Nominations are open again. City of West Hollywood and the Disabilities Advisory Board made the call Monday. 28th Annual Disability Service Awards. Individuals can be nominated. So can businesses, media outlets, nonprofits. The point is recognizing work with people living with disabilities. Accessibility. ADA compliance. Advocacy. It all counts.
Not everyone qualifies though. Current City staff, no. Former City staff, no. Sitting Advisory Board members and Commissioners are out too. Anyone who served on the Board in the past year, also out. Rules and Procedures are posted on the City’s site if you want the fine print.
Deadline’s August 19, 2026. 5 p.m. Self-nominations count. The Board picks the winners, this is not a public vote. Form’s online at go.weho.org/DSAform. Prefer paper? PDF’s at go.weho.org/disabilityserviceawards. Email it to [email protected] when it’s done. Or mail it. City of West Hollywood City Hall, Human Services Division, Attn: Disabilities Advisory Board, 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069.
Last year’s show was October 22, 2025 in Council Chambers. It was one of those nights that left you feeling good to be alive and to be living in a city like West Hollywood. Seriously.
Then-Mayor Chelsea Byers presented. So did then-Vice Mayor John Heilman and Councilmember Danny Hang. Councilmember Lauren Meister was unable to attend, she was recovering from a torn retina. She sent a message saying said that she understood what impaired vision feels like and why the Board’s work is important and it matters.
Stephen David Simon and Adrienne Omansky took the Lovedy Brydon Differently Abled Individual Award. Omansky’s win was posthumous. Longtime advocate Mikie Friedman got up and talked about her. Called her a “soul sister.” Said meeting her wasn’t an accident. “It was fate,” Friedman said. Simon spoke too. Talked about how the country’s facing some of the biggest threats to disability rights since the ADA passed 35 years ago.
Vance North Necessities of Life Program at APLA Health won Nonprofit. Jeff Bailey accepted for them. Gave the credit to volunteers. Said they put out more than 1.2 million meals a year for people living with HIV and other health conditions.
The Media Award went to WEHOonline. Publisher Larry Block — who vision impaired and used to chair the Disabilities Advisory Board himself — said people with disabilities are the foundation of this City.
Not the whole room was there to clap though. Residents Stephanie Harker and Cathy Blavis used public comment to remind anyone who would listen that scooters, bikes, delivery robots continue piling up on sidewalks. One resident called it “deadly” for anyone with mobility issues.
The Board itself goes back to May 1, 1995. Five members, each appointed by a different Councilmember. Two more appointed at-large by the whole Council. Terms last two years. Its job is to advise the Council on ADA compliance, transportation, housing, access to City services. Recommend policy where it’s needed.
This year’s ceremony will take place on October 28, 2026. 6 p.m. It will include a special televised meeting of the Disabilities Advisory Board. Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. WeHoTV carries it on multiple platforms, listed at www.weho.org/wehotv.
If you have any questions on nominations you can call the City’s Human Services Division at (323) 848-6510.
Credit: Source link