2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998
Gavin Newsom
Mayor
Susan Mizner
Director
Jul Lynn Parsons
F. Ross Woodall
Co-Chairs
Raphaella Bennin
Benito Casados
Joseph Fong
Elizabeth Grigsby
Tatiana Kostanian
Sarah Estes Merrell
Denise Senhaux
Vincent Webster
Mayor’s Disability Council
Minutes
19 September 2008
1 ROLL CALL
Mayor’s Disability Council Members Present: Benito Casados, Denise Senhaux, Joseph Fong, Tatiana Kostanian, Sarah Estes Merrell and Jul Lynn Parsons.
Excused Absence: Raphaella Bennin, Elizabeth Grigsby and F. Ross Woodall.
Absent: Vincent Webster
Mayor’s Office on Disability: Susan Mizner, Director; John Paul Scott, Deputy Director for Physical Access; Joanna Fraguli, Deputy Director for Programmatic Access; Ken Stein, Program Administrator; and Howard O. Wong, Council Clerk.
Jul Lynn Parsons, Co-Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m.
2 APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The Council approved the agenda of the September 19, 2008 MDC Meeting.
3 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
The Council approved the Minutes from the June 20th Meeting. There were no Minutes for the July and August Meetings due to the ADA Anniversary Celebration and summer recess.
4 PUBLIC COMMENT
William Farrell expressed his anger at radio talk show host, Michael Savage, who said the parents of children with autism just need to be more strict with their children.
Walter Paulson spoke about moving out of his rented room due to the renovation of building that he lives in. He stated that the money for renovating the building should go into medical assistance for people with disabilities.
Paco Alfaro spoke about his frustrations with Muni drivers who don’t call out the designated bus stops. He complained to Muni and was reassured that they will remind the drivers. Mr. Alfaro felt discouraged because he stated it continues to happen often despite his complaints.
Jessie Santiago also expressed his frustrations with Muni for the same reasons as Mr. Alfaro. He felt there is a need for more training for the drivers to increase their customer service skills.
Richard Medina stated that he dislikes riding Muni because the drivers are rude and does not call out the designated stops. Mr. Medina said it has made him withdrawn, staying home more often and relying on taxi cabs for transportation.
Michael Kwok spoke about supporting legislation that provides housing access and employment opportunities to people with disabilities.
Anaperla Aureoles stated that she is working with IHSS Authority to advocate on behalf of Laguna Honda residents in working with other City services including Housing Authority and Muni, on providing resources and services to live within the community.
5 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR
Co-Chair Parsons revealed that she was recently diagnosed with cancer and may not be as active as before. She wanted her colleagues and the public to know that she is always available by e-mail. Co-Chair Parsons also stated that she is “carrying my personal battle into the community” including sharing her experiences on communication access in a doctor’s office. She plans to continue her work on disability issues including public right of way issues and second hand smoke exposure. Co-Chair Parsons reported that the ordinance she and many community members worked on providing closed captioning in television sets at all public places has been passed is in force. She felt this is a big step for the hearing loss community.
6 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR’S OFFICE ON DISABILITY
Ms. Mizner gave a report on the following:
* Retirement - Jose Caedo, Client Intake Coordinator for MOD, has retired from MOD after 10 years of service for the City and County of SF including serving on numerous advisory panels. Over his career, he has provided assistance to hundreds of people with disabilities.
* Legislation – Both the House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed the ADA Restoration Act, which clarifies that the ADA is intended to protect all people with disabilities, including those who are discriminated against despite disabilities that are mitigated by medication. [Editor’s Note: President Bush has now signed this legislation.]
* Drill – MOD and other City offices, along with the general public, will be participating in the Mayor’s Shake-Up SF Drill scheduled for Tuesday, October 21st. It is a city-wide drill to practice and prepare our response in case of a major disaster such as an earthquake.
7 WELCOME TO NEW MAYOR’S DISABILITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
Ms. Mizner introduced the 3 new members to the Council. Vincent Webster was absent, but Benito Casados and Joseph Fong introduced themselves.
