May 14, 2021 Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities

UM,

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:07]

UM, IN ANY OF THE CHAIR, FRANKS IS NOT HERE TODAY.

UM, I KNOW I AM, I AM PRESENT AS VICE-CHAIR, UM, SEE WHERE OUR, UM, SO WHAT CATHERINE BROADWATER, DORIAN, BERT, UH, DO WE GET TO DIANE CURRAN, SAASTR, QUAIL PRESIDENT ROBIN.

ORLOWSKI HERE, DEBRA TRIHEALTH HERE.

AND THEN, UM, MONICA VILLA MARIA.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE TWO, TWO NEW COMMISSIONERS, UM, WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE JOINING US TONIGHT OR IN THE FUTURE.

UM, SO IF THEY'RE ABLE TO JOIN, WE'LL GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, SO I BELIEVE OUR NEXT ORDER IS CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY FOLKS WHO ARE HERE TO CHAT WITH US FOR THIS PART OF THE MEETING? UH, NO VICE CHAIR.

ALL

[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

WELL THEN WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.

UM, HOPEFULLY WE WENT AND HAD A CHANCE TO READ THE MINUTES FROM APRIL.

UM, WOULDN'T IT BE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES? I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE APRIL MEETING MINUTES.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU TO ROBIN HAS MADE A MOTION WHENEVER YOU'D LIKE TO SECOND THAT THIS IS, I WILL SECOND, SORRY, THIS IS TERRY AND I WILL SAY, ALL RIGHT, I HAVE A SECOND FROM TORREON.

DEBRA.

DID YOU HAVE COME IN OR WERE YOU JUMPING IN A SECOND? NOPE, I WAS JUMPING OUT A SECOND.

ALRIGHT.

ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE APRIL MINUTES AS WRITTEN AYE.

AYE, AYE, AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTAINING? ALL RIGHT.

WELL, WE'RE MOVING

[2A. Introduction of Carol Johnson, Civil Rights Officer, City of Austin Office of Civil Rights, and discussion and possible action regarding Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities and Office of Civil Rights]

UM, AND, UM, SO CAROL, WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU, UM, AND I WILL TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO YOU.

HI, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

UM, THANKS FOR HAVING ME AND I APOLOGIZE.

I'M STILL IN THE PROCESS OF UNPACKING, SO YOU PROBABLY SEE BOXES AND ALL KIND OF STUFF BEHIND ME, BUT ANYWAY, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE EXCITED THAT, UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING, UM, WITH YOUR COMMITTEE, UM, AND PROVIDING LIAISON SUPPORT TO YOU ALL.

UM, I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH YOU ALL, UH, AS YOU KNOW, THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS WAS, UM, PART OF THE RE-IMAGINED RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY.

AND SO, UM, FUNDS WERE REDIRECTED, UH, IN ORDER TO CREATE THE OFFICE.

UM, AND SO WE ARE, UM, HERE TO ENFORCE THE CIVIL RIGHTS ORDINANCE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT ALSO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, DISABILITY RIGHTS.

UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH YOU ALL, UM, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR YOU ALL AS WELL.

UM, I THINK PROBABLY ARE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY OUR MAJOR YEAH.

MISSION IS TO ENSURE THE PROTECTIONS OF CIVIL RIGHTS FOR AUSTINITES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

UM, AND ONE CRITICAL WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS THROUGH CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT.

SO, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE ORDINANCES THAT WE HAVE UNDER OUR PURVIEW, WE WILL BE, UM, ENFORCING THOSE AND HELPING TO ENSURE WE HAVE A HIGHER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.

UM, BUT THE OTHER PART OF THAT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, AS IMPORTANT IS THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PIECE TO THAT.

UM, WE WILL BE REALLY, REALLY, UM, UH, ENGAGING IN LOTS OF COMMUNITY, UM, IN, UM, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION.

WE WANT TO DO, UM, LOTS OF WORKSHOPS AND OUTREACH.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HEAR FROM

[00:05:01]

UM, I HAVE BEEN WITH THE OFFICE NOW FOR, I THINK THIS IS THE 11TH WEEK.

UM, I, UH, HAVE BEEN, UH, I CAME TO AUSTIN DIRECTLY FROM SEATTLE AND I'M, I MADE IT HERE THE DAY BEFORE THE SNOW STORM HIT.

UM, SO IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE.

I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOSH, IT'S COLDER IN TEXAS THAN IT IS IN SEATTLE.

THERE WAS A PROBLEM.

UM, BUT I WAS VERY, UM, I WAS REALLY JUST WARMED, YOU KNOW, EVEN THROUGH THE SNOW STORM THAT I SAW SO MANY PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, AS A COMMUNITY TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH ALL THE DEVASTATION THAT WE SAW AROUND US.

SO IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY NICE TO SEE THAT, TO FEEL THAT, UM, AND TO EXPERIENCE THIS, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, IN MY NEW CITY IN AUSTIN, UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.

UM, ONE OF THEM, UH, WILL BE THE CREATION, UM, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVISORY GROUP, UM, AND A LABOR STANDARDS ADVISORY GROUP.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AGAIN, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, BOOTS ON THE GROUND, UM, WORKING WITH ISSUES THAT CAN COME BACK AND TALK TO US ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REAL CRITICAL NEEDS, EVERY CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE IS IMPORTANT TO US.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL OF THOSE ISSUES THAT AFFECT US, YOU KNOW, HERE IN AUSTIN, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO PRIORITIZE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT ISSUES ARE ARE CRITICAL THAT WE NEED TO DEAL WITH RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TRY TO WORK TOWARDS RESOLUTION IN THOSE AREAS.

UM, THE OTHER, UM, OUTREACH, UM, INITIATIVE THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON IS, UM, A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COLLEGES, THE UNIVERSITIES HERE IN AUSTIN FOR AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM AND EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

SO THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WOULD BE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND THE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM WOULD BE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS AND LAW SCHOOL STUDENTS.

UM, THAT WOULD BE, UM, A REALLY CRITICAL WAY FOR US, AS I BELIEVE, YOU KNOW, PART OF OUR MISSION IS TO HELP TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF CIVIL RIGHTS PRACTITIONERS.

