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WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED. THE TIME IS NOW 2:02:00 P.M.
ON THIS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2024. THE COMMUNITY MEETING IS NOW BEING CALLED TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
[Approval of Minutes ]
WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES.MAKE A MOTION IN A SECOND FOR THE MEETING MINUTES. >> SECOND.
>> GREAT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE ANY OPPOSED? GREAT. MOTION PASSES.
[Public Comments ]
ARE THERE ANY INDIVIDUALS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? ALL RIGHT.[Briefing and Possible Action on ]
WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 2, A BRIEFING ON THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DIGITAL LIBRARY AS PART OF THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE.AND WHO WILL BE PRESENTING TO US TODAY? >> THAT'LL BE ME.
ONE OF THE TWO ASSISTANT DIRECTORS AT THE LIBRARY, AND WITH ME WILL BE -- LET'S SEE, WE DIDN'T PRACTICE. WILL BE ADAM ZABE, THE LIBRARY SERVICES ADMIN STORE AT THE LIBRARY, AND WE'RE HERE ON BEHALF OF RAMIRO SALAZAR WHO I THINK YOU KNOW WILL BE RETIRING SOON. I THINK MARCH 1 WILL BE HIS LAST DAY.
SO WE'RE HERE TO PRESENT ON HIS BEHALF SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DIGITAL LIBRARY. THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO THROUGH THE SUPPORTIVE COUNCIL AND CREATIVITY OF LIBRARY STAFF HAS HAD DIGITAL RESOURCES SINCE 2007. I WANT TO SAY THAT AGAIN, SINCE 2007, SO THAT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, AND I THINK FOR YOU ALL AS THIS COMMITTEE, FOR THE CITY STAFF AND OTHERS WHO ARE HERE, THAT'S ONE THING I'D LIKE YOU TO LEAVE WITH.
OF COURSE, OVER THAT TIME, OUR ELECT TRONNIC AND DIGITAL RESOURCES HAVE GROWN IN NUMBER, VARIETY, AND IN RICHNESS OF RESOURCES. THESE ALLOW US TO PROVIDE SERVICES 24 HOURS A DAY TO ANYONE WITH ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AND SOME KIND OF DEVICE. THAT COULD BE A TABLET, A CELL PHONE, OR A LAPTOP.
WE DO KEEP IN MIND THAT THAT ISN'T EVERYONE; RIGHT? SO WE ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A WAY TO SUPPORT EVERYONE AND NOT JUST PEOPLE WITH THAT AC ACCESS.
AS I MENTIONED, WE STARTED WITH ELECTRONIC BOOKS, WE NOW HAVE MANY, MANY MORE ELECTRONIC SERVICES. BECAUSE YOU, THE COUNCIL APPROVED US TO GO FINE FREE, WHEN IT SAYS FEES, THAT'S WHEN SOMEBODY HAS LOST A BOOK, THEY'VE ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY AND THEY WANT TO PAY FOR IT. THAT'S THE ONE THING PEOPLE PAY FOR. I WANT TO POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE LITTLE FEES OR LITTLE FINES THAT WE USED TO PAY WHEN WE WERE USING THE LIBRARY WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER, FIVE YEARS AGO. BUT YOU COULD BORROW A BOOK, YOU COULD WATCH A MOVIE, YOU COULD TALK WITH OUR STAFF. THERE'S MANY THINGS YOU COULD DO ONLINE FROM OUR WEBSITE AND FROM OTHER ELECTRONIC ACCESS WE HAVE SO I'M GOING TO LET ADAM TALK MORE ABOUT SOME SPECIFIC DETAILS OF WHAT WE OFFER, AND THEN OF COURSE AT THE END WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS, OR ALONG THE WAY.
>> THANK YOU, AND GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M ADAM ZABE, LIBRARY SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR, WHICH MEANS I'M OVER COLLECTION OF DEVELOPMENT IN OUR DIGITAL SERVICES TEAM. I HAVE SO MANY THINGS I WANTED TO INCLUDE IN THESE SLIDES, BUT I WAS TOLD WE DON'T HAVE 30 MINUTES, IT WOULD BE A COUPLE QUICK SLIDES, BUT I'LL STILL NAME CHECK SOME THINGS FOR YOU. BEFORE WE GET INTO THIS SLIDE WITH LIVEY, I DO WANT TO MENTION IF YOU'RE USING OUR ONLINE CATALOG, OUR MOTION RECENT VERSION ACTUALLY HAS A SOCIAL NETWORK BUILT INTO IT, SO YOU COULD CREATE LISTS AND SHARE THEM WITH YOUR FRIENDS OF BOOKS AND THINGS FROM OUR COLLECTION, YOU COULD VIEW LISTS THAT LIBRARIANS AND OTHER PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY CREATE.
YOU ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO COMMENT AND REMARK ON BOOKS YOU'VE READ, AND THAT IS SHARED ACROSS ALL OTHER LIBRARIES IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE THE SAME CATALOG SYSTEM, SO YOU COULD KIND OF SEE WHO -- IF SOMEONE LIKES THE BOOK SECRET HISTORY WHAT THEY WOULD ALSO RECOMMEND READING AND SO FORTH. THE PHONE APP VERSION IS THE SAME, AND THIS IS A SLIDE SHOWING ACTUALLY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, THE LIBBY APP IS -- MOST OF YOU -- SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW, PREVIOUSLY CALLED OVERDRIVE HAS A NICE USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE WHERE WE CAN SHOWCASE COLLECTIONS, RIGHT NOW WE'RE SHOWCASING OR QUARTER ZONE COLLECTION, THAT WOULD BE ALL THE
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PARENTALLY FAVORED BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY SYSTEM THAT OUR COMMUNITY BORROWS LIBBY IS ALSO AN ACCESS POINT FOR A FEW OTHER SERVICES WORTH MENTIONING.SO YOU MAY THINK E-BOOKS AND AUDIOS, BUT LOTS OF MAGAZINES YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO THAT ARE DELIVERED TO YOUR DEVICE ONCE YOU SIGN UP FOR THEM.
GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMIC BOOKS THAT WE'VE ADDED. WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE OTHER APPS THAT YOU KIND OF JUMP OUT FROM, AND I KNOW IF YOU'VE GOT A SMART PHONE YOU'RE OKAY WITH THIS, BUT THE ONE I WANT TO SHOWCASE FOR YA'LL THAT I DON'T HAVE A SLIDE FOR IS CRAFT-C, WHICH IS VIDEOS AND TUTORIALS ABOUT HOW TO PERFORM DIFFERENT CRAFTS, WHETHER IT'S KNITTING OR SCULPTURE, POTTERY.
THERE'S ALSO A VERY NEW PLUG-IN FOR LIBBY THAT WE HAVE CALLED GROUND NEWS, AND IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, THAT'S A -- NOT A NEWS AGGREGATOR, BUT IT LETS THE SERVICE RATES THE BIAS OF DIFFERENT ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN DIFFERENT NEWS JOURNALS SO YOU COULD SEE WHERE IT IS ON THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM AND DETERMINE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU'RE GETTING FACT OR EXAGGERATION WHEN LOOKING FOR NEWS ARTICLES SO LIBBY -- LET'S SEE. YEAH. LIBBY IS ALSO SOMETHING WE'RE CONSTANTLY FEEDING NEW TITLES TO, AND I'LL SHOW YOU STATISTICS IN A SECOND TO SHOW YOU HOW MUCH USAGE WE'RE GETTING. OH, THERE THEY ARE, I DIDN'T MEAN TO GO THAT FAST. OH MAN. THERE WE GO.
STREAMING MEDIA. OUR SERVICE IS CALLED CANOPY.
IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN WATCH THROUGH A WEB BROWSER, YOUR DEVICE, YOU COULD EVEN IF YOU HAVE A SMART TV CAST TO YOUR TV. IT HAS OVER 2,000 FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES. FOR REFERENCE, NETFLIX ONLY HAS AROUND 2,000, SO A MUCH LARGER DATA BASE OF POPULAR MOVIES AND THEN INDY FILMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO THE VERY POPULAR, EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE, SWEPT THE OSCARS, AND YOU CAN WATCH IT FOR FREE THROUGH CANOPY. THE WAY WE CONTROL FOR HOW MANY VIDEOS PEOPLE WATCH IS HANDLED THROUGH A TICKETING SYSTEM, SORT OF LIKE EVERY MONTH YOU GET A CERTAIN NUMBER OF MOVIE TICKETS AND YOU CAN DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO SPEND IT ON, AND THERE ARE THINGS IN THERE, CLASSES YOU CAN ATTEND THAT COST MORE TICKETS OR AN ENTIRE SEASON OF YOUR FAVORITE FEW MORE TICKETS, AND THEN EVERY MONTH THAT RENEWS.
LET'S SEE. THERE ARE A LOT OF POPULAR, LIKE, A-24 TITLES IN HERE, AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDE THAT IT'S VERY -- A DIVERSE COLLECTION SHOWING A LOT OF -- TELLING THE OWN STORIES OF THE OWN VOICE OF THE AUTHORS, SO GETTING AUTHENTIC RETELLINGS OF THE EVENTS. YEAH.
