Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities - June 12, 2020
Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities Regular Meeting of the Mayor''s Committee for People with Disabilities - MCPD Regular Meeting via Video Conference
Special Meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) June 12, 2020 MCPD to be held Friday June 12, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance by Thursday June 11, 2020 by 12:00pm noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the June 12, 2020 Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at (512)-974-3256 or david.ondich@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Thursday June 11, 2020. The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to david.ondich@austintexas.gov by Noon on Thursday June 11, 2020. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live MAYOR’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES June 12, 2020 1:00p.m.-2:30p.m. VIA VIDEOCONFERENING CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Robin Orlowski Danny Saenz Emily Shryock Deborah Trejo AGENDA Jonathan Franks, Chair Jose Levy, Vice-chair Gene Brooks Taurean Burt Joey Gidseg Diane Kearns-Osterweil CALL TO ORDER 2. NEW BUSINESS: 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Consider approval of the minutes from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities May 29, 2020 meeting. 2A. Discussion of possible changes to the Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Benefits programs – Commissioner Brooks and Chair Franks; 2B. Discussion and possible action to write a letter regarding access to HEB Grocery Stores during the Covid19 Pandemic – Chair Franks and Full Committee; 2C. Discussion and possible action to approve a resolution opposing police violence against people with disabilities – Commissioners Orlowski and Trejo; 2D. Discussion and possible action to approve a resolution regarding the provision of sufficient financial assistance for Austin renters with disabilities – Commissioner Orlowski …
DRAFT A RESOLUTION OPPOSING POLICE VIOLENCE AGAINST PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES Because ableism is discrimination or social prejudice against people with disabilities. Ableism also includes violence perpetrated against people with disabilities. AND a 2019 report published by the University of Texas Law School Human Rights Clinic had already found and documented that the Austin Police Department shot people with mental health issues at a rate twice as high compared against similarly sized police departments across America despite all cadets receiving Americans with Disabilities Act training. AND only certain sworn in Austin Police Department officers had mental health training. But the dispatchers were instead sending whoever was available to calls involving people with disabilities specifically needing mental health care resulting in those often fatal situations for the disability community. AND despite having proactively invited the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities to an introductory community breakfast, the Office of Police Oversight staff had not successfully addressed either the contents of that law school report or the ultimate impact of violence on the disability community. AND The first Federal Crimes Against Persons with Disabilities Report was released in 2009 and the City of Austin, despite being home to the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Texas School for the Deaf among other institutions devoted to servicing people with disabilities has instead downplayed or ignored various forms of discrimination faced by people with disabilities. AND Texas state hate crimes law already lists disability as a specifically recognized category according to reports which are issued by the Department of Public Safety to categorize people covered under hate crimes statue. The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities therefore calls for ableism to be elevated as a civil and human rights issue, thoroughly addressed, and fully resolved with proper and full attention by the Office of Police Monitor, the Austin Police Department and the City of Austin.
A RESOLUTION RE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND COVID‐19 Whereas people with disabilities have always been a large part of the people of Austin’s history and present And people with disabilities are especially vulnerable to COVID‐19 because of our preexisting medical conditions. And social distancing CAN help reduce and stop the spread of COVID 19 And the Centers for Disease Control website explicitly does not recommend social distancing include things like blocking off access to disability accessible parking, blocking off non‐emergency exit door access, or other erroneous and ridiculous tactics which local entrepreneurs have falsely claimed helps to prevent COVID‐19. AND a large number of local cases and deaths are occurring inside nursing homes and assisted living centers which are populated by people with disabilities. People without disabilities do not go to live there. AND a large number of homeless individuals have one or more pre‐existing conditions but cannot effectively shelter in place because they have no permanent home due to the city’s high cost of living and a shelter’s close living quarters can quickly spread covid‐19. AND testing sites are still only ‘drive by’ making the reliable access of COVD‐19 status difficult for many in the disability community who cannot legal drive specifically because of our disabilities such as epilepsy, blindness and other pre‐existing conditions. AND Capital Metro had attempted to make ALL pass users including those with disabilities board at the back of the bus even though there was no ramp to safely board/exit the vehicle and that portion of the vehicle could not lower . The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities therefore recommends that the local pandemic prevention efforts must thoroughly include, affirm and support the rights and needs of people with disabilities.
