Disabled Community Focus Group Date of focus group : December 16 , 2020 Facilitators : Donna Mack & Darlene Hunter Demographics of the group
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Disabled Community Focus Group Date of focus group : December 16 , 2020 Facilitators : Donna Mack & Darlene Hunter Demographics of the group
• Gender : Male ( 1 ), Female ( 4 )
• Race / Ethnicity : White ( 4 ), African American ( 1 ), Black and Hispanic ( 1 )
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Summary : Following is a brief summary of the City of Arlington Unity Council ’ s Disability Community focus group . Because people with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the country ( currently about 25 % of the population ) we attempted to gather as diverse a group as possible with respect to age , gender identity , race / ethnicity , and type of disability . Of one male and five female participants , four identified racially as Caucasian , one as African American , and one as Black and Hispanic . Although we did not inquire about age , all but one participant were known to at least one facilitator prior to the meeting , and some referenced their ages during the meeting . We estimate that two are in their twenties ; two in their thirties , one in their forties , and one in their sixties . With respect to disability identification , one identified as a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy , one as an amputee , one as a person of short stature , one as having a learning / sensory / intellectual disability ( at time of diagnosis ) which according to the participant under current DSM criteria would likely now be classified as Autism Spectrum Disorder , one as deaf ( and does not use the term “ disabled ” or “ disability ,” but prefers “ deaf ” or “ differently abled ”— a common preference in the Deaf Community ). Our final participant did not identify as disabled . She was asked to participate as the parent of a sixteen-year-old who has a progressive mitochondrial disorder that impacts daily function on a multitude of levels . She also serves as her teenager ’ s primary advocate and caregiver , and has been employed for several years by AISD as a speech pathologist . She was asked to participate due to her knowledge of the impact of significant and progressive disability on the family system . If it serves the Unity Council to know , both facilitators have disabilities . One is a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury in her thirties . The other is in her fifties , has a visual impairment , and uses a guide dog .
The general consensus was that there is a decided lack of information and need for education around disability , starting with our need for fair and equal representation in the decision-making process . We need to have more seats at the table , when decisions are made ; that decision makers most often come off as paternalistic because all too often , they design policies , programs , and facilities that impact us , without first gathering input from , or deferring to us . Participants brought up the fact that society still clings to the medical model of disability . New parents of children with disabilities need to receive supplemental education about their children ’ s disabilities from successful adults with disabilities who have “ walked the walk ,” and can serve as positive role models , instead of relying solely on the advice of medical professionals who have no lived experience with disability . Participants agreed that education about disability needs to begin as early as possible , and that addressing such within AISD beginning in pre-K ( provided by individuals with disabilities when possible ) would prove beneficial . All agreed that education on how to interact with * all * disability types should be implemented at all levels throughout the City , specifically with police , but with other first responders , and front line , public-facing personnel . Also , city employees should receive training on basics of physical accessibility , and there should be stricter enforcement of / adherence to building codes designed to increase access for individuals with disabilities . Additionally , businesses should be made aware of existing tax breaks and further incentivized by the COA to increase disability access , and that there should be some sort of online accessibility map for citizens with disabilities to be able to garner information ( in advance of an outing ) about the level of accessibility of specific business and recreational destinations within the city . Several acknowledged the absence of
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