SO I DON'T HAVE ANYMORE SLIDES FOR THAT. BUT I DO WANT TO ALSO MENTION THAT OUR LIBRARY WEBSITE NOW HAS HUNDREDS, IF NOT MORE LIB GUIDES, RESEARCH GUIDES THAT THE LIBRARIANS CURATE TO HELP READERS FIND THEIR WAY THROUGH CERTAIN TOPICS, A SEARCHABLE DATA BASE OF LIBRARIAN-FED INFORMATION SO YOU CAN TRUST THE SOURCE, AND YOU CAN EITHER USE OUR SERVICES MORE FREELY OR LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT TOPIC THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE INTERESTED IN.
REAL QUICK, THE STATISTICS -- AND THESE ARE KIND OF BIG NUMBERS, BUT JUST TO SHOW YOU HOW OUR INVESTMENT IN OUR ONLINE MARKETPLACE IS GOING, ON A STEADY RISE FOR YEARS.
I WAS TOLD TO ONLY INCLUDE THREE DATA POINTS, BUT FROM THE LAST THREE YEARS, WE'RE APPROACHING AN INCREASE OF 1 MILLION CIRCULATIONS, THESE ARE E-BOOKS AND AUDIO THAT PATRONS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE BORROWING FROM US IN A GIVEN CALENDAR YEAR.
AND, YEAH. THAT'S IT. >> SO I'M GOING TO DISRUPT US UP HERE AT THE END. I'LL MENTION WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE ONLINE, WE TRY TO HAVE ENGLISH AND SPANISH, WHEN SPANISH LANGUAGE IS AVAILABLE.
FOR STREAMING MOVIES, WE TRY TO FIND AS MANY THINGS THAT PROVIDE CLOSED CAPTIONING AS POSSIBLE. WE REALLY WANT THESE OFFERINGS TO BE AVAILABLE TO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. AS I SAID BEFORE, THAT ALSO INCLUDES PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THEM. SO THESE BOOKS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART -- WE THINK OF THIS -- WE SHOWED IT HERE AS PUZZLE PIECES, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO THINK OF IT, THAT THESE THINGS COME TOGETHER. THE BUILDINGS -- BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS THAT THE COUNCIL PROVIDES AND THE LIBRARY TAKES CARE OF, YOU KNOW, THE PHYSICAL BUILDING, A PLACE TO GO, WHETHER IT'S A PLACE TO GET WARM OR COOL OR TO MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS, JUST TO BE ALONE IN A PLACE THAT'S QUIET, I THINK THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES SERVE A VITAL PURPOSE. THE LIBRARY STAFF I THINK IS
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WHAT MAKES THE BUILDING BE DIFFERENT FROM ANOTHER BUILDING WITH BOOKS IN IT, THE LIBRARY STAFF WHO PROVIDE PROGRAMMING, HELP YOU SELECT BOOKS, SOMEBODY TO TALK TO, I THINK THE STAFF ARE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FROM THE LIBRARIANS TO THE SHELVERS. THE PHYSICAL BOOKS WE HAVE, WHICH MANY PEOPLE PREFER, MANY PEOPLE USE BOTH PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL BOOKS, AND THEN SOME PEOPLE, LIKE I SAID, THE PHYSICAL BOOKS ARE WHAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THOSE IN A ROBUST WAY, AND DEFINITELY THE INCREASES THAT COUNCIL HAS GIVEN US TO INCREASE OUR PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL COLLECTION, IT REALLY MAKES THAT POSSIBLE. MAYBE I SHOULD JUST SAY PARENTHETICALLY HERE, INSIDE BASEBALL, BUT THE BOOKS WE BUY ARE NOT LIKE THE ONES YOU BUY FROM AMAZON, THEY'RE PRICED DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THE PUBLISHERS KNOW WHEN WE BUY AN ELECTRONIC BOOK, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WILL BE READING IT, NOT ONE. SO WITH PHYSICAL BOOKS WE PAY LESS THAN THE MARKET BECAUSE WE BUY IN SUCH VOLUME, WE LIBRARIES.WITH DIGITAL, WE PAY MORE, AGAIN, THERE'S A RATIONAL FOR THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE USED MORE, AND OF COURSE AS YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T WEAR OUT, SO THEY KEEP BEING USED. AND THEY HAVE DIFFERENT METHODS OF THROTTLING THAT, BUT THAT'S JUST THE TRUTH. AND THEN THE DIGITAL LIBRARY IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, AND THAT IS WHAT WE HAD PREPARED FOR YOU TODAY, BUT WE'RE, OF COURSE, HAPPY TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS IF
YOU HAVE ANY. >> GREAT, THANK YOU DALE AND ADAM FOR THE PRESENTATIONS AND FOR ALL THAT THE SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARIES DO; RIGHT? WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, THAT THE STATE CONTINUES TO ATTACK LITERATURE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, RESTRICTS ALL ACROSS THE STATED AND RIGHT HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT ARIOE REMOVING LIBRARIANS FROM THEIR SCHOOLS AND FACILITIES, PUBLIC FACILITIES, AND THE WORK OF SAN ANTONIO LIBRARIANS HELP FILL THAT GAP, WHETHER IT'S HAVING A LIBRARIAN IN A SPACE OR HAVING ACCESS TO LITERATURE THAT ISN'T ALLOWED IN SOME OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SO REALLY IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU ALL DO, AND I REALLY LIKE THE PHOTO THAT YA'LL HAVE ON ITEM 7 WITH THE PUZZLE PIECES BECAUSE OUR FIELD OFFICE IS INSIDE THE COLUMNS GARDEN LIBRARY, AND THERE'S A TABLE WHERE THERE'S A COMMUNITY PUZZLE, SO IT'S LIKE A ONE THOUSAND PIECE PUZZLE, AND YOU SIGN IN LIKE THE COMMUNITY, YOU SIT FOR HOWEVER LONG, IT'S VERY THERAPEUTIC, SOMETIMES I'LL SIT AND MESS WITH THE PUZZLE, AND THERE'S APPEAR DIFFERENT COMMUNITY COLORING BOOK, AND IT'S GREAT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT SIGN UP THAT THEY PARTICIPATED ON THOSE ACTIVITIES NO DOUBT THE DIGITAL PROVIDE EXISTS, PARTICULARLY IN DISTRICT 5, AND I KNOW THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS WORKING ON A HANDFUL OF INITIATIVES TO CLOSE THAT GAP, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO BE SUBSETTING ONE OF THEIR PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDES HOUSEHOLDS WITH $30 DISCOUNTS TOWARDS THEIR MONTHLY INTERNET BILL WITH THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM. DO OUR LIBRARIES PROVIDE HOTSPOTS OR ACCESS TO LAPTOPS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT HAVE INTERNET AT HOME? AND I UNDERSTAND THERE'S WIFI AT THE LIBRARY THAT'S ACCESSIBLE IN THE PARKING LOTS, BUT IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE OFFER? HOTSPOTS?
>> IT ISN'T AT THE CURRENT TIME, WE'VE EXPERIMENTED WITH IT A COUPLE TIMES.
SO THE CHALLENGE, OF COURSE, IS THAT TO DO THAT, ESSENTIALLY WHAT -- THE WAY THE MARKETPLACE WORKS, WE CAN LOAN A PERSON A DEVICE VERY EASY AND POTENTIALLY FREE, BUT THEN WE HAVE TO PAY THE PERSON'S INTERNET BILL, YOU KNOW, EVERY MONTH.
THERE'S NO REAL DISCOUNT FOR THAT OR VOLUME DISCOUNT. SO WE JUST PAY ESSENTIALLY THE CONSUMER RATE. SO TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT TO REALLY EFFECTIVELY REACH A LOT OF PEOPLE IS VERY DIFFICULT. DURING COVID, WE DID PROVIDE A TABLET COMPUTER FOR OLDER ADULTS THAT WE WORKED WITH, THE SENIOR CENTERS TO LOAN TO OLDER ADULTS WHERE WE PAID ALSO THE DATA BILLS FOR THEM, BUT JUST THE COST PER -- THE COST P BENEFIT JUST DIDN'T REALLY PAYOFF. I MEAN, IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING BY CHANCE, LIKES I DON'T WANT TO BUILD MYSELF UP LIKE I'M MORE THAN I AM, BY CHANCE I SPOKE TO THE FCC COMMISSIONER ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, AND ALSO IT SEEMED TO ME THAT SHE'S PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT INTO THIS BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THEY WERE THINKING WERE SHALLOW. AND I'LL TELL YOU ALL A STORY I TOLD HER SOME OF YOU KNOW I DON'T HAVE A CAR, I RIDE THE BUS.
