote Interpreting froze, crashed, and failed repeatedly. Inperson interpreters were inconsistent. Even after some improvements were made, they were incomplete. During a serious medical emergency, no inperson interpreter was provided. I cannot feel safe in a system that still cannot reliably communicate with me.
Because these issues were not addressed, I was injured. I was terrified. And for the past two years, I have lived with daily fear — fear of what will happen the next time I need help, fear of entering a medical setting in this city, fear that the same failures will occur again because action was not taken when it mattered.
I want to be clear: I am not standing here because of politics. I am standing here because I was harmed. I am standing here because I raised these concerns repeatedly. And I am standing here because the fear I live with today is the result of being unheard.
After all of this, the appointment of an interim council member whose public record does not reflect support for issues I have raised for years — medical protections, disability access, communication rights — is deeply concerning to me. I want to be fair in saying that I once contacted him regarding a concern at my home, and he was receptive in that moment. But one interaction does not outweigh a long public record that has not reflected the needs of residents like me.
This appointment sends a message about how this Council prioritizes the concerns of Deaf, disabled, and medically vulnerable residents.
Danville receives millions of dollars in tax revenue from Caesars. With those resources, the City could have invested in educating every department and every publicfacing service on their ADA responsibilities — City offices, medical providers, hospitals, police, fire, and EMS. Deaf residents and Deaf visitors deserve full access. Caesars brings visitors from across the country, including Deaf individuals who eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores, and move throughout this city. Yet the access they need is still not consistently available.
So when I am asked how I feel about this appointment, the answer is simple and honest: I am afraid. I am angry. And I am deeply disappointed. Trust is built through action, and my confidence in this Council has been shaken.
I am not here to soften this message. I am here because I was injured. I am here because I asked for help in 2012. I provided ADA information in 2021. And I am here today because the pattern has not changed. When residents with disabilities are ignored, the consequences are real and human.
“I am formally requesting a written response from the City Manager within 14 days outlining what steps the City will take to correct these ongoing communicationaccess failures and prevent further harm.
I want a City where Deaf residents, disabled residents, and medically vulnerable residents are not treated as afterthoughts. I want leadership that reflects the people who live here — not just those who have always held power.
You cannot undo what has already happened. But you can decide whether this pattern continues. I am here today to ensure that these concerns are clearly on the record.
I praised this City in 2021 because I believed it was ready to lead. Leadership means protecting the people you serve. The actions taken since then have taken away my confidence in this Council.


Thank you for watching. Since I am injured and will not be able to take care of housekeeping and yard. I am raising funds to help us age in place safely and any assistance I need will go to those who come to help us with housekeeping and yard maintenance.

Link to donate here. Link

Or CASHAPP. $deborahmckague


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   ASLisGreat

   1 week ago

   ReplyTo:   ASLisGreat
   Title:   WSLS on camera