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[CALL TO ORDER]
THIS IS THE SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2024 MEETING OF THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.UM, I THINK WE'LL START OFF FIRST WITH THE ROLL CALL.
IF YOU CAN TURN ON YOUR MICS AND CAMERAS.
I'M GONNA BE FILLING IN TODAY, UH, AS A GUEST CHAIR FOR, UH, UH, VICE CHAIR FRANKS AND CHAIR MEYER.
UH, 'CAUSE I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE.
SO, UH, LET'S START WITH THE ROLL CALL CHAIR.
UH, ELIZABETH MEYER WON'T BE HERE.
JONATHAN FRANKS ALSO WON'T BE HERE.
ADRIAN HOGAN WILL NOT BE HERE.
I THINK WE'LL START WITH, UH, THE FIRST, FIRST ITEM WOULD BE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY NO PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TODAY, NO COMMUNICATIONS TODAY.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities regular meeting on August 9, 2024.]
ITEM ONE, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.UM, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM, UH, OUR LAST MEETING? PETE HAS ADD MOTION TO APPROVE.
COULD EVERYBODY RAISE THEIR HANDS TO VOTE? ARE YOU ASKING ME? YEAH, THAT'S FINE.
YEAH, WE DON'T NEED TO DO A FULL, FULL ROLL CALL.
[2. Staff briefing regarding the Equity Based Preservation Plan’s path to adoption by Cara Bertron, Program Manager II, Planning Department.]
UH, THE FIRST ITEM THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DEALING WITH TODAY IS A STAFF BRIEFING ON THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN, UH, OR ITS PATH TO ADOPTION, UH, BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT FROM KARA BERTRAND.KARA BERTRAN WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.
PLEASE TO BE HERE TO UPDATE YOU ON THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN.
I'M HERE WITH MICHELLE BENAVIDES, WHO'S A MEMBER OF THE PRESERVATION PLAN WORKING GROUP.
AND MICHELLE HAS BEEN, UH, A DEDICATED MEMBER OF THE WORKING GROUP FOR THE PAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS.
SO, UM, HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN, HAS PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO DEVELOPING THE PLAN, AND WE'RE REALLY PLEASED THAT, PLEASED TO CO-PRESENT WITH HER.
UM, SO THE, THIS MAY SOUND FAMILIAR TO YOU BECAUSE WE WERE JUST, I WAS JUST HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE PRESERVATION PLAN THIS SPRING, AND AT THAT TIME, UH, I WANTED TO INVITE THE COMMISSION TO PARTICIPATE IN HELPING TO SHAPE THE DRAFT PLAN, THE WORKING GROUP.
UH, I'LL TALK, TALK MORE ABOUT HOW IT WAS REVISED LATER.
BUT, UM, WE'RE BACK NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE FINAL PLAN AND, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
AND, UM, SORT OF THERE'S, YOU'RE NOT POSTED FOR ACTION TONIGHT, BUT THIS COULD BE A PRECURSOR TO ACTION, UM, A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE PLAN IF YOU CHOOSE IN YOUR NEXT MEETING.
UM, SO LET'S LAUNCH INTO THE NE OH, DO I, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, SO A LOT OF THESE SLIDES MAY LOOK FAMILIAR TO YOU BECAUSE, UM, MUCH OF THE PLAN WAS AFFIRMED BY THAT OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT THAT WE, UH, THAT WE DID.
SO TO START WITH A QUICK, UH, REMINDER, THE PRESERVATION PLAN WAS DEVELOPED BY A COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, NOT A CONSULTANT.
THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION CREATED THIS WORKING GROUP IN SPRING 2021, AN APPOINTED 26 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND CHARGED THEM WITH DEVELOPING THE PLAN.
IT'S PRETTY UNUSUAL FOR A CITY PROCESS, BUT THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP REALLY STEPPED UP.
THEY CAME FROM ACROSS THE CITY, 19 ZIP CODES.
IT'S A REALLY RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE GROUP THAT, UH, IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
AND THEY BROUGHT A, A REAL RANGE OF EXPERTISE IN, CERTAINLY IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION, PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, ARCHEOLOGY, BUT ALSO, UM, THEY HAD DEEP CONNECTIONS TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
THEIR FAMILIES HAD BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR A GENERATION.
SO REALLY THIS WIDE RANGE OF, OF PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERTISE.
THE WORKING GROUP MEMBERS HEARD FROM ABOUT 275 COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS PART OF DEVELOPING THE PLAN.
THERE WAS A COMMUNITY HERITAGE SURVEY.
THERE WERE THREE FOCUS GROUPS THAT MET
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TWO OR THREE TIMES EACH.A TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP OF CITY STAFF, A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE LANDMARK COMMISSION, AND A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL, UH, THAT WE DID IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE, PRESERVATION AUSTIN, AND THE DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION DIVISION OF THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO LOOK AT OLDER HOUSING AND AFFORDABILITY.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE PLANNING PROCESS IN A NUTSHELL.
I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO MICHELLE TO TALK ABOUT THE PLANET ITSELF.
UM, MY NAME IS MICHELLE BENAVIDES.
THIS IS THE VISION OF OUR PLAN.
UM, WE DEVELOPED IT AS KARA SAID, WITH THE COMMUNITY HERITAGE SURVEY.
AND SO, LET ME QUICKLY GO OVER IT.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN ACTIVELY ENGAGES COMMUNITIES IN PROTECTING AND SHARING IMPORTANT PLACES AND STORIES.
PRESERVATION USES THE BEST TO CREATE A SHARED SENSE OF BELONGING AND TO SHAPE AN EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, SUSTAINABLE, AND ECONOMICALLY VITAL FUTURE.
THAT IS A LONG WAY TO SAVE, TO SAY WE WANT TO USE THE PAST AND THE PRESENT TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
SO THE PLAN HAS 107 RECOMMENDATIONS UNDER 14 GOALS.
SO I COULD SIT HERE AND READ 'EM ALL TO YOU, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT BECAUSE Y'ALL SEEM LIKE REALLY NICE PEOPLE.
UM, THE GOALS ARE GROUPED UNDER THREE THEMES.
WE HAVE WHAT WE PRESERVE, WHO PRESERVES AND HOW WE PRESERVE.
UM, SO THE FIRST ONE IS WHAT WE PRESERVE.
WHAT PRESERVATION REQUIRES US IS TO THINK BROADLY.
WE WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE AUSTIN'S RICH AND COMPLEX HISTORY THROUGH VARIOUS MEANS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WE WANNA IDENTIFY, PROTECT, LEGACY BUILDINGS, ARTWORK, AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES AS WELL.
WE WANNA USE OUR TOOLS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY GOALS.
AS KARA SAID, UH, DISAPPOINTMENT PREVENTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY PAGES ARE THIN.
WHO PRESERVES FOCUSES ON INVITING MORE PEOPLE TO THE TABLE? IF YOU LOOK, CAN THE SEE PEOPLE ON THE COMPUTER SEE THEM TOO? OKAY, GOOD.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDE, YOU WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE BRINGING.
WE WANNA SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK.
WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO MORE PEOPLE AND ENGAGE THEM.
WE REALLY WANNA SUPPORT THE HOMEOWNERS, THE TENANTS, DRAFT PEOPLE, COMMISSIONERS LIKE YOU AND STAFF.
HOW WE PRESERVE GETS DOWN TO THE NUTS AND BOLTS.
IT'S HOW PRESERVATION REGULATION WILL WORK.
THE PLAN PRO PRESERVE PROPOSES UPDATING DESIGNATION CRITERIA TO MODERN STANDARDS AND SUPPORTING HISTORIC PROPERTY STEWARDS, MOSTLY HOMEOWNERS WITH THE TOOLS TO BETTER PRESERVE THEIR HOMES AND THE PROPERTIES THEY STEWARD TO A MUCH MORE BETTER WAY OF DOING IT.
WE WANT TO BE STRATEGIC WITH HISTORIC REVIEW, IMPROVE THE ENFORCEMENT PROCESS, AND IMPLEMENT THE PLAN COLLABORATIVELY.
UM, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, COVER GATHERING AUSTIN'S STORY AND CREATING A CULTURAL MAP.
WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT ALL THE DIVERSE THINGS IN AUSTIN.
ALL THE MANY THINGS THAT MAKE AUSTIN, AUSTIN, AND, AND PUT IT IN THIS PUT FORWARD IN THIS PLAN.
WE WANT MORE LANDMARKS PROTECTED THAT ENCOMPASSES ALL OF AUSTIN'S MANY GROUPS.
UH, I'M GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AROUND THE DRAFT PLAN AND THEN WHERE WE ARE NOW.
SO WITH THAT DRAFT PLAN THAT MICHELLE TALKED ABOUT, WE DID, UH, A BIG PUSH THIS SPRING FOR FOUR MONTHS.
FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY, WE ENGAGED MORE THAN 2,500 PEOPLE ABOUT THE DRAFT PLAN AT THAT TIME, THROUGH VARIOUS MEANS, PRESENTATIONS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS LIKE THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, COMMUNITY GROUPS, PROFESSIONAL STAKEHOLDER ORGANIZATIONS.
WE DID POP-UP TABLING AT COMMUNITY EVENTS.
WE HAD SMALLER GROUP CONVERSATIONS AND WE HOSTED FOUR CITY EVENTS, UM, TO INVITE PEOPLE TO COME AND LEARN ABOUT THE PLAN.
SPECIFICALLY, I THINK IT WAS A REALLY SUCCESSFUL ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, MOSTLY BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE AS CITY STAFF WORKED HARD, OUR CONSULTANTS WORKED HARD, BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST THING WAS THAT WE PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN REALLY MEANINGFUL WAYS.
WE PAID NINE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS AMBASSADORS TO REACH OUT TO THEIR NETWORKS ABOUT THE PLAN AND COLLECT FEEDBACK.
AND WE AWARDED $5,000 MINI GRANTS TO FIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR THEM TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT THEY WORKED WITH ABOUT THE PLAN.
AND WE GOT, UM, REALLY GREAT FEEDBACK FROM, FROM EVERYONE, BUT I THINK ESPECIALLY RICH FROM, FROM THOSE GROUPS.
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REACH PEOPLE, UM, FROM HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.UM, YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT THERE'S A TABLE WITH HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.
THE MAIN WAY THAT PEOPLE INTERACTED WITH THE PLAN WAS THROUGH A SHORT SURVEY THAT THEY COULD FILL OUT ONLINE OR ON PAPER.
UM, SO THAT COMPARE THE TABLE COMPARES THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS ABOUT 2100 PEOPLE TO AUSTIN AS A WHOLE.
SO WE HAD A SLIGHTLY HIGHER SHARE OF RESPONDENTS FROM WHO WERE PEOPLE OF COLOR THAN AUSTIN AS A WHOLE.
WE HAD A MUCH HIGHER SHARE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
18% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS COMPARED TO ABOUT 7% OF, OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS.
A MUCH HIGHER SHARE OF PEOPLE FROM LGBTQIA PLUS COMMUNITIES, 14% COMPARED TO ABOUT 6% FOR THE CITY, AND A LOWER SHARE OF RENTERS.
SO I THINK NEARLY 30% IS STILL PRETTY GOOD FOR A CITY PROCESS.
UM, BUT IT'S NOWHERE NEAR THE CITY'S PROPORTION.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA KEEP WORKING ON AS WE IMPLEMENT THE PLAN TO ENGAGE RENTERS ON THE BOTTOM.
YEAH, I WANTED TO SAY ABOUT THIS, WHO WE HEARD FROM.
WHAT REALLY STRUCK ME IN THIS IS THE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
OUR COMMUNITY CARES ABOUT THIS.
WE ARE MARGINALIZED AND OVERLOOKED, BUT WE ARE, WE WANNA SHOW UP.
YOU CAN SEE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THAT WE HEARD FROM PEOPLE ALL FROM ALL OVER AUSTIN.
UM, TYPICALLY PEOPLE WHO SHOW UP TO PRESERVATION PROCESSES IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN REALLY FO CONCENTRATED IN CENTRAL AND WEST AUSTIN.
AND WE WANTED THIS TO BE A PLAN FOR EVERYONE.
SO IT WAS EXCITING TO SEE PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE CITY WEIGHING IN.
UM, WE ALL HAD A ABOUT TWO, SORRY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE, UH, RESPONDENTS HAVE BEEN IN AUSTIN FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, WHICH IS REALLY REMARKABLE.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD FROM PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN HERE LESS TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO HEAR FROM, FROM EVERYONE.
THE COMMUNITY SURVEY THAT I MENTIONED, UM, INCLUDED SEVEN WHAT WE CALLED THE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
AND, UM, THEY RANGED FROM ENSURING LONG TIME RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES CAN AFFORD TO STAY IN THEIR CURRENT SPACES, HELPING OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS MAINTAIN THEIR UNIQUE LOOK AND FEEL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO CREATE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE BY SHARING DIVERSE STORIES.
AND THESE KIND OF AGGREGATED THE PLAN GOALS.
WE DIDN'T WANNA HAVE 14 QUESTIONS, WE HAD SEVEN.
AND FOR EACH OF THESE PEOPLE THERE WAS A SLIDER BAR AND PEOPLE COULD DRAG IT TO SAY, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, OR THIS IS NOT IMPORTANT TO ME AT ALL.
I THINK THE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS SLIDE IS THAT ALL OF THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE FROM THESE PRIORITY SCORE WAS 73%, WHICH IS STILL REALLY HIGH.
WHEN WE ASKED PEOPLE WHERE WE SHOULD START WORK FIRST, 51% OF PEOPLE, SO A CLEAR PLURALITY SAID, KEEP PEOPLE IN PLACE, KEEP BUSINESSES IN PLACE.
