Empowered San Francisco Technology Needs Assessment Community Advisors & Partners

My name is Asim Brooks I have been a community rep for ShelterTech for the past four years as someone that experienced homelessness from 2013 to 2017 I believe that we are all entitled to technology and social services using tech in a clear and simple way to enrich and supplement our lives especially in our current times.

Aurora Alvarado is the Healthy Aging & Disability Resource Program Manager Mission Neighborhood Centers (MNC), Inc. Aurora joined MNC in 2006 as Social Services Coordinator for the Senior Program and currently she is leading the program as the Healthy Aging & Disability Resource Program Manager, during the last couple of years, she has launched new programs and expanded services to other senior sites. She oversees and manages the different programs at the HADR Center: Aging & Disability Resource Program, Community Services, Community Services Pilot Program, Intergenerational Program and Naturalization Program. She and her team are responsible for assisting clients in identifying and securing vital benefits and community services, which will help them to continue independent and active in their lives. She is continuously seeking for new ideas on how to innovate and improve the recreational, educational and healthy program curriculum of the program, identifying needs and interests of older adults and adults with disabilities. Prior to coming to MNC, Aurora worked in the non-profit sector of Tijuana, Mexico for 11 years serving the low income and immigrant families as social worker, case manager and administration assistant. Aurora holds a B.S. in Marketing from UNADM in Mexico.

DeMian Williams is an outgoing advocate who has spoken for people with physical or mental disabilities with the help of his former transition program, AccessSFUSD: the Arc. He is currently an employee at the California Academy of Sciences, working there for 5 years, and is affiliated with The Arc of San Francisco.

Hannah Chadwick serves as the Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Disability:IN. She has been with the organization since 2018, and has a strong passion for diversity and inclusion. Hannah holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis with a double major in International Relations and Mandarin Chinese. Growing up in a rural village in China where there were no educational opportunities for children with disabilities strengthened Hannah’s commitment to advocating for social justice and equality in education, employment and all aspects of civic life. It has enriched her insights into the challenges and motivated her to find potential solutions. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys the outdoors, cycling, and traveling.

My name is Jason Chittavong. I am the Mentor Coordinator for the Veterans Justice Court of San Francisco. I recruit and manage a team of volunteers to mentor veterans in their treatment program. I have ten years of outreach experience in community relations and supportive service for veterans in the Bay Area. I have hosted social events and provide educational seminars and resources to the community of San Francisco.

Jennifer Walsh is the Ability Integrator at Community Living Campaign in San Francisco. They help build the skills and tools needed to have a good life by creating a community all around San Francisco in unique ways. As the Ability Integrator, Jennifer fosters inclusion by using everyone’s gifts and talents to allow an environment where everybody is contributing. Jennifer believes individuals need an opportunity to be empowered to find their voice and be seen and respected as leaders, making a real difference. Allowing a place for individuals to be themselves is a lifetime goal. Jennifer wrote her master’s thesis titled Establishing Relationships between People With and Without Disabilities to examine how conscious and unconscious stereotypes and stigma impact these relationships. Jennifer is a National Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist. When Jennifer is not working as an Ability Integrator, she is the adviser for the San Francisco People First chapter. She facilitates a social Alternative Augmentative Communication group for young adults. Jennifer is the co-chair of the Department of Rehabilitation’s Assistive Technology Advisory Committee. She is also the Golden Gate Regional Center Self- Determination Local Advisory Committee’s co-chair, and she sits on San Francisco’s Long Term Care Coordinating Council.

Lana Nieves is the Executive Director of Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco (ILRCSF), Lana Nieves works to protect the rights of people with disabilities, as well as to expand and nurture opportunities for society to become ever more accessible to all people. She has worked in the not-for-profit sector, both domestically and abroad, for 30 years, and been with ILRCSF since 2006.

Leif Pope (he/him) is a trans, gay, disabled, Black + Indigenous youth from San Francisco. He's studied network security and the forms of queer communities that appear online. His work includes resource guides for TGNC youth health and robotics mentorship. Outside of work, his hobbies include taking care of plants and snails, playing the bass, and sewing!

Maia Scott's primarily arts and healing focused careers and interests support her belief in the importance of creativity in everyday life, from the art of learning to learning the arts. Montessori school, dance classes, and a bottomless supply of blank surfaces for coloring seeded Scott's ceaseless desire to enrich her world with creative process. Scott graduated with AA in Dance with honors, BA in Therapeutic Recreation, certificate in nonprofit management and an MFA in Creative Inquiry, Interdisciplinary Arts from the California Institute of Integral Studies here in San Francisco. A piece from her thesis project can still be found at the San Francisco Main library. Add to that training in massage and bodywork at the World School of massage and labyrinth facilitator certification from Veriditas and you round out Scott’s sensibilities toward healing and the arts as often one in the same. Presently, Maia Scott teaches accessible visual and performing arts classes through City College of San Francisco, works as an Accessibility Analyst for Fable and exploring all manner of gig jobs including consulting on accessibility with the Arts at CIIS and labyrinth training webinars for teachers of the visually impaired. Scott co-created and wrote the guide book for “Finger Walks”, a tactile labyrinth collection produced by the American Printing House for the Blind.