SO I'M EXCITED TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, UM, PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS FROM ALL MAJORS AND ALL WALKS OF LIFE TO COME INTO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND, AND GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME REAL HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE AND EXPOSURE TO CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT AND CIVIL RIGHTS EDUCATION.

SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

AND THEN LASTLY, ON THE, UM, ON, UM, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH IS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ASPECT.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BUSINESSES, UM, EMPLOYERS, HOUSING PROVIDERS, ALL OF THOSE, UH, WITH WHOM WE MAY COME INTO CONTACT WITH, UM, IN COMMUNITY AND IN OUR WORKPLACES, UNDERSTAND WHAT CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS ARE, UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ARE, UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR OBLIGATIONS ARE UNDER TITLE SIX AND TITLE SEVEN AND TITLE EIGHT.

UM, AND ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC ALSO, YOU KNOW, SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT A CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION LOOKS LIKE.

WHAT DOES YOU KNOW WHEN, UM, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN, UM, UH, YOU'VE BEEN, UM, UH, SUBJECTED TO UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION, WHETHER IT BE BASED ON, YOU KNOW, YOUR DISABILITY STATUS OR YOUR FAMILY STATUS, OR YOUR RACE, OR YOUR LGBTQ STATUS, ANY OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE NUMERATED AND PROTECTED UNDER LAW, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? AND THEN WHERE CAN YOU GO WHEN YOU HAVE, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT TYPE OF ISSUE? UM, WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THE CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE IS HERE TO INTAKE COMPLAINTS.

UM, WE HAVE, UM, UH, A COMPLAINT PROCESS AND, AND WHEN FOLKS BELIEVE THAT THEIR RIGHTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED, THEY CAN COME TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.

THEY CAN FILE A COMPLAINT, AN INVESTIGATOR WILL BE ASSIGNED TO THAT CASE, UM, AND IT WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

UM, AND SO WE WANT TO JUST MAKE SURE AGAIN, THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE LAWS ARE, NO, THAT WE ARE HERE AND AVAILABLE AS A RESOURCE, AND THEN ASK FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL IN THE COMMITTEE.

WE WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE TO ASSIST IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN, UH, WE WANT TO HELP, YOU KNOW, FURTHER, UH, THE MISSION, UM, FURTHER YOUR GOALS AND FURTHER YOUR OBJECTIVES OF, UM, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

SO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, USE US, UM, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH YOU.

THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR A WELCOME WHAT A, WHAT A WELCOME TO AUSTIN.

SO I

[00:10:01]

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, FOR CAROL? UM, I HAVE ONE QUESTION, UM, ARE, UH, WHAT WE WERE, UM, PREVIOUSLY IN HUMAN RESOURCES WITH THE ADA PROGRAM.

AND, UM, WE WANT TO MOVE INTO THE CIVIL RIGHTS INTO, UH, YOUR OFFICE, BUT THE ADA PROGRAM IS STILL IN HUMAN RESOURCES.

UM, WE DON'T HAVE ANY, THE, UH, NEAREST COMMITTEE DOESN'T HAVE ANY ENFORCEMENT POWER.

I, THE ADA PROGRAM, UM, IS WHAT GIVES PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN ACCOMMODATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, UM, WOULD IT, WOULD THERE BE A WAY TO MOVE THE ADA PROGRAM, NGV CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE SO THAT THEY PROVIDE, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PROVIDE THE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR, UH, CITY PEOPLE NEEDING ACCESS TO CITY PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION AND A GREAT POINT.

UM, UM, AND, AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT IS CERTAINLY IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, LOOK INTO AND, AND INQUIRE ABOUT AND ASK ABOUT, UM, D TO SEE IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS POSSIBLE.

UM, AND IF, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN I WOULD, I WOULD SAY, UM, THAT MAY BE, UM, AN ITEM THAT YOU ALL WANT TO TAKE UP.

OKAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ABSOLUTELY.

WE DO HAVE A QUESTION.

I KNOW YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT AN ADVISORY BOARD.

UM, DO YOU HAVE THAT STILL IN THE WORKS, OR DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT THAT? IT IS STILL IN THE WORKS, BUT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT.

WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY, WHEN I SAY BRAND NEW, WE ARE GETTING OUR WEBSITE UP RIGHT NOW.

SO ONCE WE GET THE WEBSITE UP, ALL THE INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE, IF THEY WANT TO APPLY TO BE ON THE ADVISORY COMMITTEES, WE'LL HAVE EVERYTHING OUT ON THE WEBSITE.

SO PEOPLE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ACCESS FOR EVERYONE.

IT'S OPEN.

WE WANT AS MUCH PARTICIPATION AS POSSIBLE.

SO WE, ONCE WE GET ALL THAT STUFF OUT AND UP ON THE WEBSITE, THEN YOUR LIAISON WILL SHARE THAT INFORMATION ALSO WITH YOU EXCITING, EXCITING TO HEAR, UH, THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG AND YOU DON'T OFTEN GET A CHANCE TO KIND OF BUILD SOMETHING FROM, FROM SCRATCH.

SO FINDING OPPORTUNITY, ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

WELL, CAROL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE FROM YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

HAVE A GOOD EVENING.

[2B. Presentation by Public Consulting Group followed by discussion and action to approve the Disability Quality of Life Study implementation plan]

SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM TWO B, UM, WHICH IS OUR PRESENTATION REGARDING, UH, OUR DISABILITY.

IT'S LIKE, WE MIGHT HAVE A FEW, FEW FOLKS SPEAKING ON, ON THIS TOPIC BASED ON SOME, SOME NAMES I DON'T RECOGNIZE HERE.

HEY, WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT CONSULTANTS.

AT LEAST THERE'S A LOT OF US STRENGTHENED NUMBERS.

AND, UM, DO I HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHARE OUR PRESENTATION AS WELL? OH, PERFECT.

THANK YOU.

GREAT.

SO I WILL KICK US OFF.

UM, WE ARE PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP, SO WE ARE THE AGENCY WHO IS, UM, WORKING WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND COMPLETING THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY.

UM, WE JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY AND ALLOWING US TO COME AND PRESENT, UM, KIND OF WHAT THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN OUR PATH FORWARD.

UM, TONIGHT WE WILL BE DISCUSSING IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

PERFECT.

SO WE'LL GO THROUGH INTRODUCTIONS.

