Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities - Aug. 27, 2021
Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities Special Called Meeting of the Mayor''s Committee for People with Disabilities - MCPD Special Called Meeting via videoconference Friday August 27, 2021
Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) Special Called Meeting August 27, 2021 MCPD to be held Friday, August 27, 2021 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, August 26, 2021 by 12:00pm noon. All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the August 27, 2021 MCPD Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at (512)-974-3203 or jonathan.babiak@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Thursday, August 26, 2021. 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 made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time 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 jonathan.babiak@austintexas.gov by Noon on Thursday, August 26, 2021. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Reunión del Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) FECHA de la reunion (08/27/2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (08/26/2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en (512)-974-3203 y jonathan.babiak@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar ). • Una vez que se haya realizado una solicitud para hablar con el enlace de la junta, …
Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities (MCPD) Regular Meeting Minutes June 11, 2021 Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Regular MEETING MINUTES (June 11, 2021) The City of Austin, Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities convened in a regular meeting via video conference on June 11, 2021 with a live broadcast on ATXN. CALL TO ORDER: With quorum present Chair Jonathan Franks called the June 11, 2021 meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities to order at 5:36 pm. Committee Members in Attendance: Chair Jonathan Franks, Vice Chair Emily Shryock, Kathryn Broadwater, Taurean Burt, Joey Gidseg, Diane Kearns-Osterweil, Robin Orlowski, Deborah Trejo ABSENT: Commissioners: Diana Anzaldua, Maria Villarreal Staff in Attendance: Jonathan Babiak, Office of Civil Rights in person. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: No citizen communication took place during the June 11, 2021 MCPD Regular Meeting. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Taurean Burt made a motion to approve the minutes from the May 14, 2021 MCPD Regular Meeting. The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Emily Shryock. The motion passed 8-0. To view this item please visit https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/120918?ts=96 and view item APPROVAL OF MINUTES. 2. NEW BUSINESS: 2A. Discussion and possible action regarding community access and participation for people with disabilities during City Council meetings. The Committee discussed this item together with Item 2B. Commissioner Taurean Burt made a motion to submit a recommendation to the City on a future agenda item that the City provide deaf translation services at every Council event, announcements including COVID-19 announcements, and videos. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Orlowski. The motion passed 8-0. To view this agenda item please visit https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/122743 and view item 2A. 2B. Discussion and possible action regarding American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services during COVID-19 announcements. The Committee discussed this item together with Item 2A. Commissioner Taurean Burt made a motion to submit a recommendation to the City on a future agenda item that the City provide deaf translation services at every Council event, announcements including COVID-19 announcements, and videos. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Orlowski. The motion passed 8-0. To view this agenda item please visit https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/122743 and view item 2B. 2C. Update, discussion, and possible action on Project Connect Community Advisory Committee. Zenobia Joseph addressed the Committee as a Citizen and answered questions. Commissioner Broadwater updated the Committee. The Committee discussed this item. No action was taken. To view this agenda item please visit https://austintx.new.swagit.com/videos/122743 and …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210827-2A: Moving the Americans with Disabilities Act Program Into the Civil Rights Office WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act has already been passed and signed into law by the United States explicitly publically, and explicitly as a “civil rights act” for people with disabilities in respect to employment, housing, voting, education transportation and public accommodations access; with Disabilities Act; WHEREAS, the City of Austin is a local government covered under Section II of the Americans WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act fully and explicitly covers all people with disabilities inside the City of Austin including those who were never employed, cannot work, and/or do not wish to be employed by the City of Austin; WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act deliberately refers to a specific federal civil rights act with specific local responsibilities; WHEREAS, Americans with Disabilities Act coverage is not something which somebody must first earn or accrue in order to receive civil rights coverage from municipalities; WHEREAS the Americans with Disabilities Act Program is the only entity in the City of Austin authorized to evaluate and provide reasonable accommodation requests from all requesting people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act; WHERAS, all