Neo Veavea is the Project Coordinator for the Samoan Community Development Center, and the Co-Founder of U.T.O.P.I.A San Francisco. United Territories Of Pacific Islanders Alliances. In 1998, Neo organized the first Polynesian LGBTQ Social Support group in San Francisco, with sister chapters now in Seattle, San Diego, and Portland. Neo has lived in the southeast sector of San Francisco known as Visitacion Valley and in and around District-10 for 50 years.

Nicole Bohn, Director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability. Nicole began her professional career in 1997 providing crisis intervention and reasonable accommodation counseling services for individuals with disabilities. She worked at the University of San Francisco from 1997 to 2008, during which time she was progressively responsible for managing and overseeing the University’s reasonable accommodation program and policies. Most recently, Nicole served as the Director of the Disability Programs and Resource Center at San Francisco State University, leading and coordinating centralized compliance efforts for a campus with more than 30,000 students and 3,800 employees during the last eight years.

Orkid Sassouni is an employee at San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) Deaf Services. Orkid received her B.A degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Gallaudet University. Orkid attended Parsons School of Design in New York City from which she received a B.F.A degree. She attended San Francisco State University to study Inter Art Center. She received her M.A degree in Interdisciplinary Arts: Concentration in Education in 2002, a rare major that allowed Orkid to study multi-disciplines in theory, education, research, and discussion. She currently works at the San Francisco Public Library’s Deaf Services Center. She is also a past President and Coordinator for Deaf Visual and Performing Artists, known as DVPA. But Orkid has never abandoned her love of photography. Her photographs and mixed media artworks have been shown in galleries across the United States.

Raenika A. Butler is the director of the Bayview Hunters Point Adult Day Health Care Center in San Francisco, California. She leads a multidisciplinary team who provides comprehensive care and services that helps to prevent unnecessary institutional placement and gives seniors a community based alternative to age in place at home for as long as possible. She serves as a member of the board of directors for the California Association for Adult Day Services (CAADS), the oldest and largest state association for adult day services in the nation. She demonstrates a commitment to the field of aging and has contributed to the recent shift in reimagining how Adult Day Health Care services are provided during a COVID-19 pandemic. Raenika is a forward thinker and has been a part of the Alliance for Leadership and Education (ALE) COVID-19 statewide crisis team and vision team of Adult Day Health providers who have hosted educational webinars about innovation and best practices for living in a COVID-19 world. Raenika holds a Master of Arts in Gerontology from San Francisco State University and was awarded the Gerontology Distinguished Alumni award for her dedication and advocacy efforts to serve the often overlooked and underrepresented low-income elder population in the Bayview Hunters Point community.

Winnie Yu is the Director of Programs & Administration, Self-Help for the Elderly. Winnie Yu has 15 years of experience in nonprofit program and administrative operations: leading and managing federally funded projects that impact the local community; private and public grant writing; compliance and monitoring; as well as project implementation and management within and across teams. Winnie has a degree in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California, Berkeley, and is bilingual in English and three dialects of Chinese: Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taishanese.

Urban Jazz Dance Company (UJDC) was founded in 2007 by Deaf dancer and choreographer Antoine Hunter, Urban Jazz Dance Company’s (UJDC) mission is to uplift and provide opportunities for Deaf, Hard of hearing and Disabled artists from marginalized backgrounds. UJDC amplifies visibility and creates opportunities for Deaf artists through programming by 1) being a Deaf-led dance company highlighting Deaf experiences, 2) teaching dance classes to Deaf and hearing dancers, 3) annually producing the Bay Area International Deaf Dance Festival (BAIDDF) and November productions, both platforms for Deaf artists to celebrate their talents through performance/workshops that engage 70 artists and 750 attendees, 4) Deaf Dance Festivals in other locations including San Diego, Rochester NY and Turkey, 5) touring Deaf’s IMPRISONED Internationally, a production exploring Deaf diaspora and how a Deaf person lives in a “prison within a prison”, 6) school engagements serving over 5,800 youth per year with 47% from low income backgrounds, 8) community workshops with local museums and organizations, 9) the ongoing virtual #DeafWoke and 10) teaching contracted organizations Deaf/Disabled access/inclusion practices through UJDC Access Services program.

UJDC annually performs ~45 performances/events reaching 17,000 people and tours nationally and internationally, performing at venues such as the Kennedy Center and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and abroad in England, Russia and beyond. Hunter utilizes the artistic talents of his company to engage with audiences and communities to empower Deaf and disabled communities, and advocate for human rights and access, working to end discrimination and prejudice. www.realurbanjazzdance.com

Urban Jazz Dance Company Access Services provides access consultations on Deaf Culture practices, Deaf accessibility, PR/Marketing and other materials connected to events/information and advice on how to outreach to the D/deaf community and make sure potential audience members have access to information surrounding your events. UJDC also creates bilingual video logs in ASL, English voice, captions, transcriptions and visual descriptions for DeafBlind/Blind access to invite Deaf community to Deaf and hearing events.

UJDC has provided these services for arts organizations such as AXIS Dance Company, Jess/Curtis Gravity, NAKA Dance Theater, Hope Mohr Dance and other local arts and non-arts organizations. UJDC centers its programming in providing opportunities and access to marginalized communities including those who identify as Deaf, BIPOC, LBGTQIA, immigrants, and communities with disabilities.