- [Shajira] In the next few slides, you'll see that I will be using the acronym LGBTQIA+ and LGBT frequently. The data poll used the acronym LGBT. And to maintain the integrity of the 2021 white paper provided by Movement Advancement Project titled, "LGBT People with Disabilities" I will be using their terminology at some points to remain consistent. Research shows that LGBT people are more likely than the general population to have a disability and face systemic challenges finding employment community, and more. What they're saying is that there's an estimated of three to 5 million LGBT people who have a disability. Of that, 40% are bisexual men, 36% are bisexual women, 26% are gay men, 36% are lesbian women, and 40% are transgender adults. All of these are comparable to the 27.2% of the general population. LGBTQIA+ people are more likely than the general population to experience mental health conditions that impact their daily lives. Research shows that LGBTQIA+ people are more likely to have a mental health disorder in their lifetime, including mood disorders such as depressions, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. A growing body of research links experiences of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, as well as race, ethnicity, and disability statuses. But it can go a little bit further as well as including prejudices, barriers to getting competent healthcare, lower rates of health insurance, living in poverty because gainful employment is hard to acquire or always being presented with low wage positions, experience of violence, and more can all be linked to mental health disorders. As we heard in the video, the LGBTQIA+ community who is also a part of the disability community can feel invisible whether in or outside of their community. And they're also saying that they're dealing with a lot of unique challenges. And what they're reporting is that their identities are not being fully recognized. In spaces focused on disability, their unique experience as LGBT people may not be recognized. And then in spaces that is LGBT, services and facilities may not be inclusive or accessible, including having accessible buildings or restrooms, ASL interpreters, and/or cart captioning for deaf or hard of hearing people and a host of other accommodations. If we turn our attention to the graph on the screen, what you'll see is 73% of LGBT community centers have accessible restrooms and fountains. 70% have accessible parking. But then the figures get extremely low where 16% have Braille signs and materials and 13% provide TTY services. What I recognize while looking at these figures is that on the left side, those numbers in the seventies are relatively high. They're still room for improvement, but I really feel that the reason those are higher is because a lot of the centers have to meet federal, state, and at sometimes also city building codes and regulations, and accessible bathrooms, and parking is a part of that. But then when you look at the right side of the graph, you'll see Braille is 16 and TTY services 13%. That's more aligned with programmatic services. And what we can see very clearly is that programmatic services, there's definitely room for improvement, as well as some awareness, so that they understand that people who are walking into their centers are not just only coming with the identity of LGBTQIA+, but they may have other sides of them which also includes the disability side. So they should definitely be trying to find ways to be more inclusive. Here are some recommendations for advancing equity and opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities. One, explicit protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity are needed in all areas of life, including employment, housing, education, public accommodation, health, and credit. Legislation, such as the Equality Act, would need to be updated for our federal laws to prohibit such discrimination, just as the ADA did for the discrimination based on disability and HIV statuses. Two, with limited data about the experiences of both LGBTQIA+ people of color and People of Color with disabilities, let alone LGBTQIA+ People of Color with disabilities, more and improved data collection and analysis are needed. Advocates, researchers, and policy makers should expand their notion of who are people living with disabilities and center the experiences of those who are often left out. Three, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and LGBTQIA+ people with disabilities are more likely to take time off from work to care for loved ones. So paid family and sick leave, with an expansive definition of family is crucial. Four, partnering with LGBTQIA+ organizations, we can help improve accessibility in LGBTQIA+ spaces. LGBT Community Centers, health centers, websites, and other spaces must be accessible to people with disabilities.