THE NEXT MOST, MOST, UH, POPULAR RESPONSE WAS WITH 20% OF RESPONDENTS SAYING, START WORK FIRST ON KEEPING THE PHYSICAL PLACES THAT MAKE AUSTIN FEEL DISTINCT AND PRESERVE THEM.
AND I THINK THAT THOSE BOTH REALLY REFLECT THE CHALLENGES THAT AUSTIN IS FACING NOW WITH DISPLACEMENT PRESSURES AND DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES.
SO, UM, THIS SLIDE TALKS ABOUT HOW THE PLAN RESPONDS TO THE FEEDBACK WE GOT.
SO WE, WE HEARD ABOUT, UH, THOSE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES.
WE RECEIVED ABOUT 270 COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT PLAN IN VERY SPECIFIC WAYS.
140 OF THOSE WERE ACTIONABLE, MEANING THAT THEY ARE ALLOWED BY CITY CODE AND WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE PLAN.
AND WE REVISED ABOUT HALF OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.
SO 50 RECOMMENDATIONS WERE CHANGED BASED ON THAT FEEDBACK.
SO THE, UM, THE WORKING GROUP, WHICH REVISED THE PLAN, REALLY TOOK THAT SERIOUSLY.
EIGHT NEW RECOMMENDATIONS WERE ALSO ADDED.
UM, THEY, THEY COVER REALLY IMPORTANT TOPICS THAT JUST, JUST DIDN'T GET INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT.
SO IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAYING, WHAT ABOUT HISTORIC CEMETERIES? WHAT ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS? WHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING HISTORIC AND OLDER PROPERTY OWNERS AND TENANTS WITH BUILDING MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE AND EDUCATION, WHICH MICHELLE MENTIONED EARLIER AND HERITAGE TOURISM SUPPORTING THAT.
HERE IS THE, A NUTSHELL OF THE TIMELINE FOR THE PLAN.
THE DRAFT PLAN WAS DEVELOPED OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT A YEAR BY THE PRESERVATION PLAN WORKING GROUP WITH, WITH A LOT OF INPUT.
IT WAS PRESENTED TO THE LANDMARK COMMISSION IN FALL OF 2022.
AND AT THAT TIME, CITY COUNCIL ALLOCATED FUNDING FOR ROBUST OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AND CREATED A NEW POSITION TO MANAGE THE PLAN, WHICH IS WHAT THE POSITION THAT I HOLD.
THEN THERE WAS SOME, UH, WE DID A VERY LOW KEY AWARENESS RAISING CAMPAIGN TO INVITE MORE PEOPLE TO, UH, LEARN ABOUT HISTORIC PRESERVATION WHILE WE GOT THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE.
WE DID THIS INTENSIVE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN THIS SPRING.
AND THEN THIS SUMMER, THE PRESERVATION PLAN WORKING GROUP AND THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION'S PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE WORKED TOGETHER TO REVISE THE PLAN BASED ON THAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND TO FINALIZE IT.
AND HERE WE ARE, BUT WE ARE AT CITY BOARD
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AND COMMISSION BRIEFINGS, UM, LETTING, WE WANTED TO CLOSE THE LOOP WITH Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, HAVING COME AND TALK TO YOU IN THE SPRING AND OFFER, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY IF YOU WOULD WANT TO, TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL ABOUT ADOPTION OF THE PLAN.AND WE ARE AIMING TO GO TO COUNCIL FOR THAT ADOPTION ON NOVEMBER 21ST.
NEXT STEPS, WE WILL START WITH THE, UM, HIGH IMPACT, LOW HANGING FRUIT, MEANING THE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT WE CAN DO WITH EXISTING RESOURCES, WHICH IS MOSTLY STAFF RIGHT NOW.
WE'LL START LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR LARGER INITIATIVES RIGHT AFTER THE PLAN IS, IS ADOPTED.
SO FOR THINGS THAT NEED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, WHAT RESOURCES DO WE NEED AND WORKING ON GETTING THOSE.
UM, WE WILL HAVE A PUBLIC DASHBOARD TO TRACK PROGRESS ON THE PLAN.
WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COORDINATING WITH THEM AND THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING ALIGNS WITH THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING.
AND I THINK ENGAGEMENT HAS REALLY BEEN AT THE HEART OF THIS PLAN.
YOU KNOW, HAVE IT, IT WAS, I DON'T EVEN, I THINK IT GOES BEYOND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THAT IT WAS COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP THAT CREATED THE PLAN AND REVISED IT AND FINALIZED IT.
AND, UM, I THINK I'M HOPING THAT WILL BE AT THE HEART OF IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, SURE.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT, KAREN, MICHELLE, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT BEFORE TOO AND SPEAKING WITH US.
UM, SO I KNOW YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT PROBABLY THE BEST WAY WE CAN ASSIST WITH THIS WOULD BE SETTING UP A WAY TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL SO THAT WHEN IT COMES TIME FOR ADOPTION, THEY HAVE THAT RECOMMENDATION IN HAND.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN DO TO HELP, HELP WITH YOUR, YOUR EFFORTS UP TO THAT POINT? THANK YOU.
I THINK THE NEXT, THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE IS THE COUNCIL HEARING AFTER THAT, AND WE ARE STARTING TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION NOW.
I THINK WE'LL HAVE A MUCH CLEARER IDEA IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS.
AND WE WOULD HOPE TO, UM, WE HOPE TO KEEP Y'ALL IN THE LOOP, KEEP KEEP YOU POSTED AND INVITE PARTICIPATION AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH IMPLEMENTING STEPS.
UM, THAT'S A, A NEARISH FUTURE, UH, OPPORTUNITY.
UM, I JUST HAVE ONE, ONE QUICK QUESTION.
UM, AND MAYBE THIS MIGHT BE TOO SPECIFIC, BUT, UH, CAN YOU THINK OF ANY PARTICULAR WAYS THAT, UM, ADDRESSING INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES KIND OF INCORP YOU? HOW YOU INCORPORATED THAT INTO THE, THE PLAN ITSELF AND, AND HOW YOU, YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT THAT? I KNOW YOU, YOU TALKED TO A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS AND WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD RESPONSE RATE.
SO I WAS WONDERING HOW THAT, HOW THAT IMPACTED YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE THAT IS A, THAT IS A VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION.
UM, I TALK, MICHELLE WILL ANSWER IT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS AS A PERSON WITH DISABILITIES THAT I THOUGHT WAS VERY INTERESTING IN THE PLAN WAS UPDATING WHILE KEEPING THINGS HISTORICAL AND THE WAY THEY ARE NOW, WHILE UPDATING THEM IN A WAY THAT COMPLIES MORE WITH A DA STANDARDS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY LOOKED AT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA CHANGE THE OUTSIDE OF IT.
WE KIND OF WANNA BE ABLE TO GET TO THE HISTORICAL THINGS.
AND WITHOUT A RAMP AND ONLY STAIRS, WE CAN'T GET TO THE THINGS.
SO THAT IS ONE OF THE WAYS WE LOOKED AT THAT I LIKED THAT WE LOOKED AT.
ACTUALLY, THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT I WAS THINKING WAS WHERE WE THINKING ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PRESERVATION, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE DIDN'T ALWAYS HAVE THESE STANDARDS
THIS COMMISSIONER
CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT YOU REACHED OUT TO AND THE METHODS IN WHICH YOU REACHED OUT TO THEM? SURE.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, THE PLAN DEFINES THERE ARE MANY GROUPS.
THE PLAN DEFINES THOSE AS COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, LGBTQA PLUS COMMUNITIES, LOW INCOME FAMILIES AND RENTERS.
SO THAT, UM, IN VARIOUS, IN SPECIFIC WAYS, UM, FOR SPECIFIC KIND OF, UH, SAY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS OR COMMUNITY GROUPS.
I HAVE A SPREADSHEET THAT I STARTED CREATING IN 2020 AND HAVE BEEN ADDED ADDING ONTO AND KIND OF, UM, SO THAT INCLUDES CERTAINLY PE WELL, IT'S, IT'S A HUGE THING.
IT INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL GROUPS AND, AND PEOPLE WHO'D BE IMPACTED BY THE PLANS.
YOU, HISTORIC DISTRICT, UM, REPRESENTATIVES AND PROPERTY OWNERS.
IT ALSO INCLUDES, UM, COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT WE BECAME AWARE OF THROUGHOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS.
IT'S STILL SOMETHING THAT I'M UPDATING.
SO, UM, AS WELL AS CITY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
SO IN THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT THAT WE DID SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE DRAFT PLAN, THERE WERE, UM, I SENT PERSONALIZED EMAILS, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE OUTREACH EFFORTS
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TO CONTACTS IN THAT, IN THAT LIST, OUR CONSULTANTS ALSO REACHED OUT SPECIFICALLY TO GROUPS.AND THEN THE COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS AND MINI GRANT ORGANIZATIONS, UM, DID ADDITIONAL OUTREACH TO GROUPS THAT WERE IN THEIR, IN THEIR NETWORKS.
AND THAT WAS IN THROUGH EMAIL, UH, NEWSLETTERS, PERSONAL NEWSLETTERS, SOMETIMES PHONE CALLS OR LETTERS, UM, FLYERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WANNA PUT ON FOR THE NEXT, UM, OUR MEETING FOR FEATURE BUSINESS FOR, UH, FOR A, UH, NOT AN ENDORSEMENT, BUT, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, TO PUT IT ON THERE FOR AS A RECOMMENDATION, COULD YOU SHARE SOME OF THE GROUPS, NOT THE WHOLE SPREADSHEET, BUT LIKE SOME OF THE GROUPS THAT YOU CONTACTED SO WE CAN STAND AND TOUCH BASE AND SEE HOW THE INTERACTION IS BEFORE WE MAKE AN, UH, AMENDMENT OR A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL.
MAY I ASK A QUESTION, GABRIEL? OH, GABRIEL ALSO HAD A QUESTION.
HE SAID, HE SAID, I WANTED TO SAY, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR INCREASING THE PERCENTAGE OF DISABILITY INDIVIDUALS WHO DISABLED INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE PARTICIPATING.
HE SAID, SO I KNOW WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO, AND IF THERE ARE ANYTHING THAT YOU NEEDED TO CHANGE OR IF WE HAD SOME INFORMATION THAT WE WANTED TO ADD, WHO SHOULD WE CONTACT? UM, IS IT THAT LAST LINK, IS THAT THE ONE THAT WE SHOULD CONTACT, OR IS THERE ANOTHER WAY YOU PREFER US TO REACH OUT TO YOU AND GIVE US SOME AND GET SOME INFORMATION TO YOU OR FROM YOU? THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FOR THAT QUESTION.
SO WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS THE PLAN THAT INCORPORATES THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED THIS SPRING FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY, AND THAT THE WORKING GROUP AND THE PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE CONSIDERED AND, AND REVISED AND FINALIZED.
I THINK IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE PLAN, THE BEST WAY TO, UM, SUGGEST THOSE WOULD BE TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATION.
SINCE THE PLAN ITSELF HAS BEEN, IT'S, IT COULD BE CHANGED, BUT NOT BY US ANYMORE, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL COULD CONSIDER CHANGING AS IT CONSIDERS ADOPTION.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND I'M HAPPY TO SEE THAT PEOPLE IN, UH, THAT RESPONDED TO IT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE DISPLACEMENT AND THE HISTORIC INTEGRITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND BUSINESSES.
AND I, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, HOW MANY RESPONDENTS DID YOU HAVE TO YOUR SPEAKUP SURVEY? WE HAD JUST UNDER 2100 RESPONDENTS TO THE, THAT COMMUNITY PRIORITY SURVEY.
SO THAT'S THE FOLKS WHO, WHO SUBMITTED TO THAT.
UM, AND WE REACHED, AS I SAID, ABOUT 2,500 PEOPLE AS A VERY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE.
THAT'S JUST WHERE WE HAVE NUMBERS FOR.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, I'M JUST WONDERING, TWO QUESTIONS.
ONE, HOW IS, HOW ARE A DA IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDED IN THE PLAN IN TERMS OF HOW WE NEED TO ADJUST A HISTORIC STRUCTURE? AND THEN TWO, HOW DID YOU LOOK AT AFFORDABILITY? BOTH, BOTH.
SO IN TERMS OF A DA IMPROVEMENTS, THE PLAN MOSTLY REF, UH, REFERS TO THE HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS, WHICH DO INCLUDE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAKING A DA IMPROVEMENTS TO HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
THE, IN TERMS OF AFFORDABILITY, THE, UM, THE PLAN HANDLES IT IN A FEW WAYS.
SO FIRST, IT LOOKS AT WAYS TO RETAIN OLDER BUILDINGS, WHICH TEND TO BE SMALLER AND, UH, JUST LESS, LESS EXPENSIVE THAN NEWER BUILDINGS.
UM, SO WAYS TO MAKE DEMOLITION LESS REFLEXIVE, NOT NECESS, NOT TO DESIGNATE EVERYTHING AS HISTORIC, BUT JUST TO GIVE OLDER BUILDINGS MORE OF A FIGHTING CHANCE IN STAYING STANDING, UM, BY ADDING, BY, UM, MAKING REHABILITATION AND RENOVATION PERMITS EASIER AND MORE STREAMLINED AND LESS EXPENSIVE, UM, BY ADDING MORE UNITS BEHIND THEM.
UM, SO NOT SAYING NO CHANGES COULD BE MADE, BUT, YOU KNOW, PUTTING MORE UNITS BEHIND, WHICH ALSO TEND TO BE MORE AFFORDABLE THAN UNITS BUILT BEHIND BRAND NEW BUILDINGS.