UM, SO WE WILL INTRODUCTION INTRODUCE, UM, OUR PROJECT TEAM.

THOSE

[00:15:01]

UM, WE WILL TALK ABOUT PREVIOUS PROJECTS.

WE WILL, UM, ADDRESS PROJECT ROLES AND EXPECTATIONS.

WE WILL ALSO JUMP INTO THE QUALITY OF LIFE MEETING AND PURPOSE, THE DATA COLLECTION, POWER ANALYSIS, TIMELINE, AND NEXT STEPS.

AND WE WILL ALLOW SOME TIME FOR QUESTIONS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE.

YOU CAN PROGRESS TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

PERFECT.

SO WHO'S HERE TODAY.

I WILL LET EVERYBODY GO THROUGH AND INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.

I'LL START I'M HEATHER .

I AM THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT FOR THIS TEAM, A ALSO A CONSULTANT FOR PCG.

UM, I HAVE MANY, MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH, UM, INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AS WELL.

I HAVE SPENT MOST OF MY TIME, UM, AS A CASE MANAGER, BUT HAVE SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AS WELL IN THE, UM, STATE REALM OF PROVIDING INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, ALONG WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WAIVER SERVICES.

UM, I'VE RECENTLY STARTED WITH BCG ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO, SO I'M FAIRLY NEW.

UM, SO I WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH BRITTANY CHAIR HERE, AS FAR AS THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROLE GOES, BRITTANY, THANKS, HEATHER AND GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

THANK YOU.

AS HEATHER SAID FOR HAVING US HERE, MY NAME IS BRITTANY TRUJILLO.

I AM A SENIOR CONSULTANT WITH PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP.

I HAVE BEEN HERE ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF.

UM, I AM BASED IN DENVER, COLORADO, AND FOR THIS PROJECT, I AM THE PROJECT MANAGER.

UM, SIMILAR TO HEATHER.

I HAVE SEVERAL YEARS EXPERIENCE OVER 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING, UM, IN PROGRAMS OR WITH PROGRAMS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE AGING OR HAVE VARIOUS DISABILITIES, UM, INCLUDING PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, BRAIN INJURY, MENTAL HEALTH, UM, ET CETERA.

PRIOR TO MY TIME WITH PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP, I SPENT OVER SIX YEARS AT THE STATE MEDICAID AGENCY IN COLORADO OVERSEEING AND MANAGING OUR ENTRY POINT AND CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR HOME AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES PROGRAMS. UM, SO AGAIN, LOTS OF EXPERIENCE AND VERY EXCITED TO BE KICKING THIS PROJECT OFF WITH ALL OF YOU ALTERNATE OVER TO CHRISTINA.

THANKS, BRITTANY.

UM, HI EVERYONE.

MY NAME'S CHRISTINA CRUZ.

I'M A CONSULTANT WITH PCG AND WORKING THERE FOR A LITTLE OVER THREE YEARS.

I, UM, AM YOUR PERSON THAT WHO LIVES IN AUSTIN.

SO I WILL BE DOING SOME STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.

UM, WE ANTICIPATE DOING SOME OF THOSE, UM, MAYBE POSSIBLY IN PERSON AS, UH, SAFETY GUIDELINES, PERMIT AND SUCH.

UM, MY BACKGROUND IS IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND I'VE HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, UH, WORKING WITH SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND HEALTH CARE AGENCIES, REALLY FOCUSING ON IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY, UM, AND WORKING WITH VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, SUCH AS PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOLKS WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS.

UM, AND PRIOR TO THAT, I WORKED WITH FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN A BRAIN TUMOR CLINIC.

SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO, UM, THIS WORK.

UM, IT KIND OF OVERLAPS IN SO MANY AREAS THAT I'VE HAD EXPERIENCE IN AND I'M REALLY LOOKING TO DO SOMETHING THAT HAS SOME COMMUNITY IMPACT.

UH, SO THAT'S ME.

AND I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO MARK.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHRISTINA.

HELLO, EVERYONE.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL THIS EVENING, UH, BECAUSE IT IS GETTING UP ON EVENING FOR MAY, FROM SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL PORTLAND, MAINE.

UH, MY NAME'S ART NOISE.

UH, I AM GOING TO BE THE DATA ANALYST LEAD FOR PCG PROJECT TEAM HERE.

UH, I AM A DATA ANALYST AND RESEARCHER WITH ABOUT A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE, ALMOST ALL OF IT, UH, WORKING WITH POPULATIONS WITH DISABILITIES.

SO I'VE HELPED VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AGENCIES ALL ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, COMPLETE SURVEYS OF THEIR SERVICE POPULATION, AS WELL AS COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENTS.

I'VE ALSO WORKED WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE, UH, SAMHSA WORKING WITH POPULATIONS WITH SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH, UH, CONCERNS, UH, TO HELP THEM LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SUCH CONCERNS AND ADDRESS THEM THROUGH SERVICES AT POLICY CHANGES, I'M GOING TO BE TAKING THE LEAD ON, UH, ITEMS AROUND DATA COLLECTION, WHETHER THAT'S DATA COLLECTION FROM REPUTABLE FEDERAL SOURCES OR DATA COLLECTION.

BY SPEAKING WITH INDIVIDUALS IN THE COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN AUSTIN, I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT WE'RE STARTING THAT PROCESS HERE TONIGHT.

BY SPEAKING WITH YOU ALL, WE'VE BEEN REVIEWING THE BEADINGS

[00:20:01]

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR TIME WORKING TOGETHER.

THANKS MARK.

UM, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

SO YOU'VE MET EVERYONE.

WHO'S HERE ON THE CALL TODAY, BUT OUR PROJECT TEAM IS LARGER THAN THIS.

UM, NOT EVERYONE CAN BE HERE TODAY.

SO SARAH SALSBURY IS OUR ENGAGEMENT MANAGER.

SHE'S REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT OF OUR ENTIRE PROJECT TEAM.

UM, SHE'LL WORK CLOSELY WITH THE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, CAROL AND JONATHAN AND OTHERS ON THEIR TEAM, AND THEN ADDITIONAL PEOPLE ON OUR TEAM THAT AREN'T, WE HAVE MAYA COX, KATHY ANDERSON, AND TERESA GROSSI, UH, AS SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, ALL THREE HAVE EXTENSIVE HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UM, RANGING AGAIN FROM INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES TO EMPLOYMENT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO ALSO CONDUCTING SURVEYS AND STUDIES, UM, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS WELL.

