Able to drive a car for 25 years to works and appoints to health care and social activities and everywhere in between. And of course, wherever mom goes, i took her. Due to changes in Health Conditions with spine stenosis and neck fusion, it had restricted my neck range of motion, so i could not drive. This doesnt stop my ability to live a productive life, using Public Transportation. I am proud to be a native san franciscan and the city has a Public Transit network that serves well. Through the years, buses and trains were not accessible. With the enactment of the ada, the ada laws made that vehicles be accessible. Take the historic streetcars that operate along market street. These streetcars are accessible for people who use mobility devices such as wheelchairs, walkers and even strollers with the ability to board and exit streetcars. The uniqueness of the streetcars, they dont have electronic steps, but utilizing portable aluminum ramps to bridge the streetcars and ramps. As muni improves assets to its motorcoachs from hydroelectric lifts to lowfloor ramps, it provides safer boarding, and exiting, of buses for all passengers. Passengers who cannot use public buses and trains due to their disabilities they have options using Public Transit. San francisco has several paratransit programs that assisted well over 35 years before ada was in place. Some paratransit services, San Francisco access is a prescheduled your trip. Its a doortodoor transportation on sharedride program. Taxi service is the same day general public taxi including 100 ramp taxis for wheelchair users. All taxis in San Francisco are required to participate in the San Francisco paratransit program. This also has shop around, providing transportation to Grocery Stores for seniors and people with disabilities. The goal is to provide access and assistance to individuals, who live in areas without nearby fresh groceries. Riders may decide either that or taxi service. There is a Vango Program that provides transportation to groups of senior and people with disabilities to cultural and social events and activities. The goal is to reduce isolation among seniors and people with disabilities. This service was launched in 2013. San francisco has come a long ways to improve access to Public Transit and will continue to make transit systems more accessible. Earlier this year a wayside platform was constructed on judith street at 28th avenue in the outer sunset district which has closed gaps between bus stops. Sfmta invested in new vehicles for improved announcements of nextbus stops. A program to rehabilitate the aging elevators and escalators. For more information about San Francisco accessible transportation programs, you can call sfmta Accessible Services at 14157014485. Or search the internet sfmta. Org accessibility. This concludes my story and keep moving. Thank you. Thank you very much, Council Member wong. Next well have my cochair denise senhauxs story. Okay here is my story to me the difference between the past and the present as we celebrate the 25th ada anniversary is that people with disabilities have come full circle from exclusion to inclusion. My story is an example of inclusion and the impact of Assistive Technology around employment. I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with some Background Information that led me to this observation. Under the definition of the law, i am considered legally blind just before my High School Graduation i had my usual Eye Examination by my ophthalmolgist and informed me as a result of my unstable eye condition, my vision was not stable enough for me to work and that he was not sure if or when i would be able to do so. I was devastated by this news, and wondered about my future, and what was to become of me . I didnt want to become a burden to my family. I had their support and assurance that they would always be there for me, and they are. I wanted to discover my own path to finding the ways to contribute and be productive. I made a decision that this would not keep me down. I had hoped that one day things would change, and i would be able to work. So when that time came, i wanted to be ready by transitioning myself into a position where i could acquire some Work Experience. I decided the best way to gain some sort of Work Experience was to become involved with an internship program. I did some research and filled out an application, to work in the office for allen cranston, former democratic u. S. Senate in california. I got the internship, flipping page [laughter ] for him for a year or so. My hours ranged from full to parttime, asneeded. My basic duties including filing, answering phones, making copies, working on special projects, et cetera. With that Work Experience under my belt, i felt that the next phase of my plan was to learn the necessary skills involving in finding and interviewing for a job. I began the journey of putting together my own social network of family, friends and acquaintances and made aware of job postings through my network. At this point i had done the research and thought that i had learned most of the basicks in preparing for the interview. No matter how well, i was prepared for the interview, or when i was asked specific questions regarding the position i was applying for, i needed to divulge information with regards to my disability. In order to get what i needed at the time to do the job, i went through the same process all the time in looking for gainful employment. All of the employers wanted to do was to talk about my disability, and give me their opinion on what they thought i could or couldnt do . I was basically told and i quote i was too blind to work. Can you believe that . The day came for me my vision stabilized and i got the goahead from my ophthalmolgist to enter the workforce. A friend of mine notified that pacific bell was hire that gives you an idea of how old i really am [laughter ]i went through the application process and was interviewed, which went extremely well and went on to the next phase of passing various accounts payable test and i was offered the job on the same day. At this time there was no ada in place, but other federal mandates that ensure mid civil rights would be upheld i had that flipping page the interviewer rather than giving me her opinion of what i could or couldnt do took the time to listen to me and provided feedback on what i needed in order to succeed in my very first job. At that time Assistive Technology was notice as advanced as it is today. The placement manager provided me with the necessary accommodations including making enlarged hard copies of materials and everything included in my employment package. I was given extra time throughout the testing process. Now lets speed ahead to 30 years of gainful employment