Transcripts For SFGTV LIVE Mayors Disability Council 2017031

Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to the Mayors Disability Council meeting friday, march 17 here in city hall in room 400. I want to welcome our new councilmembers and later up in the agenda we will tell you about themselves and their background. So right now, lets start with the introductions. Good afternoon and welcome to the Mayors Disability Council meeting today here at city hall. City hall is accessible to persons using wheelchairs and other assistive mobility devices. Wheelchair access is provided at grove van ness and mcallister street via ramps. Wheelchair access at the polk street good entrance is provided via a wheelchair lifts. Accessible listening devices are available at our meeting is open captioned. Sign language interpreted. Our agenda are also available in large print and braille. Please, as that for any additional assistance. To prevent electronic interference with this room sound system, and to respect everyones ability to focus on the presentation, these, sounds [inaudible] your cooperation is appreciated. We welcome the publics participation during Public Comment. You may complete the speakers card available in the front of the room or call our bridge line at 1415 554 9632. Where a staff person will handle requests at to speak at the appropriate time to the Mayors Disability Council meetings are generally held on the third friday of the month. Our next regular meeting will be on friday april 21 2017 from one4 pm here at San Francisco city hall in room 400. Please, call the Mayors Office on disability for future information or to request a commendation at 1415 554 6789, voice, or by email at mod at sf golf. Org. As a reminder to all our guests today to speak slowly into the microphone, to assist our captures and interpreters. We thank you for joining us today. We are going to proceed with the roll call. Thank you welcome new councilmembers. Texas only be here here madrid here sassouni present, smolinski here, williams here. Thank you, duncan welcome again to our councilmembers. The we are going on to action item 2, which is reading of the agenda. Agenda item number one, welcome, introduction and roll call. Agenda item number two, action item reading and approval of the agenda. Action item number three, agenda item number three, Public Comments. Items not on todays agenda within the jurisdiction of the mdc. Each speaker is limited to 3 min. Agenda item number four, information item. Introductions of new councilmembers. Agenda item number five, information item, cochair report disability Disaster Preparedness Committee Report. Agenda item number six, information item. Report for the Mayors Office on disability. Agenda item number seven, information item update on the dignity fun. An overview and update of the dignity fund past as proposition i on the November Ballot which enhances funding for services for seniors and adults with disabilities in San Francisco. The presentation will cover the implementation, funding allocation process, the oversight and Advisory Group provider group, and how you can learn more and get involved. Presentation by melissa mcghee, Program Manager for the dignity fund, department of aging and Adult Services, and rejob link, member Dignity Fund Coalition. Public comment is welcome. Agenda item number eight, San Franciscos rental assistance demonstration that program. The city of San Francisco in collaboration with the San Francisco Housing Authority, and virtually every other city agency is implementing the rabbit. This is a federal program that creates publicprivate partnerships to address significant financial and physical challenges at the San Francisco housing authorities to curating housing sites. Presentation by erin carson, construction manager, Mayors Office of housing and Community Development and [inaudible] Deputy Director of physical axis, Mayors Office on disability. Public comment is welcome. Break. Council will take a 15 min. Break. Agenda item number nine, information item. Wheelchair Accessible Taxi Services and an overview of the San Francisco Paratransit Program. A presentation about the impact of the decreasing number of on the road accessible taxis as well as an overview of Services Provided through the San Francisco Paratransit Program. The citys complement 388 Paratransit Service. Topics that will be covered include Program Eligibility requirements as well as both ada and on ada Transportation Services available to seniors and individuals with disabilities. Presentation by Jonathan Chang, paratransit coordinator San Francisco municipal transportation agency. Public comment is welcome. Agenda item number 10, information item. Get around. An overview and background of get around as well as information on get around and city car share joining forces. This information will include an update on city car shares access mobile vehicles. Presentations by carissa wolinsky, get around San Francisco city manager. Public comment is welcome. Agenda item number 11, Public Comments. Items not on todays agenda within the jurisdiction of the mdc. Each speaker is limited to 3 min. Agenda item number 12, information item. Correspondence. Agenda item number 13, escutcheon item, clock councilmember comments and announcements. Agenda item number 14, john mintz. Adjournments. Thank you, donna. Will now proceed with item number three under Public Comments to items not on todays agenda within the jurisdiction of the mdc each speaker is limited to 3 min. Do we have any speaker cards that have requested at this time . [inaudible off mic] thank you. So we will close Public Comment at this time. Thank you. This is when the new councilmembers become stars. So we are going to go on to information item number four, and we will make introductions for our new councilmembers, and they are just want to talk a little bit about themselves and why they were interested in joining the council and so we will start on my left, and id like to welcome our Councilmember Alex madrid. Hello. [inaudible] on a residence in San Francisco and this is my first time being in the [inaudible] and im very excited to be onon this council and a little bit about myself is that i went to berkeley and i have a physical disability called Cerebral Palsy and im very interested in physical accessibility employment accessibility. Thank you. Thank you. I like to welcome Councilmember Helen smolinski thank you hello everyone my name is helen smolinski. I work as a civil rights attorney from was 10 years for the local Lawyers Committee for the civil rights and im now a s stayathome mom for twins, sixyearolds. One of them my daughter was born severely disabled both physically and mentally. Shes confined to a wheelchair and is in a local Elementary School here in the city. In elementary a Public School here. My family and i have lived in the city for over 25 years and i am here because i wanted to help bring the voice of the families of disabled kids to this august group. Well, welcome councilmember smolinski. Next i like to introduce Councilmember Jim blacksten. Welcome. Thank you very much. I am jim blacksten. I am live and work here in the city and county of San Francisco. This is my Second Time Around in the city of San Francisco. I love your back in the 80s. Then i moved to the peninsula and came back in 2002 and so this is my Second Time Around. I have a passion to give back to the disabled community a lot of is what men done for me. People have helped me along the way, advisory, guided