AND THEN WE HAVE JAKE WITH DEPOT WHO IS, UM, SUPPORTING OUR PROJECT AS A BUSINESS ANALYST.

SO HE'LL HELP COORDINATE A LOT OF MEETINGS.

ONCE WE GET TO THAT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, THEY'LL HELP COORDINATE THOSE, UM, AND DO SOME OTHER WORK FOR OUR PROJECT.

AND THEN DOWN IN THE BOTTOM, RIGHT? IF YOU'RE FACING YOUR SCREEN, WE ALSO HAVE ASHLEY FAUCET WHO IS HELPING TO LEAD OUR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS.

YOU HEARD MARK TALK ABOUT DATA.

UM, ASHLEY ALSO HAS EXPERIENCED, SO SHE'LL DO A LOT OF WORK WITH SOME OF THAT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AS WELL.

UM, AGAIN, THEY COULD NOT BE HERE, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALL GOT TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT THE ENTIRE PROJECT, THAT TEAM.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

I THINK IT'S EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO GET A LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF WHO WE ARE AS A COMPANY.

SO PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP, WE WERE FOUNDED IN 1986.

WE ARE HEADQUARTERED IN BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

UM, WE HAVE MORE THAN 2,500 EMPLOYEES, AND THIS DOES SAY 60 OFFICES.

HOWEVER, I THINK SINCE MOST OF US HAVE BEEN WORKING REMOTELY FOR THE LAST YEAR, WE PROBABLY HAVE ABOUT 2,500 DIFFERENT OFFICES RIGHT NOW.

UM, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, I THINK WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REEVALUATING AND YOU KNOW, WHAT OFFICES PEOPLE WILL BE GOING BACK INTO, BUT WE ARE A MANAGEMENT CONSULTING AGENCY, UM, WHO FOCUSES ON A SUCCINCT PUBLIC SECTOR AGENCIES.

SO, YOU KNOW, STATE CITY, COUNTY GOVERNMENTS, UM, TO BETTER SERVE THE PEOPLE THAT THEY WORK WITH.

WE HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE FOCUS ON HUMAN SERVICES, HEALTH, EDUCATION, UH, TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING.

AND WE HAVE ANOTHER PARTNER WHO WORKS WITH PARTICIPANT DIRECTION PROGRAMS. UM, AND THAT'S REALLY THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE.

I THINK ON THIS TEAM, WE ARE MADE UP OF HUMAN SERVICES, UM, INDIVIDUALS, AGAIN, REALLY FOCUSING ON THOSE SOCIAL SERVICE TYPES, THE PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WE ALSO THOUGHT IT'D BE IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS PROJECTS THAT, UM, SUPPORT OUR WORK HERE THAT HAVE GIVEN US SOME EXPERIENCE TO, TO DO THIS PROJECT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UM, WE'VE DONE SEVERAL PROJECTS FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND THAT WORK HAS INVOLVED CREATING PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES, DOING COMMUNITY POWER ANALYSIS, UM, LOOKING AT BEST PRACTICES AND DATA COLLECTION FOR DISABILITY POPULATIONS, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.

UM, WE'VE ALSO WORKED WITH THE ARIZONA ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC SECURITY REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM FOR THAT PROJECT SPECIFICALLY, WE CONDUCTED A NEEDS ASSESSMENT TO IDENTIFY WHAT SERVICES WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED AND FOR WHICH POPULATIONS, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO DONE.

AND THEN WE'VE ALSO DONE WORK WITH ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST AUTHORITY.

UM, AND FOR THAT PROJECT, WE DID A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT.

WE USE MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES TO IDENTIFY THE CAPACITY NEED AND SERVICE GAPS, UH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEMS IN THE STATE REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS.

SO AGAIN, REALLY HIGHLIGHTING OUR, UM, OUR EXPERIENCE WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO CONDUCT SURVEYS, TO, TO UNDERSTAND NEEDS AND GAPS, UM, AT VARIOUS LEVELS AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

SO YOU'VE HEARD A LITTLE, WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC CONSULTING GROUP YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN? WE THOUGHT IT'D BE HELPFUL TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE VARIOUS ROLES FOR ALL THE DIFFERENT PLAYERS IN THIS PROJECT.

UM, AS PCG, WE ARE THE ENTITY CONTRACTED WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

OUR MAIN ROLE HERE IS TO DEVELOP THAT SURVEY AND ADMINISTER THE SURVEY, THIS QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, ALSO TO CONDUCT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH, TO, UM, UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PEOPLE LIVING IN AUSTIN, HELP, YOU KNOW, AND RE OUTREACH FOR SURVEY PARTICIPATION.

AND ONCE ALL OF THAT WORK IS DONE, WE'LL ALSO CREATE A FINAL QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY REPORT.

UM,

[00:25:01]

AND THEN WITH YOU ALL AS THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, UM, WE REALLY HOPE TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT TO GET SOME FEEDBACK AND HAVE YOU SERVE AS, AS AN ADVISORY ROLE TO THIS PROJECT, TO THIS PROJECT, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY TIME THAT WE WILL BE COMING HERE.

WE'RE HOPING TO COME BACK IN JUNE, WHICH IS JUST NEXT MONTH.

UM, BUT WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER AS WELL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THIS NEXT ONE SECTION, WE REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE, STUDY THE MEANING AND PURPOSE, AND REALLY HELP EVERYONE UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS WORK IS ABOUT.

SO QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY IS LOOKING AT ASPECTS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE.

UM, AND REALLY AT THE ROOT OF THIS IS THAT INDIVIDUALS, ALL INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE, WORK, PLAY, AND PURSUE THEIR LIFE DREAMS OR ASPIRATIONS.

EXCUSE ME, A QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, UM, SUPPORTS THE EQUALITY OF INDIVIDUALS, WHICH IS OFTEN REFLECTED IN CONCEPTS, SUCH AS SELF-DETERMINATION INCLUSION AND EMPOWERMENT.

THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY ALSO CONSIDERS THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT, UM, ON OUR NEXT SLIDE.

IT ALSO HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EQUALITY VERSUS EQUITY.

AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT AS WELL.

AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY IDENTIFIES THOSE CURRENT CONDITIONS AND IMPRESSIONS OF THE COMMUNITY.

SO REALLY GIVING US A PICTURE OF WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE, WHAT THE QUALITY OF LIFE LOOKS LIKE IN AUSTIN FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THANK YOU.

AS I MENTIONED, THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY REALLY LOOKS AT THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, WHICH ARE DEFINED AS CONDITIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE BORN, LIVE, LEARN, WORK, PLAY WORSHIP, AND AGE THAT AFFECT A WIDE RANGE OF HEALTH FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES, RISKS.

SO THE AREAS ARE THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.

WE START WITH ECONOMIC STABILITY.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE, UH, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, YOU'RE ALSO COMPARING THESE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS TO, UM, WORKING ADULTS WITHOUT DISABILITIES.

SO COMPARED TO THAT GROUP, UM, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE EMPLOYED.

UM, MORE LIKELY THAT THEY HAVE ANNUAL INCOMES BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL, MORE LIKELY TO RELY ON FOOD ASSISTANCE AND RENTAL ASSISTANCE, MORE LIKELY TO BE FOOD INSECURE AND MORE LIKELY TO REPORT HIGH LEVELS OF FINANCIAL WORRY.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT EDUCATION, ACCESS AND QUALITY, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE LESS LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE.

UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE LESS LIKELY TO DESCRIBE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AS COHESIVE OR SUPPORTIVE.

LOOKING AT SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE ALONE, LESS LIKELY TO LIVE WITH CHILDREN AND LESS LIKELY TO BE MARRIED OR COHABITATING.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT HEALTHCARE AND ACCESS, QUALITY, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE MORE LIKELY TO RELY ON PUBLIC INSURANCE PROGRAMS LIKE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID, UM, USE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING AND PAYING FOR HEALTH, THEIR HEALTHCARE SERVICES.

SO AGAIN, THESE ARE THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.

I MEAN, WANTING TO PROVIDE SOME RESEARCH, UM, THAT HAS SHOWN, YOU KNOW, WHAT IN GENERAL, WHAT PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE, UM, WHO HAVE A DISABILITY IS LIKE IN THESE AREAS.

UM, AND THIS IS INFORMATION THAT HELPS US LOOK AT THE STUDY THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, UM, THAT WE'RE GOING TO BUILD IN THAT SURVEY, PLEASE.

AS I MENTIONED, THE, UM, THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY ALSO HELPS US LOOK AT EQUALITY VERSUS EQUITY.

UH, THE PICTURE ON YOUR SCREEN AND, YOU KNOW, SHOWS EQUALITY ON THE LEFT SIDE.

WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT YOUR SCREEN, EVERYONE HAS THE SAME CRATE OR THE SAME SIZE BOX TO STAND ON, TO SEE OVER THE FENCE.

UM, BUT REALLY THAT'S NOT ALLOWING EVERYONE TO SEE OVER THE FENCE.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT EQUITY ON THE RIGHT SIDE, IT'S REALLY, UM, EVERYBODY'S RECOGNIZING THAT EACH PERSON HAS DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND EQUITY ALLOCATES THE EXACT RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES NEEDED TO REACH AN EQUAL OUTCOME.

SO, UH, THAT'S REALLY THE DIFFERENCE.

AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.

AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO THAT WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, REALLY TO SUM THAT UP, THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS FOR IS TO HELP US AND ALL OF YOU AS WE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FINALIZE THIS REPORT, IDENTIFY AUSTIN'S STRENGTHS AND ASSETS, WHAT THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THOSE EXIST.

WE ALSO, WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, YOU WANT TO ENSURE THAT A VARIETY OF VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES ARE HEARD.

FOR EXAMPLE, FROM PEOPLE WITH VARYING DISABILITIES, FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE USING AND NOT USING SERVICES, INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE INTERSECTION OF MULTIPLE IDENTITIES.

[00:30:01]

AND WE ALSO WANT TO USE THESE RESULTS TO CELEBRATE THE STRENGTHS OF THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN AND THE CITY, AS WELL AS SHAPE A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENT.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

AND THIS SECTION, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MARK, BUT WE'LL GIVE YOU A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR DATA COLLECTIONS BY HIM.

AND AS I MENTIONED, WE PLAN TO RETURN NEXT MONTH IN JUNE TO GIVE YOU A MUCH MORE DETAILED, UM, OVERVIEW OF OUR ENTIRE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE PROJECT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BRITTANY.

SO WHAT WE SEE ON THE SLIDE HERE IS, AGAIN, A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR GENERAL PROCESS FOR, UH, UNDERSTANDING SOME OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES THAT RELATE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN AUSTIN.

UH, WE START BY DEFINING AND DESCRIBING THE POPULATION.

THAT MEANS THAT FIRST WE DEFINE WHAT DISABILITY IT'S.

WE DESCRIBE DISABILITY IN AUSTIN.

THAT MEANS THAT THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE AGE, THE RACE, THE ETHNICITIES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, THE LANGUAGES THAT ARE SPOKEN BECAUSE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED IN A WAY THAT MOST INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES CAN ACCESS IT AS IMPORTANT IN LANGUAGES, A GATEWAY BARRIER TO ACCESSING BEING PART OF THE RESEARCH PROCESS, TO INVITING THOSE PEOPLE IN WE'LL WORK, TO STUDY EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO ACCESSING AND PARTICIPATING IN THIS RESEARCH THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY IDENTIFY.

FORTUNATELY, MUCH OF THE WORK OF DESCRIBING THE POPULATION CAN, UH, WE CAN WORK WITH A RELIABLE SOURCES, SUCH AS DATA COLLECTED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, TO UNDERSTAND MANY OF THESE POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND ALLOW US TO GET A FIRM HANDLE ON THE POPULATION THAT WE'LL BE SPEAKING TO, UH, AND WORK TO UNDERSTAND ISSUES THAT MAY, UH, BE NECESSARY TO ADDRESS THAT WON'T GIVE US A COMPLETE PICTURE.