with at t. Now im older. In 2004 everything changed for me again. I had lost vision in my left iowa and eye, and i was working in oakland, which supports the frontline representatives by processing orders, handling error corrections, and managing correspondence from all of the five regions, midwest southeast, southwest, north and west. Not only dealing with the vision loss, i was afraid of losing my job. As an advocate, i worked with my Management Team and Union Counterpart and appropriate contactss and departments with at t, and was given the reasonable accommodations that i needed to continue doing my job. The company also collaborated with an external organization that served the blind, and visibly Impaired Community to assist with the process of making accommodations with regarding necessary equipment and software that i needed to ensure my success flipping to next page. Im going to give a condensed version for time, of all the equipment and everything i was given. I will give you modification of some of the technologies that they provided and trained me on. One was the Accessible Software jaws for window, professional edition, screen reading software, magic screen and topaz video mag inimum inimum. Magnifier. I cant begin to tell you the positive impacts that the technology has had on me both from a professional and personal perspective. When i first lost my vision, i thought that was it. I felt my dream were gone and i could no longer contribute to the workforce. Due to the Assistive Technology at t proceeded i was not only able to maintain my provide, but the confidence to explore other Career Opportunities continuing my career with at t. Ultimately at t has given me the tools and support regarding my personal growth and development. They have enabled me to build my 35year career portfolio around my passion and disability advocacy. This is where i kind of talk about me and this is the input i got from the Council Members and i appreciate that. My activity leads lead uninon steward. So im the lead steward not only with the other stewards to oversee the contracts, but only any ada issues. I serve on the National Board of one of the 12 employer Resource Groups within at t known as ideal disability advocates. Flipping page. And were a Resource Group pore people interested in the employment of people with disabilitis to enhancing the understanding, awareness and resolution of challenges faced by individuals with disabilitis in the workplace, advocate for advance of people with disabilitis in the workplace and make technology accessible. I am also very fortunate to serve on the disability to serve the disabled community as a member of the Motor VehicleMayors Disability Council. The intent and language states that i cannot be discriminated against in regards to employment, benefits and promotions as along as i am a qualified candidate and perform the job. The Mayors Disability Council speaks to how far we have come. Great strides have been made, but we still have to do more work as a community. This is what i mean when i say i have come full circle from exclusion to inclusion. Based on my experience, i feel the Disability Movement has come a long way. The ada has given me the foundation which has allowed me to become my own disability advocate and inspired and given me the incentivize to continue my disability advocacy work. That is the end of my story. Thank you. Thank you very much, cochair senhaux, next is Council Member tatiana kostanian. I have to preface saying this is the first time i have brought my story to the public and not even my parents or siblings know the full story, but i thought it was time. I apologize for anything that might be upsetting to you, but i thought truth is better than me just keeping quiet. The signing of the americans with disabilities act 25 years ago for the millions then and allamerican todate we must never be ever short fighting to see this through to fruition. For many as myself first generation persons most only knew that we had a constitution and some rights, but never anything as extensive as to include our disabilities, seen or unseen. I came from a world totally on the outside as well as on the inside unknowing of any type of rights. In fact, i had no real rights or what my rights as a human being or child was. It was a myriad of tores and abuse and silence not addressed until i was way past high school. I grew up one would say in the had shadows of time throughout my school years. I was truthfully so very fearful that i never told anyone the secrets of terrors. I was told you by all my guardians never to express anything to keep silent or i would be dead. Many those days people such as myself, even children had no no one or Law Enforcement to turn to. Families could be torn apart and worse particulars of our lives to be divulged. As these generation of children we stuck to ourselves and kept our securitis y secrets to our grave. It was always a terrible struggle. Whey what i learned in school i tried to retain. It was changed between those two directly contrary methods and starvation as well and torture and sex abuse, beatings, burned alive as a child, abuses and teachers yelling at me, telling me i was stupid, not good enough to be educated. A child with no future. Not american. But only a Second Generation american. I should go home and not waste the teachers home. I all, but gave up. I hardly made good grades and for that timeline i was beaten for lack of good grades. I was beaten all of my body with every conceivable object including clothes, buckle and threats including being held upside down outside of apartment windows. Yes, held over burning bonfires naked. Too many nightmares have dimmed those nightmares, but i have never forgotten them even to the past. It has only helped me be a better advocate to the present. Through the years i offered also to government hospitals veterans hospitals retirement homes, childrens hospitals, and i sang for the u. S. O and red cross and to my 30s and sang with the opera chorus of San Francisco. I only wanted to help wherever possible and do my best. Unfortunately it was not until 1962 i finally decided to really try my chance at starting to help children and elderly in my own support groups. I started to speak to people to talk about the things and issues that i had had to deal with as a child. In reaching out i came in contact knowing that people men and women who had addressed these issues as mothers, dads and students, but as people who had gone through every time of issues, et cetera. Here i was more than familiar as my father including communist gulags. Because in america no civilian would have understand of this as Law Enforcement and or as teachers or the american public. In todays world not even now is this discussed or