A resolution re sufficient financial assistance for Austin renters with disabilities Because Austin Texas was already the most expensive city in Texas. The average Austin rent is $1,439 a month and the average income is only $63,717 annually. AND the City of Austin is prohibited under existing state statue from implementing rent control which would limit the amount of rent increases once the annual rent has ended. AND the Houston Texas City Council comparatively allocated $15 million in rental assistance for people impacted by the corona virus pandemic, the San Antonio City Council comparatively allocated $25 million for people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Dallas Texas City Council comparatively allocated $13.7 million in rental assistance for rent aid of people impacted by the corronavurus pandemic. AND this pandemic merely compounded the already strained ability of Austin renters with disabilities to obtain and effectively retain safe affordable and accessible housing. A permanent residence for people with disabilities is key to building and maintain community, to successfully transitioning out of high school, to helping either obtain or retain a job. AND massive employment furloughs, underemployment and unemployment directly related of the corona virus have made it difficult if not impossible for people with disabilities to then successfully pay rent in full The unemployment rate for a person without disabilities is 14.3% and the unemployment rate for a person with disabilities is 18.9% according to statistics released from the United States Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy AND several pre‐existing apartment corporations located inside the City of Austin prohibit the property office handling third party checks for tenant rent aid and also contain also no realistic consideration of a mass pandemic in a lease agreement or other mass disaster which then forces most residents living on the apartment property to be unable to successfully pay rent in full including people with disabilities and/or seniors who are especially vulnerable to both the coronavirus’s immediate effects and long‐term consequences The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities therefore calls the existing $1.2 million rental assistance provided from the City of Austin inadequate in effectively and properly addressing both immediate and long‐term effects of the coronavirus as it specifically impacts City of Austin residents with disabilities and requests that allocated rental assistance efforts match other Texas cities.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION MAYOR’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITES Recommendation Number: 20200612‐2D: The provision of sufficient financial assistance for Austin renters with disabilities WHEREAS, Austin Texas is one of the most expensive cities in Texas. The average Austin rent is $1,439 a month and the average income is only $63,717 annually; and WHEREAS, this pandemic merely compounded the already strained ability of Austin renters with disabilities to obtain and effectively retain safe affordable and accessible housing. A permanent residence for people with disabilities is key to building and maintaining community, to successfully transitioning out of high school, to helping either obtain or retain a job; and WHEREAS, Massive employment furloughs, underemployment and unemployment directly related to the corona virus have made it difficult if not impossible for people with disabilities to then successfully pay rent in full. The unemployment rate for a person without disabilities is 14.3% and the unemployment rate for a person with disabilities is 18.9% according to statistics released from the United States Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy; and WHEREAS, The City of Austin is prohibited under existing state statutes from implementing rent control which would limit the amount of rent increases once the annual rent has ended; and WHEREAS, The Houston City Council comparatively allocated $15 million in rental assistance for people impacted by the corona virus pandemic, the San Antonio City Council comparatively allocated $25 million for people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Dallas City Council comparatively allocated $13.7 million in rental assistance for rent to aid of people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic; and WHEREAS, Several pre‐existing apartment corporations located inside the City of Austin prohibit the property office from handling third party checks for tenant rent aid and contain no realistic consideration of a mass pandemic in a lease agreement or other mass disaster, which then forces most residents living on the apartment property to be unable to successfully pay rent in full, including people with disabilities and/or seniors who are especially vulnerable to both the coronavirus’s immediate effects and long‐term consequences; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities calls the existing $1.2 million of rental assistance provided from the City of Austin inadequate in effectively and properly addressing both immediate and long‐term effects of the coronavirus as it specifically impacts City of Austin residents with disabilities and recommends and supports City Council …
Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) Regular Meeting Minutes June 12, 2020 Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities REGULAR MEETING MINUTES (12 June 2020) The City of Austin, Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities convened in a regular meeting via video conference on June 12, 2020 with a live broadcast on ATXN. CALL TO ORDER: With quorum present Chair Jonathan Franks called the June 12, 2020 meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities to order at 1:01pm Committee Members in Attendance:, Chair Jonathan Franks, Vice Chair Jose Levy Commissioners: Gene Brooks, Joey Gidseg, Robin Orlowski, Emily Shryock, Deborah Trejo. Committee Members Absent: Commissioners: Taurean Burt, Diane Kearns-Osterweil, Danny Saenz Staff in Attendance: David Ondich, ADA Program Administrator and Lee Nguyen ADA Program Human Resources (HR) Specialist. Chair Jonathan Franks moved item 3A, A City staff presentation up on the agenda. Please refer to item 3A for description. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Deborah Trejo made a motion to approve the minutes from the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities May 29, 2020 Special Called Meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Jose Levy. The motion passed unanimously. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: No citizen communication that took place during the June 12, 2020 MCPD Regular Meeting. 2. NEW BUSINESS: 2A. Discussion of possible changes to the Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Federal Benefits programs – Commissioner Brooks and Full Committee. To view the discussion, commissioners’ comments in their entirety please visit: https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/63247 and view item 2A. 2B. Discussion and possible action to write a letter regarding access to HEB Grocery Stores during the Covid19 Pandemic – Chair Franks and Full Committee. Chair Franks discussed follow up with HEB on his concerns, no additional action was taken by the Committee. To view the discussion, commissioners’ comments in their entirety please visit: https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/63247 and view item 2B 2C. Discussion possible action to approve a resolution opposing police violence against people with disabilities – Commissioners Orlowski and Trejo; Amendment: Commissioner Deborah Trejo made a motion to amend the resolution with edits to language, punctuation and format. Commissioners Joey Gidseg and Vice Chair Jose Levy made friendly amendments that Commissioner Trejo accepted. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Joey Gidseg. The motion to amend was approved unanimously by all. Motion: Commissioner Robin Orlowski made a motion to approve the amended resolution on opposing police violence against people with disabilities. …
