REGULAR MEETING OF THE MAYOR’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026, AT 5:30PM AUSTIN CITY HALL, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM 1101 301 W 2nd STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Nekaybaw Watson, Nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov, 512-974-2562. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Conor Kelly, Chair Lisa Chang, Vice Chair Gabriel Arellano DeLawnia Comer-HaGans Elizabeth Slade Mickey Fetonte Lynn Murphy Alejandro San Martin Kristen Vassallo CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL AGENDA The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities regular meeting on March 13, 2026. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing from the Urban Design Division of Austin Planning regarding updates to the Great Streets program and accessibility improvements. Presentation given by Jill Amezcua, Program Manager II, Austin Planning. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Presentation by Savvy Tech regarding PDF and online document accessibility. Presentation by Benjamin Chen, technical lead, AIMRobotics, Jaxsen Day, digital disability researcher, University of Texas, and Katherine Chen, CEO, AIMRobotics. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. 5. 6. Approve the election of Chair Approve the election of Vice Chair Approve an alternate for the Joint Inclusion Committee. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Nekaybaw Watson or nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov to request service or for additional information. Austin City Clerk’s Office, 512-974-2562 at at For more information on the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, please contact Nekaybaw Watson at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov.
MAYOR’S COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026 The Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities convened in a regular meeting on Friday, March 13, 2026, at 301 W 2nd St. in Austin, Texas. Chair Kelly called the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Conor Kelly, Chair Gabriel Arellano Alejandro “Alex” San Martin Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Lisa Chang, Vice Chair Delawnia Comer-HaGans Lynn Murphy Elizabeth Slade Commissioners Absent: Mickey Fetonte Kristen Vassallo PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Melinda Crockom – Vision Loss in Older Adults and San Antonio’s Disability Festival Maggie Moore – Long COVID Collective APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Regular Meeting on February 13, 2026. The motion to approve the minutes of the February 13, 2026, regular meeting of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities was approved on Chair Kelly’s motion, 1 Commissioner San Martin’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Slade was off the dais. Commissioners Fetonte and Vassallo were absent. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing regarding an update on the Levers of Economic Mobility. Presentation by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Sr., Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. Presentation given by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Sr., Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. 3. Staff briefing regarding the Camancho Activity Center’s accessibility and guided group programs. Presentation by Ryan Eaker, Nature Based Supervisor, Austin Parks and Recreation and Athan Bernal, Nature Based Program Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation. Presentation given by Ryan Eaker, Nature Based Supervisor, Austin Parks and Recreation and Jessica Gilzow, Nature Based Programs Manager, Austin Parks and Recreation. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Presentation from Clear the Air ATX regarding the impact of Long COVID on the disability community, and ways the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities can support Long COVID awareness efforts. Presentation by Katie Drackert, Founder, Clear the Air ATX, Naveen Farrani, Member, Clear the Air ATX and Michael Brode, UT Post COVID Clinic Medical Director, University of Texas. Presentation given by Katie Drackert, Founder, Clear the Air ATX and Michael Brode, UT Post COVID Clinic Medical Director, University of Texas. 5. Update from Joint Inclusion Committee representative regarding the budget priorities that the commission could consider. Update given by Commissioner Chang. DISCUSSION …
