Disability Access to City Programs, Services and Activities

1. Disability Access to City Programs, Services and Activities A Training Guide For City Departments City & County of San Francisco Mayor’s Office on Disability

2. Demographics • 150,131 Residents with disabilities in San Francisco • 37.8% have a physical disability • 26.1% have a mental disability • 17.1% have a sensory disability • 16.4% of people with disabilities are below the poverty level (2X general population) • 2000 U.S. Census Data City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

3. Common Disability Barriers… • Waiting in line • Prohibitions against animals • Inaccessible transportation • Segregation • Inappropriate application of safety standards and illegal-drug-use policies City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

4. Self-Evaluation Results • Less than 50% of City managers knew minimal programmatic access requirements • 49% of City programs had no means of communicating by telephone with people who have hearing or speech impairments • 81% of City programs had no training for contract monitors to recognize disability access barriers City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

5. In This Session You Will Learn: • The definition of disability access and YOUR obligations under the law. • How to successfully integrate disability access into your organization’s everyday programs, services, and activities. • What resources are available to assist your department. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

6. The Americans with Disabilities Act A Civil Rights Law, with Standard Expectations • Don’t Deny Participation or Service • Don’t Segregate • Don’t Retaliate or Coerce City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

7. Denial of Service or Participation Example • The Commission on the Environment cuts short the public comment of an individual with a psychiatric disability and paranoid delusions because he begins to accuse a department staff member of official misconduct. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

8. Segregation Example • Ruth, a deaf woman who is the executive director of one of DCYF’s grantees, asks DCYF to provide closed captioning during an upcoming grantee training. DCYF says that it cannot afford to hire a captioner. Instead, DCYF provides Ruth with the written materials for the class, and offers to have the class instructor meet with her to provide written answers to questions she may have about the materials. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

9. Retaliation or Coercion Example: • Cassandra, a woman with a psychiatric disability, calls Marc, a DHR employee, repeatedly to complain that the City discriminated against her based on her disability when she applied for a City job. Cassandra is rude and unpleasant, and is unable to offer any concrete evidence of discrimination. After many such interactions, Marc incorrectly tells Cassandra that she cannot apply for another City job until the list that she is on expires. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

10. The ADA is a Civil Rights Law with NEW Expectations • Unlike other civil rights statutes, the ADA creates an affirmative obligation to create equal access so that people with disabilities have the same opportunity to benefit from a program, activity or service as others. • We have the obligation to modify our policies, practices and procedures when needed to provide equal access. This is called a Reasonable Modification. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

11. Examples • The Office of Contract Administration assists persons with disabilities (cognitive, mobility, visual) in filling out forms required for businesses who want to become City vendors. • DHR provides a sign language interpreter during the interview of a deaf applicant for a City job. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

12. What We DON’T Need to Do Fundamental Alteration • A person with a developmental disability requests OCA’s assistance in drafting his response to a Request for Proposals issued by a City department. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

13. Effective Communication • The City must provide people with disabilities the same opportunity as others to enjoy, receive and understand information from the City. • When the City provides an auxiliary aid or service to ensure effective communication, the City must give primary consideration to the aid or service the individual with a disability requested. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

14. For People Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision • Audio Description • Braille • Large Print • Readers • Tactile Materials • Audio tape • CD-ROM / electronic version text City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

15. For People with Hearing or Speech Disabilities • Sign Language or Oral Interpreters • Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) • Captioning or Computer-Aided Real-time Reporting (CART) • TTY / Videophone • Telephone Relay System (711) City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

16. For People with Cognitive / Mental Disabilities • Focus on one topic at the time. • Show or demonstrate verbal instructions. • Rephrase and simplify concepts into smaller components. • Make associations with already familiar ideas. • Use pictures and other visual aids. • Inform people before transitions take place. • Respond to clients’ level of interest. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

17. Examples • Upon request, OCA provides a Braille version of an RFP to an individual who wants to respond to the RFP. • Upon request, the Department on the Environment sends a City resident a CD Rom version of the information and related forms the Department has on its Website that relate to recycling construction debris. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

18. What We DON’T Need to Do Undue Administrative Burden • Provide the City’s Municipal Code on audiotape if the Code is available online and the City provides access to a computer nearby that can read the Code aloud. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

19. Physical Access - Existing Facilities • The ADA does not require that an entity make every facility accessible. It does require that all City programs be accessible. • In theory, this concept of program access allows the City to have multiple programs in various sites, with only a portion of them accessible. • In practice, ensuring equality of service using this approach is extremely difficult. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

20. Methods of Achieving Access at Inaccessible Sites: • Redesign of equipment • Reassignment to accessible buildings • Delivery of services at alternative accessible sites • Alteration of existing facilities City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

21. Maintenance of Accessible Features • Public entities must maintain in working order equipment and features of facilities that are required to provide ready access to individuals with disabilities. • Isolated or temporary interruptions in access due to maintenance and repair of accessible features are not prohibited. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

22. Examples • The lower, accessible counter at DHR’s office is cluttered with various forms and documents making the space unusable by customers using wheelchairs. • The automatic door openers at OCA’s office are obstructed by a set of large file cabinets. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

23. What We DON’T Need to Do Undue Financial Burden • Install curb ramps that comply with current code at every City curb within one year’s time at a cost of $210 million City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

24. Steps to Disability Access • Notice • Auxiliary Aids and Services & Alternative Formats • Accessible Public Meetings • Reasonable Modification Policy • Grievance Procedure • Staff Training City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

25. Notice • Use the MOD version, or your own. • It should have clear, simple language. • List the ADA Coordinator’s name & contact info. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

26. Auxiliary Aids and Services & Alternative Formats MOD has lists with City approved vendors on the website. Schedule in advance if possible. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

27. Are your Public Meetings Accessible? • Accessibility features at the meeting site • Availability of auxiliary aids and services • Contact person to request reasonable modifications • Time frame for requests • Accessible transit to the site (optional) City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

28. Reasonable Modification Policy • If it is obvious, or easy, “Just Do It” • If it doesn’t make sense, is outrageous or it seems a bit more complex, give to a supervisor or call MOD. • Respond promptly with a timeline for action. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

29. Grievance Procedure • An administrative option instead of a lawsuit. A new grievance procedure is at the Board of Supervisors, with 20 business day response time. • Ensure that your staff understands the process and can inform customers of their options. • The Department itself provides the response to the complainant; MOD is a resource. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

30. Train Your Staff to . . . • Treat the customer with dignity, respect, and courtesy. • Listen to and address the customer directly. • Use person-first language. • Offer assistance but do not insist. • Ask the customer to tell you the best way to help. • Relax and deal with unfamiliar situations in a calm, professional manner. City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

31. Disability Access is… Good Customer Service! City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability

32. We Are Always Here to Help ! • Mayor’s Office on Disability Tel: 415 554-6789TTY: 415 554-6799Fax: 415 554-6159E-mail: mod@sfgov.org Visit our website: www.sfgov.org/mod City and County of San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability