Department on Disability: deep cuts would shrink AIDS services, handicap access oversight and web-access work ahead of 2026-28 events

The Department on Disability told the Budget and Finance Committee on May 2 that proposed reductions would amount to roughly a 40% decline in regular position authority and a 45% cut to AIDS programs, reductions the department said would erode ADA compliance capacity, cripple a years-long website-access effort and reduce overdose prevention and HIV testing contracts.

Why this matters: DOD provides ADA compliance expertise for city departments, operates disability access services, chairs accessibility coordination during emergencies and runs the city's AIDS coordinator office, which funds testing, harm reduction and overdose-prevention providers. Large staffing cuts would affect citywide compliance work and community health services.

Key points from DOD: Executive Director Steven Simon said the department is primarily a liability-prevention and compliance organization that supports other departments where ADA compliance issues arise (sign-language interpreting, accessible communications, website and mobile-app accessibility, facility remediation and emergency response). DOD said it lacks enforcement authority and often provides technical expertise, training and project oversight that reduce the city's exposure to lawsuits.

AIDS coordinator and harm reduction funding: Ricky Rosales, director of the AIDS coordinator's office, said the proposed cuts would eliminate roughly eight of 14 community contracts and significantly reduce HIV testing, overdose-reversal training and outreach encounters; Rosales gave example estimates (about 8,000 fewer HIV tests, about 3,500 fewer overdose-prevention trainings and thousands fewer street-team contacts) tied to a $520,000 reduction scenario. He said many federal and state grant opportunities are administered at county or health-department levels; the city contracts with local providers and often acts as a pass-through.

Opioid settlement and offsets: DOD proposed using qualifying opioid-settlement trust funds to preserve AIDS-coordinator contracts and to restore some DOD positions; the department argued many harm-reduction and outreach activities fit the settlement-eligibility criteria and that a targeted swap could preserve both public-health services and DOD operational staff. The committee asked the CAO to evaluate that proposal.

Web and mobile accessibility and major events: DOD warned that new web and mobile-app accessibility rules will become enforceable in April 2026 and that neither DOD nor ITA has sufficient dedicated staffing to ensure compliance across thousands of city web pages and apps. Simon said DOD needs staff and collaboration with ITA to remediate digital accessibility and to prepare for accessibility needs for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, citing needs for accessible volunteer management, expanded sign-language interpreting pools and venue-access work.

Committee requests and next steps: Council members requested a CAO memo evaluating the opioid-settlement offset for AIDS programs and a special study on DOD staffing and resource needs to meet the web-accessibility deadline and to prepare for major-event accessibility obligations (including whether LA28 or other games planners can fund certain work). DOD said it will return with the requested information and supported a request that engineering (BOE) and LA28 provide dedicated accessibility engineering resources.

What to watch: The CAO evaluation of opioid-settlement funding and DOD's special study on digital- and event-accessibility staffing will determine whether the department can preserve public-health contracts and meet 2026 web-accessibility deadlines.