AND IN PART I DO THAT BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE TALKING TO THE PEOPLE WHO USE THE LIBRARY, AND I HAVE A CHANCE TO DO THAT IN A DIFFERENT WAY, YOU KNOW,
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WHEN YOU'RE SEEING THE SAME PEOPLE ON THE BUS EVERY DAY. ANYWAY, THIS YOUNG MAN, I USED TO HELP HIM -- HE HAD A CELL PHONE, USED A CELL PHONE ALL THE TIME.WAS COMPLETELY FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE, BUT THE CELL PHONE LET HIM JUMP OVER THAT; RIGHT? BECAUSE HE COULD SEND AND RECEIVE VOICE MESSAGES, BUT WHAT I WOULD HELP HIM WITH, LIKE, HIS GIRLFRIEND WOULD SEND A TEXT MESSAGE LIKE I'M AT WORK, I CAN'T GIVE YOU A VOICE MESSAGE BUT -- AND THEN SHE WOULD TELL HIM, AND IT WAS IN SPANISH, MY SPANISH WAS NOT GREAT, BUT I WAS SPEAKING MY HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH, TELL HIM, AND HE WOULD SEND A MESSAGE BACK SO I THINK THE FACT IS THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE -- AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARE AT ALL DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DIGITAL AND FUNCTIONAL LITERACY THAT WE ALL -- WE, AS A COMMUNITY, THE LIBRARY BEING A BIG PART OF IT, BUT AS A COMMUNITY, WE NEED TO TRY TO HELP ADDRESS THAT.
SO I DEFINITELY FEEL THAT WE NEED TO KEEP WORKING ON THAT CONCERN, AND THIS PROGRAM ENDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, IT'S A BAD THING THAT I WISH WE HAD A
DEFINITE ANSWER FOR. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU. AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE ROLE OF THE CITY SENIOR CENTERS AS WELL.
WE HAD A CONSTITUENT WHO WAS TRYING TO NAVIGATE HIS SMART PHONE IN GENERAL AND OUR TEAM TRY TO HELP WITH APPLICATIONS IF WE CAN, BUT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO LEARN TO NAVIGATE WHATEVER THE APPLICATION MIGHT BE, AND WE CONNECTED HIM TO THE SENIOR CENTER.
HE WAS REALLY EXCITED. I'M GOING TO START, THERE'S A CLASS ON THIS DAY, SO HE WAS EXCITED TO GET CONNECTED AND START TAKING THOSE CLASSES TO LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE TECHNOLOGY. AND LASTLY, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE LIBBY APP AND KANOPY, MY TEAM RELIES ON THAT A LOT AND ENJOY USING IT. AND IN REGARDS TO THE AUDIO BOOKS, THERE WAS ONE BOOK THAT I WANTED TO CHECK OUT, AND THERE WAS, LIKE, 162 PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE FOR ONE AUDIO BOOK, AND I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
SO IT'S JUST INTERESTING TO SEE HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE CHECKING OUT BOOKS AND PUTTING BOOKS ON HOLD. AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO
MY COLLEAGUES FOR DISCUSSION. >> GAVITO: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION, AND THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN CASTILLO FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE LOSS OF THE PROGRAM. I THINK IT'LL REALLY NEGATIVELY IMPACT SAN ANTONIOIANS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WERE SIGNING UP PEOPLE LEFT AND RIGHT FOR THAT. BECAUSE I DEFINITELY THINK AFFORDABILITY IS WHAT'S KEEPING MOST PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE INTERNET. ON THAT, REALLY QUICK, I WANTED TO MENTION ABOUT HOTSPOTS. SO BIBLE LOW TECH WAS DOING HOTSPOTS.
IT WASN'T VERY SUCCESSFUL, PARTLY BECAUSE THEY WOULD LEND OUT THE HOTSPOTS, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE TECHNICAL ISSUES WITH THEM, AND THEN THEY'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO UPGRADE AND STUFF.
AND SO LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THE TRACKING AND THE MONITORING OF WHO HAS IT WASN'T A PROBLEM, BUT I THINK THEY HAD A PARTNERSHIP WITH VERIZON, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT THEY HAD SO MANY TECHNICAL CHALLENGES WITH GETTING PEOPLE TO EFFECTIVELY USE THEM IN THEIR HOME, WHICH WAS FRUSTRATING, YOU KNOW, AND ESPECIALLY WITH BIBLOTECH HAVING TO SERVE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY, THE LAST THING YOU NEED AND I REMEMBER ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS, AND I WANT TO GET A CLARIFICATION ON THIS WAS THE LIBRARY WIFI WOULD TIME OUT AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, 30 MINUTES OR AN HOUR.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S STILL THE CASE. I'M ASKING.
>> I HAVEN'T HAD THAT EXPERIENCE RECENTLY. I KNOW IT WAS TIMING OUT INTENTIONALLY THE WAY ITSD HAD SET IT UP, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT
SHOULDN'T BE. WE WILL DEFINITELY -- >> GAVITO: YEAH.
>> ADAM WORKS CLOSELY WITH ITSD, WE'LL LOOP BACK TO THEM AND VERIFY.
IF WHAT I'M TELLING IS NOT CORRECT, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THE COMMITTEE. BUT I BELIEVE IT DOESN'T TIME OUT ANYMORE BECAUSE -- AND, NOT TO INTERRUPT BUT MAYBE TO SAY SOMETHING SIMILAR.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE INTERVIEWING FOR A JOB OR FILLING OUT AN APPLICATION OR USING THE INTERNET FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN FUN, WHICH PEOPLE HAVE TO, AND FRANKLY, IF YOU'RE JUST HAVING FUN OR IF YOU'RE CHATTING WITH YOUR GRANDMA ON, YOU KNOW, FACEBOOK MESSENGER, YOU
DON'T WANT YOUR CONNECTION TO JUST END. >> GAVITO: AND THAT WAS EXACTLY IT. WE WERE -- WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH SA DIGITAL CONNECTS, WE HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO SAYING I WAS DOING A COLLEGE INTERVIEW IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE LIBRARY, AND IT TIMED OUT ON ME, WHICH IS SO FRUSTRATING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY NERVE RACKING TO DO AN INTERVIEW AND THEN
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HAVING IT TIME OUT. SO IF YOU DON'T MIND GETTING BACK TO ME, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN -- IF THE PARAMETER IS STILL THERE HOW WE CAN TAKE THAT OFF THE OTHER THING I HAD WAS ABOUT -- ALSO TAGGING ON TO WHAT YOU WERE SAYING, CHAIRWOMAN CASTILLO IS TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE TAL CLASSES.THAT'S A HUGE HURDLE. I KNOW IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ONE OF YA'LL'S TOP ROLES, BUT WHAT ARE THE EFFORTS BEING DONE AROUND DIGITAL LITERACY.
>> SO WE'VE TRIED SOME THINGS WITH DIGITAL LITERACY, HAD A COUPLE OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH GOOGLE, A COUPLE OF GOOGLE FELLOWSHIPS WHERE WE DEVELOPED TRAINING MATERIALS AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME OF YOU -- WELL, I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD A PROGRAM THAT YOU TOOK SIX CLASSES AND THEN ENDED UP WITH A REFURBISHED DEVICE THAT YOU GOT THROUGH THE FOOD BANK, ACTUALLY. SO WE'VE DONE A FEW THINGS LIKE THAT. WHAT WE'RE FINDING NOW IS THAT MORE WHAT PEOPLE NEED, MAYBE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH YOUR OFFICES IS THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL NEEDS WHAT THEY NEED, AND IT REALLY ISN'T NECESSARILY A THING THAT 20 PEOPLE NEED AT
THE SAME TIME. >> GAVITO: RIGHT. >> I KNOW I FIND EVEN WITH MY OWN SELF, AND I'VE BEEN USING THE INTERNET SINCE IT FIRST EXISTED IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN THE LATE 80S, EARLY 90S, I STILL FIND THAT I'M FINE COASTING ALONG AND THEN NOW I NEED SOMETHING NEW, SO I SEEK OUT TO LEARN THAT THING THAT I NEED.
SO WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT WE'RE DOING A LOT MORE 1-ON-1, HELPING SOMEBODY 1-ON-1 AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE ALSO DO PARTNER WITH THE SENIOR CENTERS SOMETIMES TO GIVE THEM SOME TECHNICAL INFORMATION THEY MAY NOT HAVE OR TO DO SOMETHING -- A PROGRAM TOGETHER TO KIND OF LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU CAN COME TO THE LIBRARY OR CALL THE LIBRARY AND WE CAN HELP YOU.
WE DO HAVE A CHAT FEATURE AS WELL, AND INTERESTINGLY, SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE CHATTING WITH THE LIBRARIAN, LIKE A DIGITAL MESSAGE, ABOUT THEIR TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM I THINK BECAUSE IT'S JUST UNANIMOUS, SO IT'S NOT EMBARRASSING IN ANY WAY, HOW DO I NOT KNOW
THIS. >> GAVITO: YEAH. >> AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK ABOUT LOT. MY MOM IS 84, STILL WORKING FULL TIME. SHE RUNS INTO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS, AND SHE DOESN'T MIND CALLING ME, BUT SHE WON'T ASK ANYONE ELSE.
SO I THINK ABOUT HER WHEN I THINK ABOUT OUR CUSTOMERS WHO, LIKE, SHE'S A FULL TIME TEACHER, VERY COMPETENT, BUT WHEN YOU RUN INTO SOMETHING DIGITAL, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE EMBARRASSED THEY
DON'T KNOW. >> GAVITO: YOU'RE RIGHT. AND I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, AND IT'S& NOT ALWAYS NECESSARILY IN A GROUP SETTING, AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER RESOURCES IN SAN ANTONIO, SUCH AS GOODWILL AND OTHERS WHO DO DIGITAL LITERACY CLASSES, BUT I THINK MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND UNDERSTANDING THEIR BASE KNOWLEDGE AND MOVING UP WILL BE HELPFUL.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS MY TEAM AND I -- SORRY -- ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS MY TEAM AND I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT AND PUTTING ON THE BACK BURNER IS A PLACE THAT OUR SENIOR CITIZENS CAN GO TO IF THEY GOT HACKED. A LOT OF PEOPLE, OLDER ADULTS ARE GETTING HACKED. THEY'LL TURN TO THE POLICE, THE POLICE ARE NO HELP. THEY TURN TO CREDIT CARDS, NO HELP.