IT ALSO LOOKS AT HOW TO KEEP PEOPLE IN PLACE.
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SO PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR, UM, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE PRESSURED BY DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES FOR BY COST OR BY, UM, I THINK THAT'S A BIG ONE FOR HOMEOWNERS AND TENANTS.UM, BUT WITH TAXES AND PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR RENTERS, THOSE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WOULD NOT LEAD AS THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE, BUT WE WOULD WANT TO SUPPORT AS THE, SAY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT WORKS OR OTHER DEPARTMENTS DO THAT, THAT TYPE OF WORK.
I THINK THE THIRD WAY THAT THE PLAN ADDRESSES AFFORDABILITY IS MAYBE NOT EXACTLY 100% ON AFFORDABILITY, BUT IT, BUT BY TRYING TO MITIGATE CULTURAL DISPLACEMENT THAT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T BELONG.
SO, UM, I THINK ALL OF THOSE TOGETHER IS, IS, UH, IS A PRETTY GOOD APPROACH, ALTHOUGH NOT AN EASY ONE.
DID WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU BOTH FOR PRESENTING.
UH, WE, WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING OUT TODAY.
I KNOW IT'S, UH, LATE IN THE EVENING AND THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD INFO AND WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE THIS BACK AND, AND CONSIDER IT.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS.
[3. Presentation by David Ondich, ADA Program Administrator, Human Resources Department, and Emi Johnson, Policy Compliance Consultant, Office of Civil Rights, on how the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities can collaborate with Human Resources on disability training and awareness. ]
THINK WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH WOULD BE A PRESENTATION BY DAVID ICK FROM THE A DA, UH, OFFICE AND EMMY JOHNSON FROM, UH, THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.AND I THINK WE ALSO HAVE A POWERPOINT THAT WE COULD PUT UP.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR INVITING US OUT.
UH, WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE CITY, UH, AS IT RELATES TO TITLE ONE AND TITLE TWO OF THE A DA.
WE'LL GET A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC ON WHAT THOSE TWO TITLES ARE, ALTHOUGH MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY KNOW ALREADY.
BUT, UM, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CHANGES.
AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE THOSE CHANGES WITH YOU AND INTRODUCE MYSELF AND, UH, EMMY AS KIND OF POINTS OF CONTACT, UH, AS IT RELATES TO ISSUES RELATED TO THE A DA AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
ALRIGHT, THE INTRODUCTION SLIDE IS, UH, JUST MY NAME, CONTACT INFORMATION.
I'M THE CITY'S A DA PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR, AND I'M HOUSED IN HUMAN RESOURCES, HENCE THE TITLE ONE, UH, DELEGATION, UH, OR DESIGNATION.
AND, UH, UNDERNEATH, MY NAME IS LEE WYNN.
HE IS AN A DA HR SPECIALIST SENIOR SPECIALIST.
AND BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE'VE BEEN DOING A DA FOR ABOUT 40 YEARS COMBINED.
UH, WE REALIZE THE A DA IS NOT 40 YEARS OLD, AND SO WE'RE NOT TRYING TO PULL ONE OVER ON YOU.
BUT, UH, I WAS IN MUNICIPAL, A DA WITH THE CITY OF FORT WORTH FOR 11 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN HERE, UH, FOR NINE YEARS, AND I THINK LEE'S GOT 18 OR 19 YEARS.
SO WE'RE NIBBLING ON 40 BETWEEN THE TWO OF US.
TITLE ONE, WHAT IS TITLE ONE? WELL, IT'S EMPLOYMENT.
AND WHERE DOES EMPLOYMENT START? IT STARTS AT THE APPLICATION AND, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS, UH, WITH THE HELP OF EMMY AND HER GROUP AND, UH, SOME OTHER FOLKS IN HUMAN RESOURCES.
I DO IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO NEED ACCOMMODATIONS, ESPECIALLY AS EARLY AS IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, AND SO WE ARE NOW, UH, VERY VISIBLE IN OUR ONLINE PRESENCE.
AND WHENEVER WE HAVE JOB FAIRS, OUTREACH EVENTS, UH, SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS, UH, BRAILLE AND, UH, OTHER, UH, ACCOMMODATIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON SITE AT THESE EVENTS.
WE WANNA MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, HIRES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
UM, SO THE APPLICATION PROCESS, WE COULD LITERALLY SIT DOWN WITH SOMEBODY AND WE HAVE SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND HELP THEM COMPLETE UNEMPLOYMENT APPLICATION.
WELL, OF COURSE, THEN YOU MAY HAVE SOME PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING.
UH, THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH, UH, LEARNING DIFFERENCES.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH, UH, SENSORY, UH, DIFFERENCES THAT, UH, NEED MODIFICATIONS TO THE PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING, UH, PORTION OF THE EMPLOYMENT SEQUENCE OF
[00:30:01]
THE HIRING SEQUENCE.UH, WE HAVE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY, UH, IF THEY NEED MODIFICATIONS DURING THE TESTED PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING PROCESS.
WE PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION ON HOW TO REACH OUT AND GET THAT INFORMATION.
UM, THEN OF COURSE, WE'VE GOT THE INTERVIEW AND, UH, THAT'S A BIG ONE.
WE, UH, USE A LOT OF A SL UH, USE A LOT OF ALTERNATE, UH, METHODS OF HI, OF INTERVIEWING FOLKS.
AND, UH, AS LONG AS THE ACCOMMODATION DOES NOT COMPROMISE THE INTEGRITY OF WHAT'S BEING DONE, UH, WE'RE WE'RE ALL IN ON IT.
AND SO, UM, THERE ARE SOME ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE HAVE, UH, DENIED, UM, JUST BASED ON US BELIEVING THAT IT MAY, UH, COMPROMISE, UH, WELL, IN FACT, IT WAS, UH, PRETTY CLEAR THAT IT WOULD COMPROMISE THE INTEGRITY OF THE, UH, OF THE, UH, UH, WHAT WAS BEING MEASURED.
AND SO, UH, BUT WE ERR ON THE SIDE OF ACCOMMODATION.
WE ERR ON THE SIZE OF, UH, SIDE OF ACCESSIBLE, AND WE ERR ON THE SIDE OF, UH, GIVING PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, THEN THERE'S THE ONBOARDING.
THAT'S AFTER EVERYBODY HAS GONE THROUGH THE APPLICATION, THE PRE-EMPLOYMENT TESTING, THE INTERVIEW, BANG, YOU'RE HIRED.
WELL, WE'VE GOT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS THAT GO ON IN THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.
AND, UH, WE HAVE MADE ACCOMMODATIONS TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN COMPLETING PAPERWORK FOR THEIR MEDICAL BENEFITS AND, UM, IDENTIFYING THEIR BENEFICIARIES.
WE DO HAVE LIFE INSURANCE HERE AT THE CITY.
AND, UM, SO WHETHER IT'S, UH, AGAIN, A SL CART SERVICES, UM, BRAILLE, UH, GENERALLY NOT, UH, THESE ARE PRE-PRINTED FORMS AND, UH, BUT ELECTRONIC FORMAT WE DO A LOT OF.
BUT, UH, IF SOMEBODY WERE TO REQUEST BRAILLE, WE SURE CAN.
UM, AND SO THERE'S YOUR, UH, THERE'S YOUR APPLICATION AND PRE-EMPLOYMENT TO THE ONBOARDING PROCESS.
YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE, UH, WHETHER YOU CAME TO THE CITY AS AN EMPLOYEE WITH A DISABILITY OR WHETHER DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT, UH, WITH THE CITY YOU ACQUIRE A DISABILITY, WE'RE BACK IN ACTION.
UM, WE'VE GOT A REALLY GOOD, UH, PROGRAM FROM THE EMPLOYMENT STANDPOINT.
41 DEPARTMENTS AT LEAST 41 DEPARTMENTAL, A DA COORDINATORS.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DO OUT AT AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DO IN A PD.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY NEED AT THE LIBRARY, THE EMPLOYEES.
SO WE INVITE, WELL, WE RECRUIT PEOPLE FROM THE DEPARTMENT, HR TO BE DESIGNATED AS A DA COORDINATORS DEPARTMENTAL, A DA COORDINATORS.
NOW WHAT THEY DO IS BASICALLY MOVE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION PROCEDURE TO AND FROM THE EMPLOYEE IN NEED.
WE DO IT IN A VERY CONFIDENTIAL WAY.
WE DO IT IN A VERY RESPECTFUL WAY, AND WE DO IT IN A WAY THAT IS INTERACTIVE.
AN EMPLOYEE DOES NOT NEED TO USE THE TERM DISABILITY, DOES NOT NEED TO USE THE TERM REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.
I'M, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING TO WORK ON TIME BECAUSE OF MY MEDICAL TREATMENT.
HE'S JUST DISCLOSED AND IT'S BASICALLY INDICATED THAT HE NEEDS A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.
HE MIGHT BRING THAT TO THE SUPERVISOR, MIGHT BRING IT TO AD UH, TO THE, UH, HR DEPARTMENT AT THEIR DE UH, THE HR DIVISION AT THEIR DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, I'VE GOT A EMAIL ADDRESS AADA@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV.
AND SO EMPLOYEES CAN USE THAT.
THE PUBLIC CAN USE THAT IF THEY, AND THAT COMES RIGHT TO MY DESK.
AND SO, UM, WE RECEIVE, UH, IF AN EMPLOYEE REACHES OUT TO THEIR SUPERVISOR TO DISCLOSE THAT THEY'VE GOT A MEDICAL CONDITION, THE SUPERVISOR PLEDGES EARS OR HER EARS AND POINTS TO HR AND POINTS TO THEIR A DA DEPARTMENTAL, A DA COORDINATOR THAT A DA DEPARTMENTAL, A DA COORDINATOR IS TRAINED BY OUR DEPARTMENT, OUR DIVISION, TO PRESENT A PACKET OF INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO KIND OF DOCUMENT THE NEED FOR THE DISABILITY, UNLESS IT'S OBVIOUS, AND
[00:35:01]
THEN MAKE A REQUEST FOR A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.ONCE THEY'VE DONE THAT, WE, UH, THEY PUSH THAT INFORMATION OVER TO MY OFFICE AND I MAKE AN ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION.
AND I INSTRUCT OR DIRECT THE A DA COORDINATOR, THE DEPARTMENTAL A DA COORDINATOR TO SCHEDULE A MEETING.
THAT MEETING IS GONNA, UM, BE ATTENDED BY MYSELF AND MY ASSISTANT LEE, THE DEPARTMENTAL, A DA COORDINATOR.
AND WE MAKE UP WHAT'S CALLED THE A DA REVIEW COMMITTEE.
WE DON'T MAKE DECISIONS, BUT WE GATHER INFORMATION, WE APPLY THE A DA, AND THEN ULTIMATELY WHEN WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, WE INVITE THE SUPERVISOR INTO THE MEETING.
THE EMPLOYEE SUPERVISOR PURPOSE OF THAT IS TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THIS EMPLOYEE'S JOB? WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS? WHAT ARE THE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS? WHAT ARE THE SCHEDULES? WHAT ARE THE, WHAT'S THE EQUIPMENT, THE TYPE OF TOOLS THAT THEY USE TO DO THEIR JOB, WITH WHOM DO THEY INTERACT ON THEIR JOB? AND, UM, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE'RE NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT, UH, A MEDICAL CONDITION, A DISABILITY, OR A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.
WE'RE JUST STRICTLY GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE EMPLOYEE DOES.
THEN WE'VE ALL HEARD THE TERM INTERACTIVE PROCESS.
WE MAKE DECISIONS WITH EMPLOYEES, NOT ABOUT THEM, NOT AT THEM.
SO WE INVITE THE EMPLOYEE TO COME IN WITHOUT USING ANY MEDICAL DOC DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION.
WE'LL JUST CALL IT YOUR CONDITION, THE CONDITION THAT YOU'RE, OR THE CIRCUMSTANCE YOU'RE FACING.
HOW IS IT CHALLENGING YOU TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF YOUR JOB? AND HOW WERE, HOW WILL YOUR REQUESTED ACCOMMODATION ENABLE YOU TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF YOUR JOB? THAT'S WHAT A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ACCOMMODATION IS UNDER THE A DA, IT'S A MODIFICATION, A REASONABLE MODIFICATION TO ENABLE AN OTHERWISE QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL TO PERFORM ALL OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THEIR JOB.
AND THE IDEA IS, IF EVERYBODY ON THE TEAM WERE RECEIVING THE SAME ACCOMMODATION, WOULD THE JOB BE GETTING DONE? WE NEED TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB.
AND SO WE HAVE AN INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION.
SOMETIMES THE, UH, EMPLOYEE ASKS FOR A CADILLAC AND GETS A PINTO.
SOMETIMES THE EMPLOYEE ASKS FOR A, UH, PINTO AND GETS A CADILLAC.
UM, SO GENERALLY WE TRY TO, UH, IS THAT A TIMER? NO.
NO, UH, GENERALLY WE TRY TO GIVE THE EMPLOYEE OR, UH, MAKE THE ACCOMMODATION THAT THE EMPLOYEE IS REQUESTING.
AND REASON BEING IS WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE NEED.
UH, IT'S NOT A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION TO STICK NVDA ON MY COMPUTER AND SAY, OKAY, DAVID, DO YOUR WORK.
I USE JAWS JOB ACCESS WITH SPEECH.
UM, I KNOW HOW TO USE A WHITE CANE, BUT I'VE GOT OOBA HERE WITH ME.