me, directed me, so i want to give up some of that back and thats really why i am here am i just to stir. To listen to you to what your needs are and what your concerns are. I am blind. Im involved in the blindness community with several different organizations. As i told the group here in San Francisco the other night, theres two points in my life that are important. First, is when i learned how to use a cane in every day living skills. At the orientation sensor for the blind, this goes way back and in the 70s. The second thing of note in my life is when i got a guide dog. As i say, went to the dog in 2009. So i got some guide dogs for the blind. I was going to retire this year and get a second one in october. Just for your note, i also served on the metropolitan Transportation Commission policy Advisory Council representing people with disabilities in San Francisco. So this fits in really nicely. But to dovetail [inaudible] very much. I also have a [inaudible] Health Insurance license on very muchyou know it all comes together. I much interested in the Health Insurance arena and as you know, thats a big topic of discussion right now. So thats who i am and look forward to getting to know you. Thank you. Welcome councilmember blacksten. To my right, welcome another new councilmember ms. Kate williams. I dont need to reintroduce myself as Kate Williams and im employed by the lighthouse for the blind visually impaired in San Francisco. I manage a program called employment in version. We have recently moved from van ness just got a half a block from here 20 just at 1155 market. We have a wonderful new facility. It happens to be in the same building with the Mayors Office on disability is located. [inaudible] come and see our new facilities simply a marvelous space. We do have that open for people who went to the whole Community Meetings or organization meetings. You are welcome to call and we can accommodate you with that. So as i said my position is employment. I do have a passion, especially for my visually impaired, and assisting them in securing employment. It is something that i just live to do that and we have had a phenomenal success in our program. We have a 43 placement rate right now. But we are not stopping. Were going to make a dent in that unemployment figure in our community so as i said, my position is there. My heart is in the disabled community. I have not been a member of the disabled community [inaudible] with vision must it happened later in my life so there were many years that i wasnt part of this Committee Community and am now belonging to many organizations, that represent the disabled community, i cannot tell you what pleasure and joy it is to serve on this council so that i can become more intimately involved with all disabilities because were all one part of a big community. Im happy to serve. Thank you. Welcome Councilmember Williams. Donna . Okay. I would like to welcome our new councilmember, her name is working sassouni and to pleasure to have her here today. Shes going to tell us a little bit about herself. [inaudible off mic] okay. I will be brief. I like to proceed with the agenda before the next agenda item can hello, my name is working sassouni. I work for the San Francisco Public Library and i been there since 2001 so right after september 11 actually. So i was in new york actually and so i have been living here actually since 1999. So im very focused on communication access in the community. And thats it did on the keep it short and sweet. Thank you and welcome councilmember sassouni. Is the screen okay now . It was kind of flashing on our monitors. I believe so but control we still do not access to the bridge line. Again, welcome new counsel numbers. We are going to go ahead and proceed to information item number five, which is a cochair report and then the Disaster Preparedness Committee Report which i will do but before i get started as part of my culture report, i want to make a quick announcement and closure. As you probably noticed the former cochair chips appendage is not with us today. He is no longer with the council. I was hoping that he would reach us today it is he on possibly be a bridge line . Okay so i was hoping we would hear so we get a chance to acknowledge him publicly. So anyhow, he returned his resignation about a month ago. Hes gone on to the Dignity Fund Oversight Advisory Committee. So he will definitely be missed and he sat by my side here for five years. He was my friend and mentor. It taught me a lot about hiv and the dignity fund and so many things in the Disability Community and he will be sadly missed. I know some of you had an opportunity to meet him because we were doing interviews with the new councilmembers, so he assisted me with that process. So he had some great things to say about the councilmembers and about your background, your strengths, your leadership abilities and i am very very excited as i sit before to have you here. He will be missed and i wish he was here today so i could acknowledge and thank him again but i wanted that to be mentioned for his tireless effort in being here and going to the changes and transitions with the council and i know he is [inaudible] what we will hope to achieve together. Moving forward. In fact i can hardly contain myself. Its the first time ive seen so many bodies for years. Its not a mirage. You are really here. So i want to go ahead and acknowledge him. The next thing i am going to go on to is, im going to read the Disaster Preparedness Committee Report. The dpc met on friday, february 3 year at city hall in room 421. The were representatives from city departments and Community Based organizations were in attendance to include, department of public health, department of Emergency Management, rebuilding together, neighborhood and speed of the network and others. The first item on the agenda was a presentation by daniel [inaudible] Neighborhood Empowerment Network that is the city office tasked with providing neighborhood resilience and Emergency Planning for neighborhood and residents were seniors and people with disabilities. The idea is that through a network of relationships, neighbors will be aware of and able to help each other in times of disaster and more effectively before city resources are able to be dispatched. It was a robust discussion among the group about ways to collaborate and some issues that should be paid attention to, such as mapping, Accessible Facilities for community helps, developing culturally componentcompetent excuse me programming to engage neighborhood residents with disabilities, etc. The following presentation was from rebuilding together a volunteerbased organization that provides free home repairs to low income seniors and disabled residents. The ability to provide service is based on income eligibility as they discuss the connection between the services that they can bring to disabled residents and disaster resilience such as screen bookshelves to the wall, repairing shaky stairwells, etc. They also talked about a new grants based program that provides disability related modifications to select residents such as door whining, chairlift installation, wool and shower modifications, etc. They wanted the groups help to disseminate information to folks would benefit from this work. Finally, we suck letter from the department of Emergency Management introducers up as the new lead planner and the point person for planning for access and functional needs asn. She introduced her a event Coordination Group that includes