people with disabilities needing “reasonable accommodations” to successfully access and receive City of Austin programs, services, and events other than employment are still instructed to contact the Americans with Disabilities Act Program; WHEREAS, the accommodation process for Austin Texas residents with disabilities is already publically described on official City of Austin publications including City website and social media; WHEREAS, the Civil Rights Office was established in January 2021 specifically to provide a centralized location for all civil rights acts and this centralized location should also include a civil rights act which explicitly covers and protects the civil rights of people with disabilities; WHERAS, the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities was proactively and explicitly transferred to the Civil Rights Office April 2021 while the ADA Program remained behind in Human Resources; WHEREAS, the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities commissioners are not permitted to grant reasonable accommodations requests from individuals with disabilities seeking access to City services or resources and this Committee has no binding enforcement power regarding any provision of the Americans with Disabilities Act; WHEREAS a May 21st 2021 City of Austin town hall explicitly about the first person experiences of people …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210827-2B: Funding for Healthcare Navigation and Liaison Programs Benefiting Austin’s Immigrant Communities WHEREAS, immigrant communities in the City of Austin report a need for healthcare access services that remove language barriers and help navigate administrative healthcare systems; and WHEREAS, targeted community health navigation programs provide access to city and local health and wellness resources through patient advocacy, health navigation education, self‐ sufficiency resources, interpretation/translation support, referrals to local resources, and eligibility & application assistance; and WHEREAS, programs already exist including the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative and the Latino Healthcare Forum’s PromoSalud program, among others, providing these resources to local Spanishspeaking, Chinese, Burmese, Korean, Nepali, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Syrian, Iraqi, and other Arabic speaking communities; and WHEREAS, some of these programs, namely, the Arabic and Chinese programs, run through the Austin Asian Community Health Initiative, are presently funded by emergency grants that will expire; and and WHEREAS, the community identified a need to maintain and continue all existing programs permanently, and to expand current services to additional communities and initiatives; and WHEREAS, the Commission recognizes the public health benefit of these services to the City’s immigrant communities and the community at large, particularly during the global pandemic; WHEREAS, some of these programs are already receiving funding from Austin Public Health, demonstrating the City also values these services. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Commission on Immigrant Affairs recommends the City increase its funding to permanently maintain existing health navigation and liaison programs, and that Austin Public Health seek additional opportunities to fund these initiatives and partner with the local organizations providing these services. Date of Approval: August 27, 2021 Record of the vote: Attest: Jonathan Babiak Jonathan Babiak, Staff Liaison
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210827-2C: Recommendation about Family Connects in Response to Resilient ATX Resolution WHEREAS, Families with young children in Austin/Travis County experienced hardships before the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the pandemic has greatly exacerbated this problem; and WHEREAS, One goal in the Imagining Austin Plan is to "ensure that our youngest children are healthy, happy, and ready for school success by ensuring they have access to education, health care, and other necessary resources and services;" and WHEREAS, Pediatric health care has seen a 24% decline in the last year over a typical year, including sick and well-child visits for infants and toddlers; and WHEREAS, The mental health of parents and children has declined -- one study found that 27% of parents reported a decline in their mental health and 14% saw an increase in behavior problems from their children; and WHEREAS, Immunization rates for measles, mumps, and rubella have dropped by 50%; and WHEREAS, The rate of hospitalization for child abuse cases increased while overall emergency visits for child abuse dropped, suggesting that many child abuse cases went untreated and unreported; and of health factors; and WHEREAS, An average of 45% of Austin/Travis County families faced food insecurity, prompting Dell Medical School to urge physicians to increase screening for social determinants WHEREAS, Only 5% of newborns born in Austin/Travis County received the support of a nurse home visit by Family Connects in 2020; and WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced many issues of health inequities, and newborns and their families in Texas are at even higher risk for poor health outcomes that disproportionally affect families of color; and WHEREAS, Black women are 2.