AND THEY'RE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE. SO I WAS REMINDED BECAUSE DURING THE ELECTION I PICKED UP A RESIDENT TO TAKE HER TO THE ELECTION SITE, AND SHE WAS TELLING ME, SHE'S GETTING THREATENED TWO TIMES A DAY. THESE HACKERS ARE CALLING HER, CAN'T USE HER COMPUTER, AND THEREFORE SHE'S ISOLATED FROM HER FAMILY AND COMMUNITY GROUP, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE TALKED TO UTSA ABOUT CURRENTLY ON JUST A SAFE SPACE FOR SENIORS TO GO TO IF THEY'VE BEEN HACKED BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN PING-PONGED AROUND EVERYWHERE, NOT BEING HELPED. AND JUST AN IDEA WE'RE TOYING AROUND WITH.
AND I'M WONDERING. >> SURE. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE COULD ■EXPLORE WITH ITSD, I KNOW YEARS AGO WHEN I WORKED FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS YEARS AGO WE DID SOMETHING WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE BANK ON AVOIDING SCAMS, AND I COULD SEE US DOING SOMETHING LIKE THAT, EITHER PROGRAMS -- BUT OF COURSE NOBODY THINKS THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE VICTIM OF A SCAM; RIGHT? OR APHELI A FLIER. BECAUSE -- LIKE YOU SAID, THE FEDERAL RESERVE HAD A GOOD IF YOU'RE A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT, START HERE, AND I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW WHERE TO
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START AND WHAT TO SAY. >> GAVITO: RIGHT. >> BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE USE LANGUAGE THAT THE PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE WAS A CRIME, WHEREAS IF YOU SAID IT DIFFERENTLY, IT IS, SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING WE COULD EXPLORE WITH THOSE DEPARTMENTS.
>> GAVITO: YEAH, AND WE COULD FOLLOW UP. AGAIN, I HAD PRELIMINARY CONVERSATIONS WITH UTSA AS WELL, AND THIS WAS MAYBE 2 MONTHS AGO.
BUT I FILLED OUT OUR SENIOR CITIZENS, AND I WAS LISTENING TO A PODCAST THE OTHER DAY, YOU WOULD THINK IT'S THE OLDER ADULTS THAT ARE GETTING HACKED, IT WAS NOT, IT WAS 30 TO 50-YEAR-OLDS, WHICH I THOUGHT W WAS AALARMING, BUT I DO FEEL THERE NEEDS TO BE A PLACE OF, HEY, I WAS HACKED, WHAT DO I DO, AGAIN, I HATE TO TIE UP POLICE RESOURCES WITH IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT THEIR EXPERTISE, NOT NECESSARILY LIKE A UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICER, AND THEN THEY'RE SPENDING A LOT OF BANDWIDTHTH JUST GETTING PING-PONGED AROUND.
>> YEAH. AND A LOT OF TIMES THERE WASN'T A CRIME WHERE THE LOCAL POLICE DON'T HAVE JURISDICTION. IT'S EITHER TWO THINGS, EITHER THERE WAS NO CRIME OR NO JURISDICTION. SO, YEAH, IT'S DEFINITELY
SOMETHING WE CAN EXPLORE. >> GAVITO: YEAH. DON'T MEAN TO TAKE US ON
A TANGENT. >> NO. I THINK IT'S COMPLETELY RELEVANT. AND WE'VE DONE THINGS BEFORE DEWE HAD A GRANT ON NEWS NO-HOW THAT WAS FOR TEAMS TO ASSESS WHEN PEOPLE ARE GIVING YOU INFORMATION, HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S ACCURATE OR NOT.
>> GAVITO: SURE. >> BECAUSE THE IDEAL THING IS TO NOT BE A VICTIM OF THE HACKER SCAM, AND SO I THINK SETTING THE STAGE OF HOW DO YOU AVOID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE I THINK WOULD BE GOOD AND THEN
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE. >> GAVITO: YES.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> CASTILLO: COUNCIL WOMAN GARCIA.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO DALE AND ADAM FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY. AND IN A LITTLE BIT WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION ON DAO, BUT I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TALK MORE ABOUT HOW THE DIGITAL LIBRARY IS BEING MADE ACCESSIBLE INCLUSIVE TO RESIDENTS.
>> YEAH. SO ONE THING I MENTIONED, ONE IS WE TRY TO BUY MATERIAL IN SPANISH, ANOTHER IS THAT THE MOVIES GENERALLY HAVE CLOSED CAPTIONING AVAILABLE. I DON'T THINK HAVE MANY OF THEM HAVE THE NARRATED -- THE NARRATED FILM FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ESSENTIALLY -- WHO ARE VERY LOW VISION OR BLIND, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD LOOK INTO. THE VERY NATURE OF E-BOOKS MAKES THEM PARTICULARLY USEFUL TO PEOPLE WITH LOW VISION BECAUSE YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR OWN READER, THE CONTENT IS NEUTRAL TO THE READER. SO YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR OWN READER, WHATEVER SIZE, YOU CAN GET THE LARGE-SIZED TABLET, AND THEN JUST WITH YOUR FINGERS, MAKE THE PRINT AS BIG AS YOU WANT. MOST OF THEM YOU CAN ALSO, USING YOUR READER, CHANGE THE CONTRAST TO WHITE ON BLACK, BLACK ON WHITE, WHATEVER IS EASIEST FOR YOU. SO WHEN I THINK BACK, WE WERE JUST REFLECTING BACK TO THE DAYS OF THE ELECTRONIC READERS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND THAT WERE THE SIZE OF A WASHING MACHINE.
WHEN YOU THINK WHAT TECHNOLOGY HAS DONE SINCE THEN AND HOW ELECTRONIC BOOKS AND MATERIALS, ELECTRONIC MAGAZINES GIVE PEOPLE BACK THE ABILITY -- GIVE IT TO THEM REALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ABILITY TO DECIDE ON THE SIZE OF THE PRINT, THE CONTRAST AND SO ON.
IT REALLY DOES ENORMOUSLY HELP THAT COMMUNITY HAVE ACCESS TO PRINT MATERIALS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, AS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE E-AUDIO, THOSE E-AUDIO BOOKS -- OF COURSE IF YOU CAN'T OR DON'T WANT TO READ, AND THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS PEOPLE CAN'T PHYSICALLY READ, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, IT'S RELATED TO VISION, MUSCLE, SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T HOLD SOMETHING. SOMETIMES IT'S A TEMPORARY VISION -- ISSUE WITH YOUR VISION, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE BOOK, AND NOW WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO SPEED UP THE TIME SO YOU'RE NOT HEARING THE ONE WORD AT A TIME THAT THE ELECTRONIC READERS USED TO HAVE, THE VOICES SOUND A LOT MORE NATURAL NOW.
SO I THINK THOSE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS -- SOMETHING WE'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT, AND WE ARE ALWAYS IN CONVERSATION ALSO WITH DEBORA AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GOING FORWARD.
I MEAN, I KNOW I -- FROM WORKING WITH MANY PEOPLE WITH LOW VISION OR WHO ARE BLIND, COMPUTERS OFFERED SO MANY POSITIVE THINGS; RIGHT? IN THE EARLY INTERNET, I'M TALKING BEFORE THE WORLDWIDE WEB, IT WAS JUST AN EXPLOSION OF INFORMATION. AND THEN HERE CAME THE WORLDWIDE WEB, AND IT JUST TOOK ALL OF THAT AWAY.
SO WHAT HAD JUST BEEN -- WHAT HAD JUST BEEN GIVEN TO THIS COMMUNITY WAS
[00:30:03]
ALL REMOVED WITH THE GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE THAT WE ALL THOUGHT WAS SO PRETTY, AND IF YOU COULDN'T READ IT, IT JUST SUDDENLY REMOVED YOUR ACCESS AGAIN. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN, THAT WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH ACCESSIBILITY AND DON'T GO BACKWARDS EVER AGAIN, NOT THAT WE HAD ANY BIG CONTROL OVER GRAPHICUSER INTERFACE, BUT IF WE COULD HAVE. >> GARCIA: WELL, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. AND I THINK THAT -- LIKE MY COLLEAGUES MENTIONED EARLIER, I THINK WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T VERY, VERY TECHNOLOGY SAVVY, OR YOU KNOW THAT TECHNOLOGY CHANGES ALL OF THE TIME.
SO THAT ENCOURAGING -- I FEEL LIKE THE LIBRARY IS THE PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GO TO LEARN. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL WITH ANY EFFORTS YOU CAN DO THERE. AND THEN ALSO, HOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR CURRENT APPS? LIKE, HOW WOULD SOMEONE KNOW TO GO DOWN LOAD
LIBBY. >> SO WE USUALLY HAVE SOMETHING POSTED IN THE LIBRARY, PHYSICALLY BECAUSE OF COURSE THAT'S -- WHEE FIRST LEARNING ABOUT IT, TO SEE SOMETHING PHYSICALLY IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT IT. WE'RE OF COURSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SO WE WANT PEOPLE ALREADY ON THE INTERNET TO BE ABLE TO RUN INTO IT.
