this is really prohibitive and we need to figure out as a city how to address the share of cost issue. because it has a huge impact on the quality of life for a lot of people. the other thing that i would like to speak to for just a minute -- this originates in sacramento, but the fact that the medical budget cuts meant that people no longer get dental care, incontinence supplies is not paid for. this is creating a horrible situation for a lot of people that cannot afford dental care. there is very few avenue to get anything done besides getting a tooth pulled on an emergency basis. so those are quality of life issues. the last thing i would like to speak to is just asking us to address the question of who gets left out of the

information loop? i was struck by some of the recent community meetings that were sponsored around the changes that were talked about megan elliot. at both senior sites we had probably 300 people who came to hear about that. and then i'm thinking well who got left out of that and who maybe didn't hear about that? because there is an existing network of senior centers and senior housing where a lot of information gets communicates, but i think sometimes we tend to keep connecting to the same people who already have a connection. and that i think we have to think about who gets left out. that is not to denigrate at all the work of the mayor's office on disability and this council. anyway, thank you very much for your work. i think we have some things to attend to. thank you. >> thank you. next is jerry grace.

>> good afternoon everybody. my name is jerry grace and i i alive across the bay in cc county, city of san pablo. the bottom line a lot of people live here in the city and most of the people really don't know who needs to get a case worker. ggrc, that means golden gate resource center that helps people who have no way to get in touch with anyone.

and golden gate will give you help. they will come out and see you four times a year. in golden gate the case worker will see you. the supervisor will see you first. golden gate is very good people and they will always be around. they have off of stevenson and golden gate. and and golden gate will help other people get a case worker.

i know one person on the board is jim. and i come to the meetings in san francisco. a lot of people i know have a case worker at golden gate. that is why i came up here to tell you a little bit about the golden gate. the golden gate is a very big place. you need to check it out. 375 stevenson, right off of

market street between market and mission. come by there. the golden gate is very good people and will always, always help other people who need help. thank you very much. >> thank you, sir. are there any further comments from those present? >> michael nulty. i am the program director of tenants association coalition of san francisco; which has been operating in san francisco for 15 years. we deal with people that are in supportive housing units. low-income buildings in san francisco. we have over 1,000 -- we have over 100 developments as part of our coalition. i wanted to speak to mail deliveries for those that are on special diets.

i wanted to also mention that the accessibility of information that daas needs to update their resource guide. when i saw that, it's a very heavy thing. i don't want to take it home with me. how can you get it online? i went and saw it. bring back the senior disability discount opportunities like the senior gold card. way back when i think it was called the senior gold card, where people go to businesses and get a discount. let's recognize that our seniors and disabled people don't have a lot of income and we should be getting breaks when we go it restaurants and stuff. residents get stuck in the sro buildings and don't have an opportunity to get on the waiting list for new housing that are being built that would

probably be more accessible for seniors and disabled. if someone is already in an sro, they should maybe have first choice to get into the new housing. because people should be cycling out of these housing opportunities, into better housing opportunities. and not have people that probably just moved into san francisco get those housing units. you know, let's deal with the people who are currently here that may need better housing. then i also want to point out that transportation access, there is still a lot of improvement that needs to happen. taxi cab drivers still having a problem accepting those cards. it's great that they changed over from the taxi strip to something new, but if they don't want to scan the card, and pay for it, you know, i mean, then you are stuck with a problem. and

and it's embarrassing, because i have had taxi cab drivers basically say to me, wait for another taxi. or, you know, they are more interested in larger fares. they want to go to the airport and get a higher tourist in into their taxi. >> also, the problem there is not enough taxis. you could wait a long time after you have gone grocery shopping and you can't get a taxi to come pick you up. i learned that the trick is to say i'm a senior and i need a taxi. that is about the only way to get it quicker. a name doesn't do it. you have to have the person calling for you, hey, there is a senior waiting and maybe it gets there a little bit quicker. maybe that is for other people listening at home, too. and you know, again, going back to the bus shelters.

we don't need the see seating at bus shelters being removed. it's also safety problem. when you start removing shelters it becomes unsafe for people to wait for the buses. finally i want to point out that i'm glad we're having this hearing. there is always need for improvement and there is just a lot of things, when you lose money on these programs, then seniors and disabled people are losing hope. thank you. >> thank you. yes? >> just wanted to clarify one thing and ask a follow-up question, please. so you mentioned the resource directory and the resource directory is currently being updated. we're also putting it online. so it should be -- that should launch hopefully within the next month or two.