addressed historically. All i know is that the most amount of people who suffered from the nazis and now known also because of many other communities and peoples. Because i continue to reach out in a round circle to globalize, i learned much as well and offered a safe heaven haven to many who are searching finding a home away from home to share their longterm issues. I help veterans from outside and inside the u. S. And men and women in the service. I work with many other city and state agencies Mental Health and outreach support groups. I was kindly reward by mayor brown, offering a he offered me a city day of remembrance for my nonprofit and abuse and torture and letter of commendation. I was more than happy that my work was wellreceived and appreciated. I had my difficulties wherein Public Transportation is from buses, tram, taxi cabs. It has not been easy. I use a wheelchair to get around and living on a route on 24th avenue and sunset and directly told for years by transit drivers if i had grocery bag or child or wheelchair, forget asking for any assistance. It definitely was not their job to help me up on the bus or tram. I was directly embarrassed and i was told to go home where i belonged and other hardtohear abuses. I finally went home one day and made a large drawing of bus that was inaccessible for the elderly or people with disabilities. The i was told by countless bus riders only because of my physical standing on the 25th avenue of sun set for the electric tram that they were upgradeedd at least transportation was brought to them regardless of the weather. Ways glad and happy to be offered assistance for this most important transportation law. The most important was when i met mayor gavin newsom who gave me an entry to be part of the Mayors Disability Council. I was shocked that a mayor of San Francisco welcomed me into this wonderful council. My only real worry i had so many disabilities, seen and unseen, would i fit in . Only then i realized that i really got educated what the ada was all about. You see, i still have not completely put to rest and completely understanding what all of my disabilities are to the present. I only know that ada means to me as a person with many disabilities, seen and unseen, i am somehow accepted as a human being with all of my frailtis y i am now on dialysis and it steals my memory being on dialysis every other day. Yes, i have gone through sensitive issues, and mental entities and personas, Public Transportation companies, therapists, et cetera, including losing my kidney because i was given my last physicians the wrong medications. I want you to know also that from age 14 to 58 i worked daily with Many Industries fulltime also. I am glad in all i went through i never gay up my faith or hope or those who believed to me the rights that we have in our constitution, our civil rights and as millions across america of the ada, the americans with disabilities act. In all the San Franciscos Mayors Disability Council, i still struggle feeling i am not as good as many of my fellow Council Members, but i realize its because we all have many strengths and bring the best of our knowledge to the meetings, as well as the knowledge we gathered through the year. The ada is made up of all of these constituencies and what makes our outreach wherever we are and will continue to grow through the years ahead. After all we are the persons and use who have dedicated our lives to future generations, so that the ada will serve allamericans in the years to come. We want no more hardships for fellow americans only a few understanding that care has come a long way on a long road to serve the elderly and disabled and all ages for the american peoples. Wee we will never leave out those san franciscans do look about you and take into understanding accessible. Please talk about it to all you know. Its wellworth talking about at any age. Thank you ada for all your hard work and for all the people who have worked to make it all accessible. Never forget this word it will be needful to all of us from infant to elderly because we never know when our lives for everything to be accessible and meet the American Government ada laws. Stand by and with america. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member kostanian for that very poignant and inspiring story. I will lead the final story my own. When the ada was enacted in july 1990 i was a healthy young man. I was living in santa fe, new mexico for a few years, working fulltime managing a restaurant and i loved outdoor, hiking, camping and enjoying the 3 20 sunny days a year in new mexico. I was an avid gardener and loved to go fourwheeling in my jeep. Several times in santa fe, i would feel ill and i thought it was simpili the flu and didnt give it a Second Thought until i moved to San Francisco in 1994. It was a dream come true to move to the city and the sights and activities were so refresh and exciting after seven years in a dusty, mountain town. Vibrant and progressive nature of the city was infectious. I had high hopes and sensed i was finally before i belonged. Early in 1995, i grew quite ill again, and was diagnosed as being in last stages of a lifethreatening illness. Quite suddenly my carefree active lifestyle came to a grinding halt. My days from then on were filled with hospital visits and prognosiss and office visits, social worker appointments, medical tests and procedures, applications for benefits and services, researching alternative treatments and disability paperwork. My fulltime job became the maintenance of my health and wellbeing. I i was effectively retired from working, unable to do more than care to my personal needs and get around town to my appointments. In 1995 i only had a vague awareness thatt americans with disabilities act existed and that it would benefit me over my lifetime. Over the ensuing years my disease progressed as hospitalizations piled and er visits were frequent and i could walk or climb steps very slowly and deliberaty. Hopping on a bus became a challenge. I would need the aid of a friend or passenger or driver to help get me get the lift i needed to board a bus or streetcar. I was unsteady and apprehensive from having fallen several times. Having access to Public Transportation was vital and i was happy to see that San Francisco had an accessible fleet of vehicles thanks to the ada. When visiting different agencies or offices or hospitals i was very glad to see the winding ramps, required by the ada, to provide access for people with mobility challenges, because the steps and stairs, which is too much for me some days. By the way, it seems a cruel irony that most of the hospitals in San Francisco are at the top of hills. I suppose we have over 50 hills in the city and it was inevitable, but when you