Accessibility| Board of Education Meetings

Visualization of an icon in a wheelchair with butterflies coming out of them from body.

My name is Erin, and I am a woman who is blind.     

Our motto at Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco is “Strong Schools; Strong City”.   

As an organization, we are always reminded of the urgent need to put this concept into all our programs, initiatives and in our relationship with the San Francisco Unified School District.  

As such, I have been enthusiastic about being one of the representatives from our organization attending and publicizing news from the SF Unified School District Board of Education as part of our #BoardWatch program.   

I have only been able to successfully access the virtual form of the meeting a few times.  

Let me share a little more about my experience. 

I am required to use accessible computer software and support from my colleagues, in order to find the meeting link on the sfusd.edu website. Not only can I not locate the meeting link in Board doc, a digital platform SFUSD uses to post their meeting agendas and reports, but the school calendar is also unreadable for me. Accessibility issues prevent me from being able to find and download the meeting agendas. I need to be able to access the board agenda to perform my role for Parents of Public Schools of San Francisco which impacts my ability to further serve the city of San Francisco and public-school families.    

After talking with an accessible technology specialist who looked at the www.sfusd.org website, it is clear that this website was not created with accessibility features in mind.  

Furthermore, when I listen to the board meeting, and the board allows time for public comment, it is almost improbable that I will have sufficient time to find the unmute bottom and speak at pace all under 1minute. You see I also have slowed speech and hearing deficits that make it even more challenging to engage with public comment is such a short and limited way.   

At least one or more people wanting to be heard has a disability. Whether that disability is physical, cognitive or a learning disability, there are barriers which prevent full participation in the board meetings. In a city like San Francisco, one of the wealthiest cities in the country, there are multiple organizations which can guide the SFUSD webmaster in how to make the website more accessible.  

At Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco, we believe through our lived experiences, and credible models we can together drive for community solutions.   

The four categories below share more of my lived experience and this essential question, how can SFUSD bridge the accessibility gap as a city where so many civil rights were founded?     

The school district office is located only a block away from where the disability rights movement began in the early 1970’s with a sit-in at the Federal Building. It is incumbent that all of the leaders within the San Francisco Unified School District would ensure that accessibility for people with disabilities is a priority.   

This is the law we fought so hard to have and not a choice to throw to the sidelines.    

Blindness: 

 Question: If a person who is blind or has mobility issues attends a meeting in person, will they be able to move around the room at ease?   

Solution: Ensure that the district provides a trained aide who can assist those with mobility issues who attend board meetings in-person.    

Question: How would a person who is blind get their request for a comment card back to the appropriate person without disrupting the meeting by having to navigate or receive assistance?   

Solution: Ensure that the district provides an individual who can collect the cards and ensure that they are delivered to the appropriate person.  

Mobility:    

Question: If someone has trouble physically attending the meetings, it might take them a bit longer to be on the Zoom call and navigate to the “mute” button?   

Question: If someone with mobility disabilities is able to attend the meeting in person, is it a guarantee in the layout of the meeting room that it will be accessible by a wheelchair?    

Solution: For individuals participating virtually, have the district assign a person who can act as a ‘monitor’ and provide assistance to those attending in person, ensuring rows are set in ADA compliance.   

Cognitive Impairment:     

Question: While some people with cognitive or other disabilities have a challenging time being heard or understood when they speak? Will that person’s time for a comment be affected?   Their comments and requests from the board are especially important. Someone needs to be available to translate or read the comment from that individual.

Solution: The district must ensure that these individuals be given reasonably sufficient time to express their comments.    

Learning Disability:     

Some people who live with a learning disability may not feel comfortable attending, or speaking at a meeting because they may feel self-conscious regarding their comprehension of the agenda or slide presentations or other material presented at the meeting.    

Question: How can the board develop scaffolds in the materials so that it can be more accessible for all attendees?  

Solution: The district must provide a trained individual to assist those who may require assistance accessing meeting material due to a cognitive disability.   

Both SFUSD and community organizations who serve individuals with disabilities can address these questions/challenges. Together.

While we have noticed some changes from the SFUSD Board of Education in terms of allowing a longer time for people who need a translator to give their comments, much more needs to be done for full inclusion. If inclusion for all people at these meetings is important to SFUSD, we encourage you to reach out to communication@ppssf.org and offer your thoughts. In the meantime, we at Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco will continue to make public comments in the interest of equity for all.   

We at Parents for Public Schools of San Francisco hope that these accessibility concerns will not deter our community from continuing to show up, even as an ally, to let all voices be heard in matters relating to our schools, residents, and city!    

In hope,   

Erin Horne  

Marketing and Development Officer  

 

“According the SFUSD Notice of Meeting 

ADA Accommodations - If any accommodations are needed, please call (415) 355-7364. Requests should be made as soon as possible but at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled meeting. The Irving G. Breyer Board Meeting Room is Wheelchair Accessible.  

It is requested that individuals refrain from wearing perfume or other scented products in order to allow those with environmental illnesses or multiple chemical sensitivity to attend the meetings of the Board of Education. 

https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CQATMP78117F

Translation and Interpretation Services

Upon request, SFUSD will provide interpretation for Special Board Meetings.

To request interpretation services, please email boardoffice@sfusd.edu as soon as possible but at least 48 hours before the date of the meeting.  

Closed Captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Services 

Upon request, SFUSD will provide Closed Captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter Services for Special Board Meetings.

To request interpretation services, please email boardoffice@sfusd.edu as soon as possible but at least 48 hours before the date of the meeting. “ 

https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CQATMP78117F