OOBA IS MY PREFERRED ACCOMMODATION.
UM, AND SO WE GO THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS.
WE VET THROUGH THE ENTIRE, UH, GATHER ALL THE INFORMATION, AND THEN BECAUSE WE ARE THE SMES IN TITLE I, WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR AND THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR ISSUES A MEMO, A FINAL DETERMINATION MEMO.
95% OF THE TIME, IT REFLECTS EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMITTEE AND WHAT THE A DA PROGRAM OFFICE RECOMMENDED.
UH, THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE PUSHER BACKERS.
UM, AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IF A, UM, AN ACCOMMODATION IS DENIED? I THINK THAT'S THE NEXT SLIDE.
DOES THAT TALK ABOUT THE APPEAL PROCESS? PROCESS, SAY THERE'S AN APPEAL PROCESS, A DA REASSIGNMENT PROCESS.
WELL, UM, BEFORE WE GET TO THE, UH, APPEAL PROCESS, UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT, SAY THERE REALLY IS NO REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION THAT CAN BE MADE TO ENABLE THIS INDIVIDUAL TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THEIR JOB.
THEIR JOB IS TO DRIVE A RECYCLE TRUCK, AND THEY'VE LOST THEIR VISION AND THEY CAN NO LONGER DRIVE.
THERE'S NOT A MODIFICATION YET THAT WILL ENABLE THAT INDIVIDUAL TO PERFORM THAT ESSENTIAL FUNCTION.
SO WHAT DO WE DO? SAY, SEE YOU LATER, BOB.
[00:40:01]
AND WHEN I WAS A KIDDO, I BROKE MY LEG ABOUT 14 YEARS OLD, BROKE MY LEG.ONE OF MY JOBS WAS TO MOW THE LAWN.
I DIDN'T EVEN GET PAID FOR IT.
I DIDN'T GET PAID FOR MY CHORES.
THAT WAS BACK IN THE OLDEN DAYS.
AND SO, UM, YOU THINK MY MOM AND DAD SHIPPED ME OFF TO A, YOU KNOW, SOMEWHERE ELSE BOARDING SCHOOL OR SOMETHING? NO, THEY REASSIGNED ME DISH DUTY AND MADE MY BROTHER TAKE OVER THE LAWN DUTY.
SO BOTTOM LINE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF JOBS IN THIS CITY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS, A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT ABILITIES AND DISABILITIES CAN DO.
AND SO OUR NEXT STEP, IF WE CAN'T IDENTIFY AN ACCOMMODATION THAT WILL ENABLE THIS OTHERWISE QUALIFIED PERSON TO PERFORM THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THEIR JOB, WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB THAT THEY CAN.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT A 75% SUCCESS RATE ON THAT.
BUT IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, WE USHER THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EITHER MEDICAL, RETIREMENT, UH, PAID, UH, PAID LEAVE BENEFITS AND DISABILITY BENEFITS, AND OTHER TYPES OF, OF, OF, SOMETIMES THEY RETIRE, SOMETIMES THEY'RE ELIGIBLE AND RETIRE, BUT IT'S VERY RARE.
IN FACT, I KNOW OF NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHEREBY PEOPLE ARE JUST LET GO BECAUSE WE COULDN'T IDENTIFY AN AL EITHER AN ALTERNATE POSITION OR AN ALTERNATE BENEFIT.
THAT WOULD BE THE SAFETY NET UNDERNEATH IF, UH, LAST SLIDE, I THINK IS THE APPEAL PROCESS.
IF NOT, I'LL JUST THROW ONE IN.
SO I MEMORIZED, I'M JUST NOT IN ORDER.
UM, AND I THINK THIS IS THE LAST ONE, SO I'LL BE QUIET HERE IN A MOMENT.
UM, IF AN EMPLOYEE DISAGREES WITH THE DETERMINATION MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT REGARDING THEIR REASON REQUEST FOR A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, IF IT IS DENIED BY THE DEPARTMENT, THERE IS AN APPEAL PROCESS.
THAT LANGUAGE APPEARS IN THEIR DETERMINATION MEMO, WE ARE DENYING YOUR ACCOMMODATION BECAUSE IT WOULD CREATE AN UNDUE OPERATIONAL HARDSHIP ON THE DIVISION.
AND SO YOU'RE BEING OFFERED ENROLLMENT IN THE REASSIGNMENT PROGRAM.
WELL, THEY DISAGREE WITH THAT.
THEY SAY, DOGGONE IT, IF THEY WOULD JUST MAKE THIS ACCOMMODATION AND JUST REASSIGN A COUPLE OF MY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE JUST DI WE'RE THINKING OUT OF THE BOX, WE THINK THIS COULD WORK, THEY'RE ALLOWED TO MAKE THAT ARGUMENT.
TWO, THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES WHO WILL DO A FULL INVESTIGATION WILL INTERVIEW MANAGERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, DIRECTORS, UH, THE A DA PROGRAM OFFICE.
WHAT WENT ON IN THE MEETING? WHAT DID THEY SAY IN THE MEETING? WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT NOW? WHY IS THIS SUCH A SURPRISE? AND THEY WILL MAKE A DETERMINATION TO EITHER UPHOLD AND APPEAL AND SET US BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD TO, UH, START MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE DIDN'T THINK WERE REASONABLE, OR ON RARE OCCASIONS, UM, THAT THE APPEAL WILL BE UPHELD.
AND WHAT THAT BASICALLY MEANS IS THAT THE EMPLOYEE REALLY COULD NOT BE ACCOMMODATED.
UH, WE CAN'T HIRE SOMEBODY TO DRIVE FOR YOU, AND YOU SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND TELL THEM WHERE TO GO.
AND SO, UH, WE ARE GOING TO, UH, BASICALLY USHER YOU INTO THE A DA REASSIGNMENT PROGRAM.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S GENERALLY THE OUTCOME OF AN APPEAL IF ONE IS DENIED.
AND SO, UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE END OF THE ROPE, END OF THE LINE FOR THE EMPLOYEE.
IT MEANS BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD.
SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO WITH OR WITHOUT, SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN PERFORM ALL OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS WITH OR WITHOUT A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION.
MY NAME IS DAVID ON, I'M AT A D A@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV.
UH, AS WE KNOW, UH, IN GOVERNMENT, THERE ARE TWO TITLES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND I'M PROUD TO TURN THE MICROPHONE OVER TO EMMY JOHNSON.
SHE HAS, UH, ACQUIRED OVERSIGHT OF TITLE II OF THE CITY'S A DA PROGRAM.
AND I WILL LET HER RUN THROUGH HER SIDE SLIDES, AND THEN WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR SOME DISCUSSION.
[00:45:01]
THANKS, DAVID.UM, FIRST, UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US AND I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT I WORK WITH IN OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW OF IT, MAYBE FOUR YEARS.
FOUR YEARS AGO, UM, UNDER AN ORDINANCE, WE WERE ESTABLISHED, UH, AND HAVE OVERSIGHT OVER NON-DISCRIMINATION LAWS.
UM, WE DO A LOT OF EMPLOYMENT, UH, THROUGH EEOC.
WE DO FAIR HOUSING, UH, IN CONNECTION WITH HUD.
WE HAVE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION SERVICES AS WELL.
WE DO QUITE A BIT OF OUTREACH AND EDUCATION FOR ALL OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE OFFICE, WHICH NOW INCLUDES, UH, THE ORDINANCE THAT COVERS PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SERVICES.
UM, MY POSITION IS POLICY COMPLIANCE CONSULTANT.
I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT
AND WE HAVE IN TRANSITIONING, UM, AN IMPLEMENTING THIS, THIS ORDINANCE, UH, THE A DA PROGRAM OFFICE THAT DAVID AND LEE ARE A PART OF UNDER HRD AND OUR OFFICE HAVE TEAMED UP TO PRETTY MUCH ENSURE OR TRY TO ENSURE THAT THE PUBLIC HAS A SEAMLESS AND POSITIVE EXPERIENCE IN RECEIVING A ACCOMMODATIONS FOR CITY PROGRAM SERVICES IN THEIR FACILITIES.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE, WHERE WE FOCUS, BUT WE WANT OUR OUTWARD APPEARANCE, UM, AND TOUCHPOINT TO BE LIKE ONE, LIKE ONE ONE CITY OF AUSTIN, RIGHT? SO WE, WE SPEAK DAILY.
WE
UM, ENRIQUE SERANO IS, IS IN THE ROOM, AND HE IS THE ENFORCEMENT MANAGER FOR OCR.
TAMLA SALANA IS OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR, AND BEVERLY DAVIS IS OUR OCR ADMINISTRATOR.
SO I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE TEAM THAT MAKES THIS WORK.
SO THE SLIDE, UH, FIRST IS, UH, IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE NON-DISCRIMINATION NOTICE.
THE REASON I WANNA POINT OUT THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE IS, UM, OUR INITIAL EFFORT WAS AWARENESS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED AND THAT WE HAVE, UM, TWO OFFICES IMPLEMENTING THE LARGER A DA, WE CREATED A CENTRALIZED POINT ON, UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S AN ELEVATED WEBSITE, SO I WANNA SAY THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE WEBSITE, WHERE IT JUST, IF YOU GOOGLE A DA CITY OF AUSTIN, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET.
AND FROM THERE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU IF IT LINKS THERE OR NOT, BUT, UM, FOLKS CAN, IF THEY GET A COPY OF THIS, THEY CAN LINK THERE AND THEY CAN VISIT THAT WEBSITE.
IT HAS A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FORM, IT HAS OUR CONTACT INFORMATION, IT HAS OUR NOTICE THAT'S REQUIRED UNDER A DA.
SO THOSE COMPONENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED UNDER THE PROGRAM, WE TRY TO PRESENT, UH, RIGHT OUT THE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT OUT THE GATE.
LIKE WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS, UM, MOVING TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION.
SO WE'VE, WE HAVE A FAIRLY STRONG LANGUAGE ACCESS, UH, PROGRAM, SERVICES AND POLICY IN PLACE.
THIS ALSO WEAVES INTO THAT LANGUAGE ACCESS AS FAR AS A SL.
AND WE HAVE SOME AREAS, UH, FOR INSTANCE, I BELIEVE OUR HRD HANDLES A LARGE MAJORITY OF OUR A SL, UM, COMMUNICATION REQUESTS.
WE HAVE OTHER LANGUAGES THAT WE, UH, ACCOMMODATE AS WELL.
SO WE ALL HAVE TO COORDINATE IN OUR, UH, COMMUNICATION, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, H-R-D-A-D-A AND OUR OFFICE.
UM, COMMUNICATE VERY CLOSELY IN SERVING THE PUBLIC IN THAT MANNER.
UM, BUT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TO EXTEND OUR SERVICES IN VARIOUS OF MODES AND METHODS AND, AND ALTERNATIVE FORMATS.
SO WE'VE GOT, UM, ENCOURAGING DEPARTMENTS BECAUSE FROM OUR OCR OFFICE, WE ARE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN SUPPORTING THOSE 40 SOME ODD DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN SERVING THE PUBLIC.
TYPICALLY, RIGHT NOW, IT'S GOING TO BE THE HR LIAISON.
HOWEVER, I THINK WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS HOW MIGHT WE, UM, IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS IN THESE DEPARTMENTS THAT SERVE
[00:50:01]
PUBLIC PRIMARILY, RIGHT? RATHER THAN THE CITY OF EMPLOYEES THERE, THEY'VE GOT THE HR LIAISON.HOWEVER, THE EXTERNAL SERVICES, THE PUBLIC SERVICES MAY NEED ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT COMPONENT AS WE ASSESS THE LANDSCAPE OF WHERE WE ARE.
UM, TELEPHONE, WEBSITE, VIDEO.
WE KNOW THERE'S NEW LAWS THAT COME OUT WITH WEBSITE, UH, UH, COMPLIANCE, AND WE NEED TO GET ON BOARD WITH THAT.
I THINK IT'S ON EVERYONE'S RADAR HOW WE IMPLEMENT AND ROLL THAT OUT.
OF COURSE, IT'S LARGER THAN THE OCR OFFICE, BUT, UM, WE, WE ARE AWARE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, I KNOW IT IS ON THEIR RADAR TO MAKE THINGS ACCESSIBLE IN THEIR COMMUNICATION MODES.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS AN AREA THAT OCR WOULD LEAN ON OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO, TO LEAD, RIGHT? THOSE ARE THE, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS AND OUR ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS AND STANDARDS.
AND I HAVE A FEW STATISTICS TO SHARE AT THE END.
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF CALLS ARE COMING IN FROM THE PUBLIC, WHAT KIND OF REQUESTS, UH, DAVID AND I HAVE AGREED THAT WE WILL START TRACKING AND MONITORING THE DATA.
UM, AND WHAT, WHAT THE TRENDS, WHAT, WHAT ARE THEY ASKING? HOW ARE WE RESPONDING? WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE TIME? AND ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, RIGHT? TO, TO FULFILL THE ACCOMMODATION REQUEST.
BUT, UM, WE, WE DO GET A LOT OF PARKING, PARKING SIGNS.
UM, WE'RE GETTING THE DOORS, DOORS, ACCESSIBILITIES, AND THE PUSH, UH, DOORS THAT OPEN AUTOMATICALLY, UH, SEATING ARRANGEMENTS.
SO WE WANNA PUT THIS ON DEPARTMENT STAFF'S RADAR AS THEY HAVE MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, UH, PUBLIC EVENTS.
HOW MIGHT THEY ORGANIZE, STRUCTURE, ANNOUNCE AND PRESENT THEIR EVENTS AND PROGRAMS IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT IS ACCESSIBLE, RIGHT? SO, SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, AND THAT'S WHAT HAS STARTED.
