BUILDING ACCESSIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

PANEL: JEREMY M. GOLDBERG, CIAWANDA MCDONALD & MARCIE ROTH

How can we build stronger, more accessible infrastructure in the face of climate change? As we know, the impact of climate change will disproportionately impact people with disabilities. It is therefore important not just to invest in infrastructure that will address climate change while prioritizing accessibility but also to include and elevate people with disabilities in our planning and building of that infrastructure. This discussion will outline a bold vision for how to do it, how to address past shortcomings, and why we can’t miss this opportunity to get it right.

Jeremy Goldberg: We are here to discuss building accessible infrastructure for the future. As we think about the issues and challenges we face today and for the future, what does it look like to build infrastructure that is accessible for all rather than a retrofitting of existing projects and approaches?

Ciawanda McDonald: We see an increased amount of water coming into our communities. On a typical rainy day, we see excess water entering our communities. But what if the weather report says the hurricane will potentially make landfall on the opposite coast, and you have a personal care assistant who helps you daily? What do you do when water suddenly floods your home?

JG: There are several problems associated with this example. What’s your organization’s approach to unpacking that and responding with a solution?

CM: We had to assist the individual with getting all his contents out of his home. We hired a transportation company and a moving company to get all his personal belongings, whatever he could salvage.

JG: Marcie, what are some emerging challenges you and your organization are aware of that matter to point out? What are the things that we should be doing more to prepare to help solve those problems?

Marcie Roth: We work globally on implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to reduce the impact of climate and other natural and humanmade disasters. We also started a Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration to assist organizations like Ciawanda’s Center for Independent Living and others during humanitarian crises because our systems continually fail to meet the needs of folks who need those resources most.

CM: During Hurricane Michael, for example, many individuals used data to send texts and social media messages to say, “I’m going to be on my roof so you can send help for me.” We provided that information to the Florida Emergency

Operation Center and let them know that these individuals needed help. Immediately, they were able to respond and get some assistance for them. That’s a perfect example of where technology was used just from an individual in a natural disaster, sending it over to a family member who, in turn, sent it to me, and I was able to get that information to the emergency operation center. That’s just one example of where technology has helped.

JG: Marcie, what are some examples where tech is helping advance some of the work that you’re doing?

MR: There’s been quite a bit of progress made on the tech side, and, certainly, the leadership around a lot of the smart cities work has honed in on some accessible technologies that have helped people to navigate evacuation and get actionable, accessible information. Many of these technologies have tremendous potential for supporting the whole community. Let’s ensure that those emerging technologies, those problem-solving solutions, work for everybody from the start. There is a lot of room for significant progress regarding the building or rebuilding of critical infrastructure.

Jeremy Goldberg is the worldwide public sector director of critical infrastructure at Microsoft. He was previously interim-CIO at the State of New York and the deputy secretary for technology and innovation, where he led the state’s IT organization through the first wave of COVID. In 2020, he was named #2 in City and State New York’s Government Technology 50. He graduated from University of Texas-Austin and has a master’s from University of San Francisco.

CM: The Center for Independent Living is 51% driven by individuals with disabilities. The organization is run by individuals who have disabilities. If you partner with an organization that knows that world, knows that language, knows about disabilities, and you create that information before the planning process, then you don’t have to worry about trying to figure out the solutions on the back end.

JG: When we think about the built environment, we think about challenges in New York City. Victor Calise, the mayor and executive director for the people living with disabilities, pointed out when we ran a challenge-based program that you cannot

Independent Living Daytona Beach, Florida

Ciawanda McDonald is CEO of Disability Solutions for Independent Living. After a 10-year career in social services with the State of Florida, she joined the Center for Independent Living to empower individuals with disabilities to maintain independence. She serves on Florida’s Independent Living Council and Rehabilitation Council for the Blind. She has her master’s in occupational therapy from University of St. Augustine, master’s in public administration from Troy University, and bachelor’s from FSU.

have electric vehicle charging cords and cables plugged into cars on the sidewalk. What’s an example where the voices have been at the table, and you’ve seen a path to a problem being solved vastly improved?

MR: Right now, we’re working with a group of deaf engineers to make alerts and warnings accessible in secure facilities where they don’t have access to cell phones and watches. How do we get alerts and notifications to people who need to take personal protective measures?

CM: I want to add that we heard earlier that smart cities are resilient. I want to ensure that we know that smart cities are also accessible. We must include individuals with disabilities in the conversation. We must ensure that we have multiple examples of different communities. We can do many things to ensure individuals with disabilities are not an afterthought and are included in the process. Smart cities are accessible cities.

MR: We all need to commit to the inconvenient truth that you can’t be a smart city if 26% of your population is left behind. If people with disabilities, knowledgeable planners with disabilities, aren’t at your planning table, if we are not at the decision-making point, when new schools are built, if we’re going to be using those schools as shelters, they need to be built to accommodate the community that’s going to show up at the doorstep. To truly become the smart cities we are all invested in, we need to ensure that people with disabilities are at the table and that our contributions are meaningful.

Marcie Roth leads the World Institute on Disability, one of the first disability-led organizations advancing the rights of people with disabilities worldwide. She launched the Global Alliance for Disaster Resource Acceleration to unite funders with disability-led organizations to accelerate humanitarian relief to disasterimpacted communities and currently chairs the National Advisory Committee on Individuals with Disabilities & Disasters.

It is critically important that we center the lived experience of people who are multiply marginalized, people who are black, indigenous, people of color, who experience poverty, or LGBTQIA+ people who are traditionally, typically, and regularly left out. And people with disabilities who are multiply marginalized are the least likely to be at the table. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley says it best: “The people closest to the pain need to be the people closest to the power.” Let’s make sure the people who have those lived experiences are the ones closest to the power because that will make our communities much stronger for everybody.