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[Commission on Disabilities on October 29, 2025.]
CONCERNS.I DID WANT TO ALSO MENTION THAT WHILE OUR MEETINGS NORMALLY TAKE PLACE ON THE, UH, FOURTH TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, DUE TO SOME EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THIS MONTH, OUR MEETING IS TAKING PLACE TODAY, WHICH IS WEDNESDAY.
THEREFORE, THIS MEETING IS BEING CONSIDERED A SPECIAL CALL MEETING.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH THE AGENDA, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND A WARM WELCOME TO THREE NEW COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE JUST RECENTLY BEEN APPOINTED.
PARDON, COMMISSIONER CANDACE, UM, WIX FROM DISTRICT THREE.
COMMISSIONER SELENA GLASSCOCK FROM DISTRICT ONE AND COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL AND DELIGHTED IN YOU JOINING US AND VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SERVICE AND COLLABORATION.
WE WILL NOW BEGIN WITH ROLL CALL.
WHEN YOUR NAME AND RESPECTIVE DISTRICT ARE CALLED, PLEASE PICK SIGNIFY BY SAYING PRESENT, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK DISTRICT ONE.
COMMISSIONER WICKS DISTRICT THREE.
COMMISSIONER BANKS DISTRICT 11TH PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER SKO, DISTRICT 13 PRESENT.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY.
AND THIS IS CHAIRMAN JOHN CAL CONLEY, MAYOR APPOINTEE, DISTRICT 15.
THIS CONCLUDES THE ROLL CALL PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EACH ONE OF YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES AND ITS EFFORTS.
WE ARE ALWAYS A STRONGER BODY WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER.
OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
TODAY, WE HAVE A SPEAKER BY THE NAME OF JAMAL STEVENSON.
FROM WE HEAR YOU MR. STEVENSON.
YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS.
THIS CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.
I DO ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU COMMISSIONERS TO INFORM MEMBERS OF YOUR CIRCLES ABOUT ISSUES RELATED TO DISABILITIES AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO PROVIDE AS MUCH COMMENT AS POSSIBLE.
OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
WE'RE GOING TO BACKTRACK A LITTLE BIT AND APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JUNE, 2025, OR JUNE 24TH, 2025.
WE'RE NOW STARTING WITH THE MINUTES FROM JUNE.
ARE THERE ANY COMMISSIONERS THAT WISH TO MAKE EDITS TO THE JUNE MINUTES, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE? NO.
COMMISSIONER WICKS, DISTRICT THREE? NO.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER BANKS.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY DISTRICT 14.
AND FINALLY, I WISH TO ALSO NOT MAKE EDITS TO THE REPORT TO THE MINUTES.
IN THAT CASE, I MAKE A MOTION THAT THE MINUTES FOR JUNE 24TH, 2025 BE APPROVED AS READ.
ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES FOR JUNE, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.
ALL OPPOSED? APPARENTLY THERE IS NONE.
SO THEREFORE THE MOTION PASSES AND THE MEETING MINUTES FOR JUNE HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
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WE WILL NOW GO TO THE MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 26TH, 2025.ARE THERE ANY COMMISSIONERS WHO WISH TO MAKE EDITS TO THESE MINUTES? STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE? NO.
COMMISSIONER WICKS, DISTRICT THREE? NO.
COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL, DISTRICT FIVE? NO COMMENT.
COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE.
COMMISSIONER HUSKA, DISTRICT 14 OR 13? NO COMMENT.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSEY, DISTRICT 14.
AND I ALSO HAVE NO COMMENTS AND I WISH TO NOT MAKE ANY EDITS TO THE MINUTES.
THEREFORE, I MAKE A MOTION THAT THE MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 26TH, 2025 BE ACCEPTED AS READ.
ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST.
ALL OPPOSED? APPARENTLY THERE IS NONE.
SO THE MOTION PASSES AND THE MINUTES FOR AUGUST HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT OUR PUBLIC SPEAKER FROM WE HEAR YOU, UM, IS, IS HERE TO PROVIDE HIS TESTIMONY.
MR. JAMAL STEVENS STEVENSON, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO PROVIDE YOUR TESTIMONY, SIR.
UH, JAMAL STEVENSON WITH WE HEAR YOU.
WE ARE AN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT CREATES, UH, MORE SEAMLESS TECHNOLOGY.
WE DO ASK IF YOU CAN PLEASE TRIGGER CAMERA ON CAMERA SO THAT WE KNOW YOU'RE PRESENT.
WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.
I'M A SORRY BY THE NO PROBLEM.
I, I AM, UH, IN THE, AND CURRENTLY CURRENTLY IN TRANSIT, SO FORGIVE ME, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN SEE ME NOW.
WE CREATE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND ALSO OUR SENIOR POPULATION.
UH, WHAT WE'VE CREATED IS AN AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER THAT TURNS ESSENTIALLY ANY SWING DOOR INTO AN AUTOMATIC DOOR, UH, IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES WITHOUT ACQUIRING THE HIGH INSTALLATION COSTS THAT WE'RE USED TO SEEING ON COMMERCIAL DOORS.
UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE, UH, CREATED A, UH, DEVICE THAT IS SIX POUNDS.
IT'S RUN OFF A, A 12 VOLT LEAD ASSET BATTERY.
AND YOU USE YOUR PHONE TO THEN SAY, HEY, SIRI.
OPEN THE DOOR FROM A SAFE DISTANCE, USUALLY WITHIN 15 TO 20 FEET AWAY.
A LOT OF OURS, WE OPERATE OUT OF ST.
IT'S MYSELF AS THE HEAD OF SALES, OUR CO-FOUNDER PIERRE PAUL AND CEO, AND OUR, UH, OTHER CO-FOUNDER, DR.
BETHANY, COREY, AND CO OH OURSELVES.
WE MAKE UP, WE OVERSEE ABOUT NINE OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE UP A TEAM OF A SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM.
BUT OUR TEAM HAS BEEN ACQUIRING MORE LOCATIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO MAKE THEIR LOCATIONS MORE ACCESSIBLE.
UH, WE ARE DOING THEIR A DA DOORS.
ANOTHER, UH, BEACHHEAD MARKET ARE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES.
SO WE ARE PARTNERING WITH LOCAL FACILITIES IN ST.
LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND ALSO FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE, UH, THAT ARE OVERSEEN BY EVERTRUE IN FOUR DIFFERENT STATES.
ANOTHER ONE OF OUR BEACHHEAD MARKETS IS, UH, BUSH STADIUM HERE IN ST.
AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS PARTNER, UH, WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS TO THEN MAKE, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE LOCATIONS ACCESSIBLE IN THE CITY.
UH, WE ARE WORKING NATIONALLY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY UNITS TO THEN DEPLOY OUR UNITS WITHIN THEIR RESIDENT, UH, THEIR RESIDENTS AND THEIR COMMUNITY, AND ALSO WITH SMALL BUSINESSES TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE COMPLIANT WITH AADA A VAULTS.
UH, WE ARE, WE HEAR YOU, WE ARE FOCUSED ON OPENING DOORS TO SUCCESS, BUT ALSO LITERAL AND LITERAL PHYSICAL DOORS TO MAKE SURE THAT SEAMLESS, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, GETTING IN AND OUT OF LOCATIONS AND ENTRYWAY DOORS ARE SEAMLESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. STEVENSON, FOR YOUR POWERFUL TESTIMONY.
THIS CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF OUR AGENDA.
I DO ONCE AGAIN WANT TO, UH, REITERATE THAT, UH, ALL COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS CIRCLE IN THIS MEETING ARE ENCOURAGED TO, UM, LET MEMBERS OF THEIR CIRCLES KNOW ABOUT THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES AND EMPOWER THEM TO
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COME AND PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENTS ABOUT ANY ISSUES PERTAINING TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.THE MORE COMMENTS WE HEAR, THE BETTER FORCE WE CAN BE IN DRIVING POSITIVE CHANGE.
OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE THE FY, WHICH STANDS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 2026.
MEETING DATES FOR THOSE COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE FISCAL YEAR.
EACH YEAR STARTS IN OCTOBER, IN SEPTEMBER IN OCTOBER, AND ENDS IN SEPTEMBER.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE FISCAL YEAR FOR 2024.
BEGAN, BEGAN IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, AND ENDED IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
THE WAY WE HAVE OUR MEETINGS SET UP AT THIS MOMENT IS OUR MEETINGS NORMALLY TAKE PLACE ON THE FOURTH TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH, FROM TWO, UH, FROM TWO TO AT LEAST 3 45.
SO ABOUT AN HOUR AND 45 MINUTES IT TAKES PLACE IN THE COUNCIL BRIEFING ROOM, WHICH IS ON THE SIXTH FLOOR OF THIS BUILDING.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO JOIN VIA VIDEO CONFERENCING ARE ALSO WELCOME TO DO SO GOING FORWARD.
HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU ALL THAT, AT LEAST FOR ME, THE FOURTH TUESDAY IS NO LONGER GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK, GIVEN THE FACT THAT RIGHT AFTER THIS MEETING, I HAVE TO GO TO UT DALLAS TO TEACH.
UM, I, I AM IN A DOCTORAL PROGRAM, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, AND THEREFORE, I DO ASK ALL COMMISSIONERS TO BE CONSIDERATE AS WELL.
AND I AM ALSO WILLING TO BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHER COMMISSIONERS.
SO THEREFORE, BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR FOR DISCUSSION STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
YOU HAVING TROUBLE HEARING ME? OKAY.
WE CAN HEAR YOU FINE NOW, COMMISSIONER.
OH, YES, I WAS SAYING I WAS OPEN.
I'M, I'M OPEN TO WHATEVER YOU GUYS WANNA DO.
THEN NEXT WE GO TO COMMISSIONER WICKS, DISTRICT THREE.
WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO ANY DATES? CAN YOU LET US KNOW WHAT DATE WORKS FOR YOU BEST? I'M OPEN AS WELL.
UM, NEXT I GO TO COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL, DISTRICT FIVE.
COMMISSIONER WHITE, DISTRICT NINE.
