Director’s Report to the Mayor’s Disability Council (MDC)

Nicole Bohn, Director

Mayor’s Office on Disability 

January 15, 2021

 

In support of today’s presentations from the COVID Command Center and the California State Vaccine Advisory Committee, this special Director’s Report to the Mayor’s Disability Council (MDC) highlights COVID response and recovery actions impacting residents with disabilities in the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF), as well as high level short and longer term emerging issues that will need the Council’s attention. 

 

The Council is strongly encouraged recommend action items related to any part of today’s presentations, or other items discussed in the emerging issues section of this report, as follow-up to today’s Public Hearing.

 

 

COVID Response:  MOD continues to be actively deployed through the COVID Command Center (CCC) on response and recovery efforts.  The following is a high-level listing of response activities, from March 2020 to present.  Where applicable, hyperlinks are provided for additional information.

 

Consolidated “One Stop” expanded City resources site for people with disabilities on SF.gov:  https://sf.gov/information/get-help-seniors-and-people-disabilities where you can learn about:

• Expanded Resource Hubs through the Department of Disability and Aging Services

• Food Access options 

• Transportation options and the Essential Trips Card program 

• Other disability-specific information for San Francisco residents 

 

Access to information:  We worked to ensure that the most critical, essential information is accessible via the sf.gov site.  For those who do not have internet access, we worked with 311 to ensure that the call center could answer essential questions pertaining to residents, and to people with disabilities specifically.  Virtual accessibility guidelines continue to evolve as virtual platforms improve accessibility compliance.  MOD and the Department of Technology continue to be in conversation with technical experts at the major platform companies to continue to approve usability, based on feedback from people with disabilities. Specific to Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities, MOD has been working to improve communication access awareness across all City entities. 

 

Safety, Testing and Supplies

• Advised non-profits and the Emergency Operations Center Regarding access to PPE and distributing safety guidelines for people with disabilities and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) employees

• Assisted City-Operated COVID testing sites with implementing accessibility compliance obligations

• Implementation of Text to 9-1-1 for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Speech Disability Communities https://sfdem.org/text-to-911

 

Referrals, Reasonable Accommodations, and Civic Engagement 

• Improved referral coordination and disability access needs identification between medical discharge facilities and COVID response hotel placement sites 

• Development of reasonable accommodation guidance for COVID placement hotel sites 

• Improved remote voting access through the Voting Accessibility Advisory Committee (VAAC): https://sfelections.sfgov.org/participate-advisory-committees

 

Supporting San Francisco’s Recovery

• Through working groups in the Economic Recovery Task Force, MOD conducted extensive disability community engagement to learn of the primary and emerging concerns.  The full task force report is available here: https://www.onesanfrancisco.org/covid-19-recovery

• Developed Extensive accessibility guidelines and accessibility information pertaining to the Shared Spaces program. https://sf.gov/information/make-your-shared-space-accessible https://sf.gov/shared-spaces 

 

COVID Recovery:  Emerging Needs: The following is a list of emerging needs and concerns that have come to MOD through our engagement efforts with residents, Deaf and disabled community members, and disability community leadership.  The Council is encouraged to continue to track and prioritize these items on future agendas:

 

• Vaccine Access to Deaf and Disabled Communities: 

o Data collection:  representative data is a matter of equity 

o Prioritization:  Connected and non-connected communities 

o Accessible Distribution Sites and Procedures, including wait times 

o Targeted Communication for Deaf and Disabled communities 

 

• Food Access:  With economic downturn, food access is a continued need 

 

• Outdoor Access

o Recreation and Arts:  Emerging:  JFK Drive Solutions  

o Streets and Parking:  Closures and curbside changes

o Extension of Shared Spaces (Outdoor dining program)

 

• Transportation Access 

o Sustainability of Essential Trip Card Program 

o Effective and Sustainable Public Transportation Access 

 

• Technology Access 

o Community needs assessment underway 

o Emphasis on how technology access links to health care access 

 

• Health Care Access

o Meeting non-COVID medical and behavioral health needs

o Impact of pandemic on long-term health care access 

 

• Continued access to affordable PPE 

 

• Employment and Financial Sustainability 

 

• Housing Security 

o Needs assessment legislation forthcoming 

 

• Adequate education support for families with kids with disabilities 

 

• Social isolation and loneliness

• Elevating the voice of disability communities 

• Equity:  Intersections of disability and race 

 

This report posts to the MOD homepage following this meeting.  For questions or comments, or to get involved in or provide feedback on any of the items mentioned in this report, please contact MOD at 415 554-6789 or mod@sfgov.org.  To stay current on opportunities, activities and events pertaining to people with disabilities, please subscribe to our newsfeed at http://sfgov.org/mod/.