Virtual Discussion:DRC Hosts Virtual Town Hall of Disability Equity

Share:

On October 31, 2022, Disability Rights California, in collaboration with the Public Policy Committee and Community Engagement Committee of our Board, held a virtual discussion on equity for the disability community. We were joined by California State Legislators and disability leaders, and we held breakout rooms where the community told us which policy and advocacy priorities DRC should consider for the coming year.

About the event:

There were two engaging panel discussions with Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, representing the 54th district, Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D., representing the 79th district, Assemblymember Alex Lee, representing the 25th district, and Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, representing the 23rd district, on various topics including how to improve equity for the disability community.

Other keynotes included Keris Myrick, mental health peer advocate, Vice President of Partnerships are Inseparable and host of Unapologetically Black Unicorns and Roberto Cabrera, second-generation DeafBlind, Queer Dominican, vocational rehabilitation counselor, community outreach specialist, teacher, and trainer.

Videos:

Panelists:

Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh

Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh is a native Californian and the daughter of Mexican immigrants and credits her family with teaching her personal responsibility, the value of an education and hard work, and that home ownership is the cornerstone of the American Dream.

Ochoa Bogh is a graduate of San Bernardino High School and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She worked towards her teaching credential at California State University, San Bernardino and went on to teach English language learners at the elementary school level. She has been a proud Realtor for 19 years, helping others achieve the American Dream. Ochoa Bogh served on the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District board and is a former board Chairwoman/President of the Yucaipa Valley Chamber of Commerce as well as a former board member of the East Valley Association of Realtors.

In November 2020, Senator Ochoa Bogh was elected to represent California’s Senate District 23 which includes regions of the inland empire and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

She has been appointed vice chair of the committees on Education; Banking & Financial Institutions; Labor, Public Employment & Retirement; and Public Safety. She is also a member of the committees on Budget & Fiscal Review; Business, Professions & Economic Development; and Housing.

Assemblymember Akilah Weber, MD

Dr. Weber represents California's 79th Assembly District, which includes parts of Southeast San Diego, Bonita, Chula Vista, La Mesa, Lemon Grove and National City. She is the founder and chair of the Select Committee on the Social Determinants of Health in the California Assembly.

Dr. Weber is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, and she is the founder and past director of the Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology Division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. She also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at UCSD.

Dr. Weber has served on the La Mesa City Council where she’s worked to implement the city’s Climate Action Plan and championed the creation of both a Community Police Oversight Board and the La Mesa homelessness task force.

Dr. Weber grew up in the Oak Park neighborhood of San Diego and graduated from Encanto Elementary School and Gompers Secondary School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and her Medical degree from the University of Rochester Medical School. Dr. Weber completed her residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Chicago Cook County Hospital and her fellowship in Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Assemblymember Isaac Bryan

Isaac G. Bryan represents Los Angeles and Culver City, including the communities of Baldwin Hills, Cheviot Hills, Crenshaw, Century City, Ladera Heights, Mar Vista, Palms, Rancho Park, Westwood and parts of South Central and Inglewood. He is the Chair of the Elections Committee and the Select Committee on Poverty and Economic Inclusion. He is a community organizer, educator and activist. He founded and directed the UCLA Black Policy Project – a think tank dedicated to advancing racial equity through rigorous policy analysis – served as the first Director of Public Policy at the UCLA Ralph J. Bunche Center, as well as Director of Organizing for the nationally recognized Million Dollar Hoods project, a community-based participatory research project. Mr. Bryan received his Masters in Public Policy from UCLA.

Assemblymember Alex Lee

Alex Lee (李天明) represents California’s 25th Assembly District which includes the Alameda County communities of Fremont and Newark, and the Santa Clara County Communities of Milpitas, San Jose, and Santa Clara. 

Assemblymember Lee was elected in 2020 and became the youngest Asian American legislator ever elected and first openly bisexual state legislator in California history. He currently serves on the following committees in the State Assembly: Education, Transportation, Business and Professions, Rules, and the Subcommittee on Education Finance. He also serves as Chair of the Select Committee on Social Housing, transformative legislation he proposed.

Previously, he worked on statewide policy regarding public safety, climate change, and education for California State Senator Henry Stern and Assemblymember Evan Low. Lee has been a Bay Area resident since birth and called both San Jose and Milpitas his home for all his life. He is a graduate of Milpitas High School and the University of California, Davis, where he served as Student Body President. 

Keynotes:

Keris Jän Myrick

Keris Jän Myrick is a leading mental health advocate and executive, known for her innovative and inclusive approach to mental health reform and the public disclosure of her personal story (as featured in the New York Times series: Lives Restored). Ms. Myrick has over 15 years of experience in mental health services innovations, transformation, and peer workforce development. She is known for her collaborative style and innovative “whole person” approach to mental health. Ms. Myrick is the Vice President of Partnerships at Inseparable, the policy liaison for The National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.) and on the Mental Health of America board of directors. She is the developer and host of the podcast “Unapologetically Black Unicorns” focusing on mental health, race equity and lived experience.

Ms. Myrick was formerly the Chief of Peer and Allied Health Professions for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and has served as the Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the United States Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and was the Board President of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Myrick is a Co-Editor of the Journal of Psychiatric Services “Lived Experience and Leadership” column and has authored numerous peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Ms. Myrick has a MS in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University and an MBA from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.

Roberto Cabrera

Roberto Cabrera is a second-generation DeafBlind, Queer Dominican.  Roberto is known for his work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, a community outreach specialist, a teacher, and a trainer.  Roberto is one of the leading mentors with the DeafBlind Interpreting Institute. Roberto is a people person and loves spending his time on various community-led projects, and he is an advocate for equal access to promote the quality lifestyle in the community of choice.