AND, UH, I CAN'T JUST CHANGE DATES RANDOMLY WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM MY BOSSES.
CURRENTLY I'M ON FMLA FOR A BROKEN SHOULDER, SO I CAN'T LIKE, GO ASK ANYBODY IF I CAN CHANGE THE MEETING IN NOVEMBER.
UM, SO WITHOUT PERMISSION, I PROBABLY CAN'T ATTEND.
UM, COM AND THEN NEXT WEEK GO TO COMMISSIONER HUKA, DISTRICT 13.
UH, FOR, FOR THE MOST PART, UH, I'M FLEXIBLE.
UM, I AM A MEMBER OF TWO OTHER NONPROFITS, ONE OF WHICH MEETS THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH IN THE SAME SLOT THAT WE DO.
AND THEN ANOTHER NONPROFIT THAT MEETS THE SECOND THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
UM, BUT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE TWO EVENTS, UM, I, I'M HAPPY TO WORK AROUND EVERYONE'S SCHEDULES.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE GO TO COMMISSIONER LINDSAY FOR DISTRICT FOUR 14.
I'M, UH, TRAVELING FOR WORK MOST OF NOVEMBER, BUT, UM, AS LONG AS I CAN WA LOG IN ON WEBEX, I CAN MOVE THINGS AROUND.
THAT'S, THAT'S CERTAINLY GOOD.
SO IN THAT CASE THEN, SINCE WE HAVE DISCUSSED ABOUT AT LEAST THE AVAILABILITY OF YOU COMMISSIONERS, LET US NOW DEVOTE SOME TIME TO DISCUSSING ABOUT WHAT DAYS WOULD POSSIBLY WORK FOR YOU GUYS, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK DISTRICT ONE.
WELL, DISTRICT THREE, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD JUST OFFER UP THAT, UM, TUESDAY TO THURSDAY, BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE MAY NEED TO TRAVEL, UH, TO VISIT FAMILY ON THE WEEKENDS.
AND SO FRIDAY MAY NOT BE AS AMENABLE AS, UH, A DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.
COMMISSIONER AND I DO ALSO WANT TO MAKE MENTION, SO NEXT WEDNESDAY, NEXT SEMESTER IS GOING TO BE QUITE A BIT OF A HECTIC SCHEDULE FOR ME AS WELL, BECAUSE I TEACH ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, AND THEN ON MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS I WILL BE TAKING EDUCATION CLASSES FOR MY TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM.
SO WE'LL HAVE TO, I MEAN, AT LEAST
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FOR ME, UH, FRIDAY SEEMS TO BE THE MOST, UM, SUITABLE DAY.BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE, AT LEAST IF YOU'RE ABLE TO JOIN US REMOTELY, THEN WE'D CERTAINLY BE WILLING TO WORK TOGETHER ON THIS.
COMMISSIONER? PARDON ME? YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE PRESIDING OFFICER, CORRECT?
I MEAN, I, I MEAN, I HATE THE COMMISSION, SO I MEAN, I'M, OKAY.
WELL, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO TRY TO, UM, BE AS AMENABLE TO YOUR, UH, YOUR SITUATION IS POSSIBLE.
UM, WELL THAT'S REALLY, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE KIND OF TO SAY, AND I DO APPRECIATE IT.
EVEN THOUGH I AM THE, THE LEADER OF THE COMMISSION, I ALSO WANT TO BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS AS WELL.
JUST MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO THE MESSAGE DOESN'T COME ACROSS AS, YOU KNOW, HE ONLY THINKS ABOUT HIMSELF.
I ALSO WANT TO BE CONSIDERATE OF THE COMMISSIONERS AS WELL.
I WILL NEXT GO TO COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT 10 AGAIN.
I'VE, I'VE SERVED ON COMMISSIONS FOR SIX YEARS NOW.
UH, THE FIRST TWO TERMS, UM, ON SENIOR AFFAIRS AND THIS ONE, UM, FOR THESE, WELL, THE LAST TERM AND THIS ONE COMING UP, I, UH, I HAVE PERMISSION FOR TUESDAYS FROM TWO TO THREE 30.
I WOULD HOPE THAT PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT'S WHEN THE COMMISSION MEETS AND, AND ACCOMMODATE THEIR SCHEDULES AROUND THE COMMISSION MEETINGS.
COMMISSIONER, WHY? AND IF YOU MOVE IT, IF YOU MOVE IT TO A FRIDAY, I'M GONE.
'CAUSE I CAN'T, I WORK FOR CPAS.
FRIDAYS ARE AND MONDAYS, CANDACE.
WE, WE APPRECIATE YOU, YOU KNOW, LETTING US KNOW OF YOUR DATES AND, YOU KNOW, WE WILL TRY TO APPROACH AROUND THAT.
NEXT WE GO TO COMMISSIONER
SUBJECT TO THE, THE FEEDBACK I'VE PROVIDED PREVIOUSLY.
I'M, I'M FLEXIBLE, UM, AND, AND HAPPY TO WORK AROUND EVERYONE'S SCHEDULES.
SO WOULD YOU CONSIDER PERHAPS MAYBE DOING IT ON DOING OUR MEETINGS ON A FRIDAY? WOULD THAT WORK FOR YOU? THAT THAT WORKS FOR ME, YES.
WHAT ABOUT, OKAY, AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSEY.
THE ONLY THING WITH FRIDAYS IS THAT SOMETIMES THERE'S HOLIDAY DAYS ON FRIDAYS AND MONDAYS.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO PLAN AROUND THE CALENDAR YEAR AND, AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR HOLIDAYS.
SO IT APPEARS BASED FROM WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT I'M GETTING FROM SOME COMMISSIONERS, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE NOT QUITE READY TO VOTE.
UM, THE MEETING, THE MEETING DAYS FOR 2026, AT LEAST HOWEVER WE COULD VOTE ON THE MEETINGS FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.
WOULD YOU, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK NOW, WOULD COMMISSIONERS PREFER HAVING THE, UM, THANKS TO THE MEETING NOVEMBER MEETING ON THE 18TH OR THE WEEK AFTER THAT? I WILL START WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
UM, COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO HEAR YOU.
IT SEEMS LIKE, IT SEEMS LIKE WE CAN'T HEAR COMMISSIONER GLASS POP.
SO I WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT COMMISSIONER, AND THAT IS COMMISSIONER WIX, DISTRICT THREE.
COMMISSIONER NEXT I'LL GO TO COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL.
UH, I'LL TRY TO GET IT FIXED, BUT IT'S, IT'S GOOD FOR ME.
UM, COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK? YES.
I'M NOT SURE IT, IT'S WORKING.
IT'S, I MEAN, WE CAN HEAR YOU FINE.
SO WHAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU WAS, WOULD YOU PREFER HAVING THE NOVEMBER MEETING ON NOVEMBER THE 18TH OR THE WEEK AFTER?
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I APOLOGIZE.YEAH, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, I CAN HEAR YOU GUYS, BUT I CAN'T TALK.
COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL, IF I BELIEVE I ASKED, WOULD YOU PREFER HAVING THE MEETING ON THE 18TH OF NOVEMBER OR THE WEEK AFTER? THE 18TH IS FINE FOR ME.
NEXT I'LL GO TO COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE OR DISTRICT 10 THE 18TH WILL BE MY FIRST WEEK BACK AT AT WORK, SO I CAN'T REALLY DO IT ON THE 18TH AFTER BEING GONE FOR THREE MONTHS.
UM, BUT THE NEXT, UH, TUESDAY I SHOULD BE ABLE, I THINK IT'S THE 25TH.
SO YOU'RE WILLING TO DO THE 25TH.
NEXT I GO TO COMMISSIONER POKA, DISTRICT 13.
WOULD YOU PREFER HAVING OUR MEETING ON NOVEMBER 18TH OR THE 25TH DATES WORK? NO PREFERENCE.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY.
UM, IF I DO THE 18TH, I WILL BE 30 MINUTES LATE.
UM, THE 25TH, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MEET.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MEET? NO.
SO NOW FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, SO BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF IN A CON A CONFLICTING SITUATION WITH TWO DATES, I'M GONNA FIRST START BY CALLING A VOTE FOR NOVEMBER 18TH AND THEN THE 25TH.
AND THEN WE'LL SEE BASED ON HOW MANY VOTES WE GET, WE'LL DECIDE ACCORDINGLY.
FOR NOVEMBER 18TH, I'M CALLING THE VOTE, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASCOCK DISTRICT ONE.
OH, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RESPOND? WE'RE VOTING YES.
SO WE HAVE TWO DATES FOR MEETING DATES.
IT'S, WE'RE EITHER DECIDING ON NOVEMBER 18TH OR THE 25TH.
SOME COMMISSIONERS CANNOT DO THE 18TH AND THEY'D BE ABLE TO DO THE 25TH.
AND THAT WOULD ALSO WORK FOR ME TOO, BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE TEACHING THAT WEEK.
THE 25TH WORKS FOR ME, EITHER DAY WORKS.
NEXT I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER WICKS.
NEXT I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL.
THE 25TH OR THE 18TH? FIVE WOULD BE OKAY.
NEXT I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT 10, THE 25TH FOR ME.
UM, COMMISSIONER SKA DISTRICT 13.
AND LAST BUT NOT BE COMMISSIONER LINDSAY.
I'LL VOTE FOR WHATEVER MAJORITY CAN ATTEND SINCE I CAN'T ATTEND THE 25TH.
UM, PLEASE GO AHEAD WITH WHAT THE MOST POPULAR CHOICES.
SO BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS AND THE FEEDBACK THAT I HAVE RECEIVED FROM COMMISSIONERS, IT APPEARS THAT THE 25TH IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK BEST.
ALL IN FAVOR OF HAVING OUR NOVEMBER MEETING ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH.
ALL OPPOSED? APPARENTLY THERE IS NONE.
SO IN THAT CASE, THE MEETING FOR NOVEMBER WILL TAKE PLACE ON THANKSGIVING WEEK, NOVEMBER THE 25TH.
WE ARE NOW MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS BRIEFINGS.
