City seeks help from disability council to reach hard‑to‑count residents for 2020 Census

Adrienne (identified in the transcript as Adrienne McCallum), executive director in the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, briefed the Mayor’s Disability Council on San Francisco’s Census 2020 outreach strategy, emphasizing that people with disabilities are among the city’s 'hard‑to‑count' populations.

Adrienne told the council that an accurate census count is essential for federal funding and representation and said the city will deploy a coordinated campaign using community ambassadors, grassroots field teams, community grants, accessible assistance centers, libraries and schools. She listed accessibility priorities the city will pursue: an accessible online questionnaire (screen‑reader compatible), captioned videos, large‑print materials and linguistically and culturally competent support for people whose primary language is not English.

Adrienne noted the online census creates both opportunities and risks: online filing can increase response rates for people with internet access but may exclude those without devices or with accessibility needs. She said the city would staff booths at service sites such as neighborhood access centers and Project Homeless Connect, use libraries and other public spaces as assistance points, and train a ground crew to provide in‑person help for people who cannot or will not respond online.

Council members raised specific concerns: Orcutt Sassooni warned of distrust around door‑knockers in some neighborhoods and urged special steps for deaf residents. Council members asked how outreach would reach homeless populations; Adrienne said the plan includes booths at service sites, collaboration with nonprofit providers and the city’s homeless outreach team, and a network of community ambassadors. The office asked the council to help identify disability‑specific outreach gaps and to advise on accessible materials and possible ASL resources.

Adrienne also said the city was preparing a locally tailored census video and urged MOD to advise on accessibility features. She noted the city can add unrecorded addresses to the Census Bureau’s master address file and invited the council to flag locations where disabled residents may be hard to locate. The office stressed the urgency: an undercount can reduce federal funding, and Adrienne cited broad estimates on the fiscal impact of missed counts. The office asked council members to help recruit trusted voices and volunteers for the fall outreach push.