Austin’s Office of Civil Rights is seeking feedback from people with disabilities who work and live in the city to identify the community’s top needs and develop a quality of life plan.
The online survey is available in English and Spanish. In-person survey sessions, which are set for Oct. 25-26, will be accessible for those with disabilities and will be an opportunity for people with disabilities to share their stories. The office aims to share its findings with the community early next year, she said.
To register for the in-person and virtual sessions, go to https://bit.ly/3avT9Jv
In-person survey meetings will be limited to 10 people per session. To take the survey online, go to https://bit.ly/3s6zYOk
For members of the deaf community in Austin, like Amanda Tuite, it can be hard to find accessible information on serious events, like severe weather.
“How you would know a tornado is coming, you hear a siren right? Well, I don’t hear anything, so I would never be able to know if a tornado was coming,” said Tuite, a Deaf and Hard of Hearing access specialist, and owner of Access Vine.
The City of Austin is now providing American Sign Language videos and captions on hazardous events. The first alert came this week ahead of potential flooding.
New alert systems help deaf community prepare for hazardous events in Austin – cbsaustin.com