UH, WE DO STILL GET SIDEWALKS, SO WE GET THE, THE BULGE IN THE SIDEWALK ISSUES.
UM, SO I'VE GOTTEN VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHICH DEPARTMENTS TO CALL
LIKE, WHO, WHO DO I CALL FOR THIS, RIGHT? UM, THE NEXT PART IS, IS KEY.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THIS COMMISSION HAD REALLY, UH, WANTED US TO FOCUS IN ON.
AND I THINK THIS WAS, UH, STARTED THE INQUIRY IS STAFF TRAINING, RIGHT? THIS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF A DA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S TITLE ONE OR TITLE TWO.
UM, IT'S REQUIRED, UH, WE NEED A PLAN FOR THAT AND HOW TO ROLL THAT OUT.
UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF VIDEOS UNDER OUR BELT.
WE HAVE, UH, AVAILED OURSELVES TO COME IN PERSON AND WE TEAM UP BECAUSE, UM, AT THIS POINT, THE EMPLOYEES ARE SERVING THE PUBLIC.
SO IT BEHOOVES US TO INCLUDE EVERYONE IN THOSE TRAINEES, THE, THE CITY EMPLOYEES THAT NEED TO IMPLEMENT AND PROVIDE THESE, AS WELL AS ANY PUBLIC MEMBERS THAT WANT TO JOIN AND HAVE, BE IN THAT CONVERSATION, RIGHT? SO I THINK, AND DAVID, THIS IS PART OF YOUR SAYING TOO, IS NOT ONLY BE AT THE TABLE, RIGHT, BE BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, BUT PART OF THE DISCUSSION.
SO I THINK HAVING FOCUS GROUPS, UH, BEING IN OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, INVITING THEM TO THESE, GIVING THAT FEEDBACK, RIGHT? THAT'S PART OF DATA COLLECTION AS WELL, IS THEY, UM, INDIVIDUALS DO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S, UH, UH, WISE FOR US TO CAPTURE THOSE AS WE TALK TO INDIVIDUALS.
SO, UH, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, I BELIEVE THAT WE WOULD WANT THESE TRAINEES TO BE REGULARLY SCHEDULED.
UM, IF WE CAN FIND WAYS FOR THEM TO BE ON DEMAND, UH, THEN WE CAN SERVE THE GREATER CITY EMPLOYEE POPULATION BECAUSE WE DO NOT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S GONNA COME IN TOUCH WITH, WITH THE PUBLIC.
AND SOME OF OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE MORE PUBLIC FACING THAN OTHERS.
HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T LEAVE EVERY, WE DON'T WANT ANY DEPARTMENT LEFT BEHIND IN KNOWING WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE.
THE NEXT PART IS, IS CRITICAL.
AND I KNOW THE, UH, THE CITY HAS COMPLETED THESE REPORTS, AND THESE ARE ANNUAL TRANSITION.
WELL, THEY'RE UPDATES TO THE TRANSITION PLAN, RIGHT? THERE'S A GREATER TRANSITION PLAN, LARGER, UH, CITYWIDE PLAN THAN THERE SHOULD BE ANNUAL UPDATES TO THOSE PLANS.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, ENGAGED A, A CONSULTANT, UH, FIRM TO ASSIST US IN ASSESSING THE LANDSCAPE OF WHERE THESE DOCUMENTS ARE, WHERE, WHERE'S THE CITY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION, UM, WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS MIGHT BE BASED ON THEIR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
[00:55:01]
SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING BACK, UM, IN THAT REPORT OF WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS WOULD BE AND HOW WE MIGHT TAKE THEM FORWARD TO, TO LEADERSHIP.UH, BUT THESE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS ARE COORDINATED.
UM, THEY'RE UPDATED AND PRESENTED, AND THEY SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC.
UM, SO THAT FOLKS KNOW, UH, WHERE WE, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING, WHERE ARE WE GOING? AND PART OF THAT FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC SHOULD INFORM THOSE PLANS.
SO, UH, THAT'S THE REASON THEY SHOULD CHANGE AND EVOLVE ANNUALLY AS NEW FACILITIES ARE BUILT, OR THAT WE'RE RENOVATING OR WE'RE CREATING NEW PROGRAMS OR SERVICES.
UM, SO THOSE PLANS ARE INFORMING TO, TO DEPARTMENTS.
PART OF THAT IS GOING TO ASK FOR, UH, BUDGETS AND, AND, AND SCHEDULES AND RESOURCES.
THAT JUST COMES WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT WE, WE TRY TO IMPROVE.
SO THIS IS PART OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
UM, WE ARE MONITORING AND TRACKING COMPLAINTS, CONCERNS, INQUIRIES, HOW THEY'RE HANDLED, WHICH DEPARTMENTS THEY'RE GOING TO.
UM, AND WE MIGHT WANT TO FORMALIZE THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER AND GET A BETTER SYSTEM IN PLACE SO THAT IT IS CITYWIDE, IT INFORMS OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
RIGHT NOW IT SITS, UM, I DON'T KNOW, DAVID, HRD COLLECTS SOME INFORMATION.
AND THEN I KNOW OUR OFFICE HAS STARTED TO TRACK AND MONITOR INFORMATION AND, AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO SHARE AND PUT THAT OUT THERE.
RIGHT? SO SOME STATISTICS JUST TO, SINCE WE STARTED, AND I ONLY HAVE, UM, SINCE LAST YEAR, UH, WHEN I CAME ON BOARD WITH OCR, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 13 TITLE TWO PUBLIC SERVICE, UM, INQUIRIES COME TO STRAIGHT TO OUR OFFICE, UH, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS OR, OR OF COURSE AT THE TOP WE HAD A COUPLE OF COMPLAINTS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO RESOLVE INFORMALLY.
UM, WE TEAMED UP WITH THE DEPARTMENT, WENT ON SITE WITH THE CUSTOMER AND SAID, WHAT DO YOU NEED? HOW IS IT GONNA LOOK? THIS HAPPENED TO BE PARKS AND REC.
WE ALSO WORK WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE ON A COUPLE OF ISSUES.
SO WE ARE SERVING TO, TO SUPPORT THIS OFFICE.
OCR IS SERVING, TO SUPPORT, UM, OUR DEPARTMENTS IN MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC.
UH, AUSTIN ENERGY IS UP AT THE TOP PARKS AND RECREATION BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE A LOT OF PUBLIC SERVICES, SO THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE CODE, CODE COMES INTO PLAY QUITE A BIT TO, TO REMEDY SOME OF THOSE, THE HOUSING ISSUES, THE, THE, UH, ELECTRICITY.
I REMEMBER GETTING A CALL ABOUT BEING ABLE TO READ THEIR, UH, UTILITY BILL, THINGS OF THAT SORT.
WE'RE GONNA REACH OUT TO THE DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT LIAISON, UH, LOOPS BACK LETS US KNOW OF THE RESOLUTION SO THAT WE CAN RECORD IT AND THAT THE PERSON WAS SERVED.
SO THAT, THAT IN A NUTSHELL IS KINDA HOW IT'S OPERATING WITHIN OCR ARE.
APPRECIATE ALL THAT INFORMATION.
UM, I THINK AT THIS POINT, COULD WE ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
UM, DOES ANYONE ELSE WANNA KICK IT OFF OR, I, I HAVE A COUPLE AS WELL.
THIS COMMISSIONER GABRIEL ARIANO.
I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING ALL THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND, AND THINGS THAT YOU ARE DOING.
AND YES, I THINK THIS IS REALLY GOING TO STRENGTHEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, AND THE SUPPORT, AND YOU'RE FOLLOWING UP WITH THE GRIEVANCES AND STUFF.
SO I AM CURIOUS ABOUT THE AREAS THAT ARE NEEDING MORE IMPROVEMENT OR SOME WEAK AREAS.
DO YOU DOCUMENT THAT FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS, FOR FUTURE FEEDBACK, FOR GROWTH? I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU TRACK ALSO THE AREAS THAT MAYBE NEED MORE IMPROVEMENT.
I, I WILL GO FIRST BECAUSE I, I THIS PROBABLY REFERENCING PUBLIC SERVICES THROUGH DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE CUSTOMER, WE ARE DOCUMENTING WHAT THEIR ISSUES ARE THROUGH THE DATA.
WE CAN SEE WHERE MOST OF THE INQUIRIES ARE ARE COMING FROM, AS WELL AS TO WHAT ISSUES, LIKE IF THEY'RE MORE FACILITIES RELATED OR THEY'RE MORE PROGRAM RELATED, ARE THEY SERVICES OR IS IT, IT RELATES TO LANGUAGE ACCESS TO OUR DOCUMENTS, OUR WEBSITE.
SO WE ARE CAPTURING THOSE WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS.
RIGHT NOW, IT'S STILL A LOW NUMBER THAT WE COULD MANUALLY LOOK AT THAT, BUT I FORESEE THAT NOW THAT WE'VE BECOME MORE VISIBLE ON OUR WEBSITE,
[01:00:01]
HAVE A A, WE'RE MORE PROMINENT TO THE PUBLIC.WE ARE GETTING MORE INQUIRIES.
SO IT WAS A VERY GOOD THING TO, TO PUT US OUT THERE IN FRONT.
I THINK, UM, I THINK PREVIOUSLY IT WAS DAVID AND HIS SHOP WAS TRYING TO CARRY BOTH AND, UH, TITLE ONE, UH, EMPLOYEES KNEW WHERE TO GO PUBLIC, MAYBE NOT ALWAYS, AND THEN HR INDIVIDUALS HAD TO STEP UP.
SO I SEE THAT SOME DEPARTMENTS ARE CREATING THEIR OWN, UH, INTERNAL COMMITTEES AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES THAT ADDRESS PUBLIC SERVICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES THAT IS OUTSIDE OF THE HR WORLD.
AND I WOULD ALSO ADD, THANK YOU, EMMY.
I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT, THANK YOU.
AS WE COMMUNICATE WITH THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE, UM, YOU, YOU, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A PUBLIC, UH, YOU KNOW, INVITE THE PUBLIC TO COMMUNICATE WITH THIS COMMITTEE ABOUT ISSUES THAT THEY'RE HAVING IN THE CITY.
WE WANNA OPEN UP COMMUNICATION, A COMMUNICATION CONDUIT FROM THIS COMMITTEE TO OUR OFFICES IF THEY'RE HAVING TO DO WITH, UH, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE SURVEYS AND, UM, HAVE ACQUIRED DATA AND GOTTEN INFORMATION, AND I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE VERY HELPFUL IN BUILDING THAT DATABASE OF, UH, IS IT SIDEWALKS? IS IT ACCESS TO PARKS? IS IT ACCESS TO LIBRARY SERVICES? OR, UH, DO WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH, UH, POLICE OFFICERS NOT KNOWING HOW TO GET A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, UH, ON SITE WHEN THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S DEAF, WHO IS, UH, HAVING A, A SITUATION.
SO I WOULD INVITE, UH, THIS COMMITTEE TO ALSO FEEL FREE TO KEEP YOUR EARS AND EYES OPEN AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION, UH, TO US.
AADA@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV IS A REAL GOOD PLACE TO START.
UH, I COULD KIND OF VET THROUGH IT, DETERMINE IF IT NEEDS TO GO TO EMMY OR STAY WITH ME.
UH, THERE ARE PLACES ON, UH, AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV THAT YOU COULD DIRECT PEOPLE TO, AND THEY CAN TALK DIRECTLY TO US.
AND SO PLEASE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE IF THEY HAVE PROBLEMS. WE LOVE PROBLEMS. IT MEANS THAT WE CAN FIX SOMETHING.
'CAUSE IF ONE PERSON'S HAVING A PROBLEM, I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE ARE, SO LET'S FIX 'EM.
SO THAT'S MY HOPE FOR THIS COMMUNICATION.
AND, UH, I KNOW THAT OUR, UH, ANNUAL PLAN REQUIRES THAT WE GET FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE INVITE YOU TO OPEN UP DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND YOUR, UH, UH, UH, COHORT TO, UH, ASK THEM WHAT'S, WHAT ARE THEY, WHAT ARE THEY STRUGGLING WITH? WHAT ARE THEY FACING? THANK YOU.
UM, ALSO, AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, THEY'RE ONE OF THE MANDATES OF OUR COMMISSION IS KIND OF SIMILAR TO, TO WHAT YOU ALL WORK ON, IS THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO, TO ASSIST THE CITY OF AUSTIN HR WITH, UH, TRAINING EMPLOYEES ON THE NEEDS AND CONCERNS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
AND SO, DAVID, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED KIND OF FUNNELING INFORMATION YOUR WAY TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT THE NEEDS OF CONSTITUENTS ARE.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF PARTNERSHIP WOULD, WOULD YOU POTENTIALLY ENVISION BETWEEN US IN TERMS OF, UM, MAKING SURE THAT CITY EMPLOYEES ARE EDUCATED ABOUT THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES? I PROBABLY GONNA DEFER THIS ONE, EXCUSE ME, TO EMMY, BECAUSE, UH, THE INTERNAL EMPLOYMENT TRAINING WOULD LIKELY BE BORING TO THE, I MEAN, WHAT I DESCRIBED IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.
THAT'S WHAT, BUT EMMY IS DEVELOPING TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES WHO LITERALLY HANDS-ON INTERACT WITH PUBLIC.
IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO START WITH WHAT WE HAVE.
SHARE THAT WITH THIS COMMITTEE AND, UM, GET SOME FEEDBACK.
I DON'T KNOW, EMMY, I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO YOU.