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes -Black Mamas ATX reports that this relates to the mental health effects of unrecognized bias in communication or care of Black women, in the identification and intervention of postpartum depression, and the context of the social determinants of health; and WHEREAS, 27% of Black women in Texas have not seen a doctor in the past year; and WHEREAS, Increases in food insecurity in Austin/Travis County were most significant among Hispanic and Spanish-speaking families, especially due to job loss; and WHEREAS, As of April 12, 2021, 32% of White Texans have been vaccinated for COVID-19, while only 19% of Black Texans and 21% of Hispanic Texans have been …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210827-002D: Downtown Mental Health Diversion Program WHEREAS, mental illness is not a crime, but the ongoing lack of accessible affordable, and culturally appropriate local treatment options frequently has left people locked up inside a jail cell; options; WHEREAS, both this defacto criminalizing people with mental health issues and allowing the homeless to lay on sidewalks were inadequate and inappropriate public policies; WHEREAS, law enforcement dislikes being relegated to defacto mental health care providers for individuals who are in need of effective culturally appropriate mental health care treatment WHEREAS, this committee repeatedly has pressed the City to actively address ableism as a critical and necessary component for obtaining and then maintaining an equitable society; WHEREAS ableism is not a ‘lesser’ form of discrimination within the City of Austin; WHEREAS, ableism must be formally prohibited in all City of Austin offices, departments, and programs to achieve equity; WHEREAS, Austin Police Department Interim Police Chief Joseph Chacon, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza have all already expressed public support for establishing a Mental Health Diversion Center; WHEREAS, a Mental Health Diversion Center should not prosecute people with disabilities who are in need of mental health care and/or substance abuse issues; WHEREAS, a Mental Health Diversion Center was proposed specifically to help people with mental illness and/or substance abuse issues; WHEREAS, this proposed Mental Health Diversion Center must be culturally inclusive and refrain from promoting ableist stereotypes about people with disabilities within the City of Austin; WHEREAS mental illness and substance abuse are already recognized as disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act; WHEREAS, the Mental Health Diversion Center should be collaboratively planned and funded like the City of Austin Texas is in fact now America’s 10th largest City; WHEREAS proper initial and subsequent planning and funding of community resources demonstrates people with disabilities are full and valued members of the community, NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities recommends that the City of Austin endorse the collaborative establishment of a Mental Health Diversion Center as a means of effectively and permanently addressing mental health and addiction in Austin-Travis County without criminalizing people with disabilities, including people with mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. Date of Approval: August 27, 2021 Record of the vote: Attest: Jonathan Babiak Jonathan Babiak, Staff Liaison
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210827-002E: Designate Disability Voter Registration Week WHEREAS in September people with disabilities and our supporters celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); AND WHEREAS there are over 50 million people with disabilities of all ages living in communities throughout the United States; AND WHEREAS the disability community has a critical interest in policies enacted at local, state, and national levels that effect the integration of people with disabilities, young and old, into our communities; AND AND and national elections; AND voting; AND WHEREAS getting the disability community involved in influencing public policies is essential if these policies are to meet the real needs of people with disabilities to live in the community; WHEREAS voting is one way for the disability community to exert their influence at local, state WHEREAS there are multiple efforts to develop state disability coalitions around the issue of WHEREAS REV UP, “Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!” is a national effort to encourage state and local disability community voting coalitions; AND WHEREAS members of national disability rights community are organizing a National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) September 13 to 20, 2021; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities recommends that the City of Austin supports the growing involvement of the disability community in the political process; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities recommends that the City of Austin designates September 13 to 20, 2021 as Disability Voter Registration Week in Austin. Date of Approval: August 27, 2021 Record of the vote: Attest: Jonathan Babiak Jonathan Babiak, Staff Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities Recommendation Number 20210709-003a: Council Meeting American Sign Language Services WHEREAS, the Austin community includes a substantial number of citizens who use American Sign Language to participate in civil life, including participating in meetings of governmental bodies; WHEREAS, the City of Austin provides American Sign Language services at City Council events, announcements including COVID-19 announcements, and videos only when requested; and WHEREAS, the deaf community in Austin needs equal access to City Council events, announcements including COVID-19 announcements, and videos; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor’s Committee for People With Disabilities recommends City Council to implement across the board American Sign Language translation services for all City Council events, announcements including COVID-19 announcements, and videos. Date of Approval: July 9, 2021 Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign)