because agreed, it is very heavy. so a lot of people like the paper one, but we also know that we're trying to move into the present times and have it online as well. i did have a follow-up question. you said something about mail delivery for special diets and i wasn't sure exactly what the issue was with that. if you could clarify for me, it would be really helpful. thanks. >> sure. actually i'm talking about myself. when i have tried to get -- when i went to the various -- asking the various providers, they said oh, low sodium of certain kinds, but i had a special diet and couldn't seem to make themselves available. so there was obviously what providers can and can't do. and they and do the basis ones, but

sometimes people have special needs and are they being met? we also have to those. i have lost 20 points in the last year. thank you. >> thank you. donna. >> good afternoon, my name is donna kalain and i would like to here i'm here with cada. i like saying cada. i'm executive director. on february 16th will have been executive director of the ihss public authority for 16 years. so i am here representing them also. i think everybody in this room is really aware that the bay area is the birthplace and home

of the independent living movement, and we're really fortunate to have that here. i see mike boyd in the room and he always likes to remind people that ed roberts day is coming up next week on wednesday. and there are always a variety of ways to raise consciousness around disability, human and civil rights and elevating days that have been set aside by state legislature to honor folks that have brought forward disability rights as one way to do that. so i will remind folks of that and there may be ways that you can participate and show support. we are very fortunate in san francisco that i think we have city leaders who really understand a lot of disability issues and try to put them forward. we have seen examples of that with the department of aging and adult services coming forward. but we still need to always emphasize the kind of unique

issues that people with disabilities raise, and bring forward. often as you all know, sometimes when needs for people with disabilitis are met, the needs of other communities that we didn't know were there. san francisco really is a leader as far as counties in state. i can speak that i think this county is far and away, i think people don't realize how head and shoulders above we are here with daas and ihss and i want to say that we feel fortunate, even though there are definitely improvements to be made, always. there have been several mentions of housing and i wanted to highlight that the long-term care coordinating council is putting together a policy agenda for what it would focus on, as far as policy

recommendations that they might put forward to the mayor. and housing really seems to be an issue that is coming up in every arena. there are a lot of reasons why it's crucial in san francisco. our hills, our stairs, the expense. see its a huge and complicated area, but some of us are really hoping that the long-term care coordinating council and if you all participated or we began to find links with one another, to really focus on how do we get more accessible, adaptable, affordable housing and really affordable? not just for middle and upper income and above, but low-income people. you know, "affordable" is san francisco is not always poor people, rarely. and ken has always been a person i have looked forward to be a partner in these meetings, so speak up for the rights of

folks. and i have always looked to him as my buddy in raising these issues and he has brought the force of -- the kind of legal force from the mayor's office on disability and knowing what standards that they are talking about. i want to close with just a practical reminder to be sure that everybody is thinking of social security. ssi, veterans benefits and all of that. march 1st, those direct deposits, if people do not have bank accounts or direct deposits setup you are going to have a very complicated situation getting your benefits. so i want to encourage everybody really to step up. the san francisco treasurer's office has other ways to try to help people open accounts, if you are not familiar with that. but i just wanted to really encourage people to prepare for that.

thank you. >> thank you. donna. is there anyone on the bridge line? >> is there anyone on the bridge line? no? >> i would like to just ask if there is any further comment. >> let me double check. is there anybody on the bridge line? no. >> if there is no further comment from the gallery, i would like to give council member and opportunity to make comme >> >> i just wanted to explain on my emphasis for personal counseling for youth. i forget to mention my personal testimony. i applied for ssi, but nobody

was there to tell me to apply for ssi or ssdi. i was told to go to social security. i was told to go othe -- counseling would cure this problem. for housing assistance, i'm trying to become independent from my sister right now. and that is really hard, because my social security is pending. however, they tried to ask how much income you have and even if you live with another individual who is making income, that counts as your income also. so it's very difficult to establish myself from them without saying i am connected with their income. so basically, our system

doesn't promote independence for youth. that there is one more thing. so the educational system in college. i think there should be services for financial aid for individuals with disabilities. as you are abruptly thrown into the world with lots of action going on and it's a very hard transition. particularly if you are furthering your education, for folks with disabilities, particularly with financial aid. this is why most individuals don't go to college. that is all, thank you. >> thank you. are there any council members who have a comment or question? go ahead idell. >> thank you.

thank you everyone for coming out here today. i have to apologize, i have been sick, so i didn't even know that the meeting would have happened. i would have had a lot more people here. sorry about that, but the next time we do this, which i know this won't be last one, it will be go. what i wanted to say is having access -- she was talking about the internet -- having cable or something at a reasonable price. we have people with disabilities and seniors just siting this their house just looking at wall because they cannot afford cable or a telephone. those are two necessary things that we need in life, period. if you are disabled, you definitely need a phone in case there is an emergency and you have to call someone. and then i would say cable,

because you need to see the news, to see with a what is happening outside of your doors or outside your home. those are key things to me that just needs to be looked at. i don't know how it's going happen, but those are key. i wanted to say one more thing, but i will go with that. thank you. >> thank you, id ell. i would just like to thank everyone who came out today to participate. and i want to thank everyone who came from the different agencies and community projects and the public. we value all of your input very much. donna, did you have something that you would like to say? okay. >> i would have said this before, but i was waiting for a confirmation from my office.