SO WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IS THAT EACH DEPARTMENT'S NEEDS ARE DIFFERENT AND THEIR EMPLOYEES INTERACT WITH PUBLIC DIFFERENTLY.
WE'VE TRIED TO MAKE AN A GENERAL OVERVIEW VIDEO TRAINING, SO WE HAVE THAT IN PLACE.
HOWEVER, I THINK TALKING TO EACH DEPARTMENT AND FINDING OUT EXACTLY WHAT DO THEY NEED, HOW DO THEY NEED THIS TRAINING TO, TO BE FOR THEM SO THAT IT WORKS, UM, WHICH, WHICH STAFF ARE MORE PUBLIC FACING THAN OTHERS,
[01:05:01]
RIGHT? WHAT TOOLS AND TEMPLATES OR, OR, UH, RESOURCES THEY ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE.SO I THINK THIS COMMISSION CAN ASSIST BY, AS THEY RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, INFORM US OF WHAT THOSE ARE SO THAT WE CAN, CAN'T DO EVERY ONE AT ONCE.
SO WE CAN START TO PRIORITIZE, RIGHT? WHERE ARE, WHERE ARE OUR PAIN POINTS AT THIS POINT? UM, IT MAY BE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, AND THEN WE STRATEGIZE AND WE MAY GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL, NEXT LEVEL, NEXT LEVEL.
BUT IF WE CAN, UH, FIRST START WITH AN OVERVIEW AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE CITY, THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO START.
AND THAT, AND WE ARE AT AWARENESS AT THIS POINT.
NOT, NOT ALL EMPLOYEES ARE AWARE THAT OCR HAS A TITLE TWO AND THAT HRD HAS KEPT TITLE I, THAT EVEN BASIC PIECE IS, IS NEW TO SOME EMPLOYEES, RIGHT? HOW MIGHT WE EMBED THIS MAYBE AT NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION? SO WE GET, WE HAVE INFORMING EMPLOYEES AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF, OF THEIR TENURE, RIGHT? SO THERE ARE MANY STRATEGIES.
I THINK WE DO NEED TO THINK IN THAT WAY.
UM, AND THEN IN THE TRANSITION PLAN INCLUDE THOSE, WHAT, WHAT, HOW DO WE IMPLEMENT THE STAFF TRAINING, RIGHT? UH, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS COMMISSION BE A PART OF THAT PLANNING PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE WAY WE COULD ENGAGE AND SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
UM, BECAUSE YOUR REACH TO THE PUBLIC IS GOING TO BE GREATER THAN, THAN OURS RIGHT HERE.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
I'M WONDERING ON HOW, OR DO YOU HAVE PROGRAMS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES? I CAN TAKE A QUICK SHOT AT IT.
UH, UH, THE LIBRARY DOES, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, NOW ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, WELL, LET ME JUST TELL YOU WHAT I'M AWARE OF.
THE, UM, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS, WHAT'S CALLED THE INCLUSION UNIT.
AND THERE ARE, UH, A COUPLE, UH, UH, REC CENTERS, UH, THAT ARE DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR, WITH INCLUSIVE PROGRAMMING IN PLACE.
HOWEVER, THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND BRING SERVICES TO PEOPLE.
AND, UH, SO THE, THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES, THERE ARE PROGRAMS, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, DESIGNED, UH, FOR, OR DESIGNED TOWARDS, UH, INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES.
I MEAN, WE RECENTLY HAD A CASE, UH, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT IN A A A DAY PROGRAM TYPE, A RECREATIONAL DAY PROGRAM TYPE, UH, ENVIRONMENT WITH, UH, WITH AN INDIVIDUAL.
AND I BELIEVE IT MAY HAVE BEEN WITH AN INTELLECTUAL, UH, DIFFERENCE.
DO, DO YOU RECALL THAT ONE SO WELL, YES.
AND, AND TO, TO COUPLE WITH THAT, WHAT, UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT IS A LOT OF PARTNERSHIPS, RIGHT? SO WE, IF WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH, FOR INSTANCE, GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OR WITH, UM, ANY OF THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, WE'RE GOING TO ENCOURAGE THAT WE START INTERNSHIPS OR, UM, EMPLOYABILITY.
SO EACH DEPARTMENT HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN THESE PARTNERSHIPS IN ORDER TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS TO, UH, COME BECOME PART OF THE WORKFORCE.
THEY MAY, THEY MAY COME WITH A JOB, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M MORE INTERESTED IN, RIGHT? IN TERMS OF RIGHT.
THE WORKFORCE RATHER THAN PROGRAMS FOR, RIGHT.
SO, UH, THOSE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS I KNOW CAN, AND, AND THEY, THEY HAVE, UM, AVAILED THEMSELVES OF THOSE, THOSE, UH, PROGRAM PARTNERSHIPS WITH DIFFERENT ENTITIES.
WE'VE HAD JOB COACHES AT THE, AT THE LIBRARY.
I KNOW OTHER DEPARTMENTS WILL, WILL FACILITATE THAT AS WELL.
UM, SO I, I THINK OVERALL, IF WE, IF WE START TO EMPOWER AND TOOL AND SUPPORT OTHER DEPARTMENTS, THEN THOSE KINDS OF, UH, RELATIONSHIPS WILL DEVELOP, RIGHT.
AND I WILL SAY THAT A PORTION OF THE BUDGET FOR THE INTERN PROGRAM, INTERNSHIP PROGRAM DOES GO TO TOWARDS TEXAS WORKFORCE AND, AND ALLOWING
[01:10:01]
FOR, UH, JOB COACHES AND, UH, JOB SUPPORTS, UH, ON INTERNSHIPS.I PARTNERED WITH MARSHALL NA OF, UH, CHRIS COLE REHAB CENTER, UH, AND HE'S A CAREER DEVELOPER, AND HE RECEIVED A GRANT FROM, UH, I THINK THE SAN ANTONIO OR HOUSTON LIGHTHOUSE.
AND THEY, UH, OPENED UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR, WE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HOSTED SIX, UH, BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED INTERNS, AND THEY HAD WORKERS' COMP, UH, SALARIES OR, UH, AT LEAST, UH, HOURLY WAGES AND, UH, JOB SUPPORT.
SO THAT HAPPENED TO BE FOR, UH, UH, BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED COHORT.
BUT YES, WE DO HAVE, UH, FUNDS IN PLACE TO SUPPORT, UH, COACHING AND, AND INTERNS, UH, FROM WORKFORCE COMMISSION.
AND I DO THINK, UM, NOT TO SPEAK OUT OF SCHOOL, BUT THE WORKFORCE COMMISSION IS VERY DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH.
UM, SO ANYTHING YOU CAN DO AS AN EMPLOYER, UM, TO HELP PEOPLE WHO HAVE THOSE BENEFITS, UM, WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
SO YOU CAN ADD THAT TO YOUR LIST.
I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, SINCE WE HAVE OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT, UM, WE CAN PROBABLY MOVE ON.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT, AND I'M SURE WE'LL BE WORKING TOGETHER CLOSELY SOON.
WE ARE AVAILABLE, UH, EVEN OUTSIDE IN, INDIVIDUALS CAN REACH OUT.
UH, EMMY AND I ARE EASY TO FIND NOWADAYS ON THE WEBSITE.
BUT, UH, JUST REMEMBER AADA AT AUSTIN, TEXAS.GOV.
UH, SHOOT QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, REQUESTS, UH, THOSE WILL COME TO ME, BUT, UH, I CAN, UH, I CAN QUICKLY AND EASILY PUSH THOSE OVER TO OUR, OUR TITLE TWO, UH, FOLKS.
[4. Presentation by Lila Valencia, City Demographer, Planning Department on Austin demographic data and discussion on how to collect disability data for future surveys.]
NEXT UP WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM THE CITY OF DEMOGRAPHER'S OFFICE.I'M GONNA QUIETLY EXCUSE MYSELF.
I'M THE DEMOGRAPHER AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I AM, UH, I HAVE A SHORT, CURLY HAIR OR SHOULDER LENGTH, CURLY BROWN HAIR, AND I'M JOINING YOU FROM THE AUSTIN, UH, BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEETING ROOM.
LET ME GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED ON THE INFORMATION I'M PROVIDING TO YOU TODAY.
THE, THE PRESENTATION I'VE PUT TOGETHER IS A SUMMARY OF, UM, SOME MOSTLY MATERIAL FROM THE US CENSUS BUREAU.
THE CENSUS BUREAU'S AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY MEASURES SIX DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISABILITIES BY ASSESSING DIFFICULTIES IN HEARING, VISION, COGNITION, AMBULATORY SELF-CARE, AND INDEPENDENT LIVING AMONG THE POPULATION, AGES FIVE YEARS AND OLDER.
UM, THERE IS, UH, UM, AN EXCEPTION.
THE QUESTION ON INDEPENDENT LIVING IS REALLY ONLY ASKED OF INDIVIDUALS 15 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, AND I HAVE LINKED TO, UM, THE SAMPLE SURVEY OR THE QUESTIONNAIRE SO THAT YOU, UH, CAN TAKE A, UH, A LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS IN MORE DETAIL IN 2022 IN AUSTIN.
AND WE HAVE, UM, MORE RECENT DATA THAT JUST BECAME AVAILABLE.
IT WAS JUST RELEASED YESTERDAY.
UM, SO I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO UPDATE THESE SLIDES.
UM, THERE, THE PATTERNS REMAIN, UH, SIMILAR.
WE DIDN'T SEE ANY, UH, BIG CHANGES, BUT THE DATA THAT I'LL BE SHARING WITH YOU TODAY IS FROM 2022, BUT IN AUSTIN, IN 2022, THERE, UH, IT IS ESTIMATED THE, THE AUSTIN, UH, POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, UH, IS AT ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED TWO THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED NINETEEN PEOPLE, OR ABOUT 10.5% OF THE TOTAL AUSTIN POPULATION.
THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES HAS BEEN GROWING AT A RATE OF ABOUT 30% SINCE 2012, INCREASING BY 23,888 PEOPLE.
AND THIS IS MUCH A MUCH FASTER GROWTH RATE THAN WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN DURING THAT SAME TIME.
UM, THE NUMBER OF, OF, OR THE POPULATION THAT WE HAVE HERE AT 100, UH, 2000 IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH ANY DISABILITY.
BUT INDIVIDUALS CAN ALSO, OF COURSE,
[01:15:01]
HAVE MULTIPLE DISABILITIES AND THE TOTAL DISABILITIES THAT ARE MEASURED BY THE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.UM, SURVEY DATA INCLUDE 172,000 DISABILITIES WITH THE, UH, MOST, UM, THE MOST COMMON, OR THE, THE ONES IN THE LARGEST, UM, NUMBERS, INCLUDING DIFFICULTY WITH COGNITION, UH, AMBULATORY DIFFICULTY, AND INDEPENDENT LIVING DIFFICULTY NEARLY THREE OUT OF FIVE.
I'M SO SORRY, I'M NOT FLIPPING THE SLIDES.
I'M GONNA CATCH UP TO, UH, WHERE I AM CURRENTLY, BUT YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THESE SLIDES, UM, THAT HOPEFULLY YOU CAN, UH, REVIEW FOR SOME OF THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
UH, NEARLY THREE OUT OF FIVE AUSTINITES WITH DISABILITIES HAVE A SINGLE TYPE OF DISABILITY, BUT, UM, THE POPULATION IS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE ADDITIONAL DISABILITIES AS THEY AGE.
AND SO IN THIS TABLE, WHAT WE SHOW IS, UM, THE INDIVIDUALS, UH, THE SHARE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ONE DISABILITY, AND THEN, UH, THE SHARE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TWO OR MORE TYPES OF DISABILITIES.
AND WHAT WE CAN SEE IS THAT, UM, IN BOTH CASES, UM, ONE TYPE OF DISABILITY OR TWO TYPES OF DISABILITIES, THE SHARE INCREASES IS AS, AS THE POPULATION AGES.
BUT SPECIFICALLY FOR, UM, INDIVIDUALS WITH TWO OR MORE TYPES OF DISABILITIES THAT SHARE REALLY RISES IN THE OLDER, UH, AGE CATEGORIES AND DISABILITIES, UH, OCCUR AT, AT VARYING RATES.
BUT THE PREVALENCE OF ALL DISABILITIES INCREASES, AGAIN, AS INDIVIDUALS AGE.
AND SO HERE IN THIS TABLE, I OUTLINE THE SPECIFIC TYPES OF DISABILITIES THAT ARE MEASURED BY THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY.
UM, I RANK THEM IN ORDER OF THE, OF THE LARGEST, UH, PREVALENCE AMONG THE AUSTIN POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
AND THEN, UH, EACH COLUMN DEPICTS THE AGE CATEGORY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND SO, AGAIN, AS WE, UH, EVEN FOR THE MORE, UM, COMMON, UH, DISABILITIES OF COGNITION AND AMBULATORY AND INDEPENDENT LIVING, EVEN, EVEN THOUGH, EVEN THOUGH THOSE START A LITTLE BIT, UH, HIGHER PREVALENCE IN THE YOUNGER YEARS, THEY STILL, UH, CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS WE LOOK AT THE OLDER AGES.
NOW, THE PREVALENCE OF DISABILITY ALSO AS, AS I'VE BEEN SPEAKING TO IN THE FEW SLIDES IN THE SLIDES BEFORE, UH, THE PREVALENCE OF DISABILITY INCREASES WITH AGE.
AND THIS ACTUALLY RESULTS IN SLIGHTLY HIGHER, UH, SHARES OF DISABILITY AMONG WOMEN, BECAUSE WOMEN TEND TO LIVE, UH, A, A FEW YEARS LONGER THAN MEN.
