|
Mayor’s Disability Council
Minutes
17 April 2009
1 WELCOME
The meeting was called to order by Chair Jul Lynn Parsons at 1:01 p.m.
7 DIRECTOR’S REPORT
The Council took this item first to hear a special presentation from Leo Levenson, the Budget and Analyst Director for the San Francisco Controller’s Office, on the city’s budget crisis.
The Controller’s Office noted a serious shortfall in revenue after Labor Day, after ten years of a strong surplus in San Francisco. Last fall, there was an estimated $100 million shortfall in the budget. There is now a $126 million budget deficit as of the Controller’s February report.
In the City and County of San Francisco, seven hundred city employee positions have been eliminated to balance the budget. This includes seventy-three and a half positions in the Human Services Agency alone.
Now there will be a $440 M shortfall in general services, but this number doesn’t reflect any department budget submissions. Mayor Newsom is asking for $90 million in labor contributions from the unions, and school district funds may drop twenty-five per cent in the San Francisco Unified School District.
The most positive news is that San Francisco will get a good share of federal stimulus fund money. For example, the city’s In-Home Support Services (IHSS) agencies will receive funding, as will the Department of Public Health.
The State of California is in worse shape than the City and County of San Francisco. If voters don’t pass a statewide ballot on May 19 there will be $5 billion shortfall in our state’s budget. The potential for an additional $8 billion shortfall exists as well (and ultimately results in only a $12 billion shortfall). If California receives only $10 billion from stimulus package, there will be cuts to IHSS by the State. In maintaining the current pay rate for IHSS in San Francisco, there is an additional $18 million that would be needed.
Councilmember Sarah Estes Merrell asked what revenue proposals might arise. Mr. Levinson replied that the State already raised its sales tax and can’t do so again under law. It’s possible there will be a parcel tax on property in San Francisco, that the city would sell some of the publicly-owned parking garages, or that taxi medallions would be used to offset MUNI’s budget crisis, but any such proposals on the ballot will require a two-thirds vote by the City in November.
New revisions of the budget from the Controller’s Office will be released during the first week of May and will include a nine-month update to the numbers currently available.
In other items on the Director’s Report:
Ms. Mizner reported that MOD’s office manager, Josie Lee, will be departing the office on April 17, 2009. She has worked in the office since 2001 and has never taken a sick day (except to care for her family). She will continue to work for the city but in another department.
Sgt. Mike Sullivan is retiring after serving thirty-two years on the police force. He served as the ADA Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department for nineteen years and did an outstanding job in training officers to be sensitive to disabilities and disability rights. Ms. Mizner gave examples of Sgt Sullivan’s work, including the accolades the Police Department received from people with disabilities who conducted civil disobedience demonstrations over Laguna Honda. They were treated fairly and provided accessible transportation, as well as accommodations during their arrests, because Sgt. Sullivan had trained the police so well. Director Mizner presented him a MOD ceremonial mug and certificate from the Mayor.
Herb Levine commented on the sergeant’s outstanding service to the community.
2 READING AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved as read.
3 ROLL CALL
Present: Raphaella Bennin, Benito Casados, Harriet Chiu Chan, Tatianna Kostanian, Sarah Estes Merrell, Jul Lynn Parsons, Denise Senhaux, and Vincent Webster.
Excused: Joseph Fong, Elizabeth Grigsby, and F. Ross Woodall.
Mayor’s Office on Disability: Susan Mizner, Director; John Paul Scott, Deputy Director for Physical Access; Ken Stein, Program Administrator; Karma M. Quick, Programmatic Access Specialist; and Josie L. Lee, Office Manager.
4 APPROVAL OF THE MARCH 2009 MINUTES
The March 2009 minutes were approved.
5 PUBLIC COMMENT
Steve Crabiel, the executive director of Toolworks, gave an update on his organization’s mission, goals, and services. He also noted how the budget cuts to community services providers to people with disabilities from the state will reduce the availability of those services. There appears to be a $100 million cut to services for people with disabilities.
Martha Lara, a representative of the Senior Support Group, reported on the abuse and inaccessibility of her senior housing for people with mental and physical disabilities.