OUR LIBRARIANS I THINK PROBABLY -- ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY THAT THE LIBRARIANS AND THE OTHER STAFF, YOU KNOW, TALK TO PATRONS ABOUT IT. ALSO, THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDES THE CONTENT ON LIBBY, THEY DO SOME NATIONAL ADVERTISING AS WELL.
I KNOW EVERY NOW AND THEN I'LL BE LISTENING TO A PODCAST AND THERE'S AN AD FOR LIBBY DIRECTING PEOPLE TO TALK TO THE LOCAL LIBRARY TO SEE IF THEY HAVE IT. OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO GET SALES FOR THEIR OWN COMPANY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT LETS PEOPLE KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THEIR
LOCAL LIBRARY MIGHT HAVE. >> GARCIA: HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DOWNLOADED THE APP COMPARED TO THE LIBRARY CARD. WHAT PERCENTAGE.
>> I DON'T KNOW. WE CAN FIND OUT. >> GARCIA: SOCIAL MEDIA, YA'LL DO A GREAT JOB. DURING THE BARBIE MOVIE, YOU HAD KEN TALK ABOUT HIS LIBRARY CARD. I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE CUTEST THING.
BUT THEN ALSO WHAT ABOUT PRINTING. SO CAN SOMEBODY FROM ONE OF THE APPS RIGHT NOW SEND TO A PRINTER AND THEN JUST PAY AND PICK UP? OR OVER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PAGES?
OR HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WOULD WORK. >> SO WE DO HAVE -- I'M GOING TO STEP BACK ONE STEP AND SAY IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A REGULAR PHOTO COPY, YOU CAN STILL DO THAT, LET'S KEEP THAT IN MIND.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO PRINT FROM SOMETHING ELECTRONIC OR MAYBE YOU WROTE A LETTER OR YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT PART OF A BOOK AND PRINT THOSE PAGES AND RECIPES, CERTAINLY I THINK IS A PLACE WHERE THAT COMES UP. YOU CAN HIGHLIGHT IT, CHOOSE IT.
ON OUR WEBSITE, YOU JUST LOG IN WITH YOUR LOG-IN INFORMATION, AND YOU CAN JUST GO TO OUR PRINT SERVICE, SORT OF LIKE PRINTING AT FEDEX, EXCEPT I WILL SAY IT'S SO EASY THAT SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING. IT'S JUST SO EASY, SO SIMPLE.
AND THEN YOU JUST PRINT. YOU CAN PAY RIGHT THEN IF YOU CHOOSE.
AND THEN YOU JUST KIND OF -- YOU LOG RIGHT IN TO THE PRINTER, AND OUT
COME YOUR PRINTS. >> GARCIA: AWESOME. >> SO EASY.
>> GARCIA: I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THAT. I KNOW WE HAVE A FREQUENT FLYER COMING TO CITY COUNCIL EVERY WEEK ITH LOTS OF PAGES PRINTED OUT, SO I WAS WONDERING IF HE HAD THE APP.
IT WAS INTERESTING. BUT I LOVE STEPPING INTO LIBRARIES, BUT I ALSO APPRECIATE TECHNOLOGY; RIGHT? AND IF I'M IN A HURRY, I ALWAYS USE DOUBLE SPEED ON THE AUDIO SO I CAN GET THROUGH THINGS FASTER. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK,
AND THANK YOU CHAIRWOMAN. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, COUNCIL WOMAN. AND ON INSTAGRAM. MEGAN THE STALLION REMIX FOR SMARTY. THAT WAS GREAT. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? GREAT.
THANK YOU, ADAM AND DALE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THOSE QUESTIONS. >> CASTILLO: WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 3. BRIEFING BY THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE ON CITY ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES WITH AN OVERVIEW OF INITIATIVES AND THE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN CITY DEPARTMENTS, THE DAO AND THE DISABILITY ACCESS COMMITTEE PRESENTED BY DR. MATA.
>> MATA: GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCILMEMBERS. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY. AS YOU NOTED MY NAME IS JENNIFER MATA. I SERVE AS A DIRECTOR OF DIA. DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY. THE OFFICE IS -- THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE SUPPORTS DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES FOCUSED ON REMOVING BARRIERS AND REDUCING DISPARITIES EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES. THE CITY COUNCIL ESTABLISHED THE CITY --
[00:35:03]
THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE IN 1978 AND THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OR THE DACC, IN 1979. BOTH EFFORTS CREATED TO PROVIDE ACCESSIBLE SERVICES AND FACILITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE UTILIZES A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT MERGES EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCES TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.I'LL NOW INTRODUCE DEBORAH, ACCESSIBILITY MANAGER, SHE'LL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF CITY ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES AND THE WORKING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CITY DEPARTMENTS, THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE, AND THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THE PRESENTATION WILL HIGHLIGHT PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES WITH PUBLIC WORKS, PARKS AND RECREATION, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, AND AVIATION. DEBBIE.
>> HI. THANK YOU. AND GOOD AFTERNOON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE.
SO ONE OF THE PARTS OF MY ROLE AS THE MANAGER OF THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE IS TO SERVE AS THE CITY'S ADA, 504, 508, FILL IN THE BLANK LEGISLATION COORDINATOR THAT DEALS WITH ACCESSIBILITY. AND PART OF THAT IS TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN BUILD INCLUSIVE DESIGN ACROSS ALL PROGRAM SERVICES, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, WHETHER PHYSICAL OR DIGITAL. AND BEFORE WE HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THESE PROJECTS WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, I WANTED TO REMIND YOU WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS OF INCLUSIVE DESIGN, AND IT STARTS WITH DESIGN STANDARDS.
THIS IS THE COMPLIANCE, THESE ARE THOSE -- HOW DO YOU BUILD THEM, HOW DO WE MEET THE FLOOR. HOW DO YOU BUILD THE FOUNDATION.
AND THEN YOU ADD THESE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND GOALS. AND THIS ALLOWS THE FLEXIBILITY TO MEET THE RESIDENTS' NEEDS TO WHERE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE DESIGN WE'RE CREATING IS BUILT FOR ALL ABILITIES WITHOUT THE NEED FOR ADAPTATION OR ACCOMMODATIONS. AND OF COURSE YOU COULD NOT DO ANY OF THIS WITHOUT CENTERING THAT DISABILITY EXPERIENCE. WHERE ARE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS' NEEDS AND HOW COULD WE BEST MEET THEM THROUGH THOSE DESIGN CONVERSATIONS? SO WE DO THIS IN PART BECAUSE OF THE STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE CITY COMMITTEES, AND THE DISABILITY ACCESS OFFICE. AND THIS PARTNERSHIP HELPS US AS A CITY FOSTER AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE INCLUSIVE DESIGN BECOMES THE NORM AND NOT THE EXCEPTION.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO SPOTLIGHT A COUPLE OF DEPARTMENTS AND THEIR PROCESSES AND PROJECTS TO REALLY HELP YOU UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE WAYS THAT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS DOING SOME OF THE GOOD WORK IT'S DOING. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND SIDEWALKS, AND IT REALLY STARTS WITH A LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT TO FOCUS ON ENHANCING THE ACCESSIBILITY, USABILITY, AND CONNECTIVITY OF OUR SIDEWALK NETWORK, AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SO LONG WITH PUBLIC WORKS THAT IT'S ALMOST HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER A DECADE, AND BUILDING THESE INTERNAL PROCESSES ON HOW WE'RE INCORPORATING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE DACC MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIPS AND HOW WE INCORPORATE THAT AND BUILD THAT INTO THE COMMUNITY DESIGNS WE BUILD IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY. SO WHAT WE DO IS TAKE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WHETHER THROUGH THE PROJECT MANAGERS, THE DACC CONVERSATIONS.
THE OFFICE THEN LOOKS AT THIS TO SEE IF THERE'S CONFLICTS WITH DESIGN STANDARDS, THE TECHNICAL PIECE OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT AND WE HOPE THROUGH THE PROCESS AND CONVERSATION EDUCATE THEM ABOUT THAT, AND THEN HOW DO WE REALLY BUILD THOSE UNIVERSALLY DESIGNS IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES THAT PUBLIC WORKS DOES THAT'S SO BAKED IN IS AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS. WE'VE HAD THIS IN PUBLIC WORKS FOR MANY YEARS WHERE ANY NEW CONSTRUCTION AND ALTERED TRAFFIC LIGHT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVES AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS OR AN UPGRADE.
WE ENHANCED THAT THROUGH THE IMP PROGRAM THROUGH THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD THROUGH THE CAPITAL PROJECT SIDE, AND WE USED IT TO INCREASE THE CONNECTIVITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THIS IS WHERE WE GO TO OUR DACC MEMBERSHIP AND THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE LIGHTHOUSE AND -- SO SORRY.