THE FIRST ITEM ON THIS SECTION WILL BE THE OFFICER'S REPORT.
I WILL BEGIN BY OFFERING THE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
ON OCTOBER 11TH, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING THE SECOND ANNUAL STEPS TOWARDS UNITY COMMUNITY WALK ORGANIZED BY THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS A POWERFUL DAY OF UNITY AND REFLECTION, AND A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN A MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION WITH COMMUNITY ME MEMBERS, FAITH LEADERS, AND STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT PROGRESS MADE IN OUR CITY WITH REGARDS TO PROMOTING PEACE.
DISCUSSION TOPICS ALSO INCLUDED ONGOING CHALLENGES FACING OUR COMMUNITY AND STEPS TOWARD DALLAS THAT IS WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE FOR ALL.
I WAS ESPECIALLY HONORED TO REPRESENT THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES AND SPEAK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FOSTERING A CULTURE OF RESPECT, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR ENDING HATE AND DISCRIMINATION
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IN OUR CITY.LET US ALL BE EMPOWERED TO UPLIFT DISABILITY CULTURE, PROMOTE VISIBILITY, AND STAMP IN SOLIDARITY TOGETHER.
THIS CONCLUDES MY REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
AND I WILL NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR COMMISSIONERS TO SHARE THEIR REPORTS.
AS I HAVE INDICATED IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS, IF YOU WISH NOT TO PROVIDE A REPORT, YOU MAY SIGNIFY WHEN YOUR NAME AND RESPECTIVE DISTRICT ARE CALLED.
I WILL START WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER? NO.
NEXT I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER WICKS, DISTRICT THREE.
I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, JUST SHARE WITH THE ENTIRE BOARD AND STAFF THAT I WAS IN ATTENDANCE AT THE DART, UM, GENERAL BOARD MEETING LAST NIGHT AS THEY, UH, ELECTED A NEW CHAIR, UH, MR. RANDALL BRYANT, UM, ASKED THE CHAIR FOR DART AND I WAS THERE AND I DID LISTEN TO THE CONCERNS OF, UH, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR A DA, UM, POPULATION IN TERMS OF SERVICE AND TREATMENT.
UH, AND ONE OF MY PASSIONS IS, UH, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE SAFE AND SECURE TRANSPORTATION, UH, FOR MEMBERS OF THE A DA COMMUNITY.
WE, UM, EXPECT THE SAME HIGH LEVEL OF QUA AND QUALITY OF SERVICE AS ANY OTHER CITIZEN IN THE 13 CITIES THAT DART, UH, COVERS.
AND SO, UM, IT HAS BEEN MY, UH, MY PRI PRIVILEGE TO SERVE ON THE PARATRANSIT ADVISORY GROUP FOR DART.
AND I WANTED TO BRING THAT, UH, TO YOUR ATTENTION, THAT I'M VERY MUCH AWARE OF THE CONCERNS THAT A LOT OF OUR CONSTITUENTS HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION WITHIN THE, THE, UH, SERVICE, UH, AREAS THAT DART COVERS.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT I AM, UH, PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT AREA AND, UM, ALSO WITH PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE ARE ALL ABLE TO ACCESS PUBLIC, UH, PUBLIC BUILDINGS ACROSS THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, THANK YOU ALSO FOR SHARING YOUR PART WITH US COMMISSIONER WIX.
WE'RE REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE PART IN THIS AND THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN DARTS BOARD ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT RESONATES WITH ALL OF US, INCLUDING MYSELF.
AND I BELIEVE THAT ONE CHALLENGE THAT WE OFTEN FACE IS DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO RIDESHARE PROVIDERS, DENY INDIVIDUALS FOR HAVING A SERVICE ANIMAL.
I'D BE VERY DELIGHTED IN CHATTING WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO DISCUSS HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS DISCRIMINATION ISSUES IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND THE LIKE.
NEXT, I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER WHIT, OR COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL DISTRICT FIVE.
DO YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A REPORT FOR THIS MODEL? YES.
I SERVE ON THE, UH, DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT'S BOND STEERING COMMITTEE AND HOPE TO KEEP EVERYONE APPRISED OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS, UH, FOR THAT BOND, WHICH WILL BE IN THE SEVERAL BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, UH, IN DEVELOPING NEW SCHOOLS ACROSS THE CITY OF DALLAS, UH, AS WELL AS REPLACING SOME OLD SCHOOLS.
THAT'S THE END OF MY REPORT WITH YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL FOR PROVIDING YOUR REPORT.
I'LL NEXT GO TO COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE.
I WANT TO WELCOME ALL THE NEW COMMISSIONERS, PARTICULARLY MY FRIEND CANDACE.
UM, I ALSO, UM, WANTED TO EXPLAIN THE EMAIL Y'ALL RECEIVED EARLIER.
UM, JUSTIN IS A FRIEND OF MINE, A PHOTOGRAPHER AND ARTIST.
UM, AND WHAT HE IS PUTTING TOGETHER, AND HE IS BEEN WORKING ALL YEAR ON IT, IS COLLECTING STORIES, UM, OF EACH PERSON'S REPRESENTATIVE FROM AGE ONE, WHICH I GUESS THEY WON'T TALK MUCH, BUT TWO 100.
AND HE HAS BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT HE HASN'T RECEIVED MUCH RESPONSE, UH, FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY.
SO HE REACHED OUT TO ME TO REACH OUT TO Y'ALL TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET SOME PEOPLE THERE ON THE THIRD.
UM, THE GALLERY IS VERY ACCESSIBLE.
I WON'T SAY THAT MUCH ABOUT PARKING, BUT THE GALLERY IS, IS VERY ACCESSIBLE.
UM, AND YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD BE PHOTOGRAPHED A VIDEO OF TELLING YOUR STORY.
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AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE PROJECT.IT'S GONNA BE ALL OVER EVERYWHERE, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN, IN GOING TO DO.
OR IF YOU'RE NOT DISABLED, YOU CAN GO TO, UH,
AND WHILE YOU'RE THERE, LOOK AT MY SHOW IN THE BACK ROOM.
UH, ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER WHITE FOR SHARING YOUR REPORT.
NEXT ON THE LIST WE HAVE COMMISSIONER KO, DISTRICT 13.
UH, NOTHING TO REPORT THIS MONTH.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY.
UM, I ECHO COMMISSIONER WHITES.
UH, WELCOME TO ALL OF OUR NEW, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR SERVICE.
UM, I ALSO JUST WANTED TO SHARE, I HAVE TO HOP REALLY QUICK BECAUSE I'M GETTING READY TO GIVE A PRESENTATION FOR WORK.
UM, BUT I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING CITY OF DALLAS HOSTED EVENTS AROUND THE FIFA WORLD CUP, UM, AND INQUIRING AROUND HOW THE TRAINING FOR VOLUNTEERS IS STRUCTURED TO BETTER SERVE PATRONS WITH DISABILITIES, AS WE HAVE AN INFLUX OF TOURISTS AND PEOPLE MOVING AROUND IN CASE THERE'S EMERGENCIES AND ENSURING THAT THOSE STAFF ARE TRAINED AND VOLUNTEERS ARE TRAINED ON HOW TO BEST SERVE THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSION TO IDENTIFY KIND OF SHARED GOALS OF HOW WE CAN PARTICIPATE SINCE THE WORLD PRESS CORPS ARRIVES IN JANUARY OF 2026, WHAT WE CAN DO TO BEST POSITION OUR CITY AND HOW WE SERVE THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, UM, DURING THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COURT COMMISSIONER LINDSAY, AND FOR SHARING THIS INFORMATION.
AS A LEADER OF THIS COMMISSION, ONE OF MY PRIORITIES FOR 2026 WILL BE THE WORLD CUP AND FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMISSION IS ABLE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS IN TERMS OF ENHANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY AND NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.
THIS ITEM WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED ON THE ANNUAL REPORT, AND WE WILL CERTAINLY BE DISCUSSING THIS.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES TO NOT ONLY BE INVOLVED WITH THE ACCESSIBILITY, THE ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS, BUT MORE INVOLVED IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS PLAN FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AS AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE WORLD CUP IMPACTS EVERYONE, INCLUDING THOSE WHO DO HAVE A DISABILITY.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR SHARING ALL YOUR REPORTS.
OUR NEXT BRIEFING ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS REGARDING CITY OF DALLAS FEDERAL COMPLIANCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
TODAY WE'RE VERY HONORED TO HAVE TWO DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS.
JESSICA GALLISHAW, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, CITY OF DALLAS, AND CHRISTINA DESILVA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AND ALSO FROM THE SAME DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY'LL BE PROVIDING US AN OVERVIEW OF CITY OF DALLAS'S, FEDERAL COMPLIANCE, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, MS. MS. GALLISHAW, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
THEN, THEN NEXT WE'LL HAVE MS. DESILVA GO WITH YOU.
UH, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT THE MICROPHONE IS ON? UM, THERE IS NO MICROPHONE HERE, SO, BUT THE SOUND IS ABLE TO PICK UP WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, IS IT? YES.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE BEFORE I STARTED GOING.
WE DO, UM, I DO ALSO ASK MS. GALLISHAW THAT YOU SPEAK A LITTLE LOUDER SO WE CAN HEAR YOU.
AND THEN ALSO IN THE INTEREST OF MAINTAINING ACCESSIBILITY, WHENEVER YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ITEMS, IF YOU CAN PLEASE SAY NEXT SLIDE OR NEXT ITEM.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION TO PRESENT THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK WITH YOU ALL HERE, UM, FOR THE COMMISSION THIS AFTERNOON.
UM, I BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE AWARE NOW THAT WE ARE NOW THE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
AND IN FACT, IN COMING TO JOIN YOU IN THIS COMMISSION MEETING, I'M BEING REUNITED WITH TWO OF MY MOST RECENT COMMISSIONERS, UH, COMMISSIONER WHITE WHO, UH, I WORKED WITH ON THE SENIOR AFFAIRS COMMISSION AND COMMISSIONER WS THAT I WORKED WITH ON THE MLK BOARD.