the number that megan gave earlier about contacting the public authority to try to assist possibly with time sheets was incorrect. and so in case anyone relied on that and we'll let know megan know the phone number is 243-3 477. 243-ihss. >> i just wanted to thank everybody for their thoughtful comments and just to reiterate, we're going to take everybody's comments and try to figure out how to fit them into the plan. i think we heard some things today which we had no heard which was really helpful. so i appreciate everybody's input. we'll schedule a time after the plan is in draft form to come back and present it. thanks again. >> thank you; thank you tom for coming. sarah? >> i'm sorry, i pushed it a

little bit late. >> that is okay. >> i just wanted to reiterate some of the comments -- some public comment from amand steve about the need for better coordinatings of resources for people transitioning out of care facilities. also some since there were a couple of members from the long-term care coordinating council here to maybe suggest that someone from the regional center is there during talks about how things can be better streamlined or suggestions for our developmental disabled community. thanks. >> thank you. all right then i think it's time we take a 10-minute break. >> one more. >> i'm sorry, i didn't see you harriet. >> hi. thank you for coming out today. i just wanted to speak a little

bit on changes coming to the golden gate regional center. for the parents that have respite care for their child, they are going to have the time sheets go to a different place and i guess it would be, like, sort of a bookkeeping system. and they will figure out the payroll taxes and everything. but then the parent of child becomes the employer and they do the hiring and firing process . i think that if a person is a little bit educated, they can find answers on how to do this.

but i think it's a problem for some parents, because first of all, they have to take care of the special needs child, the adult whatever. there is a language barrier. some are from a totally different country. back in the '80s, it used to be if you had a respite worker, there was an agency that did all of the payroll and everything, and then they would just pay the worker. and then later on, they pushed it onto the parents and the parents had to do this. but not everybody is going to understand that whole accounting process. so i think this needs to be addressed. >> thank you harriet. any other council member who wishes to make a comment?

>> to item no. 8. information item, report from the disability disaster preparedness committee. and denise will read that report. >> thank you, chip. the disability disaster preparedness committee met on friday, january 4th, 2013. there was a number of community-based organizations and city departments participating. the ddpc committee reviewed their accomplishments for 2012 and set priority fools for 2013. the discussion around 2012 accomplishments revealed that we were quite successful at meeting most of our goals, especially the ones which involved the mayor's office on disabilities guidance and effort. it was remarked that considering the loss of manpower at mod, a substantial and impressive amount of work was produced. these efforts included, but are not limited to the civic

city-wide evacuation drill and activation drill. a two-day fast, functional service team, training and developing a plan for personal assistance services during an after a disaster. goals for 2013 were brought up in discussion and ranked by everyone present. the three strategic goals for this year were determined to a, develop a plan to support the people with access and functional needs, who shelter in-place post-disasters. b, revisit the sou project and strive for 25% increase in participation. c, engage low-income housing providers in disaster planning it's relates to seniors and people with disabilities, who reside in these buildings. the planning for the golden

guardian mass care and shelter exercise continues. scheduled for may 15th, 2013, rob stangler planner with the city reported that the red cross will open a sheriff's deputy and the human services administration, will provide trained employees to participate in the exercise. there was also a discussion of the number and types of disabled persons that could participate as shelter residents with 6-8 being the target number, including some with hidden, non-visible disabilities. it was the hope of the ddpc that trained fast team members would be included in the exercise, if only as observers of how shelter operates and access people, or perhaps, working with the red cross in the assessment area. this concludes my ddpc report. at this time i would like to remind members of the public

and organizations that are group now meets the first friday of every other month. the next meeting is march 1 2013, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in city hall. we hope to see you there and thank you chip in providing the additional notes for this report. >> you are very welcome. is there any public comment on this item? anyone on the bridge line? >> is there anyone on the bridge line? >> okay. we'll move on to item no. 9. information item, report from the physical access committee. and i believe jp will be giving that report. >> hello council members. i'm providing two reports today. one on behalf of roland wong, who is in an excused absence

today, he is the chair of the physical access committee and i will be providing a report on our 2013-2014 capital projects requests. the mayor's disability council physical access committee met on friday, january 11th, 2013. the new business was a presentation by me on the ada transition plan for the youth guidance center. that was a project we have been working on this year. and we're making capital requests for the next two fiscal years on this project. and the purpose of this presentation was to show exactly what we do in the structure of the drawings, plans, the contracts, the cost estimates in project meetings. we did have a second item, which was not on the agenda. and that was