Walter Paulson, who has won 41 medals in the Special Olympics, used his musical talent to sing a song urging funds to not be pulled from mental health services. He displayed a picture taken of himself with Lou Ferigno, a television star with hearing loss.
William Ferrell urged funds be given for people with disabilities who are in danger of becoming homeless or being unable to survive without the needed funds. He also urged people with disabilities to take a stand and demonstrate if necessary to protect their civil rights.
6 REPORT FROM CHAIR
Chair Parsons wished her co-chair Ross Woodall a speedy recovery. She also mentioned a news segment from the previous night’s news featuring a woman named Anna whose companion animal kept her company during surgery in the hospital which gave positive publicity on the issue of companion animals as an accommodation in a hospital setting.
8 DISABILITY RIGHTS IN HOUSING AND UPDATES ON TRAININGS
Sarah Malan and Jamie Rush, MOD interns, have given trainings to city-funded housing agencies, landlords, property managers, and tenants focusing on disability rights in housing. They began working as interns on behalf of the Mayor’s Office on Disability in April of 2008 to address fair housing issues and discrimination based on disability. San Francisco is a progressive city, but there is a great deal of discrimination in city-run agencies and their contractors.
One of the larger issues the attorneys address is that of service and companion animals, which under the Fair Housing Act are the exception to “no pets” rule in apartment buildings and other types of housing. They find that most landlords and property managers are unaware of this fact. Ms. Maleen and Ms. Rush also work to see that reasonable accommodation forms are presented to tenants with disabilities at the housing locations.
According to Ms. Rush, they have conducted trainings for more than four hundred landlords, property managers, and other staff. They’ve also trained over one hundred tenants. After providing the trainings, the attorneys return to the site unannounced and monitor the site to follow up and determine if there has been improvement. With very few exceptions, sites that have had a good number of staff trained do very well, and show great improvement. Desk clerks at hotels or other housing accommodations are often targeted for trainings. The attorneys are available to provide additional training as requested.
9 INFORMATION ON TRANSITION OUTCOMES OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES IN SAN FRANCISCO
The Improving Transition Outcomes Project was introduced by Councilmember Harriet Chan. John Webber, the ITOP Coordinator, outlined some of the challenges Transition Age youth face in San Francisco:
There are ninety thousand youth ages fifteen through twenty-four in San Francisco. Five thousand of them have disabilities and are more likely than non-disabled youth to be homeless, drop out of the educational system, or be put in the juvenile system. San Francisco has a higher rate of youth with disabilities than the general populations elsewhere. Prior to ITOP there was no coordination between programs for transitioning youth.
ITOP began in February 2005 and is an inter-agency council collaborative. It helps to ensure that parents, youth, and providers are equal partners in determining the transition from school to work.
ITOP conducted a Community Needs Assessment which focused on groups of children and parents, groups from disabilities, foster care, and the juvenile system. If found that community members most needed information on education, employment, independent living, and access to services. The lack of coordination of those services presented the problem.
Linda Tung, a parent, commented on the need for ITOP. Her 21-yr old daughter is currently in a transitional program. There are many challenges for students with mental disabilities for transitioning on to higher education, if they transition at all. Most youth will qualify for SSI or SSDI when they graduate from high school. It’s also easy for young men to fall into criminal justice system.
Sam Rubin discussed his story of becoming connected with ITOP in its infancy and how it helped him transition out of high school and into employment. Mr. Rubin is now on the ITOP Youth Council and addresses youth issues and disability issues with the Council. He attested to the success of the program in youth with disabilities.
San Francisco Unified School District Representative Robin Hampton reported on ITOP’s interaction with the District. This interaction includes transition programs at the schools and an adopt-a-school program with local colleges and universities such as City College in San Francisco. ITOP has allowed schools to prioritize certain transitional issues for students in special education and has given the schools community resources that teachers can use to guide students as they prepare to leave the educational system.
Kevin Hickey, the Director of Youth Programs at Jewish Vocational Services, reported on how ITOP bridges the gap between students with disabilities who exit high school and enter post-secondary education. ITOP provides many resources for students who attend either community colleges (such as City College of San Francisco) or a four-year college or university.