WE'LL ALSO HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND AS I SAID BEFORE, MY INTRODUCTION, THAT PROCESS STARTS TONIGHT.

THAT PROCESS STARTS WITH, UH, US MEETING WITH YOU HERE, LISTENING TO YOU, YOUR CONCERNS AND WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDRESSED IN THIS QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE BEST WAYS THAT THOSE CAN BE PULLED INTO OUR SURVEY DESIGN, WHICH IS THE NEXT STEP OF OUR PROCESS.

WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW SOME PRIOR LEARNING THAT INCLUDES PRIOR LEARNING FROM OUR DESCRIPTION OF THE POPULATION, AS WELL AS PRIOR LEARNING FROM OTHER QUALITY OF LIFE STUDIES THAT THE CITY OF BOSTON HAS CONDUCTED, UH, THAT WE'RE REVIEWING, TAKING THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND AS WELL AS TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT OF THE CITY AT LARGE, ONCE WE HAVE THAT.

AND, UH, ONCE WE'VE SPOKEN WITH, UH, MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION AND IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CONCERNS THAT THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY IN AUSTIN, WE'LL BE DESIGNING A SURVEY INSTRUMENT WITH A FOCUS ON ACCESSIBILITY AND THAT'S ACCESSIBILITY, WRIT LARGE ACCESSIBILITY OF LANGUAGE.

UH, THINGS WILL BE FORMATTED AND KEYBOARD CONTROLS.

EVERYTHING WILL BE SET UP IN ORDER TO ALLOW AS MANY INDIVIDUALS AS POSSIBLE TO TAKE THIS SURVEY.

WE'RE HOPING TO WORK WITH A WIDE RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS, NOT JUST THIS COMMITTEE, BUT A WIDE RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS WORKING ACROSS THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SURVEY HAS A CHANCE TO PROLIFERATE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN ENGAGE AND DRAW AS MANY INDIVIDUALS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS POSSIBLE INTO OUR RESEARCH TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THE FULL CONTEXT OF QUALITY OF LIFE.

ONCE WE HAVE THE SURVEY DISTRIBUTED AND WE'LL COLLECT DATA, UH, WE'LL BE OUT IN THE WORLD, UH, AND CIRCULATING AROUND FOR AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO TAKE.

AS I SAID, WE'LL BE USING PRIMARILY AN ONLINE SURVEY TOOL.

WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME ALTERNATE METHODS FOR THOSE WHO REQUEST THEM, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UH, ONLINE SURVEYS AND THE BEST WAY TO REACH EVERY MEMBER OF THE POPULATION.

AND THIS IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE SPREAD THINGS WIDE.

OUR TIMELINE ON THIS IS PRETTY QUICK.

WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE A SURVEY OUT IN THE FIELD, UH, AS LATE AS THE END OF THIS SUMMER, WHICH IN A PROJECT LIKE THIS IS A VERY FAST TURNAROUND.

I'M NOT SURE HOW FAMILIAR PEOPLE ARE WITH THE GENERAL PROCESS OF SURVEYING THE POPULATION, BUT FOR A BROAD POPULATION LIKE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, A COUPLE OF MONTHS IS A MOVING AT A VERY GOOD CLIP.

I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.

WE'LL BE DOING STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH BEFORE THE SURVEYS FIELD AND AFTER THE SURVEYS FIELDED USING THE, OUR STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT THE SURVEY NEEDS TO ADDRESS, THEN USING THE RESULTS

[00:35:01]

OUR SURVEY INVITATIONS ARE GOING TO BE PRIMARILY ONLINE USING AN ANONYMOUS LINK, BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE SOME ALTERNATE METHODS.

AS I MENTIONED, UH, TO ACCESS BOTH THE ONLINE SURVEY AND ALTERNATE METHODS OF SURVEY DISTRIBUTIONS.

ONE THING THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IF THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS TO DO IT, WE DON'T KNOW IF IT DOES YET, BUT WE'LL FIND OUT IS ATTEMPTING TO USE SMS OR TEXT MESSAGE TO INVITE PEOPLE, TO TAKE THE SURVEY.

I'VE, THAT'S BEEN SHOWN IN THE SCHOLARLY RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT OF A SURVEY RESPONSE TO BE ONE OF THE MOST, UH, POWERFUL WAYS TO INCREASE THE RESPONSE RATE OF A SURVEY.

INDIVIDUALS ARE VERY, VERY LIKELY TO SEE A TEXT, VERY LIKELY TO RESPOND TO ATTACKS, UH, AND PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION, UH, THROUGH A LINK THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM IN AN SMS MESSAGE.

NOW THERE'S SOME CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITATIONS ON THAT, UH, THAT WE NEED TO, UH, DEAL WITH FIRST AND FOREMOST WOULD BE, WE NEED SOMEBODY'S PHONE NUMBER IN ORDER TO SEND THEM A TEXT MESSAGE.

UH, BUT THERE ARE RESTRAINTS BEYOND THAT AND WE'LL WORK WITH THE, UH, CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO SEE HOW MUCH, UH, OF AN IMPACT WE CAN HAVE WITH THIS, UH, INNOVATIVE RESEARCH METHOD.

NOT SAYING THAT IT'S, UH, DEFINITELY GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT I WOULD BE REALLY EXCITED IF IT COULD AND WILL DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN, UH, TO SEE THAT IT HAPPENS AND ENGAGED WITH AS MANY INDIVIDUALS AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.

UH, COULD WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE? WE'RE GOING TO BE ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY IN A VARIETY OF METHODS, IN ADDITION TO THE SURVEY.

AND I JUST WANT TO GO OVER SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE DOING TO SPEAK WITH AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM.

SURVEYS ARE GREAT FOR LEARNING MORE ABOUT SUBJECTS THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW, AND, UH, DIGGING DEEPER AND GETTING A BROAD VIEW OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY'RE NOT THE BEST AT GETTING A DEEP VIEW OF ANY ISSUE, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE LOOKING TO BE PAIRING THEM WITH SOME MORE QUALITATIVE FORMS OF LEARNING AND GATHERING SOME MORE QUALITATIVE DATA THAT REFLECTS PEOPLE'S STORIES AND EXPERIENCES.

WE'LL BE CONVENING FOCUS GROUPS, WHICH ARE SMALL GROUPS THAT GATHERED, UH, SHARE IDEAS, UH, EXPERIENCES, THOUGHTS, AND BIG, DEEPER INTO AN ISSUE.

WE'LL BE DOING INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS WITH IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS TO GET A SENSE OF THEIR PERSPECTIVE OF ISSUES AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN AUSTIN.

AND WE'LL HOPEFULLY BE CONDUCTING SOME COMMUNITY FORUMS, WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY IN A WIDER WAY AND ALLOW INDIVIDUALS TO SPEAK THEIR MINDS IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS US TO HEAR FROM THEM MUCH MORE DIRECTLY THAN ANYTHING ELSE WITHOUT LESS MEDIATION.

AND, UH, LESS OF WHAT I HAVE TO SAY INSERTED INTO IT.

EVERY RESEARCHER IN SEARCH, SOME OF THEMSELVES INTO THEIR RESEARCH, THAT'S JUST THE WAY THAT WRITING SOMETHING WORKS, BUT A COMMUNITY FORUM WILL HOPEFULLY ALLOW US TO ENGAGE WITH INDIVIDUALS IN A WAY THAT'S A LITTLE LESS FILTERED AND ALLOWS US TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS DIRECTLY.

I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF THIS RESEARCH.

I'M REALLY EXCITED THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS GIVEN US AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN SOME OF THESE PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH METHODS AND TRULY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, IN THIS WAY.

I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HOW MOST GOVERNMENT AGENCIES COMMISSIONED RESEARCH, BUT, UH, THE PROCESS MAKES THIS SORT OF RESEARCH INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO DO, WHICH IS ONE REASON WHY I THINK THAT THE CITY IS BEING VERY AMBITIOUS IN THE WAY THAT THEY'RE APPROACHING SOME OF THESE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDIES.

AND I'M REALLY EAGER TO WORK WITH THEM AND TO FIND OUT MORE WAYS THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER ON THIS FORM OF RESEARCH.

AND SO I THINK WITH THAT, UH, WE'RE ONTO THE NEXT SLIDE AND I'M PASSING IT BACK TO BRITTANY.

GREAT, THANKS MARK.

UH, WE ALSO MENTIONED A COMMUNITY POWER ANALYSIS.

THAT'S PART OF OUR WORK WITH THIS PROJECT.

SO I WANT TO JUST BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT IS.

UM, SO POWER ANALYSIS TOOLS ARE USED TO IDENTIFY THE KEY DECISION-MAKERS AND OTHERS WHO HAVE THE POWER OVER SPECIFIC ISSUES OR PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN INFLUENCE PEOPLE.

UH, THE POWER ANALYSIS ALLOWS US TO BUILD A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE POWER WORKS AROUND THE ISSUES, WHICH MEANS WHO HAS THE POWER AND INFLUENCE TO ENSURE THE WORK IS SUCCESSFUL POWER ANALYSIS AND ITS TOOLS ARE USEFUL AND HELP US UNDERSTAND AND ASSESS, UH, EXCUSE ME, UM, PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THE INFLUENCE AGAIN, WHO HAS THAT POWER, HOW THOSE PEOPLE, UM, AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE APPLYING THAT POWER, WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THOSE POWER RELATIONSHIPS ON MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND GROUPS, UM, THROUGH THE POWER ANALYSIS AND ALSO HELPS US SUPPORT AND MONITOR CHANGE, AND THEN IT HELPS US CONDUCT ON OR HELPS US HELP AUSTIN CONDUCT ONGOING ASSESSMENTS AND EVALUATION TO MONITOR THOSE

[00:40:01]

SO IT, AGAIN, I, WE THINK IT'S A VERY USEFUL TOOL AND, UH, GLAD THAT AUSTIN ALSO INCLUDED THIS AS PART OF THE PROJECT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES NEXT, PLEASE.

AND THEN ONE MORE, PLEASE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR TIMELINE.

THIS PROJECT HAS THREE MAJOR PHASES PHASE ONE IS THAT COMPREHENSIVE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH BEGAN IN APRIL WHEN WE KICKED OFF THE PROJECT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, GOES THROUGH JUNE OF THIS YEAR.

AND REALLY WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE IS GATHERING AND REVIEWING EXISTING DATA.

MARK TALKED ABOUT THAT WE ARE STARTING THAT STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH.

THIS IS OUR FIRST STEP AND MEETING WITH ALL OF YOU TONIGHT OR DEVELOPING THAT DATA COLLECTION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WHICH I MENTIONED, WE HOPE TO COME BACK NEXT MONTH IN JUNE TO YOUR MEETING AND PRESENT THAT FOR YOU.

UM, OUR SECOND PHASE IS THAT DATA COLLECTION THAT'S THROUGH JULY, UM, BEGINNING, JULY THROUGH JANUARY OF THIS YEAR.

UM, THAT IS WHERE WE DEVELOP THE SURVEY.

WE ADMINISTERED THE SURVEY.

THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT MARK TALKED ABOUT IN HIS DATA COLLECTION PLAN.

WE LOOK AT THE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM THAT SURVEY, UM, AND CREATE A REPORT BASED OFF OF THOSE FINDINGS IN THAT REPORT WE'RE ANALYZING THE ADDITIONAL NEEDS THAT WE MIGHT HAVE, UM, WHICH MEANS WE MIGHT DO SOME OF THAT SECONDARY DATA COLLECTION, WHICH WOULD BE POTENTIALLY MORE INFORMATION, UM, YOU KNOW, MEETING WITH ALL OF YOU AND ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

WELL THEN, UM, WITH THAT ALSO DO A SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS DOCUMENT, ALL OF THAT WORK.

AND THEN FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL OR MID APRIL NEXT YEAR IS WHEN WE'RE COMPLETING THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY.

SO WE'RE DOING THAT COMMUNITY POWER ANALYSIS, WE'RE DRAFTING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY, AND THEN WE'RE PRESENTING THAT, UM, NOT ONLY TO THE, YOU KNOW, TO THE CITY OF BOSTON, BUT TO ALL OF YOU AS WELL.

SO, UM, THERE ARE A COUPLE PLACES WITHIN, UH, BEGINNING OF JULY THROUGH FEBRUARY, MARCH OF NEXT YEAR THAT WE'RE HOPING TO BE IN PERSON IN AUSTIN.