SO IT'S LOVELY TO SEE YOU TWO BOTH IN THIS NEW CONTEXT.
UM, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR INVITING US TO BE HERE.
MY NAME IS JESSICA HAW AND I AM THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSING OF OFFICE, OR THE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND THE OPPORTUNITY OFFICER FOR THE CITY.
I'M ALSO JOINED BY OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, CHRISTINA DUST SILVA.
THIS IS SLIDE TWO AND SLIDE TWO IS AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PLAN FOR TODAY.
WE WILL BE WALKING YOU THROUGH THE
[00:35:01]
CITY'S COORDINATED RESPONSE TO FEDERAL DIRECTIVES AND HOW WE ARE ENSURING ALIGNMENT THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND COMPLIANCE EFFORTS.WE WILL SHARE INSIGHT FROM OUR FEDERAL COMPLIANCE ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS HIGHLIGHTING WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM RESIDENTS SO FAR.
YOU'LL ALSO BE INTRODUCED TO THE NEWLY ALIGNED OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, WHICH IS CREATED TO BETTER SERVE DALLAS COMMUNITIES THROUGH A MORE INTEGRATED APPROACH.
AND THEN WE WILL EXPLORE THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK, WHICH IS GUIDING OUR STRATEGY TO EXPAND ACCESS TO HOUSING, HEALTH, ECONOMIC MOBILITY, AND OTHER CRITICAL NEEDS.
FINALLY, WE WILL CLOSE THIS CONVERSATION WITH A LOOK AT NEXT STEPS FOR THE FRAMEWORK, INCLUDING UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS, CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND HOW YOUR FEEDBACK CAN HELP SHAPE THE PATH FORWARD.
THIS SLIDE HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION ON IT.
UH, THIS IS SLIDE THREE, AND WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW A TIMELINE THAT SHOWCASES HOW WE ARE USING THIS MOMENT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REASSESS HOW WE DELIVER SERVICES AND ON OUR COMMITMENTS TO OUR DALLAS RESIDENTS.
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, CITY STAFF HAVE BEEN MONITORING FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CITY STAFF HAS NOW FLAGGED IS THAT IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS, WE ARE REQUIRED TO ENSURE AND CONFIRM THAT WE ARE COMPLYING WITH THESE ORDERS.
THE CITY RECEIVES OVER $300 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING ANNUALLY TO SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE AND SOCIAL SERVICES, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CITY STAFF HAVE BEEN UNDERGOING A COMPLIANCE, EXCUSE ME, A FEDERAL GRANT COMPLIANCE PROCESS WITH OUR STAFF COUNCIL LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND SLIDE FOUR IDENTIFIES THREE FEDERAL DIRECTIVES THAT HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE CITY OF DALLAS AND OUR OPERATIONS.
WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS RECEIVING FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS, WE ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL DIRECTIVES TIED TO THOSE FUNDS.
IN ADDITION TO THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS, CITY STAFF HAVE BEEN REVIEWING THE GUIDANCE THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES HAVE ISSUED TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL DIRECTIVES.
WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO READ THE DIRECTIVES? YES.
IF YOU CAN BE SO MINDFUL IN DOING SO.
SO THE FIRST DIRECTIVE IS CALLED DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
AND IT STATES THAT THE CITY CANNOT OPERATE PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE OR ADVANCE ILLEGAL DEI IDEOLOGY IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS.
THE CITY CANNOT ALLOCATE CONTRACTS OR BENEFITS BASED ON SUSPECT CLASSIFICATIONS INCLUDING RACE, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR RELIGION.
IT ALSO STATES PERMISSIBLE CLASSIFICATIONS ARE VETERAN DISABILITY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THESE ARE NOT MY WORDS.
THESE ARE DIRECT QUOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS THEMSELVES, AND I AM READING THEM VERBATIM AS THEY WERE PULLED FROM THOSE ORDERS.
UH, THE SECOND ONE LISTED ON THE SLIDE IS CALLED IMMIGRATION COMPLIANCE.
AND AGAIN, DIRECTLY FROM THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORDER, IT STATES THE CITY CANNOT OPERATE PROGRAMS THAT BENEFIT OR INCENTIVIZE ILLEGAL IN IMMIGRATION.
HUD FUNDING MAY NOT BE USED IN WAYS THAT BY DESIGN OR EFFECT, SUBSIDIZE OR PROMOTE UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENCY.
THE CITY MUST ASSIST DHS REQUESTS TO LOCATE, INVESTIGATE, AND SUPPORT UNDOCUMENTED RESIDENTS.
AND THEN NUMBER THREE IS WOMEN AND MINORITY OWNED, UH, SORRY.
WOMEN AND MINORITY BUSINESS ENTERPRISE CONTRACTS.
AND IT STATES, WHILE FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES CONSIDERATION IE INCLUSION AND ACCESS OF SMALL MINORITY WOMEN AND VETERAN OWNED BUSINESSES, THE CITY CANNOT USE RACE, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, OR RELIGION AS A SCORING CRITERIA OR ADD POINTS IN THE PROPOSAL EVALUATIONS.
SO THAT IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THREE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FEDERAL DIRECTIVES THAT HAVE AN IMPACT ON CITY OPERATIONS.
AND SO NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
ON SLIDE FIVE, WE SEE THAT CITY COUNCIL PASSED RESOLUTION TWO FIVE DASH 1 0 8 1 ON JUNE 25TH, 2025, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO ONE REVIEW AND EVALUATE CITY PROGRAMS AND POLICIES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH DIRECTORS.
[00:40:01]
TWO, TAKE TEMPORARY OPERATIONAL ACTIONS AS NEEDED, AND THREE BRIEF COUNSEL NO LATER THAN AUGUST 20TH, 2025, AND BRING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANY NECESSARY CHANGES.AND SO WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO BRING, UH, SELENA MEEKS, WHO IS WITH OUR, UM, OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
ACTUALLY, I ALMOST FORGOT THAT WE HAVE COMBINED DEPARTMENTS THERE FOR A MOMENT, UH, WITH OUR OFFICE, THE SAME ONE, UH, TO SPEAK ABOUT SOME OF THE FEDERAL, UH, THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE COMPLETED RELATED TO, UH, THE ORDERS AND COMPLIANCE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS WELL AS THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK THAT WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS.
THANK YOU, JESSICA, FOR THAT INTRODUCTION AND COMMISSION.
IT'S SO AMAZING TO BE IN FRONT OF YOU ALL TODAY.
AGAIN, UM, AS WE MOVE INTO THE DETAILS OF THE UPDATED FRAMEWORK, WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT OUR ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND THROUGHOUT THAT WE, UM, SEEN THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS.
AFTER ING COUNCIL ON AUGUST 6TH, THE CITY HELD A SERIES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS TO INFORM RESIDENTS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER FEDERAL DIRECTIVES, SHARE UPDATES ON CITY'S PLANS AND COMPLIANCE EFFORTS, AND GATHER FEEDBACK ON HOW WE CAN BETTER ALIGN OUR STRATEGIES WITH THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT OF SLIDE SEVEN, WHICH IS A SLIDE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, IT'S A PHOTO OF THE ATTENDEES OF OUR ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAD, UM, AT WEST DALLAS MULTIPURPOSE CENTER.
THESE SESSIONS WERE DESIGNED TO BE INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE, OFFERING RESIDENTS A CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS, SHARE CONCERNS, AND HELP SHAPE THE DIRECTION OF OUR WORK.
WE KNOW THAT TRANSPARENCY AND TRUST ARE ESSENTIAL WHEN IT COMES TO USING PUBLIC FUNDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FEDERAL DOLLARS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE ASK COMMUNITIES INPUT AS WE CONTINUE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED HELPED US REFINE OUR PRIORITIES, CLARIFY OUR MESSAGING, AND STRENGTHEN THE FRAMEWORK WE'RE ABOUT TO WALK THROUGH.
NOW WE'RE ON SLIDE EIGHT, WHICH SHOWS THE INITIAL SCHEDULE OF OUR ENGAGEMENT SERIES AND THE DIGITAL FLYER THAT WAS POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH.
AS A PART OF OUR OUTREACH, THE CITY HOSTED IN IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS WITH KEY GROUPS ACROSS DALLAS TO SHARE UPDATES, EXPLAIN OUR FEDERAL COMPLIANCE RESPONSIBILITIES, AND GATHER FEEDBACK ON THE NEW FRAMEWORK.
SLIDE NINE GIVES US A BREAKDOWN OF THE SESSIONS THAT WERE HELD, INCLUDING THE ART COMMUNITY, WHERE WE DISCUSSED HOW FEDERAL FUNDING INTERSECTS WITH THE CREATIVE SPACES AND CULTURAL EFFORTS, WHICH REPRESENTED IN THE PHOTO.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SLIDE, WE ALSO ENGAGED WITH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY FOCUSING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND CITY CONTRACTS, AS WELL AS A CITYWIDE SESSION, WHICH WAS OPEN TO ALL RESIDENTS TO ENSURE BROAD ACCESS AND INFORMATION AND INPUT.
LASTLY, WE MET WITH OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITIES WHERE WE GATHERED FEEDBACK ON SOCIAL, UM, SERVICE FROM SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY.
WE HAD SPANISH INTERPRETERS AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTS WHERE ENGLISH IS NOT THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE, AND WE'RE NOT DONE YET.
WE STILL HAVE MORE SESSIONS BEING PLANNED, INCLUDING VIRTUAL OPTIONS TO MAKE PARTICIPATION EASIER FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T ATTEND IN PERSON, WHICH WAS SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE DID RECEIVE FROM OUR, UM, ENGAGEMENTS.
THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE HELPING US BUILD A FRAMEWORK THAT REFLECTS THE VARIOUS VOICES AND NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES WHILE KEEPING US ALIGNED WITH FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.
NOW WE'RE ON SLIDE 10 WHERE WE HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE RESPONSES WE RECEIVE BY UTILIZING SOCIAL PINPOINT AND INTERACTIVE ONLINE TOOL TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESIDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH US IN THEIR OWN TIME.