Paul Ogilvie, the manager at Golden Gate Regional Services reported how ITOP works with youth with developmental disabilities to help them find gainful employment in the community.
Judy Doane is a Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) counselor who works with youth with behavioral disabilities in the public and private school systems here. She reported that with ITOP’s coordination and community education, she has seen more youth transition at a higher rate. Part of this is because community services are written into the students’ IEPs, and the school district and DOR have a renewed contract to better enable ITOP participants find employment.
Juno Duenas, the Executive Director of Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, discussed the importance of ITOP’s collaborative efforts and how those efforts create a safety net for students who would otherwise end up in either the juvenile detention system or in the criminal system. She urged the Council to support ITOP, which needs funding to continue providing services and outreach to students with disabilities.
Herb Levine, the Executive Director for the ILRCSF, told the Council it is important to have the transitional-age voice in community organizations such as the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council and the Board of Directors of the ILRCSF.
Danielle Monastersky, a counselor from the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California commented on the need for services to continue for these programs to be successful. Thanks to ITOP, the Hearing and Speech Center of Northern California was able to implement a transition program specifically for youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Sally Spencer, parent and advocate, hopes that there will be more education and publicity on the concept of transition, particularly for youth who speak English as a second language.
Darlene Rutkowski, the District Administrator of the Department of Rehabilitation in San Francisco, told the Council that prior to ITOP, DOR had no way of reaching out to students in the mental health system, criminal justice system, or in the foster system.
Camilla Bixler, parent, would like to see that there are more social and networking opportunities for young adults with disabilities in San Francisco, and announced a dance that will take place that evening at The Arc of San Francisco.
Audrey Carlson has a 22-year old son and discussed his transitioning with help from ITOP. Before ITOP’s involvement, his individualized education plan meetings rarely had high attendance in the schools. Now he can take public transportation, rely on services from The Arc, and begin to make friends through the social events ITOP provides.
Judy Bachman is a rehabilitation counselor at California Children’s Services (CCS). She stated that San Franciscans with disabilities are fortunate to live in a resource-rich city that can help to meet the needs of children who the DOR is unable to provide services for because of cuts from the State of California. ITOP has helped the CCS to coordinate their resources and services.
Sophie Ng discussed her daughter’s rehabilitation from a tragic car accident and mentioned all of the times that John Weber and ITOP gave her resources and information to help her daughter become an advocate for herself.
Melissa Syropiatico from the Mental Health Association shared resources that the MHA had developed for disconnected transition-aged youth with mental and psychiatric disabilities.
Sheryl Abbeduto from Patients’ Rights Advocates addressed the issue of youth with mental disabilities and transition. There is much legislation regarding the rights of youth with mental disabilities and youth in foster homes to education and employment, but often when the youth become eighteen years of age they are taken out of foster care and often placed at SF General Hospital under involuntary psychiatric hold. There are some youth who are still in the educational system and deserve a continuation of their free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive setting. However, many are denied that right. California’s foster youth population is the highest in the nation, and the high number causes a great deal of problems in the system.
Demitriol Vlahopocliatis addressed his experiences with foster care and the public school systems’ treatment of youth with mental disabilities. He believes that youth with psychiatric disabilities are often overmedicated, and what they need instead is someone who will listen.
Councilmember Bennin thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and sharing their stories and experiences resulting from ITOP’s combined services.
Councilmember Chan introduced her daughter Claire, who has autism and who has received services through GGRC. Chan suggested that anyone who wanted referrals or support could contact her at the MDC.
10 PUBLIC COMMENT
Ernestine Patterson stated that she was happy to know about the services ITOP provides even though she doesn’t have children herself.
11 CORRESPONDENCE
No correspondence.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
There will be an Executive Committee meeting Wednesday, April 22 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Councilmember Bennin announced that there will be a special education conference at AT&T Park hosted by the Parents Educational Network. For more information, see www.parentseducationnetwork.org.
13 ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by Chair Parsons at 3:50 p.m.
|