UH, AND SO HERE WHAT WE CAN SEE IS THAT AMONG ALL WOMEN, UH, IN AUSTIN, ABOUT 11.2% OR OVER 53,000, UM, HAVE A ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY.
AND THIS COMPARES WITH ABOUT 9.9% OF MEN, OR 48,000 THAT HAVE ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY.
AGAIN, UM, THE DISTRIBUTION, UH, THAT THE AGE DISTRIBUTION HERE SHOWS THE INCREASING SHARES OF, UH, THE, IN THE PREVALENCE OF DISABILITY AS WE GO, UH, FURTHER AND FURTHER INTO THE OLDER AGE CATEGORIES.
WITH THE 75 YEARS AND OLDER POPULATION, ABOUT 42.7% OF THEM HAVING ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY.
THE RACIAL ETHNIC MAKEUP OF AUSTIN'S POPULATION WITH DISABILITY, FOR THE MOST PART, REPRESENTS THE OVERALL POPULATION.
HOWEVER, THERE'S ONE, UM, GROUP THAT IS OVERREPRESENTED IN THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, AND THAT IS THE BLACK POPULATION.
IN THE FIRST, UM, SERIES OF NUMBERS THAT I SHARE HERE WITH YOU, I, I SHOW THE SHARE OF EACH RACE ETHNICITY GROUP OF THE TOTAL, UM, POPULATION THAT HAS DISABILITIES, AND THEN IN PARENTHESES, I INCLUDE, UM, THEIR SHARE OF THE POP, THE TOTAL POPULATION OF AUSTIN.
SO AS WHERE, UH, ASIANS MAKE UP ABOUT 8.3% OF THE TOTAL AUSTIN POPULATION, THEY MAKE UP ABOUT 5% OF THE, UH, POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
AND WE SEE THAT, UH, AFRICAN AMERICANS OR BLACK AUSTINITES MAKE UP ABOUT 7.6% OF THE TOTAL AUSTIN POPULATION, BUT THEY, UH, MAKE UP NEARLY, UM, TWICE AS AS LARGE A SHARE OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
UH, HISPANICS ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME SHARE IN BOTH THE, UH, POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES AS, AS WELL AS THE TOTAL AUSTIN POPULATION.
AND THEN WE SEE A BIT OF AN UNDERREPRESENTATION AMONG THE WHITE POPULATION WHERE THEY MAKE UP ABOUT 47% OF THE TOTAL AUSTIN POPULATION, BUT 45% OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
AND THEN WITHIN EACH OF THEIR OWN RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS, WHAT WE SEE IS THAT, UM, AGAIN, THE, THE HIGH, IT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS THE, UM, OVERREPRESENTATION AND OVER PREVALENCE, HIGHER PREVALENCE OF DISABILITY AMONG THE BLACK POPULATION.
[01:20:01]
UH, 6.3% OF ASIANS HAVE ANY DISABILITY, WHILE 18% OF AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE A DISABILITY.SO ALMOST THREE TIMES AS MANY, UH, ABOUT 10 AND A HALF HISPANICS HAVE ANY DISABILITY, AND, UH, 10.2% WHITES HAVE ANY DISABILITY.
SO AGAIN, THE SHARES FOR THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY ARE ALMOST THREE TIMES AS HIGH FOR THE ASIAN POPULATION, AND ALMOST TWICE AS HIGH COMPARED TO THE HISPANIC AND THE, UM, WHITE POPULATION IN AUSTIN.
NOW, AUSTIN HAS, AND THIS, UH, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION I'LL SHARE WITH YOU IN THE, IN THESE NEXT SLIDES HAVE A LOT OF RELEVANCE TO THE INFORMATION THAT EMMY AND DAVID WERE SHARING.
AUSTIN HAS ABOUT 46,000 OR OVER 46,000 EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES, AND NEARLY HALF OF THE POPULATION WITH A DISABILITY IS EMPLOYED.
UM, THE, THE POPULATION, UH, OF, UH, EMPLOYED, UH, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAS REALLY GROWN SINCE 2012.
IT, UH, INCURRED A, AN 87% INCREASE DURING THAT DURING THOSE LAST 10 YEARS, AND GOING FROM ABOUT 35% TO 50%.
AND WE REALLY SAW SOME, UM, BIG INCREASES IN THE SHARE OF EMPLOYED PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC.
UM, AND WHAT WE SEE HERE IN TERMS OF INDUSTRIES IS THAT THERE ARE, UH, SOME INDUSTRIES THAT ARE, THAT HAVE HIGHER SHARES OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES COMPARED TO, UH, THE OVERALL POPULATION.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE INDUSTRIES INCLUDE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION, AS WELL AS ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD SERVICES, EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, AND HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, RETAIL, TRADE CONSTRUCTION AND AGRICULTURE.
AND IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT SOME OF THESE INDUSTRIES HAVE HIGHER SHARES OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES BECAUSE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE PROVIDED THROUGH THESE, UM, DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO INDUSTRIES WHERE WE SEE HIGHER SHARES OF DISABILITY, WHERE THE DISABILITIES ARE PROBABLY MOST LIKELY INCURRED THROUGH EMPLOYMENT IN THOSE INDUSTRIES.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WHAT I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU IS THAT AUSTIN WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES ARE MORE MULTIMODAL THAN THE OVERALL POPULATION, INDICATING THAT THERE'S SOME REAL OPPORTUNITIES HERE FOR TARGETED TRANSIT AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMS. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SEE IN THIS TABLE INCLUDE, UM, THE SHARES OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL POPULATION, AND WE CAN SEE THAT A HIGHER SHARE OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, UH, DRIVE TO WORK ALONE.
UM, WE HAVE A LOWER SHARE OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES WHO WORK FROM HOME, AND WE HAVE A HIGHER SHARE THAT CARPOOL, UH, AND A HIGHER SHARE THAT TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT OR THAT WALK TO WORK.
THIS REALLY INDICATES, UM, SEEING, ESPECIALLY THAT WORK FROM HOME, UM, LOWER SHARE REALLY SPEAKS TO AN OPPORTUNITY OF, UM, LEVERAGING SOME OF THE, UH, INCREASES THAT WE SAW IN EMPLOYMENT FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC.
UM, THAT COULD REALLY HELP TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE LARGE EMPLOYMENT GAPS THAT WE'RE SEEING BETWEEN PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND PEOPLE, UH, WITHOUT DISABILITIES.
FOR INSTANCE, IN THE BOTTOM ROWS, THREE ROWS OF THE TABLE, WHAT WE SEE IS THAT UNEMPLOYMENT, UM, IS MUCH HIGHER AMONG THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES COMPARED TO THE POPULATION, UH, WITHOUT DISABILITIES.
AND UNEMPLOYMENT REALLY DOES NOT MEASURE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT WORKING BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO WORK.
WHAT IT'S MEASURING IS PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING EMPLOYMENT AND ARE NOT BEING EMPLOYED.
AND SO THIS GAP REALLY LETS US KNOW THAT THERE IS A LARGER SHARE OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES THAT WOULD LIKE TO BE PARTICIPATING IN THE LABOR FORCE AND BE EMPLOYED, BUT IS NOT, UM, IS NOT BEING EMPLOYED.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, UH, THIS LOWER, THIS HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO HIGHER SHARES OF THE, UH, POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, UH, LIVING BELOW POVERTY.
AND THEN WE DO HAVE A HIGHER SHARE OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAS HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE, BUT WE STILL HAVE ABOUT 10 AND A HALF PERCENT OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES IN AUSTIN THAT DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE.
IN THIS SLIDE, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU IS THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF THE POPULATION, UH, OF AUSTINITES WITH DISABILITIES.
AND WHAT WE CAN SEE HERE IS THAT ALTHOUGH THERE ARE HIGHER SHARES OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES WITH LESS THAN A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE, WE SEE HIGHER SHARES OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES WITH A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE DEGREE AND SOME COLLEGE OR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE WHEN COMPARED TO THE TOTAL
[01:25:01]
POPULATION.WE DO SEE LOWER SHARE OF, UM, BACHELOR'S DEGREE ATTAINMENT AMONG THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
AND I THINK THIS REALLY REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW ARE WE SEEING THESE HIGHER GRADUATION DEGREE, UH, ATTAINMENT AND HIGHER COLLEGE OR ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE, UH, ATTAINMENT BETWEEN THE, UH, POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES IN THE POPULATION, UH, OVERALL AND STILL NOT SEEING HIGHER RATES OF, UH, BACHELOR'S DEGREE ATTAINMENT, WHICH OF COURSE WE KNOW THAT YOU, UM, EARN WHAT YOU LEARN.
THIS IS A, A, A PHRASE THAT I'VE, I'VE LEARNED FROM OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES AT THE, UH, CAPITAL AREA WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS.
AND SO WE CAN SEE HERE THAT THE MEDIAN EARNINGS OF THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITY ARE ABOUT $13,000 LOWER THAN THEY ARE FOR THE GENERAL POPULATION IN AUSTIN.
SO JUST TO RECAP, I WANNA SHARE WITH YOU, UH, INFORMATION ON, UM, JUST IN GENERAL, RIGHT? SO IN AUSTIN, AS THE POPULATION HERE GROWS, SO DOES THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
MUCH OF THE GROWTH IN THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES IS RELATED TO THE AGING OF THE AUSTIN POPULATION.
AND AS THE POPULATION AGES, SO DOES THE NUMBER OF, UH, DISABILITIES THAT ARE EXPERIENCED, UM, BY THE COMMUNITY, UH, WITH, UH, DISABILITIES.
BUT ALSO AS PEOPLE START TO ENTER THAT COMMUNITY AS THEY AGE, AFRICAN AMERICANS AGAIN HAVE HIGHER SHARES OF DISABILITY RELATIVE TO OTHER RACE ETHNICITY GROUPS INDICATING A REAL NEED FOR TARGETED STUDY AND UNDERSTANDING AND, UH, SERVICES.
THERE IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEVERAGE THE RELATIVE HIGHER SHARES OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AMONG THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES AND ACCOMMODATIONS AND VIRTUAL WORK HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PRODUCE INCREASES IN EMPLOYMENT FOR THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, ALMOST DOUBLING IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
SO REALLY CONTINUING TO EXPLORE THOSE TO, UH, HELP TO, UH, CLOSE THOSE EMPLOYMENT GAPS WOULD BE, UM, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, FURTHER TO EXPLORE FURTHER.
AND THEN THERE CONTINUES TO BE A DEARTH OF DATA, REALLY.
UM, THERE'S VERY LITTLE DATA ON THE POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO HOUSING AND HOUSEHOLD TYPES.
RIGHT NOW IN AUSTIN, WE'RE REALLY FACING, UH, A HOUSING, UM, UH, SHORTAGE.
WE, WE KNOW THAT HOUSEHOLD, UH, DEMAND IS GROWING, UH, MUCH FASTER THAN HOUSING UNIT DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT, UM, LOWER LEVELS OF AFFORDABILITY ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO HOUSING PRICES, AND WE REALLY JUST DON'T HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THESE, UM, BIG ISSUES ARE IMPACTING THE, UH, AUSTIN POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE, UH, WORKING WITH SOME PARTNERS AROUND THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO, UM, PRODUCE A MORE SYSTEMIC WAY OF MEASURING DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS.
AND SPECIFICALLY, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON MEASURING, UH, UNIFORMLY MORE, MORE UNIFORMLY AND MORE EQUITABLY AND INCLUSIVELY MEASURING, UH, VARIABLES LIKE RACE, ETHNICITY, SEX, GENDER IDENTITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION AGE, AS WELL AS ABILITY STATUS.
AND WE'VE CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH A NUMBER OF CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE REPORTING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, BUT ALSO COLLECTING DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.
WE'VE BEEN DRAFTING SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW BEST TO COLLECT THE THAT DATA.
AND, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE MET WITH A NUMBER OF QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK ON, UM, HOW WE ARE MEASURING THOSE CHARACTERISTICS.
AND THEN WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REVIEW, UH, WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE AND REALLY THINKING THROUGH HOW WE CAN DRAFT A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND FROM THE, FROM THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, UH, IF THE GUIDELINES THAT WE ARE PRESENTING AND THE CATEGORIES AND THE DEFINITIONS THAT WE ARE PROVIDING AS ANSWER OPTIONS TO QUESTIONS REALLY RESONATE WITH THEM AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET THEIR, THEIR THOUGHTS ON THEM.
SO I WANTED TO, UH, JUST LET YOU KNOW OF THAT INITIATIVE THAT WE HAVE HAPPENING.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM THE, UM, COMMITTEE ON, YOU KNOW, YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SPECIFIC ITEM THAT WE HAVE ON HOW WE HOPE TO MEASURE THE, UM, ABILITY, UH, QUESTION ON, ON CITY SURVEYS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE RECEIVED THAT OVER EMAIL.
AND THEN LASTLY, I JUST WANNA SHARE WITH YOU OUR, UH, WEBSITE WHERE WE CAN, WE HAVE A LOT MORE INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN ACCESS THERE, AS WELL AS A DATA REQUEST FORM WHERE IF YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT YOU, OR YOU HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING ANY INFORMATION, WE ARE HAPPY TO TO
[01:30:01]
LOCATE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE PREPARED FOR YOU TODAY.
SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF, IF YOU HAVE THEM, I CAN START.
UM, SO I NOTICED ON ONE OF THE EARLIER SLIDES THAT YOU HAD STATISTICS ABOUT THE, UM, WHICH INDIVIDUALS HAD REPORTED HAVING, UH, COGNITIVE RELATED DISABILITIES.