THIS PLATFORM ALLOWED US TO GATHER IDEAS, MAP CONCERNS, AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSES IN TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE WAY.
THROUGH OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS, WE'VE SEEN STRONG COMMUNITY INTEREST IN PARTICIPATION WITH 210 SURVEY RESPONSES COLLECTED FROM RESIDENTS ACROSS THE CITY.
200 AND 250 ATTENDEES JOINED US IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY DURING OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS WITH 777 UNIQUE VISITORS EXPLORING OUR ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM, SOCIAL PINPOINT TO LEARN MORE AND TO SHARE THEIR FEEDBACK.
THESE NUMBERS SHOW THAT RESIDENTS ARE EAGER TO BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION, AND WE'RE LISTENING AND WE'RE USING THIS FEEDBACK TO INFORM OUR STRATEGIES MOVING FORWARD.
WE ALSO HAVE PHOTOS FROM OUR ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS AT THE MLK COMMUNITY CENTER.
ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SLIDE, I'M GOING TO TRANSITION TO CHRISTINA TO SPEAK ON THE FORMATION OF THE HOW OF THE OFFICE
[00:45:01]
OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM.
MY NAME IS CHRISTINA DE SILVA.
AND FIRST I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS WHO, UH, VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO ADVISE THE CITY ON HOW WE CAN BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITIES WITH DISABILITIES.
SO, UM, WE'RE NOW, WE'RE ON SLIDE 11.
WE HAVE A BLUE BOX WITH FOUR CITY OF DALLAS DEPARTMENT LOGOS WITH AN ARROW POINTING INTO THE LOGO FOR COUNCIL'S APPROVED, CITY OF DALLAS, OFFICE OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
THIS NEWLY DESIGNED DEPARTMENT BRINGS TOGETHER THE WORK OF FOUR FOUR PREVIOUSLY SEPARATE OFFICES THAT INCLUDES THE HOUSING OF HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION, OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, OFFICE OF COMMUNITY CARE AND EMPOWERMENT, OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
THIS ALIGNMENT REFLECTS A SHIFT IN HOW WE SERVE RESIDENTS.
IN PARALLEL TO THE CITYWIDE FEDERAL GRANT COMPLIANCE EFFORTS.
DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS, LEADERSHIP RECOGNIZED THAT THE MISSIONS AND EFFORTS OF THESE OFFICES ARE DEEPLY INTERCONNECTED.
AND RATHER THAN CONTINUING TO WORK IN SILOS, WE'RE UNIFYING OUR EFFORTS TO BETTER COORDINATE SERVICES, STREAMLINE RESOURCES, AND MAXIMIZE OUR COLLECTIVE IMPACT.
OUR GOAL IS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY MEET THE NEEDS OF DALLAS RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST IMPACTED BY HOUSING INSECURITY AND SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY.
THIS IS THE TRANSITION SLIDE THAT, UM, LISTS THE NEW FRAMEWORK FOR ADVANCING OPPORTUNITIES FOR DALLAS RESIDENTS.
WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW DEPARTMENT, WE ARE EXPLORING NEW FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE HCE E'S EFFORTS TO ADVANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DALLAS RESIDENTS.
ON SLIDE 13, WE SHARE THE HISTORY OF DRIVERS OF POVERTY.
BACK IN TWO SEVEN 2017, THE CITY OF DALLAS PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS AND MAYOR'S TAX FORCE TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE GROWING POVERTY INNER CITY.
TOGETHER, THEY DEVELOPED WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE DRIVERS OF POVERTY FRAMEWORK, A FOUNDATIONAL TOOL THAT HELPED US TO TAKE A, A SYSTEMIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING ROOT CAUSES OF POVERTY.
THIS FRAMEWORK GAVE US A CLEARER PICTURE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT HOLD COMMUNITIES BACK, AND IT HELPED US BEGIN ADDRESSING THE DISPARITIES IN OUTCOMES THAT EXIST IN DALLAS.
IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT NAMING PROBLEMS, IT WAS ALSO ABOUT IDENTIFYING THE SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES THAT NEEDED TO CHANGE.
TODAY WE'RE BUILDING ON THAT IMPORTANT WORK.
WE'RE SHIFTING FROM IDENTIFYING BARRIERS TO CREATING PATHWAYS FOR OPPORTUNITY SO THAT ALL DALLAS, SO EVERY DALLAS RESIDENT HAS A FAIR SHOT OF SUCCESS NO MATTER WHAT THEIR ZIP CODE IS.
AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO SLIDE 14, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED A FRAMEWORK THAT CLARIFIES THE ROLE THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS CAN PLAY, AND ALSO HOW IT CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE IN ITS EFFORTS TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS.
THREE APPROACHES WE HAVE IDENTIFIED INCLUDE CITY DRIVEN LEADERSHIP, WHICH IS PICTURED WITH A GREEN ICON OF A BUILDING.
THE CITY HAS THE CAPACITY TO SET CLEAR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, AND WE'RE DOING IT WITH RESIDENT FEEDBACK AT THE CENTER.
SO THESE ARE AREAS THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS JURISDICTION OVER, AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, UM, DIRECT INFLUENCE.
THE SECOND CATEGORY OF A ROLE THAT THE CITY CAN PLAY IS COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP.
AND THIS IS DISPLAYED WITH A BLUE ICON OF SHAKING HANDS.
WE KNOW WE NOT, WE ARE NOT DOING THIS WORK ALONE.
WE'RE WORKING ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, BUSINESSES, NON-PROFITS, PHIL, PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS AND ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS.
AND THEN FINALLY, THE THIRD CATEGORY OF THE ROLE THAT THE CITY CAN PLAY IS CITY SUPPORT, WHICH IS DISPLAYED WITH THE ORANGE ICON OF A WITH A MEGAPHONE.
WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF WORK WHERE COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS ARE ALREADY DOING INCREDIBLE THINGS.
WE KNOW THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS CAN BEST SUPPORT THESE AREAS BY AMPLIFYING EFFORTS.
THIS APPROACH IS GROUNDED IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT ROLE THE CITY OF DALLAS CAN PLAY AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS.
EVEN WHEN AN ISSUE FALLS OUTSIDE THE CITY'S DIRECT AUTHORITY, WE KNOW THAT WE CAN SHOW UP WITH VISIBLE AND RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP.
WE'RE FOCUSED ON TURNING INSIGHT TO ACTION, AND WE'RE DOING THAT BY ADVANCING WHAT WE CALL THE DRIVERS OF
SO THIS NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE A CHART THAT SHOWS THAT WHEN THE CITY ORIGINALLY LAUNCHED THE DRIVERS OF POVERTY FRAMEWORK IN 2017, THE GOAL WAS TO TAKE A HARD LOOK AT THE SYSTEMIC BARRIERS THAT WERE CONTRIBUTING TO POVERTY IN DALLAS.
THAT WORK, REMEMBER, HELPED US IDENTIFY ROOT CAUSES, THINGS LIKE LACK OF ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, LIMITED TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS UNDER INVESTMENT IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISPARITIES IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH OUTCOMES.
[00:50:01]
IT GAVE US A SHARED LANGUAGE AND SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONDITIONS THAT WERE HOLDING COMMUNITIES BACK.NOW WE'RE BUILDING ON THAT FOUNDATION BY SHIFTING OUR FOCUS FROM BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY.
IN SHORT, WE'RE MOVING FROM IDENTIFYING WHAT'S BROKEN TO INVESTING IN WHAT'S POSSIBLE.
SO ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WE HAVE A LIST OF, OF THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THROUGH RESEARCH AND RESIDENT IMPACTS.
THIS E EVOLUTION REFLECTS OUR COMMITMENT TO COLLECTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND SHARED PROGRESS, ENSURING THAT EVERY DALLAS RESIDENT HAS A FAIR CHANCE TO THRIVE.
SO I'M GONNA GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DEPTH ABOUT THE, UM, DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK.
ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SLIDE 16 ARE FIVE ICONS THAT REPRESENT EACH OF THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY.
WITH A BLUE ARROW POINTING TO THE RIGHT OF EACH ELEMENT OF THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY, BUILDING ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE BARRIERS OF THE DRIVERS OF OP DRIVERS OF POVERTY FRAMEWORK, WE ARE NOW FOCUSED ON IDENTIFYING KEY PATHWAYS FOR OPPORTUNITY.
IN ADDITION TO LOOKING AT DALLAS'S PAST EFFORTS, WE HAVE ALSO CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON WHAT OUR PEER CITIES HAVE BEEN DOING TO SUPPORT RESIDENTS IN NEED.
ALL OF THIS COMBINED INFORMATION HAS BEEN SYNTHESIZED INTO THE DRAFT DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK THAT INCLUDES FIVE DOMAIN AREAS.
NUMBER ONE, GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY, RICH NEIGHBORHOODS, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC SAFETY AND WELLBEING.
THIS IS THE FIRST VERSION OF THE FRAMEWORK.
YOUR INPUT MATTERS TO REFINE IT AND SET MEASURES.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, I WILL SHARE THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE HAVE, UM, REFINED.
SO WE'RE ON SLIDE 17, AND THIS SHOWS A TABLE DESIGNED THAT SHOWS THE DIFFERENT, UM, DOMAIN AREAS.
UM, THE DOMAIN AREAS INCLUDE, OF COURSE, THE GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY, RICH NEIGHBORHOODS, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT, AND ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND WELLBEING.
THESE FRAMEWORK ALIGNS STRATEGIES AND PARTNERSHIPS.
SO EVERYDAY EFFORTS TRANSLATE INTO LASTING MEASURABLE IMPACTS.
EACH DOMAIN INCLUDES CLEAR DRIVERS.
SO THESE ARE BASICALLY THINGS THAT COULD BE MEASURED TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITY.
I WANNA SHOW AN EXAMPLE ON THIS SLIDE.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SEE A FULL CHART WITH DIFFERENT COLORS.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THERE WAS THREE DIFFERENT ROLES THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED.