Mr. Casados spoke about his expertise on mental health issues including serving on the Mental Health Board and his active involvement with Proposition 63 that became the Mental Health Services Act.
Mr. Fong described himself as a San Francisco native, working currently at the World Institute on Disabilities as a Finance Manager and serving on the Board of the ILRC as Treasurer.
8 TRANSIT EFFECTIVENESS PROJECT (TEP) - UPDATE ON FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND FOCUS ON AREAS OF CONCERN FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY. PRESENTATION BY JULIE KIRSCHBAUM, TEP PROGRAM MANAGER, SF MUNICIPAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY (MTA).
Ms. Kirschbaum reminded the Council that TEP’s objectives are making Muni more reliable, convenient and attractive to their customers; contributing to SFMTA’s long-term financial stability; and developing a 5-year roadmap to transform Muni service and better meet its customer and employee needs. She noted that most of the disability community’s priorities and issues of concern were mirrored by those of the larger transit community. The proposed changes and improvements will serve both the disability community and the community at large.
After the initial TEP recommendations, the MDC identified some key areas of concern to the disability community that subsequent revisions of the TEP plan have largely addressed. In fact, with the exception of the 26 Valencia Street route, TEP has been able to respond to all of the issues that had been raised at the previous March 2008 MDC TEP presentation. She noted that Muni has restored the 56-Rutland with a new, more frequent, accessible van service; that the 9X is now connecting to the Senior Centers, and that the 36-Teresita’s route has been redesigned to restore connections to Forest Hill Station and Tower Market service area. Council members expressed concern that the proposed 89 Laguna Honda vans that run between Forest Hill Station and Laguna Honda Hospital can only accommodate two wheelchair users, and that given user demand, many people will be left waiting for extremely long periods of time. [MTA is exploring options to address this issue.] For additional information, visit: www.sftep.com
9 CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO ADA TRANSITION PLAN PROJECTS UPDATE FY 2008- 2009. PRESENTATION BY JOHN PAUL SCOTT, MAYOR’S OFFICE ON DISABILITY
Mr. Scott reported that there has been progress in many City departments with new construction, alterations and barrier removal projects. The most recent and new is the Academy of Sciences opening its doors on Saturday, September 27th with a new, fully accessible facility.
Other facilities that have had barrier removal work include Golden Gate Park, the libraries, Public Health Centers, Cultural Centers, Fine Arts Museums, Large Assemblies and Recreation Centers. Mr. Scott presented drawings of the aforementioned sites with new accessible restrooms; installation of elevators; accessible furniture; accessible computers; and accessible entry ways. The African-American Cultural Art Center is one of the next buildings to be renovated, including their elevator, restrooms, auditorium and front entrance.
10 REPORT FROM THE PHYSICAL ACCESS COMMITTEE
No meeting this month.
11 REPORT FROM THE DISABILITY DISASTER PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
Joanna Fraguli, Deputy Director for Programmatic Access, reported that the Committee has been discussing the upcoming Mayor’s Shake-Up SF Drill scheduled for Tuesday, October 21st at 12 Noon. This is part of the Mayor’s initiative to create a “culture of preparedness” in case of a natural disaster. It will include City departments, community-based organizations, schools and private citizens participating in a series of small drills beginning with a noon time siren and text message. MOD will be participating in the drill by practicing evacuation of all office personnel, assessing the emergency response level of disability providers, providing technical assistance to City departments, and participating in a mock shelter opening. MOD will be closed the entire day of the drill, but will check phones for messages.
12 PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment.
13 CORRESPONDENCE
The Council received an email from Lana Nieves from the Independent Living Resource Center SF regarding the proposed cuts to the #17 bus line.
14 COUNCIL MEMBERS COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Co-Chair Parsons announced that there is a Hearing Loss Walkathon scheduled tomorrow on Saturday, September 20th at Crissy Fields in SF. For more info, the contact number is (415) 826-5726.
15 AJOURNMENT
Co-Chair Parsons adjourned the meeting at 4:00 pm.
Minutes – Mayor’s Disability Council – 09/19/08