VIBRANT WORKS. STILL WORKING ON THE UPDATE TO THEIR NAME -- TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE WOULD THE AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS BEST BE LOCATED INSIDE THE COMMUNITY TO BEST SERVE THEIR NEEDS. SO OUR NEXT HIGHLIGHT WOULD
[00:40:02]
REALLY BE THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE WITH THE PARKS AND RECREATION, PARTICULARLY WITH THE FACILITIES AND AMENITIES. AGAIN, A LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT AND DECISION THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STAFF TO FOCUS ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN ACROSS THEIR PROJECTS.AND SO ONE OF THE BEST PRACTICES THAT PARKS AND RECREATION HAS IS THEIR PLANNING. AND WHILE WE KNOW THAT PLANNING SOMETIMES IS A LONG PROCESS, IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL AND NECESSARY FOR THE ACCESSIBILITY AND USABILITY FOR ALL OF THE AMENITIES WITHIN PARKS AND RECREATION.
SO THEY'VE BEEN WORKING TO DO DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS, SO THEY'VE WORKED WITH KABOOM, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT TO DO PLAYGROUND ASSESSMENTS, SPECIFICALLY FOR ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVITY. THEY DID ABOUT 68 ASSESSMENTS, AND THEY'LL BE CURRENTLY WORKING ON A SOLICITATION FOR ASSESSING PARKS, NATURE AREAS, TRAILS, AND OTHER RECREATION CENTERS AND AMENITIES SUCH AS POOLS WHERE A DACC MEMBER WILL BE PART OF THAT PANEL. AND SO THIS IS HOW WE'RE NOT ONLY INCLUDING THE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT REALLY INCORPORATING THE MEMBERSHIP OF DACC INTO THIS PROCESS. SAN ANTONIO.GOV AND OUR WORK WITH ITSD AMONG OTHERS, C AND E, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS A PART OF THIS PROCESS.
BUT SAN ANTONIO.GOV REALLY STARTED WITH A CONVERSATION WITH THE DISABILITY ACCESS COMMITTEE, AND IT WENT TO ITSD WHERE LEADERSHIP, AGAIN, CREATED THAT FOCUS TO WORK ON CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THE BEST PRACTICE THAT SA.GOV HAS IS REALLY HOW THROUGHOUT THIS WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT USER TESTING WAS PART OF THE PROCESS.
AND SO THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT GREEK LETTER IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, USERS WITH DISABILITIES WERE INCORPORATED INTO THIS PROCESS, GAVE FEEDBACK, AND EVEN AS THOSE CONVERSATIONS WERE HAPPENING ABOUT THE WEBSITE DESIGN AND USABILITY, IT REALLY DID ACTUALLY INFLUENCE SOME OF THE DISABILITY ACCESSIBILITY TRAINING AND RESOURCES THAT OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN DEVELOPING AND WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE COMING YEARS.
AND THEN OUR LAST PROJECT WE WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE NEW TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WITH THE AIRPORT. AGAIN, LET'S SEE THE PATTERN.
WE HAVE A COMMITMENT BY LEADERSHIP THAT ACCESSIBILITY, USABILITY, UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS AT THE HEART OF EVERY PROJECT, AND FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE AT THE AIRPORT, THE NEW TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE INCORPORATING NOT ONLY CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE BUT ALSO WITH DISABILITY -- LIVED EXPERIENCE DISABILITY FOCUS GROUPS, WHICH WILL THEN FEED INTO TECHNICAL WORKING GROUPS, AND THEN THAT IS ALL GOING TO FEED INTO THE OVERALL DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS. AND SO IT BECOMES A VERY STREAMLINED PROCESS ON HOW WE GET THE INPUT OF THAT AND CENTER THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO WHAT COMES OUT AND WHAT IS BUILT IN THE NEW TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT.
THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT WITH THE AIRPORT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IS THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST LOOKING AT THIS AS AN AIRPORT THAT SAN ANTONIO NEEDS, WHAT DO OUR RESIDENTS NEED, BUT HOW COULD THEY BE THE MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD. LET ME SAY THAT, NOT THE COUNTRY, NOT THE STATE, BUT THE WORLD. AND I THINK THAT ASPIRATIONAL GOAL FROM THE AIRPORT REALLY DOES SHOW HOW THIS PARTNERSHIP IS REALLY MOVING US FORWARD. SO THEY'RE LOOKING AT HOW THEY CAN BECOME ACCREDITED WITH THE AIRPORT COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL FOR THEIR ACCESSIBILITY ENHANCEMENT ACCREDITATION PROGRAM. WE WOULD BE THE THIRD IN THE COUNTRY, AND SO WITH ALL OF THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE WORKING GROUPS AND THE FOCUS GROUPS, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS TERMINAL IS REALLY GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT FOR GENERATIONS. I THINK IT'LL BE REALLY SETTING UP THE STANDARD.
AND SO THAT, IN A NUTSHELL, ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTED ACCESSIBILITY PROJECTS THAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON. AND HOPEFULLY THAT SHOWS YOU THE STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARTICULARLY THE DACC, OUR OFFICE, AND OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND LEADERSHIP BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT PARTNERSHIP WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FOSTER THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW AND ARE CONTINUING TO GROW WHERE, AGAIN, INCLUSIVE DESIGN IS THE NORM, NOT THE EXCEPTION. SO I'M READY FOR QUESTIONS WHENEVER YOU ARE.
[00:45:01]
>> THANK YOU DEBORAH AND DR. MATA FOR THE PRESENTATION.
A WHILE BACK -- AND I SHARED THIS WITH YOU, DEBORAH. I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A CONSTITUENT MATTHEW, AND HE WAS SHARING HIS EXPERIENCE OF GOING TO HOUSTON AND THE LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS, AND I UNDERSTAND WE CAN'T CONTROL PRIVATE PLACES LIKE HOTELS, RIGHT, NOT HAVING ACCESSIBLE ROOMS DESPITE YOU RESERVING THAT ACCESSIBLE ROOM, BUT THE EXPERIENCE OF GOING TO A PUBLIC FACILITY LIKE THE ALAMO DOME, AND HE SHARED HE KNOWS HOW AND WHERE TO TAKE THE ACCESSIBLE ROUTE TO GET IN AND OUT, BUT A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS DON'T KNOW THAT. AND HE WANTS TO ENSURE AND WOULD LIKE FOR THE CITY TO COME UP WITH A WAY FINDING PILOT PROGRAM AROUND CITY FACILITIES THAT DESIGNATE WHERE HAS THE ACCESSIBLE ROUTE IN AND OUT OF THE ALAMO DOME, FOR EXAMPLE. THAT WAY, ONE, IT'S ACCESSIBLE BUT IT ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBER BECAUSE WHAT HE SHARED THAT WHILE HE WAS TAKING THE TRIP TO HOUSTON, BOOKED THE HOTEL, HE LEFT BECAUSE IT WASN'T ACCESSIBLE AND HE WAS TAKING ON SO MUCH, AND IT JUST WASN'T ACCESSIBLE SO HE CAME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO. AND WHEN I THINK OF FOLKS COMING TO VISIT US, RIGHT, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THEY STAY HERE AND THEY DON'T FEEL WE'RE NOT ACCESSIBLE AND HAVE TO GO BACK HOME. WE WANT THEM TO STAY HERE AND SPEND THEIR MONEY HERE.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING -- I HOPE THAT WE CAN EXPLORE ON WHAT THAT WAY-FINDING CAN LOOK LIKE, PARTICULARLY AROUND VENUES LIKE THE ALAMO DOME SO FAMILIES KNOW WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO PARK TO GET TO THAT RAMP AND THEN TO GET TO THE ELEVATOR THAT'S ACCESSIBLE. I WANTED TO THANK YOU AND THE CITY DEPARTMENTS FOR THE WORK THAT YOU ALL CONTINUE TO DO ON ACCESSIBILITY AS WELL AS THE SHOUTOUT TO DR. GARCIA ON THE HOUSING TRUST.
WE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE STANDARDS AND HOW WE CAN ADOPT THEM TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECTS WE APPROVE ARE 100% ACCESSIBLE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND LEADERSHIP ON THAT. I'LL OPEN IT UP TO COUNCILMEMBERS FOR
DISCUSSION. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'M HAPPY WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION, AND IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU ALL USE THE DEPARTMENTS THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT NOT THINK ABOUT, LIKE PUBLIC WORKS, WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MADE.
AND I'M HAPPY TO ALSO SEE THE WORK WITH AVIATION.
I THINK THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO WHEN ( INDISCERNIBLE ) WAS PRESENTING, I ASKED ABOUT ROOM FOR CHILDREN WHO NEED IT, AND THE LAST TIME I CHECKED, THEY SAID WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THROUGH GORDON HEARTMAN'S WORK, WE HAVE A HOTEL THAT WILL BE COMING TO SAN ANTONIO, AND SO I FEEL LIKE SAN ANTONIO IS A SHOWCASE FOR INCLUSIVITY. SO I'M VERY EXCITED WITH THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE. AND THEN ALSO, YES, THANK YOU TO THE HOUSING TRST FOR HELP FOR MAKING SURE WE HAVE THAT AT THE FOREFRONT, AND I KNOW THAT YOUR COMMITTEE WAS INSTRUMENTAL.
SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE'RE GETTING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES OF DIFFERENT DISABILITIES AND BEING AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE FROM PEOPLE FROM
DIFFERENT LIVED EXPERIENCES? >> SO PART OF THE CONVERSATION IS HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE COST REPRESENTATION FROM THE DISABILITY COMMUNITIES, AND I THINK THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WORD THAT I'M USING, COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES AND NEEDS. SO DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT, WHAT WE DO IS WE KIND OF HAVE A MASTER STAKEHOLDER LIST WITHIN OUR OFFICE, AND THIS INCLUDES NOT ONLY LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, BUT ALSO INDIVIDUAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT HAVE SAID IF YOU'RE WORKING ON THIS TYPE OF PROJECT, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LOOP ME IN. AND SO AS DIFFERENT PROJECTS ARE BEING DEVELOPED, WE WILL FEED THOSE STAKEHOLDER LISTS THAT HAVE THOSE CONNECTIONS BASED ON THE TYPE OF PROJECT TO THE PROJECT MANAGER, THE PROJECT TEAM. AND FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE NEW TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT, THAT DISABILITY FOCUS GROUP IS GOING TO NOT ONLY INCLUDE DAAC MEMBERS, BUT IT'LL BE INCLUDING SOME OF THE CURATED STAKEHOLDER LIST THAT WE KNOW OF THAT VERY SPECIFICALLY SAID IF YOU'RE WORKING ON AVIATION, LOOP ME IN, AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST WAYS THAT WE DO THIS. THE OTHER PART IS HOW ARE WE CREATING THOSE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS.
AND MAYBE YOU HAVEN'T HAD THAT DISCUSSION WITH MY OFFICE, YOU DON'T KNOW TO BE ON A MASTER STAKEHOLDER LIST, THAT'S WHEN WE WORK WITH THE PROJECT TEAMS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS ON HOW THEY COULD BE MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE
DURING THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
[00:50:02]
WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL I REMEMBER WE APPOINTED THE FIRST PERSON WITH A DISABILITY TO THE RIVER WALK ADVISORY COUNCIL, FOR INSTANCE, AND SO WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT THE GENTLEMAN WANTED TO STEP UP AND REALLY BE AN ADVOCATE. AND THEN WHEN WE APPOINTED THE VIA TRUSTEES LAST GO-AROUND, I PUSHED TO HAVE THE FIRST LEGALLY BLIND TRUSTEE APPOINTED, AND AT THE TIME SOME PEOPLE WERE REALLY UPSET BECAUSE THEY WERE PUSHING FOR ANOTHER CANDIDATE, AND THEY'RE DOING AN INCREDIBLE JOB RIGHT NOW, AND SHE'S DONE WONDERS, AND I THINK WE'RE SETTING THE BAR HIGH.SO I'LL ASK MY QUESTION ABOUT VIA. RECENTLY THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE NAVALENCE QC CODE. BUT APPARENTLY AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE APP OPEN AND YOU'RE WITHIN 50 FEET, IT WORKS.
WHICH I APPRECIATE THAT. DO YOU KNOW OR ARE YOU ON TOP OF HOW MANY OF THOSE HAVE BEEN INSTALLED PER PROJECT PER DISTRICT BECAUSE I THINK THAT YOU ALSO LOOK OR YOU MONITOR TO MAKE SURE THESE INCLUSIVE PRACTICES ARE BEING USED THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENTS, BUT WHAT ABOUT LIKE WITH A VIA, BECAUSE PEOPLE COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT BUSES ALL THE TIME. THEY THINK THAT IT'S THE CITY; RIGHT? SO HOW DO
YOU DO THAT? >> YEAH. AND SO NAVALENCE IS ONE OF THOSE HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS THAT VIA HAS COME AND SPOKE TO THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON, AND SO I'D HAVE TO GET WITH THEM TO DETERMINE KIND OF THE BREAKDOWN ON THE NUMBERS PER PROJECT PER DISTRICT, BUT IN GENERAL, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE HAVE THESE KIND OF PARTNER AGENCIES LIKE VIA IS WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEIR ADA COORDINATOR AND THEIR BOARD ON RESPONDING TO CONCERNS AND ISSUES THAT ARE COMING THROUGH THEIR INPUT PROCESS, WHETHER IT'S THEIR BOARD OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND FIGURING OUT WHERE WE NEED TO DO THAT.
THAT'S ANOTHER PROCESS WHERE PUBLIC WORKS TAKES THE LEAD WHEN YOU'RE DOING THESE PUBLIC RIGHT OF AWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT BECAUSE VIA IS AT THE TABLE WITH US. THEY'RE SITTING NEXT TO US, TALKING ABOUT IT, WE HAVE A STRONG WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEAM THAT BUILDS THE DIFFERENT BUS STOPS, AND SO WE'RE REALLY PARTNERS IN CRIME IN SOME
RESPECTS. >> GARCIA: I LOVE THAT. >> IN MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THESE ARE DONE, BUT I'LL GET WITH MARTHA OVER AT VIA TO ASK ABOUT
THAT. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU. AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS THAT YOU TOLD ME WHEN I STARTED.
ONE IN 7 PEOPLE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS A DISABILITY, AND IN DISTRICT 4, IT'S 1 IN EVERY 4, AND I THINK THAT SETS THE BAR FOR WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN NEEDING TO BE ADVOCATES FOR THE COMMUNITY WE REPRESENT AND THEN HOW ARE WE HELPING THE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE -- WE JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE LIBRARY. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FOLKS THAT MAYBE DO HAVE ACCESS BUT JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE IT, AND IT COULD BE A LOT OF OLDER ADULTS, RIGHT, WHO -- YOU KNOW, WHO NEED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP
GETTING AROUND. HOW DO WE WORK WITH THAT. >> THAT'S WHERE I'LL TURN AROUND AND SAY ALL THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH DALE AND HIS TEAM AT THE LIBRARY AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN, LIKE OAT AND OTHER DIGITAL ACCESS GROUPS, WE SUPPORT THEM WHEN THEY COME TO US AND PROVIDE THAT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND GUIDANCE IN WHAT ARE WE HEARING FROM OUR COMMUNITY? YOU KNOW WHAT -- THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD PARTNERSHIP, AND THEN HOW DO WE HELP FACILITATE THAT CONVERSATION TO HAPPEN. AND SO REALLY, THAT'S WHERE THE DAO STRENGTH, HOW DO WE HELP SOME OF THESE DEPARTMENTS, MAYBE NOT THE LIBRARY, THEY'VE GOT IT DOWN, BUT HOW DO WE HELP FACILITATE SOME NEW CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION CONVERSATIONS THAT THEY MAY NOT WORK WITH OR KNOW ABOUT.
>> GARCIA: WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. MY OTHER QUESTION IS SPECIFICALLY IN REGARDS TO THE AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNS.
DO WE HAVE A GOAL -- DO WE HAVE ENOUGH OF A BUDGET -- LIKE, I'M WONDERING HOW MANY PER DISTRICT EXIST; RIGHT? WHERE CAN WE FIND THOSE? ARE THEY IDENTIFIED TO BE PLACED AT THE MOST LIELY TRAFFICKED INTERSECTIONS. I MEAN, I CAN THINK OF A GENTLEMAN WHO RIDES DOWN RAY ELLIS ALL OF THE TIME TO GO TO THE SUPER MARKET.
SO HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE OR HOW DO YOU DO THAT? >> SO SOME OF THAT I'LL HAVE TO DOUBLE-CHECK WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND GET THE TRAFFIC TEAM TO KIND OF GET BACK WITH SPECIFIC NUMBERS BASED ON DISTRICT, BUT I COULD TELL YOU THE LAST COUNT -- I KNOW WE HAD AT LEAST 260 INTERSECTIONS PLUS THAT HAD AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIG TSIGNALS.
[00:55:04]
AND THIS IS SUCH AN INTERNAL PROCESS THAT I THINK PUBLIC WORKS FORGETS THEY DO THIS SOMETIMES BECAUSE ANY TIME A TRAFFIC SIGNAL IS UPGRADED OR INSTALLED, AN AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNAL IS THERE.SO ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LOOK AT THE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY ON THE CAPITAL SIDE, AND YOU'LL SEE WHERE AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS ARE GOING TO GO DOWN THE STREET OR BE UPGRADED, AND THEN THAT'S WHERE THE IMP PROGRAM WHERE WE HAVE -- WHERE WE TURN IN KIND OF LOCATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL AUDIBLE PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS THAT MAY GET KIND OF A LITTLE BIT SMALLER NEIGHBORHOODS OR SMALLER AREAS THAT MAY NOT BE QUITE AS WELL-TRAFFICKED BUT STILL MIGHT PRESENT THAT BARRIER FOR SOMEONE WITH LOW VISION OR BLIND, AND I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH THE TRAFFIC DIVISION TO GET THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU.
>> GARCIA: YEAH. AND ALSO HOW DO WE SPOT CHECK IF THEY'RE WORKING. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY WORK, IF THEY'RE BATTERY
OR SOLAR. >> SO IT IS KIND OF A COMPLEX MACHINE IN SOME RESPECTS, BUT THAT IS PART OF THEIR ANNUAL TRAFFIC SIGNAL REVIEW PROCESS. SO JUST LIKE THEY GO OUT AND CHECK TRAFFIC SIGNALS ON A REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE. IF THEY HAVE AN APS, THE APS IS PART OF THAT PROCESS, AND IT'S REVIEWED FOR VOLUME.