UH, THE CITY LEADERSHIP DRIVEN.
UM, SO ONE EXAMPLE THAT'S CITY LEADERSHIP DRIVEN.
THAT'S BASIC, KIND OF LIKE OUR AREA OF JURISDICTION IS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, SAFETY FOR CRIME.
YOU KNOW, WE, UM, OVERSEE OUR DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF OTHER, UM, INVESTMENTS IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW WE CAN LEAD ON.
UM, ANOTHER AREA THAT WE KNOW IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR MANY COMMUNITIES IS ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION.
UM, WE KNOW THAT HERE WE ALL PARTNER WITH, UH, LOCALLY DART.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WHERE WE WOULD HAVE A COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP STRATEGY TO SEEING HOW CAN WE INCREASE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS FOR ALL DALLAS RESIDENTS.
I ALSO WANNA NOTE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE DRIVERS, UM, THAT, UM, WE KNOW THAT IMPACT ALL DALLAS RESIDENTS IN VARIOUS WAYS.
UM, AND WE KNOW ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED BY CERTAIN DRIVERS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION WHEN IT COMES TO THE COMMUNITIES WITH DISABILITIES.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, I KNOW, VERY PARTICULAR OF INTEREST.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE ALL WANT, WE WANNA ADDRESS FOR ALL RESIDENTS.
AND AGAIN, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE, THERE'S A, THERE'S ALSO AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS FRAMEWORK IS HELPING US TO STAY FOCUSED, THE CITY STAY FOCUSED, MAXIMIZING IMPACTS, AND ENSURE THAT EVERY PARTNER KNOWS WHERE AND HOW WE CAN WORK MOST EFFECTIVELY.
SO THIS IS WHAT THIS SLIDE SHOWS, UM, FEEDBACK THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED THUS FAR FROM THE ENGAGEMENT THAT SELENA HAD MENTIONED EARLIER.
SLIDE 18 HAS SIX THOUGHT BUBBLES OF VARYING SIZES THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE FEEDBACK WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR.
THREE KEY AREAS HAVE CONSISTENTLY EMERGED AS TOP CONCERN FOR RESIDENTS AND ARE SHOWN IN THE LARGEST BUBBLES.
ACCESS TO COMMUNITY SPACES, ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE SERVICES, RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION.
AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR WORK, WE HAVE RE RECEIVED, WE ARE RECEIVING MESSAGES THAT RESIDENTS ARE LOOKING FOR MORE ACCESSIBLE, SAFE, AND INCLUSIVE SPACES TO GATHER, CONNECT, AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.
MORE LOCALIZED, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE OPTIONS, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT AND PREVENTATIVE CARE, AND RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION TO A ACCESS JOBS, EDUCATION, AND ESSENTIAL SERVICES, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS.
THESE INSIGHTS WILL GUIDE OUR NEXT STEPS AS WE CONTINUE TO ENGAGE AND REFINE OUR STRATEGIES TO EXPAND PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY.
I'M GOING TO BRING SELENA BACK TO SHARE OUR NEXT STEPS.
[00:55:02]
THANK YOU, CHRISTINA.UM, SO WHILE WE RECEIVED SOME INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WE'RE COMMITTED TO MAKING MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE PERCEIVE PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITIES.
LAST WEEK, WE MET WITH THE MLK COMMISSION AND PROVIDE THE SIMILAR PRESENTATION ON THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK.
AND WE'RE ALSO SCHEDULED TO HAVE BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS TO ENSURE A BROAD AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION.
ALSO, ON NOVEMBER 17TH, WE'LL BE PRESENTING OUR FEEDBACK TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND ART QUALITY OF LIFE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE.
AND THIS MEETING WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND CAN BE ACCESSED TO THE CITY OF DALLAS WEBSITE.
BUT WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON YOUR SCREEN, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WE HAVE A QR CODE, UM, IF EVERYONE DOESN'T MIND, UM, SCANNING, TAKING TWO MINUTES TO SCAN THAT QR CODE AND ANSWERING FIVE QUESTIONS TO WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO USE THIS INFORMATION AND THE CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'RE DOING.
YOUR INPUT WILL HELP US TO CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY FRAMEWORK AND GUIDE HOW WE ALLOCATE RESOURCES AND BUILD PARTNERSHIPS THAT REFLECT THE NEEDS AND PRIORITIES OF OUR COMMUNITY.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS AND IT HELPS US BUILD A STRONGER AND MORE AND MORE INCLUSIVE DALLAS TOGETHER.
SO I'M GONNA ALLOW, IS 30 SECONDS OKAY? OR IS A MINUTE OKAY.
SO I'M GONNA ALLOW ABOUT A MINUTE FOR EVERYBODY TO SCAN THAT QR CODE.
AND THEN ALSO I BELIEVE THAT KELSEY'S GOING TO SHARE, OR SHE'S ALREADY SHARED THE WEBSITE LINK.
YES, I HAVE PUT THE LINK IN THE CHAT FOR THE WEBEX MEETING.
IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE WEBEX MEETING, I WILL GO AHEAD AND EMAIL THE LINK TO YOU SO YOU'RE ABLE TO TAKE THE SURVEY.
AND AS WE CONTINUE TO COMPLETE THAT, UM, QUESTIONNAIRE, I'M GOING TO SEE OR, OR NOT, I'M GOING TO SEE, BUT I'M GONNA BRING CHRISTINA AND JESSICA BACK.
IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ALLOWED FROM THE COMMISSION? THANK YOU.
OR THROUGH THE CHAIR? I'M SORRY.
AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU MS. SILLA AND MS. UM, MS. GALLISHAW FOR YOUR, YOUR INFORMATIVE PRESENTATION.
THERE CERTAINLY WAS A LOT TO LEARN AND WE ARE, WHEN WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER.
I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION, HOWEVER, SO I DO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL LAW, UM, WITH FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS.
BUT CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT STEPS YOU ARE TAKING TO, UM, I'D LIKE TO TALK, I'D LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE COMPLYING WITH FEDERAL LAWS, HOW IS THIS IMPACTING THE CITY OF DALLAS'S HUMAN RIGHTS PLAN? AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW IS THIS TRANSITION GOING TO HAVE IMPACT ON THE COMMISSION AND WHILE ALSO MAINTAINING DISABILITY RIGHTS STANDARDS? HI, UH, THIS IS JESSICA GALL AND I WILL, UH, TAKE THE FIRST PORTION OF YOUR QUESTION, UH, TO AN EXTENT.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT, UM, I BELIEVE IT IS SLIDE NUMBER FOUR.
MAYBE CAN WE GET TO FOUR? UM, IT MIGHT BE THREE.
SO SLIDE THREE IS THE TIMELINE.
UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA NOTE A COUPLE OF THINGS ON THAT.
SO, UH, I DID MENTION, AND I DID NOT GO THROUGH LIKE EVERY STEP ON THIS TIMELINE, UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR PRIMARY INTENTION WAS TO TALK ABOUT THE DRIVER'S POVERTY, UM, BUT ANCHOR THAT IN THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE ASPECT, EXCUSE ME, DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY, I APOLOGIZE.
UM, AND SO THAT, UH, RESOLUTION IN JUNE, OF COURSE WAS A DIRECTIVE TO ACTUALLY REVIEW ALL OF THE PROGRAMS COMPONENTS, THE PLANS AND WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE REVIEWED AND TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHERE THERE MAY BE ISSUES IN TERMS OF COMPLIANCE.
AND THEN TO FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER, UM, TO POTENTIALLY AMEND OR CHANGE OR ADJUST WHERE NEEDED.
SO WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROCESS IS THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY, UH, WE HAVE COMPLETED BRIEFINGS TO CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAD A BRIEFING ON OCTOBER 1ST, UM, AND AN OMNIBUS, WELL, THAT ALREADY HAPPENED TOO, RIGHT? THE OMNIBUS, UH, RESOLUTION ON OCTOBER 22ND, WHICH DID, UH, ADDRESS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED.
I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANOTHER ONE, UM, THAT IS BEING PREPARED.
UH, AND SO WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE SPECIFIC PLA IMPACT ON SPECIFIC PLANS, EVERY SINGLE
[01:00:01]
ONE HAS BEEN OR IS BEING REVIEWED INDIVIDUALLY.AND SO EACH ONE IS BEING TACKLED INDIVIDUALLY.
AND SO IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE, OR IF THERE, WHEN YOU SAY WHAT MIGHT BE THE IMPACT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS PLAN, IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BEING REVIEWED, UM, INDEPENDENTLY, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO ACTUALLY PROBABLY COME BACK WITH SOME OF THAT INFORMATION ON AN, ON A PLAN BY PLAN BASIS.
UH, SO I CAN'T, THAT'S A, A BIT OF A LONG WAY TO SAY, BUT I'M SAYING WITH SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT THAT I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION DIRECTLY ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC PLAN OR ANY SPECIFIC PLAN RIGHT NOW IN THIS MEETING.
UH, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN TAKE YOUR QUESTION BACK AND INTEGRATE IT WITHIN THIS PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN COME BACK AND EXPLAIN IF, AND I CAN'T EVEN SAY THAT THERE ARE, BUT IF THERE IS AN IMPACT, WE CAN COME BACK AND ARTICULATE THAT.
YES, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU'D BE WILLING TO DO SO.
AND MY NEXT, THE NEXT PART OF MY QUESTION IS, EVEN THOUGH THE CITY STAFF ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PROMOTE, YOU KNOW, DEI INITIATIVES, IT DOESN'T MEAN THE CITY CAN BE NOT COMPLIANT WITH THE A DA, RIGHT? LIKE, THAT'S STILL A REQUIREMENT.
UH, CHRIS OR, OR GARY, DO YOU WANNA ADDRESS THAT QUESTION ABOUT A DA COMPLIANCE AND, BUT YES.
UH, I WILL JUST GO BACK AND NOTE THAT THE, UH, THAT, UH, DISABILITY IS ONE OF THE ALLOWABLE, UH, CRITERIA THAT CAN BE USED, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND SUPPORT.
