Friends,
Recently, we honored the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and disability pride with a panel discussion at the Organizers Forum complete with wonderful insights and powerful experiences from Morenike Giwa Onaiwu, Nidhi Jaisoor, and Marisol Ferrante. In case you missed it, the video, transcript, and links can all be found here.
We are also celebrating the continued great work of the SDA Masks for Equity group who recently won a continuation of the mask mandate on BART until October 1st (at least)! To get involved with this issue, or any of our other organizing, please reach out over email or leave us a message at 415-546-1333.
And as always, we have exciting events coming up, including a press conference for the Free Wifi Campaign on August 18th, actions for mask equity and transit justice, and our 10th Anniversary Celebration on October 13th. While we won’t be coming together for our General Meeting this month, we encourage all to join us instead for a celebration of the movement for Long-Term Supports and Services in California on the afternoon of August 11th. More information below.
– SDA Staff
SAVE THE DATE!
Senior & Disability Action turns 10
SDA’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday October 13th, 6-8 PM
Hybrid: Online and in-person at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Look out for details very soon!!!
Advocacy Agenda Campaign Update:
Free Wifi & Digital Equity
Members of the Free Wifi Campaign, working closely with Supervisor Preston’s office, have been hard at work on a draft resolution to hold internet corporations accountable to higher standards of service to the public!
Save the date to join us at the Richardson Apartments (365 Fulton Street) on August 18th at 2pm for a special press conference to announce the resolution and highlight the work being done by community organizations like HomeRise and others to ensure internet access for all, co-hosted by Supervisor Preston’s office and HomeRise.
Date: August 18th
Time: 2:00pm
Location: 365 Fulton Street (between Franklin and Gough), in the outdoor courtyard
More info: email Dasom@sdaction.org
AND, the weekend before the press conference join us for a day of outreach to let people know about the press conference! Training and food will be provided. Tentatively scheduled for the morning of Saturday, August 13th. Email Peter@sdaction.org for more information.
Email Dasom@sdaction.org and Peter@sdaction.org if you want to be involved in the campaign and attend monthly meetings.
Learn more here.
SDA Campaign & Organizing Updates
Masks for Equity
Thanks to the hard work of SDA’s Masks for Equity group, BART has officially extended the mask requirement until (at least) October 1st! Great work!
While BART continues to lead the way among our transit systems, we will continue to make the case to local leadership to bring back mask requirements so that seniors, disabled and immunocompromised people, children under 5, and all people can be protected.
Why are we organizing around this? These actions are necessary because of the dramatic rise in COVID cases and hospitalizations over this extended surge. While public officials say that most people will recover, many disabled people, older people, and immunocompromised people may die if they get COVID. Plus, one in five people who get COVID shows symptoms of long COVID. The lack of a mask requirement on Muni puts people at risk just to get to work or a doctor’s appointment. If masks are not required, many of us are excluded from public spaces.
What can you do? Join us in speaking out. Take action with the Masks 4 Equity Action Guide or email info@sdaction.org to get involved.
Wheelchair Repair Campaign: another great clinic!
Our third free wheelchair repair clinic last Friday, July 28th was successful, with 9 participants getting minor repairs to their wheelchairs and one participant getting approved for his new wheelchair through the negotiation that Brock Kobayashi from City Wheelchairs had with the participant’s medical insurance.
If you would like to get more information, and/or would like to help for future “Free Wheelchair Repair Clinic” please contact Ligia Montano at ligia@sdaction.org or (415) 912-8643.
Medicare 57th B-Day Celebration & Action
On Friday, July 29, defenders of Medicare met at the federal building at the corner of 7th and Mission streets, to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the creation of this social program, which is in danger of being privatized. Privatizing Medicare would lead to a much more expensive program and less health care. The event featured members of California Alliance for Retired Americans, Senior & Disability Action, Physicians for a National Health Program-CA, The Movement to End Privatization of Medicare, SF Gray Panthers, & SF DSA, OWL-SF, Health Care for All, Healthy California Now. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s legislative aides came to receive a letter that will be presented to Secretary Xavier Becerra to urge the Biden Administration to stop the rampant privatization of Medicare through the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH), which will open Medicare to Wall Street speculators.
If you would like to get more information, and/or would like to get involved please contact Ligia Montano at ligia@sdaction.org or (415) 912-8643.