SOME OF THAT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, LATER THIS FALL, AFTER SOME OF THAT INITIAL SURVEY, UM, ADMINISTRATION IS COMPLETE AND BECOMING DOWN MAYBE NOVEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, POTENTIALLY, AND THEN FEBRUARY, MARCH NEXT YEAR, HOPEFULLY TO PRESENT THE QUALITY OF LIFE STUDY TO ALL OF YOU AS WELL.

SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE YOU IN PERSON AT SOME POINT AGAIN, OBVIOUSLY DEPENDING CDC GUIDELINES AND CITY OF AUSTIN AND TEXAS ITSELF, UM, GUIDANCE, BUT THAT'S, THAT IS WHAT WE'RE HOPING FOR.

I'M LOOKING AT THE NEXT SITE ONE MORE PLEASE.

SO SOME OF OUR NEXT STEPS INCLUDE STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT, UM, AND A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

ONE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY OF AUSTIN KNOWS ABOUT THIS STUDY.

UM, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS, UM, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MAY ACCESS OR USE FOR VARIOUS SERVICES OR WORK WITH, UM, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO THEM SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE STUDY.

BUT WE ALSO WANT TO DO, AS MARK MENTIONED, SOME MORE, UM, FOCUS GROUPS BETWEEN NOW AND, YOU KNOW, MID, ROUGHLY MID JUNE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERNS AND ISSUES ARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

WHAT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO BUILD INTO OUR SURVEY SO THAT WE ARE, UM, GIVING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE TO, TO REALLY HELP THAT STRATEGIC PLAN, UM, AND THAT REIMAGINE, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN WORK THAT'S GOING ON.

SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

UM, WE DO HAVE SOME TENTATIVE DATES RIGHT NOW THAT WE'LL BE SHARING WITH, UH, THE CITY OF BOSTON AS WELL, AND THEN HOPEFULLY GETTING TO ALL OF YOU.

UM, BUT THAT IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR IS TO TELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT THOSE NEXT STEPS ARE.

AND GIVEN THAT OPEN IT UP TO ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE ABOUT, UM, SPECIFIC GROUPS THAT WE NEED TO REACH OUT TO THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SOMEHOW GET IN TOUCH WITH.

UM, OR AGAIN, ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.

SO I'LL PAUSE THERE FOR COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, OR QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR THIS PRESENTATION.

IT WAS VERY EXCITING TO HEAR THIS MOVING ALONG AND GET TO MEET ALL OF YOU AND GET AN IDEA OF WHERE, WHERE YOU'RE HEADED OVER THE NEXT YEAR.

UM, I KNOW CERTAINLY JUST FROM THE PARTICIPANTS, YOU KNOW, ON THIS, WE'RE ALL CONNECTED INTO THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

UM, SO WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST HELPFUL WAY FOR US TO GIVE YOU THOSE CONNECTIONS AND FEEDBACK? WOULD THAT BE VIA EMAIL OR HOW SHOULD WE DO THAT? YEAH, I THINK OUR EMAILS ARE INCLUDED IN THAT PRESENTATION.

UM, THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE EASIEST WAY.

UM, WE ARE, UH, I HAVE ALSO REQUESTED THROUGH PCG TO CREATE A SPECIFIC EMAIL INBOX FOR THIS PROJECT, AS SOON AS I HAVE THAT ALSO MAKE SURE THAT SHARED, CAUSE I THINK THAT'LL BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE, UM,

[00:45:01]

UM, THAT'LL BE AN EASY WAY FOR US TO COMPILE THAT LIST AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE IT ON ONE SPOT.

YOU THINK GUY WOULD ALSO REQUEST FROM THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE.

UH, YOU'RE ALL INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY.

IF YOU GO OUT AND SPEAK ON THIS RESEARCH AND SAY THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND THAT YOU THINK, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH DOING, PEOPLE ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE.

WHEN I SEND SOMEONE AN EMAIL, THEY DON'T KNOW WHO I AM.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE NO REASON TO TAKE A SURVEY, UH, MUCH LESS TO HAVE A DEEPER CONVERSATION.

THEY DON'T KNOW ME OR TRUST ME, BUT THEY KNOW WHEN FROST EVERYBODY ON THIS COMMITTEE.

SO EVEN JUST SPEAKING ABOUT THIS WITH PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN OTHER GROUPS, UH, ALLOWS US TO BUILD THE LEGITIMACY OF THE EFFORT AND ULTIMATELY THAT IS WHERE OUR CREDIBILITY WITH THE COMMUNITY LIGHTS.

SO EVEN JUST SPEAKING POSITIVELY ABOUT THE EFFORT AND YOUR EXCITEMENT FOR IT WILL BE A HUGE HELP.

GREAT POINT, MARK.

THIS IS CONVENTIONAL ORLOVSKY.

UH, WILL WE GET A COPY OF THE PRESENTATION? YES.

I BELIEVE ONE WAS SENT, I DON'T KNOW WHO IT WAS SENT TO.

I THINK JONATHAN BABIAK SENT THAT.

UM, BUT WE CAN ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A COPY FOR THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

THE PRESENTATION HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO THE WEBSITE AND I CAN, UH, GO AHEAD AND DISTRIBUTE IT NEXT WEEK WHEN I GET BACK TO THE OFFICE.

OKAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANK YOU, JONATHAN.

UH, THIS IS COMMISSIONER, UM, UM, THAT LOOKS SO MUCH FOR THIS.

WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AND WE ASKED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.

SO WE'RE REALLY, WE'RE REALLY THRILLED THAT IT'S HAPPENING AND MOVING FORWARD.

UM, YEAH, ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN GIVE US THAT'S, UH, COPYABLE AND PAY STUBBLE, UM, LIKE SAMPLE SCRIPT, UM, IT'S MUCH MORE LIKELY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUSH IT OUT.

WE COULD ADD AROUND LIKE, LOOK I'M ON THE YOU MAYOR'S COMMITTEE.

AND THIS MEANS A LOT TO ME.

WE CAN DO ALL THAT, BUT JUST KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY ON THIS COMMITTEE IS ON A LOT OF OTHER THINGS TOO.