AND I'M GONNA BRING CHRIS, HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER, CHRIS GRAVES, UH, TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
AND GARY, UH, MAY CHIME IN AS WELL.
SO I WILL LET YOU TWO TACKLE THAT COMPONENT.
AND THEN SHARON, UH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, CAN PLEASE REPEAT THE QUESTION? I WAS HAVING A SIDEBAR CONVERSATION.
SO MY QUESTION WAS SPECIFICALLY, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE OF THESE NEW FEDERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS, THE CITY CANNOT PROMOTE DEI INITIATIVES, DIVERSITY EQUITY INITIATIVE, BUT I STILL WANNA MAKE SURE THAT JUST BECAUSE THE CITY'S NOT ALLOWED TO IMPLEMENT THOSE INITIATIVES, THAT IT CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, DO WHATEVER IT WANTS AND NOT BE COMPLIANT WITH THE A DA, FOR EXAMPLE.
NO, AND YOU ARE PERFECTLY CORRECT.
THE AADA A IS ENSHRINED IN FEDERAL LAW.
THE CITY IS OBLIGATED AS A FEDERAL MANDATE TO HAVE AN A DA TRANSITION PLAN.
SO THE WORK THAT THE AREA HAS STARTED, THAT OUR OFFICE LEADS FOR A DA TRANSITION PLAN INCLUSIVE OF REPEATING BUILDINGS, MITIGATING BARRIERS, PROVIDING SPECIALIZED AND GENERAL TRAINING TO CITY STAFF, PROVIDING FOR A GRIEVANCE MECHANISM THROUGH 3 1 1, SUPPORTING CITYWIDE LANGUAGE ACCESS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO A SL ADVISING ON ACCOMMODATION PROCESSES ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS, AND REALLY PROVIDING SPECIALIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PROFESSIONS THAT MAY COME UP.
SO ALL, ALTHOUGH THIS, UM, PARTICULAR COMPLIANCE IS FOCUSED ON DEI, OUR FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE WORK CONTINUES, AND THAT'S EXCLUSIVE OF THE A DA AS WELL AS TITLE SIX.
AND SO THAT WORK CONTINUES TO YOUR POINT CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING THAT QUESTION, MR. GRAVES.
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR TO COMMISSIONERS WHO MAY WISH TO ASK QUESTIONS OF THEIR OWN.
I WILL START WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
ALRIGHT, NEXT WE'LL GO TO COMMISSIONER UH, WIX, DISTRICT THREE.
SHE SAYS WHO? SHE, SHE SAYS COMMISSIONER WIX.
COMMISSIONER WICKS, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESENTERS? I'M SORRY, I HAD TO UNMUTE MYSELF.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
NEXT WE GO TO COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL, DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME KIND OF WHAT WERE THE PREVIOUS MEASURES AND KIND OF HOW YOU INTEND TO MEASURE WHAT YOU'RE DOING? THE OPPORTUNITIES FRAMEWORK SEEMS LIKE A, A PRETTY BIG CHANGE AND ALSO JUST KIND OF ADDRESSING THE OBJECTIVES FOR CHANGE.
WHY, WHY THE CHANGE, WHY NOW? WELL, SO JESSICA GALACIA, AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AS FAR AS THE PREVIOUS MEASURES, SO, UH, CHRISTINA HIGHLIGHTED, UM, THAT THE CITY HAD BEEN ADVANCING, UM, WHAT, 2017 I THINK IT WAS, UM, IDENTIFIED DRIVERS OF POVERTY.
[01:05:01]
DIDN'T ACTUALLY, UH, GET DEEP TO THE POINT OF IDENTIFYING SPECIFIC MEASURES OR METRICS THAT WERE THEN PUT INTO LIKE A STRATEGIC PLAN TYPE FORMAT AND THEN MEASURED AND TRACKED OVER TIME.SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE CONTEXT OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A FRAMEWORK THAT WE CAN UTILIZE THAT IS LEGALLY RESILIENT AND COMPLIANT, UM, BUT THAT WE CAN UTILIZE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE SERVING RESIDENTS IN WAYS, UH, THAT THEY ARE NEEDED, THAT WE ARE ADVANCING IMPORTANT AND CRITICAL SERVICES.
AND SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ECONOMIC MOBILITY.
WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIFFERENT SOCIAL SERVICES ALIGNMENT.
WHAT WE'RE DOING IS CURRENTLY WORKING THROUGH THE PROCESS TO DEVELOP AND FINALIZE THAT FRAMEWORK.
AND THE FRAMEWORK ITSELF IS, UH, LARGELY, UH, INFORMED BY, UH, THE URBAN INSTITUTE AND RESEARCH THAT THAT ORGANIZATION HAS CONDUCTED AROUND WHAT ARE KEY METRICS OR KEY DRIVERS THAT DO ADVANCE ECONOMIC UPWARD ECONOMIC MOBILITY FOR RESIDENTS.
AND SO THAT IS KIND OF THE BASIS OF IT.
BUT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TO AMEND AND STRENGTHEN AND ALIGN THAT AS WE GET FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS ONCE WE HAVE KIND OF PUT THAT FRAMEWORK INTO PLACE.
AND I SHOULD SAY THAT THE FRAMEWORK, THE OLD VERSION OF THE FRAMEWORK, THE DRIVERS OF POVERTY DID HAVE LANGUAGE IN IT THAT HAD TO BE REVIEWED BASED ON THE NEW, UM, DIRECTIVES.
AND, UM, IT IS TIED INTO, UH, SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT LANGUAGE OR OUR HUD CONSOLIDATED PLAN LANGUAGE.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A FRAMEWORK THAT WE CAN USE TO ADVANCE CRITICAL THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT IS LEGALLY RESILIENT AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW EXECUTIVE ORDERS, AND THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, BUT STILL DELIVER THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE STRIVING, STRIVING TO DELIVER.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT WILL BE THE METRICS, THE NEXT STEP IN DEVELOPING THIS FRAMEWORK, UM, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE WHAT WE'RE CALLING A COMMUNITY, UM, OPPORTUNITY INDEX ASSESSMENT TOOL.
AND SO WE HAVE ALREADY, UH, PUT TOGETHER A, UM, UH, OH, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF THE BEST WORD FOR THIS, AN INVENTORY OF, OF DIFFERENT DATA INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AS THE CITY OF DALLAS OR OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA THAT ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN USE FROM TRACKING AND, UH, DECISION MAKING CONTEXT.
UM, AND THAT WE ARE GONNA BE WORKING TO PUT THAT TOGETHER INTO AN INDEX THAT IS TIED INTO THE SPECIFIC, UH, WHAT WE ARE CALLING RIGHT NOW, DOMAINS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK.
AND THEN FROM THERE, WE WANT TO USE THAT INFORMATION TO HELP ALIGN, UH, WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND THROUGH CITY PARTNERS AND CITY DEPARTMENTS, HOW TO ADVANCE PROGRAMMING AND HOW TO ADVANCE SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT THE WORK.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE YET, WE DON'T HAVE, NOR HAVE WE YET IDENTIFIED WHAT SPECIFIC METRIC WE MIGHT LOOK TO TRACK AT THE DOMAIN LEVEL OR MULTIPLE, NOR HAVE WE IDENTIFIED WHAT SPECIFIC METRIC WE MIGHT LOOK TO TRACK AT THE INDICATOR LEVEL.
BUT WE'LL BE WORKING ON THAT IN EARLY 2026.
UM, AND SO AS WE COME TO THE CLOSEOUT OF THEIR YEAR, OUR GOAL IS TO GET THE FRAMEWORK KIND OF BUILT OUT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THAT, AGAIN, LEGALLY RESILIENT AND COMPLIANT FRAMEWORK THAT WE CAN USE.
AND FROM THERE, WE WILL TAKE THE NEXT STEPS AND CONTINUE TO WORK ON, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED, BUT WE'LL WORK ON THIS, UM, INDEX ASSESSMENT, WHICH WILL BE SOMETHING THAT WE'LL SHARE PUBLICLY AND THAT WE'LL ALSO USE INTERNALLY.
UM, CAN YOU MAKE SURE, UH, COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL TO MAKE IT AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE? 'CAUSE WE DO HAVE TO MOVE ON TO OTHER COMMISSIONERS.
AND WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER ITEM SEGMENT FOR THIS.
UM, NEXT THEN I WILL GO TO COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, REALLY ENJOYED THE PRESENTATION.
AND JESSICA, IT'LL BE NICE WORKING WITH YOU AGAIN.
NEXT IS COMMISSIONER PUSHKA, DISTRICT 13.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
THANK YOU'RE WELCOME, LA CERTAINLY.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY.
COMMISSIONER LINDSAY'S NOT PRESENT.
SO IN THAT CASE THEN, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PRESENTERS FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH US.
WE CERTAINLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER WITH YOU IN THE COMING MONTHS.
OUR LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA BEFORE ADJOURNMENT IS ANNOUNCEMENTS.
BEFORE I MAKE MY ANNOUNCEMENTS, I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE MR. CHRIS GRAVES, OUR HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER TO SAY IF HE WORDS ABOUT THE FIFA WORLD CUP.
[01:10:01]
YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR FOR ALLOWING ME A FEW MINUTES TO SPEAK.SO IT'S SO EXCITING TO HEAR THE COMMISSION WANNA BE INVOLVED IN HUMAN RIGHTS EFFORTS IN THE EVENTS OF THE WORLD CUP.
AND THERE WAS A LOT OF ROBUST DISCUSSION TODAY AROUND ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION.
SO THERE'S ACTUALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMISSION TO BE ENGAGED IN HUMAN RIGHTS PLANNING.
SO WE'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH THE CHIEF HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER WITH THE NORTH TEXAS SEAFOOD WORLD CUP ORGANIZING COMMITTEE, AND THEY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS ARE ACCESSIBLE, RIGHT? BOTH FOR FANS THAT ARE COMING AS WELL AS RESIDENTS WHO ARE THERE TO ENJOY THE GAMES AND ALL THE FESTIVITIES.