AND I NOTICED THAT WAS GOING DOWN OVER TIME BY AGE GROUP, UM, KIND OF LEADING UP TO THAT, THAT OLDER AGE GROUP WHERE I EXPECT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT MIGHT BE DUE TO, YOU KNOW, AGE, AGE RELATED, UM, COGNITIVE ISSUES.
BUT, UM, AND I DON'T WANNA SPECULATE WHY THAT THAT DECREASE OCCURRED OVER TIME, BUT I MEAN, IT RAISED, THE QUESTION TO ME IS, IS THERE SOME SORT, DO YOU THINK THERE'S ANY KIND OF MARGIN OF ERROR DUE TO INDIVIDUALS FAILING TO SELF-REPORT OR SELF-IDENTIFY AS INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AS PART OF LIKE THE CENSUS AND THESE TYPES OF SURVEYS? OH, ABSOLUTELY.
SO, UM, THE, THE FACT THAT THERE'S LOWER SHARES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH COGNITIVE DISABILITIES IN AUSTIN IN THE AGES OF AROUND 35 TO 64 AND 65 TO 74 COULD BE A NUMBER OF THINGS.
I THINK WHAT YOU ARE RAISING, UH, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF MEASUREMENT ERROR, SAMPLING ERROR IS ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THEM.
A LOT OF TIMES THESE SURVEYS ARE NOT GOING TO BE FILLED OUT BY THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE THOSE DISABILITIES THEMSELVES, BUT SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE HOUSEHOLD WILL BE FILLING OUT THOSE SURVEYS.
BUT THE OTHER THING THAT COMES TO MIND IS THAT AUSTIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE OF A LOT OF, UH, MIGRATION INTO THE AIR, INTO THE METRO AREA.
AND MIGRATION IS VERY, UM, SELF-SELECTIVE.
AND SO WE SEE THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING TO MOVE TO AN AREA ARE GONNA BE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MORE, MOST LIKELY GOING TO BE ABLE TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY AND, YOU KNOW, MOST LIKELY WILL BE MOVING HERE, UH, FOR, FOR OCCUPATIONS FOR JOBS.
AND SO I THINK THAT SOME OF THAT SELF-SELECTION IS ALSO PLAYING OUT IN SOME OF THESE DATA.
AUSTIN ALSO TENDS TO HAVE A, A YOUNGER POPULATION, AND SO WE CAN SEE, UH, LOWER SHARES OF, UM, DISABILITY BECAUSE OF THAT AS WELL.
MM-HMM,
UH, I'M WONDERING IS THERE A CORRELATION BETWEEN A PARTICULAR DISABILITY AND LOW INCOME? DO WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF, UM, THE HIGH PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WITH LOW INCOME? IS THERE A CORRELATION WITH ONE IN PARTICULAR? I HAVE NOT LOOKED TO SEE IF THERE IS A, UH, PARTICULAR, UM, INCOME CO AND, AND TYPE OF DISABILITY CORRELATION.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN LOOK TO SEE IF I CAN FIND IN THE DATA.
I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING THAT BREAKDOWN.
BUT WE DO HAVE MEDIAN EARNINGS.
AND MY, UM, MY, MY INKLING ON THIS IS THAT IT REALLY IS GOING TO DEPEND ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF JOBS THAT INDIVIDUALS HOLD.
AND BECAUSE WE TEND TO SEE SOME HIGHER SHARES OF POPULATION WITH DISABILITIES IN MORE OF, UM, SOME OF THOSE SERVICE INDUSTRIES, SOME OF THE RETAIL INDUSTRIES, THEN WE'RE GOING TO SEE, UM, LOWER, UM, EARNINGS BECAUSE OF THAT.
BUT THE TYPE OF DISABILITY AND THE, THE TYPE OF IN DISABILITY THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THOSE PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND IN THE DATA.
UM, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE, WITH THE RESEARCH EITHER, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS BEFORE WE CLOSE OUT? I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND GIVING THE PRESENTATION TO OUR BOARD.
THAT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION.
I, IT'S REALLY PUT, THE STATISTICS REALLY PUT EVERYTHING INTO PERSPECTIVE AND IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE HOW AUSTIN COMPARES TO KIND OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE WORLD AT LARGE.
[5. Approve a commissioner to represent the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities at the White Cane Day event to provide information about the Committee and their objectives.]
HAVE A COUPLE MORE AGENDA ITEMS, UM, BUT THEY BELONG TO, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, MYRON FRANK.SO I THINK, UM, I'LL, I'LL MOVE TO TABLE THOSE TILL THE NEXT, THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO ADDRESS THE WHITE CANE DAY REPRESENTATIVE VIA EMAIL OR SOMETHING.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S COMING UP PRETTY QUICK IN MID-OCTOBER.
SO, UM, BUT IF, UH, ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO SECOND THAT, WE CAN PUSH THOSE TILL THE NEXT NEXT MEETING.
AND DO WE HAVE, UH, SO I GUESS A COUPLE CLOSEOUT ITEMS. DO WE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? UH, CHAIR, I'M SORRY, OR
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IF YOU COULD JUST TURN YOUR CAMERAS ON IF THERE, THERE'S A MOTION IN A SECOND AND JUST RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH POSTPONING THE REST OF THE AGENDA ITEMS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.UH, COMMISSIONER SALAZAR, ARE YOU STILL ONLINE WITH US? YEAH, JUST ONE SECOND.
CAN YOU SEE ME? NOT QUITE YET.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
OKAY.AND DID ANYONE HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE'D LIKE TO PUT ON IT FOR NEXT MEETING? YES, I HAVE TWO.
ONE OF 'EM WOULD BE SOME, UH, COMMUNITY, WELL NOT COMMUNITY, SOME, UM, SERVICE PROVIDERS REACH OUT TO ME TO SEE IF I KNOW AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH OFFERS TRAINING IN, UH, FIRST AID.
AND THEN, UH, BUT THEY ALSO WANTED TO KNOW IF THEY OFFERED TRAINING IN BIOHAZARD CLEANUP FOR, 'CAUSE IT'S LIKE TRANSITIONAL HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
SO I WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD INVITE, UM, INVITE THEM TO COME DESCRIBE SOME OF THEIR SERVICES OR TO GET TO KNOW HOW WE CAN BEST REFER THEM TO PEOPLE TO DO THAT, OF THAT TRAINING PART.
AND THEN THE SECOND ONE IS CAPITAL METRO.
I KNOW THEY HAVE, UM, I KNOW THEY HAVE A SPECIAL TRANSIT, BUT ALSO TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME TO SPEAK OF THE SERVICES OVERALL, HOW THEY'RE SERVING AND THEN SOME OF THAT, HOW CAN THEY DO THAT AS FAR AS ALSO VARIOUS OTHER TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAMS. SO WE CAN ALSO REFER PEOPLE TO THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY TO GET SERVICES BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY'VE ALSO COME UP TO ME FOR IN MY DISTRICT.
COMMISSIONER SALAZAR, UH, COMMISSIONER KELLY'S ALSO GOING TO SECOND THAT.
DO YOU HAVE A CONTACT AT CAP METRO? UH, TYPICALLY THE STAFF LIAISON WILL, UH, CONTACT CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS TO ARRANGE FOR PRESENTATIONS.
BUT SINCE NO, I, I DON'T, THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO BRING IT HERE SO WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE, I'VE REACHED OUT AT LEAST TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH LEFT A MESSAGE ABOUT FOUR WEEKS AGO.
SO IF THE CITY LIAISON CAN HAVE THAT SO WE CAN ACTUALLY KNOW WHO THOSE CONTACTS ARE SO THEY CAN PRESENT TO US AND THEN WE CAN ADVISE OUR CONSTITUENTS ACCORDINGLY ONCE WE HAVE THAT PRESENTATION.
I CAN CERTAINLY REACH OUT TO A PH AND IF YOU OR ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER INTERESTED IN THE CAP METRO PRESENTATION FOR SPECIAL TRANSIT OR HAVE ANY CONTACTS, I BELIEVE CHAIR MEYER IS PART OF A COMMITTEE AFFILIATED WITH CAP METRO.
YOU MIGHT REACH OUT TO SEE IF SHE HAS ANY CONTACTS THERE TO ARRANGE A PRESENTATION AND JUST LOOP ME IN.
UH, WE MIGHT ALSO LOOK AT, UM, AUSTIN CONNECT AND THE CITY STAFF THERE, WHOMEVER WE TALK TO, TO GET THAT STARTED.
LET'S HAVE THOSE CORRESPONDENCE GOING AND I'LL TALK TO WHOMEVER I HAVE TO, BUT I THINK IT'D BE GOOD TO GIVE A PRESENTATION OF THE RESOURCES AND THEN WHEN WE HAVE OUR CONSTITUENTS, YOU KNOW, EMAIL US, WE CAN, WE CAN POINT 'EM IN THOSE DIRECTIONS AS WELL.
I THINK JEREMIAH IS ON THE PROJECT CONNECT COMMITTEE, RIGHT? SO SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
UM, I HAVE ONE THAT I CIRCULATED VIA EMAIL REAL QUICK.
I WAS, I HAD BEEN TALKING TO SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS IN, UM, DISTRICT NINE AND ONE THING THEY BROUGHT UP WAS THE, I, AND I KNOW EVERYONE HAS HEARD ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT OF COURSE THE SCOOTERS BEING LEFT IN, IN SIDEWALKS IN, IN THE, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN, UH, AREA CAUSING ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES.
AND SO IF WE COULD JUST SET A COUPLE OF MINUTES AT ONE OF THE UPCOMING MEETINGS, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE NEXT TIME, UM, JUST, JUST TO DISCUSS WAYS WE COULD THINK ABOUT, UM, TALKING WITH THE CITY TO SEE IF THEY COULD, UH, HELP EDUCATE PEOPLE VISITING AND, UM, RESIDENTS ON, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THAT ISSUE AND HOW IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE KEEP, YOU KNOW, OUR SIDEWALKS, UH, FREE OF CLUTTER.
I'M HAPPY TO SECOND THAT THAT'S A LONGSTANDING ISSUE.
SO JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM FOR BRAINSTORMING NEXT TIME.
ANY OTHER PEDIATRICIAN ITEMS? I'D LIKE TO ADD TWO ITEMS. UM, SO, UH, I SPOKE WITH A RETIRED OFFICER, UH, REY SCANLON, WHO RUNS THE COMMUNITY POLICE ACADEMY.
I'M ACTUALLY CURRENTLY, UM, IN, IN THE CURRENT COHORT.
AND, UH, I, I BELIEVE SHE SAID SHE'S
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GIVING A PRESENTATION DURING THE OCTOBER MEETING, BUT I ALSO SPOKE WITH, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF, UM, JEFF GREENWALT FROM AUSTIN PD AS WELL.AND HE OFFERED TO DO A JOINT PRESENTATION ABOUT THE, UM, SELF-REPORTED REGISTRY THAT THEY CAN DO TO, UM, SUBMIT A DISABILITY AT A GIVEN, UM, AUSTIN ADDRESS.
AND THEY'RE HAPPY TO, TO GIVE THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, IT WILL BE LIMITED TO HOME ADDRESSES ONLY AND NOT DRIVER'S LICENSES SINCE IT SAYS AT THE STATE LEVEL.
BUT, UM, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UH, I THINK THIS IS BEYOND, IS THIS BEYOND A DISCUSSION ITEM AT THIS POINT? UM, THAT IS, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PRESENTED.
UM, UM, DURING, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE OCTOBER ONE.
UH, I THINK THAT THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD GO OVER THAT DURING THAT TIME.
DO I NEED TO, I'LL SECOND THAT.
AND THE SECOND ITEM IS, UM, I HAD A CHANCE TO GO TO THE JOINT INCLUSION, UH, BUDGET MEETING.
THAT WAS OVER THE WEEKEND ON SATURDAY.
AND I SPOKE WITH, UM, ANGELICA, I BELIEVE BENSON, UH, THINKS SHE HAS A DOUBLE BARREL LAST NAME, BUT, UH, SHE IS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNDOING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM TWO-DAY WORKSHOPS.
UM, THEY ARE TYPICALLY HELD ON SITE, BUT UM, THEY'RE WILLING TO MAKE ANY ACCOMMODATIONS FOR OUR COMMITTEE'S PARTICIPATION.
AND SO THEY WOULD LOVE INPUT, UM, AND THEY COULD CREATE A SPECIAL CURRICULUM THAT WOULD GIVE A GREAT BASELINE, PARTICULARLY FOR OUR COMMISSIONERS.
AND THEY CAN DO THAT AS EARLY AS 2025.
BUT THERE ARE TWO REMAINING WORKSHOPS AND, UM, JUST HAPPY TO SHARE THOSE, UH, THE DATES OF THOSE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS THAT WE CAN STILL SIGN UP FOR THAT ARE KIND OF CORE CURRICULUM ITEMS, OR HAVE ONE THAT IS ADAPTED FOR US.
AND SHE BELIEVES IT COULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR ALL OF US TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE TOGETHER AS A COMMISSION.
SO I, UM, WOULD LOVE TO DISCUSS THAT FURTHER IN THE FUTURE, UH, MEETING.
I'LL SECOND THAT AND GET IT ON THE AGENDA.
ANY OTHER AGENDA ITEMS? ALL RIGHT.
IN THAT CASE, CAN WE GET A MOTION TO SOMEONE? MO MOVE TO ADJOURN? MOTION TO ADJOURN? I CAN.
THE MEETING WILL BE ADJOURNED.