Community Advancement in San Antonio
Community Advancement Interest Form
BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, COLLECTIVES & COMMITTEES
disABILITYsa Staff, Board, Volunteers, and Program Participants are currently serving to advance the considerations of people with disabilities and older adults in our community in the following ways:
GENERAL:
HOUSING:
- City of San Antonio Housing Commission Community Removing Barriers Sub-committee
- City of San Antonio Housing Commission Community Engagement & Outreach Sub-committee
- Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio Collective Impact at the San Antonio Area Foundation (SALSA) [Housing Workgroup]
- Reframing Affordable Housing Initiative under the SAAFdn
TRANSPORTATION:
- City of San Antonio Multimodal Transportation Commission (MTC)
- Dockless Vehicle RFP Review Committee (2026)
- Accessibility/UD Focus Group for the San Antonio Airport (2024-2025)
- Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC)
- Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio Collective Impact at the San Antonio Area Foundation (SALSA) [Transportation Workgroup]
- Mobility Hub Technical Advisory Committee for VIA Metropolitan Transportation (2023-2025)
HEALTH & HEALTHCARE:
- City of San Antonio Community Alliance for Results in Equity (CARE) Core Working Group
- Health Equity Network Collective Impact [Food Insecurity Workgroup]
SOCIALIZATION:
- Successfully Aging and Living in San Antonio Collective Impact at the San Antonio Area Foundation (SALSA) [Social Connectedness Workgroups]
- Fiesta San Antonio Board of Directors (2022/23, 2025/26)
- River Walk Strategic Plan Task Force & Steering Committee (2026 - Present)
CIVICS:
- REV UP community Member organization
EDUCATION:
EMPLOYMENT:
Community Advancement Initiatives
Universal Design Ordinance: The City of San Antonio first adopted its Universal Design Ordinance in April 2002 (Ordinance 95641), requiring all new single-family homes, duplexes, and triplexes built with City-administered funds to include basic accessibility and adaptability features so more residents—including people with disabilities and older adults—could live safely and age in place. Over time, advocates recognized that these standards, while important, covered only a small share of the overall housing market and did not fully address the growing gap between the need for accessible homes and the limited inventory available to low‑ and moderate‑income residents with disabilities. In response, disABILITYsa has been working in partnership with SALSA (the collective impact initiative at the San Antonio Area Foundation), the San Antonio Housing Trust (SAHT), and the City’s Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing Subcommittee to modernize and extend these principles, aligning local housing policy, incentives, and design expectations with contemporary universal design best practices.
Through this collaboration, community members with lived disability experience have helped shape SAHT’s new Multi‑Family Universal Design Standards—now in effect for all new SAHT‑partnered multifamily developments—which require more inclusive site plans, fully accessible units beyond minimum code, and design choices that prioritize usability for residents of all ages and abilities. Together, these ordinance updates, trust‑level standards, and policy recommendations emerging from the Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing Subcommittee are aimed at increasing both the inventory and quality of affordable, accessible housing in San Antonio so that accessibility becomes the norm in future construction rather than an after‑the‑fact modification.
Through this collaboration, community members with lived disability experience have helped shape SAHT’s new Multi‑Family Universal Design Standards—now in effect for all new SAHT‑partnered multifamily developments—which require more inclusive site plans, fully accessible units beyond minimum code, and design choices that prioritize usability for residents of all ages and abilities. Together, these ordinance updates, trust‑level standards, and policy recommendations emerging from the Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing Subcommittee are aimed at increasing both the inventory and quality of affordable, accessible housing in San Antonio so that accessibility becomes the norm in future construction rather than an after‑the‑fact modification.