AND SO FOR COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE INTERESTED, ASK THAT YOU PLEASE CONTACT US, UH, MYSELF, KELSEY, OR GARY WILL ALSO SEND A FOLLOW UP EMAIL IF YOU WANNA PARTICIPATE IN A RIDE ALONG.
SO ESSENTIALLY, WE WE'RE BRINGING WITH DART TO LOOK AT A POTENTIAL ROUTE THAT WE WOULD ALL TAKE, AND THIS WOULD PROVIDE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAUGE HOW ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS ARE, AND THEN PROVIDE FEEDBACK DIRECTLY TO THE CHIEF OF HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER.
SO THIS IS A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY.
WE'RE OPENING IT UP PARTICULARLY TO THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FEEDBACK IS INCORPORATED AND YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE AN ACTIVE VOICE IN HUMAN RIGHTS EFFORTS.
SO WE'RE GONNA SEND A FOLLOW UP EMAIL.
WE ASK THAT YOU JUST PLEASE CONTACT US.
AND THEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED, WE'LL HAVE A FOLLOW UP DISCUSSION WITH THE CHIEF HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICER AS WE PLAN OUT PARTICULAR DAYS AND TIMES FOR THAT RIDE ALONG TO HAPPEN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. GRACE, FOR THE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
I CERTAINLY WOULD BE VERY DELIGHTED IN BEING INVOLVED IN NOT ONLY THE HUMAN RIGHTS PLANNING AS IT REGARDS TO THE COMMISSION, BUT ALSO THE RIDE ALONG.
SO I'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU SOON.
NOW FOR, WE'RE NOW MOVING ON TO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
OCTOBER IS WE CONTINUING ANNOUNCEMENTS, I SHOULD SAY OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT AWARENESS MONTH, OR N-D-E-A-M OBSERVED ANNUALLY.
N-D-E-A-M CELEBRATES THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF HUMAN DIVERSITY.
THE MONTH ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THEIR VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORKFORCE AND ENCOURAGES ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE INCLUSIVE HIRING PRACTICES.
IT IS ALSO A REMINDER THAT DIVERSE ABILITIES, FOSTER CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION IN EVERY FIELD.
AS THE MONTH DRAWS TO A CLOSE, THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES ENCOURAGES ALL EMPLOYERS TO CONSIDER HOW THEY MIGHT STRENGTHEN THEIR HIRING PRACTICES, BUILD ACCESSIBLE ENVIRONMENTS, AND CHAMPION THE TALENTS AND SKILLS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
OCTOBER ALSO MARKS BLIND EQUALITY ACHIEVEMENT MONTH, WHICH AIMS TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH BLINDNESS.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT OVER 3 MILLION ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED OR BLIND, AND UP TO 80 MILLION HAVE EYE DISEASES THAT MAY ULTIMATELY LEAD TO VISION LOSS.
IN RECOGNITION OF THIS IMPORTANT MOMENT OF OBSERVANCE, LET US TAKE TIME TO KNOW INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH BLINDNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY, TAKE PART IN THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES AND SHARE THEIR TRUTHS IN DRIVING POSITIVE CHANGE.
AND FINALLY, ON NOVEMBER 13TH OR NOT FINALLY, UM, ON NOVEMBER 13TH, HUMAN RIGHTS DALLAS, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, WILL BE HOSTING AN EVENT ENTITLED, DIGNITY FOR ALL, ADVANCING THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AT THE CAMPUS OF SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY RECORD AUDITORIUM FROM 7:00 PM FROM SEVEN TO 9:00 PM THIS PANEL DISCUSSION AIMS TO BRING TOGETHER COMMUNITY LEADERS, DISABILITY ADVOCATES, AND LEGAL EXPERTS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE HISTORICAL AS WELL AS THE CURRENT STRUGGLE FOR DIGNITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS AMONG MEMBERS OF THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY.
TOPICS WILL INCLUDE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE BEFORE THE AMERICANS DISABILITIES ACT, A DA AND OTHER APPLICABLE LAWS, PROGRESS MADE IN DISABILITY JUSTICE, AND CURRENT STEPS TAKEN TO BRING A HUMAN FACE TO EVERYDAY CHALLENGES FACED BY PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES RESULTING FROM EXISTING BARRIERS.
ALL COMMISSIONERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THIS EVENT AND BE A PART OF THIS DIALOGUE.
AND FINALLY, AS WE APPROACH THE END OF 2025, IT IS TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON THE YEARLY ANNUAL REPORT TO BE SUBMITTED IN FEBRUARY OF 2026.
THEREFORE, COMMISSIONERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRAINSTORM ON IDEAS FOR ITEMS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE BE INCLUDED ON THIS REPORT.
WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THIS FURTHER AT OUR MEETING IN NOVEMBER.
THE PURPOSE OF ALL THIS IS FOR THE INTEREST OF MAINTAINING TRANSPARENCY
[01:15:01]
AND MAKING SURE COMMISSIONERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS AND OPENLY ADDRESS QUESTIONS IN A CIVIL ENVIRONMENT.THAT CONCLUDES MY ASSESSMENT, MY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
I WILL NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR COMMISSIONERS WHO MAY WISH TO SHARE ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THEIR OWN, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
WE NEXT GO TO COMMISSIONER WICKS, DISTRICT THREE.
I HAVE NOTHING TO SHARE, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO PLEASE GO BACK AGAIN AND, UH, ANNOUNCE THE DATE OF THE MEETING THAT WE'RE BEING ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
UM, THAT IS GOING TO BE AN EVENT THAT'S BEING POSTED BY HUMAN RIGHTS IN DALLAS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES.
THE DATES FOR THAT IS NOVEMBER 13TH.
AND SINCE WE ARE BEING ASKED TO BE THERE, WILL THERE BE ANY PROVISIONS MADE FOR COMMISSIONERS TO GET THERE? AND THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING THAT QUESTION IS BECAUSE THE, UH, THE DARK PARATRANSIT SERVICE IS CONSIDERED A RIDE SHARE, SO THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A DIRECT POINT A TO POINT B UH, TRIP.
SO CAN WE HAVE SOMEBODY HAVE CONVERSATION WITH THEM REGARDING, UH, TRYING TO GET US THERE FOR THAT EVENT? SO WITH REGARDS TO THIS ALL, I MEAN, WE ALL ARE PROVIDING OUR OWN WAY THERE, BUT, UM, I'M SURE IF I, I MEAN, I CAN TALK TO THE ORGANIZER, I CAN TALK TO, UM, HADDI
BUT, UM, AND I DO WANT TO ALSO MAKE NOTE THAT YOU'RE NOT BEING REQUIRED TO GO THERE, BUT YOU'RE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGED AND IF YOU'RE ENCOURAGED, YOU KNOW, THAT IT'LL, AND IT WILL JUST BE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN, IN THIS DISCUSSION.
SO THANK YOU FOR SHOWING INTEREST.
UM, NEXT I GO TO COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL FOR ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
COMMISSIONER WHITE DISTRICT NINE, WELL, NOT EXACTLY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
COULD WE GET SOME INFORMATION, UH, FROM THE PUBLIC SPEAKER ABOUT THE AUTOMATIC DOORS? UH, CHAIR MAY BE RECOGNIZED FOR THAT POINT.
UM, COMMISSIONER WHITE, I'M GOING TO HAVE MS. PETERSON, THE A D EIGHT COORDINATOR WHO WILL SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS.
SO I DO HAVE MR. STEVENSON'S INFORMATION AND HE SAID THAT HE WILL BE SENDING US FLYERS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
SO ONCE I RECEIVE THAT, I WILL SEND AN EMAIL TO COMMISSIONERS WITH WHAT HE PROVIDES.
I ALSO WANTED TO ADD, SINCE IT IS, UH, DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT MONTH, UM, I WORK FOR A GREAT FIRM.
I ALSO HAVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
UM, THEY HAVE BEEN PHENOMENAL.
I'VE BEEN THERE OVER EIGHT YEARS AND THEY HAVE BEEN PHENOMENAL IN MAKING, WITHOUT EVEN BEING ASKED ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.
FOR INSTANCE, WHEN I GO IN IN THE MORNING AND I'M EXTREMELY DIZZY, I JUST TELL 'EM I WAS DRINKING EARLY AND, UH, WHICH I DON'T DRINK.
SO THEY GET THE GIST OF IT AND THEY TELL ME TO GO SIT DOWN AND STAY THERE.
THEY PAID ME ALL THE WAY THROUGH M-F-M-L-A.
UM, THAT'S WHY I AM HESITANT TO SAY I CAN MOVE MEETINGS AROUND BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN JUST INCREDIBLE.
I WISH EVERYONE, UH, WITH A CHALLENGE OF SOME IT COULD WORK FOR SOMEONE IS WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER WHITE.
NEXT WE GO TO COMMISSIONER
UH, NO ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS TIME.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER LINDSAY DISTRICT 14.
OH, ACTUALLY, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
SO IN THAT CASE THEN, UM, IN THAT CASE THEN, SINCE WE HAVE CONCLUDED OUR ANNOUNCEMENTS, I WILL BE MAKING A MOTION THAT THE MEETING BE ADJOURNED AND I'LL BE CALLING FOR A VOTE, STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER GLASSCOCK, DISTRICT ONE.
NEXT IS COMMISSIONER WIT DISTRICT THREE.
NEXT IS COMMISSIONER ROCKWELL, DISTRICT FIVE A.
NEXT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER IKA AND YES.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, COMMISSIONER IKA DISTRICT 13.
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SINCE THE AYES HAVE IT ALL IN FAVOR OF CALLING THIS MEETING TO ADJOURN, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING ALL AYE.ALL ALL OPPOSED? APPARENTLY THERE IS NONE.
SO THE MEETING HAS BEEN ADJOURNED.
AND FOR THE, FOR THE RECORD, THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT 3:21 PM THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DEVOTING YOUR TIME TO THE COMMISSION ON DISABILITIES, AND WE VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU BACK HERE ON NOVEMBER 25TH.
AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, OUR MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE AT OUR USUAL SPOT.