Older adults and people with disabilities play many roles in our communities. They are workers, business owners, volunteers, mentors, neighbors, friends, family members, and more. Each of these roles can provide a vital sense of purpose at any age. But we know that social isolation and loneliness remain problems in our communities. They pose a serious threat to our physical and mental health. Social, employment and volunteer opportunities can provide a sense of purpose and connection. Building trusting relationships is a critical part of any healthy community.
Age, ability, language, race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, income, citizenship, and geography will not be barriers to residents connecting with community resources and services.
People with disabilities, older adults, and their caregivers will feel confident reaching out for help from their communities: neighbors, support networks, healthcare and service providers, and local government.
Sacramento County benefits from a vibrant network of community and senior centers serving older adults and the population at large. Strategically located across the county, these centers provide hot meals, exercise classes, social engagement opportunities, and many other services.
Community-based organizations provide similar services for specific populations. Society for the Blind and NorCal Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing are critical service organizations, while ACC Senior Services, Club Manitos, and MAS Social Services Foundation are organizations or groups with a cultural focus.
From our community needs assessment, we heard from county residents that they need more accessible and flexible transportation options for all abilities.
There is also a need for:
Affordable and accessible group activities, social events and day trips.
Diverse and accessible communications about community resources, opportunities, events, and emergency preparedness.
Widespread access to interpretation and translation services in multiple languages, including American Sign Language
All communications in alternative formats, including braille, large print (sans serif 18-point or larger font), audio, or digital. Accessible websites for screen readers are a top need identified by blind and low vision community members.
All visual communications, such as video, movies, TV, and social media, with captioning and audio description, as required by the ADA.
A greater role for people with disabilities and older adults in community design, planning, and policy decisions.
A diversity of technology education opportunities and access to low- cost internet and devices.
A new Sacramento County multilingual, multicultural and multi-ability program will have at least 25 active “cultural brokers,” covering at least 4 languages, with 85% participant satisfaction, as indicated through post-event surveys.
A multilingual, multicultural and multi-ability outreach and engagement program would provide in-person outreach and presentations on resources for older adults and people with disabilities in multiple languages and cultural and accessibility capacities. The program would start by offering English, Spanish, Russian, and American Sign Language, and would add languages and cultural and accessibility capacities as partner staff and volunteers become available. In the future, we anticipate providing language access in Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, Hmong, Mandarin, and Vietnamese, among other languages.
Implement a multicultural, multilingual, multi-ability and multi-agency Better Together Sac outreach and engagement program.
The Better Together Sac program would be a coordinated group of volunteer and agency-partnered staff non-English native and/or fluent speakers, persons with lived experience, and cultural liaisons (“cultural brokers”). At the heart of the program would be creating access to resources and social connection for traditionally isolated populations. It would represent a first step towards a full County government collaboration with existing multilingual, multicultural, multi-ability and varied lived experience staff and community members to provide more equitable access to resources and services.
Better Together Sac would connect non-English speakers, people with disabilities, and other isolated populations to a myriad of services using person-to-person, linguistically and culturally competent approaches in community settings. This may include the use of assistive technologies, such as hearing loops that provide direct communication into a person's hearing aid for clear, understandable speech. It would be important that Better Together Sac include cultural brokers with disabilities who are knowledgeable about resources for people with disabilities, and with life experience that can help others adjust to their disability.
In its pilot phase, cultural brokers would support the planning and execution of educational and socially engaging resource festivals and information conferences for older adults and people with disabilities across the county. Volunteer cultural brokers would be reimbursed for their time and travel expenses with stipends.
The initial cohort of cultural brokers would result from existing partnerships and conversation between the Department of Child, Family and Adult Services (DCFAS), the Area Agency on Aging 4, and community-based organizations such as Club Manitos, ACC Senior Services, La Familia, MAS Social Services Foundation, Resources for Independent Living, Society for the Blind, and NorCal Services for Deaf & Hard of Hearing. Experienced cultural brokers may contribute to developing a training system for onboarding future volunteers and staff.
In time, Better Together Sac would expand to offer additional language, cultural and accessibility competencies through new partnerships with community-based organizations, professional associations, and educational institutions that prepare professionals and interns. In this way, the program would not just develop and implement strategies for reaching isolated populations, but impact how identifying, mentoring and promoting culturally competent staff can inspire increased cultural awareness and responsiveness within the departments and service areas they work in every day.
In conjunction with these partnerships, program implementation could also include an assessment of County services to non-English speakers, people with disabilities, and other isolated populations. This assessment would help cultural brokers learn from existing successes and develop strategies to prioritize underserved areas.
Coordinate and conduct branded, interactive, and accessible Age & Disability-Friendly Sacramento County community events across the county.
Events would be in collaboration with trusted service organizations and the new Better Together Sac outreach and engagement program. They would be designed to build awareness about new efforts and resources, build trust with and empower marginalized and isolated community members, foster social participation, collaboratively generate solutions, and communication and evaluate progress on the Action Plan, the County’s ADA Transition Plan, and Aging & Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) goals. Planning and coordinating collaborative events would require funding to adequately compensate staff, partners, and Better Together Sac cultural brokers.
The County’s Department of Child, Family and Adult Services (DCFAS) identifies and collaborates with relevant, existing agencies, advisory committees, and task forces involved in implementing transportation, active mobility, and wayfinding projects to ensure stakeholder voices are consistently represented and greater levels of accessibility and affordability are achieved, especially in the more rural areas of Sacramento County.
To achieve an age and disability-friendly Sacramento County, accessibility must be prioritized at every stage of public and private projects, from planning to implementation. Projects should encourage innovative approaches and partnerships to meet urgent needs in underinvested neighborhoods and rural communities within the unincorporated county. All public transit infrastructure must meet consistent standards, regardless of location or frequency of use.
DCFAS’ collaboration efforts would include securing seats at existing advisory committee and task force tables, including the County’s Mobility Advisory Council; sharing information about and expanding resources related to accessibility projects; uniting efforts and priorities between plans and across agencies; and exploring potential partnerships and fund development. This level of collaboration would strengthen interagency and intersectoral relationships, ensuring the needs of older adults and people with disabilities are addressed at every level, and approaches are streamlined and cohesive.
DCFAS’ Senior and Adult Services would develop and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders and decision makers such as the Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SACDOT) and the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to keep them informed of accessibility barriers and issues identified through service providers within the County’s aging and disability network.
Based on feedback from residents living with disabilities, accessible infrastructure projects and implementation considerations should include, but are not limited to:
Maintained sidewalks with widths adhering to ADA codes and standards allowing access to wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
Accessible and maintainable landscaping and tree planting design.
Sufficient timing and tactile surface indicators at crosswalks.
Curb ramps with detectable warnings at crosswalks.
Accessible wayfinding:
Large font and braille signage at stops.
Consistent accessible pedestrian signals at intersections.
Audible route signs at bus stops and stations.
Protected, covered transit stops with seating.
More accessible parking, especially at senior centers, agencies for people with disabilities, and grocery stores.
Bathrooms at transit stations.
More room for service dogs/animals in transit vehicles.
More interconnectivity of transit options across counties.
Assistance to riders with disabilities when public transit options are out of service.
Alternative transit options, including electric vehicles, golf carts, and volunteer driver programs.
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