IS THE BUTTON WORKING. THE OTHER HALF OF THAT IS THEN WE RELY ON THE COMMUNITY TO REFLECT AND TELL US THROUGH THE 311 PROCESS IF THERE'S ANY CRITICAL ISSUE THAT MIGHT BE BETWEEN THOSE MAINTENANCE REVIEW CYCLES. AND SO THEY TURN INTO 311, AND THEY'RE USUALLY HANDLED AS SOON AS -- AS IMMEDIATELY AS POSSIBLE DEPENDING ON WHAT'S WRONG. WE GET A LOT OF REQUEST FOR LOW VOLUME IN HIGH TRAFFIC LOCATIONS, SO THINK, YOU KNOW, YOUR MILITARY HIGHWAYS, THEY CAN'T ALWAYS HEAR THE BUTTON, SO THAT'S A VERY QUICK FIX.
TECHNICIAN CAN DO IT ON THE SPOT. IF IT'S REALLY MORE COMPLICATED LIKE THEY REALLY HAVE TO REPLACE IT, THEN IT GOES INTO THE QUEUE AND THEY'LL REPLACE AS SOON AS THEY HAVE ACCESS.
>> GARCIA: I LOVE IT. AND MY NEXT QUESTION IS ABOUT THE WEBSITE.
I KNOW IT ALLOWS YOU TO CHANGE LANGUAGES, BUT YOU HAVE TO REGISTER IN ORDER TO DO THAT. YOU HAVE TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT. I MENTIONED THIS ABOUT YEAR AGO DURING A PRESENTATION, IT WASN'T YOUR TEAM, IT WAS SOMEBODY ELSE THAT HAD DONE IT, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT STILL HASN'T BEEN CHANGED, BUT WHEN YOU ACCESS, FOR INSTANCE, THE MAIN PAGE, THERE'S LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY, BUT WHEN YOU GO TO EXPLORE, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME ACCESSIBILITY LEVEL. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE CAREER CENTER AND OPEN GOVERNMENT PORTAL DOESN'T HAVE A PLACE TO CHANGE LANGUAGES. WHEN YOU GO TO MAKE A REPORT FOR ACS, IT'S STILL DIFFICULT. YOU HAVE TO -- AND IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DURING THE ACS CONVERSATION; RIGHT? AND I HAVEN'T GONE BACK TO LOOK AT THE APS IN PARTICULAR, BUT I NOTICE SOME USE GOOGLE, SOME DON'T. I KNOW IT'S A CONVERSION PROCESS, AND I THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE, LIKE A TWO-YEAR PERIOD OR SOMETHING, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AS MUCH ACCESSIBILITY EVERYWHERE THAT WE CAN IN TERMS OF LANGUAGE ESPECIALLY. BUT THOSE ARE ALL OF MY COMMENTS. BUT GREAT JOB. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I'LL MAKE SURE I FORWARD THAT TO THE ITSD
TEAM WORKING ON THAT PIECE. >> THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU ABOUT ASKING ABOUT THE SIDEWALK APPS BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT ON DISTRICT 7. I WANT TO FOCUS MY QUESTIONS ON THE PARKS.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE INCLUSION EFFORTS ON THE PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS.
CAN YOU TELL ME SOME MORE ABOUT THE EFFORTS TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY IN PARKS -- IN DISTRICT 7 SPECIFICALLY OR IN ALL
OF OUR DISTRICTS. >> I'D HAVE TO -- I DON'T HAVE INFORMATION SPECIFIC ON DISTRICTS TODAY, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY WORK WITH THE
PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM ON THAT. >> WE DO ALSO HAVE SOMEONE HERE FROM PARKS, LINN, WHO IS OUR ADMINISTRATOR AT PARKS.
JUST IN CASE. WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO NOT KNOW SHE'S HEAR.
>> YEAH. SO LINN SAYS SHE DOESN'T HAVE SPECIFICS PER COUNCIL DISTRICT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN COME BACK WITH.
I'LL WORK WITH LINN AND HOMER ON THAT. BUT IN GENERAL, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH PARKS AND RECREATION PART OF THIS FOCUS, IS WE DID START WITH TRAINING. AND SO WE HAD OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO DONE UNIVERSAL DESIGN TRAINING NOT ONLY PARKS AND RECREATION BUT OTHER DEPARTMENTS, NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING, AND ALL OF THESE TEAMS, SO THEY COULD UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS, WHERE ARE WE GOING, WHAT'S THE VISION WE'RE DOING? AND SO WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS ACCESSIBILITY IS HOW ARE WE BUILDING THEM INTO THE PROCESS? AND SO THE PROJECTS AND
[01:00:02]
THE PROCESSES FOR THE DESIGN PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING OUT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO PUBLIC WORKS. THEY PRESENT PUBLIC -- PARKS AND RECREATION PRESENTS TO THE DISABILITY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THEY PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS, IT FILTERS THROUGH US TO DETERMINE IF THEY'RE TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE WITH THE DESIGN STANDARDS, AND THEN HOW DO WE INCORPORATE THOSE INTO THE DESIGN PROCESS. THAT'S SOMETHING PARKS AND REQ IS DOING, I DIDN'T HIGHLIGHT IT BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING THE PLANNING COMPONENT. AND SO TO GO AND FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU ARE IS HOW YOU CAN PLAN TO FIGURE OUT HOW FAR WE GO AND IN WHAT TIME FRAME.AND THE ASSESSMENTS THEY'VE DONE IS IN SOME WAYS A CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY ON HOW YOU GET DAN MARKS AND PARK, WHICH IS THAT PICTURE RIGHT THERE. AND THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE ALL OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAPPEN AND MERGE INTO THIS PROCESS TO DO THIS UPGRADE FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES AND AMENITIES.
ALSO, AGAIN, JUST DOING STAFF TRAINING ON ADDITIONAL PROGRAM.
>> GAVITO: YEAH. I THINK THAT'D BE HELPFUL AND TO PIGGY BACK ON COUNCILWOMAN'S GARCIA'S QUESTION, SEEING THE AMOUNT OF STREETS PER DISTRICT THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE AS WELL AS THE PARKS I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR US TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND JUST KIND OF THAT LANDSCAPE, AND ALSO THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN GARCIA FOR PUSHING ABOUT THE WEBSITE BECAUSE IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WELL.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THAT -- THAT YA'LL ARE DOING TO PUSH
THIS BECAUSE THIS IS A PRIORITY. >> THANK YOU.
>> GAVITO: APPRECIATE IT. >> YEAH. AND I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT -- AGAIN, TO SPOTLIGHT AGAIN THAT THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WORKS THAT THE CITY IS DOING. THERE'S MORE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE DOING A LOT MORE GOOD WORK, JUST DIDN'T HAVE QUITE ENOUGH
TIME TODAY. >> I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION, IS THERE OPPORTUNITY OR IS THIS COORDINATION TAKING PLACE WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT, CPS, PUBLIC WORKS TO IDENTIFY NARROW SIDEWALKS THAT HAVE LIGHT POLES IN THE CENTER, AND I ASK BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD FROM CONSTITUENTS RIGHT, THAT FOR YEARS IF NOT DECADES THEY'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THEM TO BE RELOCATED AND WHAT WE DID IS PULL THE CONSTITUENT CALLS THAT HAD THAT REQUEST AND SENT THEM OVER TO CPS, AND ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS ASK, AND CPS IS RELOCATING THOSE POLES.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF WE CAN IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY, I IMAGINE, LIKE, WITHIN THE INNER CITY, THE OLDER PARTS, BUT TO SUBMIT THOSE AREAS TO C PS TO RELOCATE THOSE LIGHT POLES. I WAS REALLY GRATEFUL TO CPS BUT UPSET IN THAT MY CONSTITUENTS HAD BEEN ASKING FOR YEARS, AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS ASK,
AND IT'S GETTING DONE. >> SO ONE OF THE THINGS I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAS A REGULAR MEETING WITH CPS ENERGY, AND THESE ARE THE TYPES OF CONCERNS WE WOULD FILTER TO THE LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC
WORKS THAT CAN GO FORWARD TO THEM. >> CASTILLO: OKAY.
>> AND THAT CONVERSATION WITH CPS ENERGY TO DO ALL OF THOSE BACKGROUND CONVERSATIONS THAT COULD HAPPEN FOR TECHNICAL CONVERSATION.
THE OTHER THING TO REMIND YOU OF IS THAT PUBLIC WORKS HAS JUST FINISHED AN RFP SOLICITATION THEY'VE DONE, AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH FINANCE TO FINALIZE THE VENDOR THROUGH THAT PROCESS FOR SIDEWALK CONDITION ASSESSMENT, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF PHASE 2 OF SOME OF THIS CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING OVER THE LAST YEAR OR TWO OF USABILITY OF THE NETWORK.
AND SO WITH THAT CONVERSATION OF SIDEWALK CONNECTIVITY, I THINK WE'LL HAVE MORE SPECIFIC DATA ON SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT. >> CASTILLO: GREAT. THANK YOU.
DEBORAH. ANY LAST QUESTIONS? GREAT.
THANK YOU. >> THANK
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.