Transit Justice: Gimme Shelter
Members, Volunteers, Colleagues, Friends
Lend me your time by
Completing SDA Survey on Bus Stops
Last year, the MTA , Municipal Transportation Agency, deemed 2022 the year they would fully restore Muni services. AND to start the process of creating a Muni service network that truly meets the needs of its post pandemic San Francisco transit riders. With that in mind, SDA is conducting a survey on bus stops. We are looking for feedback from the senior and disability communities on how important it is to have bus stops with shelters and seating.
So please help us by clicking on the following link and completing our survey.
Need a hard copy? Just contact Pi Ra at srira@sdaction.org or (415)225-2080
Not a senior or a person with disability(ies)?… That’s okay. We do accept surveys from future seniors also known as “seniors in training”.
Survey entry deadline is August 31.
Oh did I mention … In appreciation of those who took the time to fill out our survey, SDA is raffling off 4 – $50 Safeway gift cards. All they have to do is enter their name and contact information at the bottom of the survey.
Thanks everyone
– Pi Ra
East Bay Transit Justice
Please join us on Friday, August 12 at 3 pm, in north Oakland, for a fun Rally and Street Party for Safe Streets!
The crosswalk at 55th Street and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. does not allow enough time for disabled people, seniors, and others to get across the street safety. SDA members in San Francisco fought for increased street crossing time — and won! Let’s do the same in Oakland. We will cross the street together, enjoy snacks from Earthly Coffee, and build towards the friendly, safe neighborhood we all deserve. We will invite City officials to meet with us, and we will honor the Black Panthers, who fought for safe street crossings in this neighborhood 50 years ago.
Questions or RSVPS can go to Tristan at Earthly Coffee at 510-788-7998 or earthlyoakland@gmail.com, or to jessica@sdaction.org. For ASL or language interpretation, or other accommodations, please email jessica@sdaction.org.
The above image is the flyer for the event. Please print and post! (And email us if you have trouble printing the image.) You can also share the event on social media!
See you on August 12!
Announcements
Though the SDA General Meeting is canceled for August, we invite all to come on August 11th from 1-3pm for the NorCal #LTSS4All Celebration at the Yerba Buena Children’s Garden (Howard St and 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103)! Celebrate and build the movement for Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in California.
Calling all elders, people with disabilities, family caregivers and long-term care workers! Join us for an in-person gathering to connect and celebrate, enjoy food and music, share our care stories with one another, and make art that helps us envision and prepare for a just and universal long-term care system where we can all live, age and work with dignity.
What: NorCal #LTSS4All Celebration
When: 1-3pm, August 11th
Where: Yerba Buena Children’s Garden (Howard St and 4th St, San Francisco)
Who: you!
Outdoors, Wheelchair Accessible, COVID Safety Protocol (masking and testing). Spanish Interpretation Provided. More information on Facebook here.
The General Meeting will return in September with our first hybrid General Meeting (more information to come)!
How much do you pay for home internet?
Several organizations and funders around the state are conducting a survey on cost of internet service. By using this link to take this short 3-minute survey you will be helping document price discrimination and helping get closer to internet justice!
Please take the survey at this link and send it throughout your networks.
La encuesta esta disponible en español tambien.
Superfest lineup announced!
Superfest, the over 30-year running disability film festival hosted by the Longmore Institute at SF State, has announced their lineup for 2022! The festival will be from Thursday October 20th through Sunday October 23rd, with options to watch in-person or online.
Check out the Superfest website for more info.
Upcoming SDA Meetings
Click here to view the full SDA Calendar of Events
**Please note meetings continue to be remote until further notice**
Tuesday, August 2 and September 6: Free Wifi Campaign. 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm. Hybrid over Zoom and in-person at 222 8th Street in San Francisco. Email Peter@sdaction.org and Dasom@sdaction.org for more information.
Friday, August 5: SRO Workgroup (first Friday of the month). 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Email Yesi@sdaction.org for more information.
Tuesday, August 9: Healthcare Action Team (HAT) (2nd Tuesday of every month). 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. Email Ligia@sdaction.org for more information.
Thursday, August 11 and August 25: SDA in East Bay. 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Email Jessica@sdaction.org for more information.
Wednesday, August 17: Housing Collaborative. (3rd Wednesday of every month). 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Email Edith@sdaction.org for more information.
No meetings in August:
- General Meeting: no meeting in August, will resume in September with a hybrid format. Email info@sdaction.org for more information.
- Transit Justice: no meeting in August, will resume in September. Email Pi (srira@sdaction.org) for more information.
- Mad Mob SF: Email Raia to get the information to join or to find out about future meetings.
Let’s build this movement together.
Please become a member or donate today!
Building a movement of seniors, disabled people, and allies 
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