Great Streets Program Update Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Austin Planning | April 10th, 2026 Alignment with the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilites The Great Streets Program advances accessibility by prioritzing inclusive, pedestrian-friendly street design that aligns with the Committee's mission to improve mobility and access for people with disibilities. ▪ Accessible Seating Options ▪ Combination of two-seat and single-seat benches support users with different mobility and comfort needs. ▪ Clear Zones (Pedestrian Through Zones) ▪ Sidewalks are designed to maintain unobstructed pathways wide enough to allow two wheelchair users to pass comfortably. ▪ ADA-Compliant Design Features ▪ Incorporation of ramps, smooth pavement materials, and curb cuts to improve navigation for wheelchair users and people with mobility challenges. 2 Great Streets Overview: History ▪ Early 2000s ▪ City Council adopted the Downtown Design Guidelines, Great Streets Plan Standards, and Great Streets Development Program. ▪ 2003 ▪ City Council dedicated a portion of the parking meter revenue to Great Streets. ▪ 2014 ▪ City Council established Great Streets as a Downtown Density Bonus Program gatekeeper requirement. ▪ An Update to the Great Streets Plan and Standards is needed. ▪ The Update includes an existing conditions analysis. 3 Existing Conditions Analysis ▪ Completed inventory of Great Streets elements ▪ Condition of Great Streets elements ▪ Highest scoring streetscape elements ▪ Light poles ▪ Bike racks ▪ Trees ▪ Lowest scoring streetscape elements ▪ Benches ▪ Trash receptacles ▪ Recycling receptacles Top Scoring Great Streets Element: Trees Low Scoring Great Streets Element: Trash Receptacles 4 Great Streets Update Goals ▪ Align the program with other initiatives ▪ Holistic conversations around right of way ▪ Focus on the entirety of the Central Business District experience ▪ Modernization and clarification of the standards ▪ Create champions for the program ▪ Work flexibility and conflict resolution into the standards ▪ Ensure continued and consistent funding and accountability 5 Community Engagement Overview ▪ July 2025 to April 2026 ▪ Gather feedback from residents, employees, and visitors about how they experience downtown streets and what they would like to see moving forward ▪ Our outreach included: ▪ Online survey - 328 participants ▪ Open house - 75 attendees ▪ Stakeholder meetings ▪ Imagine Austin Speaker Series Event ▪ Almost 1,000 comments from all engagement ▪ This input will form the recommendations for the Update and define the priorities, challenges, and shared values that will guide future …
Accessible Documents, Accessible City AIMRobotics + City of Austin Mayor’s Committee Katherine Chen, AIMRobotics Jaxsen Day, Digital Disability Research, UT Austin Benjamin Chen, AIMRobotics Opening Remark The City of Austin website https://www.austintexas.gov/ serves as a central hub for accessing city services, public records, and government information. Users can complete tasks like paying bills, applying for permits, reporting issues, and accessing property or development data. It also provides updates on city programs, departments, and community resources, along with tools and information for residents, businesses, and visitors. It is very essential to make it accessible for people with disability which ~2–3% of the population is blind or has low vision to get the same amount of information. That is 20K-30K Austinian. Today we are going to focusing on public PDF files’ accessibility which can be found on https://www.austintexas.gov/ An Austin boutique builder and his vision-impaired daughter story Our review of one of City’s PDF Forms ● Link to the PDF form: Amnesty Certificate of Occupancy Application ❏ Wrong Reading order - confusing ❏ No title for the file - confusion when multiple files are opened, they don't know which one is for which ❏ Table content: redundant reading, Reduces comprehension and increase confusion Impact: confusing and can not fill in the required data Our Review of the converted accessible html file ● Link to Full accessible format: https://www.aimrobotics.us/product-demo ❏ The form is tagged very well, and everything is working as expected. ❏ Provides a fully accessible experience when used with a compatible screen reader and browser combination. Impact: Was able to understand the form and fill in the data without any issue. What Is an Accessible PDF? Accessibility ≠ Just Opening a File ● It’s about how content is structured and navigated What Accessible PDFs Enable ● Navigate by headings and sections ● Follow content in the correct order ● Understand images and tables ● Complete forms independently Common Failure Points ● Scanned/image-only documents ● Incorrect reading order ● Missing tags ● Tables without structure Non-accessible PDF Example Blind user doesn’t know message behind image Blind user cannot navigate to link Blind user cannot understand table clelarly One option: Use HTML (web pages) instead of PDFs ● Built for accessibility from the start ● Content is easier to navigate and read ● Works better with screen readers ● Adapts to different devices and zoom levels Why PDFs are harder ● Designed for …
