Please call or submit a comment to support the rights of youth with disabilities at the October 15, 2020 Human Services Commission (HSC) meeting at 6:15 pm via Zoom (details below). Last year, the HSC formed an ad-hoc to review the impact of law enforcement on youth with disabilities. The attached Draft report represents the summative assessment of the impact of law enforcement on youth with disabilities.
In a time of ongoing police violence, this report helps fill the gap of knowledge that exists in San Jose, especially for youth with disabilities. The maintenance and creation of academically effective, socially meaningful, emotionally welcoming, and physically safe schools is essential for every single child in San Jose. These efforts extend beyond education advocacy, we know that the school described above only exists in the context of safe neighborhoods, equitable access to city services, and a workforce that welcomes and supports diversity.
The report findings and recommendations are organized under three categories (Leadership, Data, and Programs). Some of our main findings were:
Citywide Disability Related Leadership:
- San Jose is the only major U.S. city without an Office of Disability Affairs;
- The City of San Jose has not had employed an ADA Coordinator since 2013;
- A disability-informed lens is missing across all sectors of city planning and programming
Data regarding disability status is NOT collected or reported by:
- The Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and Community Based Partners;
- The San Jose Police Department;
- Santa Clara County Juvenile System;
- San Jose Independent Police Auditor.
City Programs for “at-risk” youth:
- Do not identify disability as a risk factor;
- Are not designed to support YWD.
How You Can Support: There are two ways in which members of the public are able to express their support for or opposition to the submittal of the report to Mayor Liccardo and San Jose City Council Members. The report will be reviewed by the Human Services Commission at our regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday October 15 at 6:15 p.m. (via Zoom).
- Before the meeting send an email to representative to the HSC Sabrina Parra-Garcia, Executive Analyst with the City Manager’s Office at sabrina.parra-garcia@sanjoseca.gov.
- Submit a request to make a public comment during the meeting in support of or in opposition to submittal of the report. (The agenda and instructions are on the City website.)
Sample email template:
Dear Human Services Commissioners:
My name is [Jane Doe], I am a concerned citizen living in [District 10]. I am writing to support the approval to submit the report, “Juvenile Justice Involved Youth With Disabilities: An Epidemic of Misunderstanding” to Mayor Liccardo and San Jose Council Members.
[State Your Concern(s), Personal Impact, and Recommendation(s) You Support] To see samples, click here.
Please include this letter of support with the submission of this report to Mayor Liccardo and San Jose Council Members. (Optional) I am available for further discussion and can be contacted at
Respectfully-
Jane Doe, Title (optional)
Zip Code
Feel free to contact Tiffany Maciel personally at macieltiffany@gmail.com.