August 2025 eNews

Happy August from SDA! 

This summer continues to be a busy one for us, as we keep fighting for our rights and lifesaving programs despite disappointments during budget season. Though much of our organizing is at the local and state levels, where we faced devastating budget cuts, our communities will also be deeply impacted by the horrible federal budget bill that passed in June. In this political landscape, we keep organizing for justice, together with our members and community allies. 

Last month, we held a “bake sale” action to fund Muni with partners in the Muni Now, Muni Forever campaign. Staff and members rallied last week in support of Medicare on its 60th birthday. We’ve been part of numerous 35th anniversary celebrations for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Our Survival Schools continue across the city, with over 40 seniors at Rosa Parks Apartments the latest cohort to graduate. 

Internally, we have also been strategizing about our membership process and structure (stay tuned for more updates on that in the coming weeks).

This month, we’re looking ahead to our CommUNITY Celebration on August 14. Tickets available now! See below for more information on this exciting event.

Read on to learn more about what we’ve been up to and how you can get involved in future organizing and educational opportunities this month!

SDA News & Highlights

Join us at our CommUNITY Celebration  – Thursday, August 14!

A banner image with three photos of people, some holding a SDA banner. Text reads: SDA Annual CommUnity Celebration. Thursday, August 14, 2025. 6-8pm. First Unitarian Universalist Church and Center, SF

Buy tickets today for our CommUNITY Celebration on August 14! Solidarity level tickets are $100 each, with a limited number of reduced-price tickets available for those who need them. If you can’t make it in person, we also have livestream only tickets available for $35. Register and buy tickets here.  More details on the fundraiser on our website.

Muni Forever Summit – August 20, 5 to 7pm

An image of a Muni bus with an infinity sign over it. Text at the bottom reads: Muni Forever Summit. August 20, 2025, 5pm to 7pm. Main Library, San Francisco Public Library. 100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102.

The Muni Forever Summit is part of the Muni Now, Muni Forever campaign to fund Muni. To help inform the campaign, we need to form a citywide vision. This summit, hosted at the SF Main Library, will create the building blocks to create that vision and strategies to achieve it. We invite all of you to join us in order to:

  • Learn about the need to better fund Muni

  • ​Build a citywide vision for Muni

  • ​Build the movement

There will be light food and refreshments. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions. 


Register here for the Muni Forever Summit. A zoom link will be provided on the day of the summit.

Read more about the campaign and our recent bake sale action here! You can also learn more about how to get involved on the Muni Forever website.

Senior and Disability Survival Schools continue!

We're thrilled to celebrate two new successful Senior and Disability Survival School (SDSS) cohort graduations this summer! Participants at North Beach Place Senior Housing and Rosa Parks Apartments completed our comprehensive five-session program, gaining vital knowledge about healthcare navigation, political advocacy, housing rights, wellness, community resources, and more. These graduates are now better equipped to advocate for themselves and their communities while accessing the services they need to thrive in San Francisco.

Pictured below are graduating cohorts from Rosa Parks and North Beach Place Apartments!

A group of seniors standing and seated in front of a table with a teddy bear on it. They are holding up diplomas
A group of seniors standing and seated in chairs and wheelchairs, holding diplomas

Our momentum continues with ongoing sessions at Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center - 75 Laguna St - on August 4 and August 11 from 2 to 4 PM, where we're covering essential topics tailored to LGBTQ+ seniors and disabled community members through our partnership with Openhouse. 

We're also excited to launch a new Senior and Disability Survival School series at TelHI Neighborhood Center on August 19, 21, 25, and 28, 10 to 11:30 AM at 660 Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94133.

Our classes are free and open to the public! Drop in to one class or join us for multiple sessions. RSVPs encouraged but not required. To RSVP, contact Liza Mamedov, Education and Partnerships Manager at liza@sdaction.org or 650-257-0256.

To learn more about upcoming SDSS sessions or to refer a community site to our program, contact Liza.

Know Your Rights, Fight Back: Training for Senior, Disabled, and Allied Activists — recording now available!

A graphic that says “know your rights, fight back! training for senior, disabled, and allied activists"

Rising repression demands organized resistance. As attacks on disability rights, senior services, immigrants, and our communities intensify, we’re fighting back with solidarity. Last week, we held a free, virtual teach-in about protest rights and safety for seniors and disabled people. Watch the Know Your Rights recording on Youtube here.

Topics include:

  • Your constitutional rights and how to assert them with law enforcement.

  • Law enforcement intimidation tactics and misinformation.

  • Protest preparation and arrest safety planning. What happens during and after a possible arrest, plus Bay Area legal aid resources.

  • Disability-specific focus: Rights and safety for wheelchair and mobility aid users. Protecting access to medications and medical care if arrested. Masking for COVID-safety at protests and while arrested. Asserting accommodation needs for Blind/Low Vision and Deaf/Hard of Hearing protesters. ADA violations and enforcement.

  • Senior-specific concerns: Being unsteady on one’s feet, police violence, notifying people of your protest plans, exiting a protest, hearing and vision loss, cognitive stress or forgetfulness.

  • Tips for organizing accessible protests.

Happy 60th Birthday, Medicare!

A group of people outside in front of the SF Ferry Building holding a large fabric banner that says “disability justice is beloved community"

On July 30, Medicare turned 60. Dozens of activists gathered in Harry Bridges Plaza to celebrate this important date in the history of American healthcare. Medicare is one of the best healthcare programs the country offers for seniors and people with disabilities.

Participants gathered to talk about Medicare while addressing the alarming state of our healthcare system, which has been subject to unscrupulous cuts that put the lives of thousands of people who depend on Medicare at risk. The speakers expressed their commitment to fighting to protect Medicare and, at the same time, placing the Single Payer System on the national agenda.

We invite you to participate in our seminar about Medicare, the dangers that threaten it, and what we can do to protect and expand it for everyone. This free, virtual training will be held on Thursday September 25, 7 to 8pm PT. Register here for the session – “It’s Not Normal: The U.S. profit-driven "health care system”.

Member Spotlight: Crystal Lê

A person with black hair wearing a purple fluffy jacket, a keffiyah over their head, and a mask with jewelry on it.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! How long have you been involved with SDA and what have you been working on? What drew you to organizing with SDA?

I’ve been involved with SDA’s Masks for Equity group for almost 2 years. The group’s been such a balm for me (shout-out to my wonderful M4E members!), especially as I navigate the grief and rage of being socially abandoned during an ongoing pandemic. I joined SDA because I wanted to fight Covid normalization alongside others and compost some of my grief and rage into action. Continue reading Crystal's spotlight here!

Community Resource Corner

The Community Resource program is led by Damara Lopez and staffed by our team of Peer Advocates. The Peer Advocates field calls and concerns on a variety of issues and work to help people find the right support or redress for their problem. 

 

If you need help...

  • Getting your benefits, such as SSI, SSDI, CalFresh

  • Finding home care

  • Understanding a confusing letter or document you received

  • Getting services in the language you prefer

  • With your housing situation

Our Peer Advocates can help answer your questions and direct you to the appropriate resources. Call 415-546-1333 and leave a message or come by during our drop-in hours. To find our up-to-date hours of operation, or to send us an email, visit the Community Resource page on our website.

Resource Highlight: Nick Feldman Wheelchair and Mobility Device Repair Program 

The Independent Living Resource Center of SF (ILRCSF) provides crucial repair services for mobility devices (wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, etc). This program is open to adults who live or work in San Francisco. While their services are provided on-site by appointment, the ILRCSF offers on-call field services and house calls for those who cannot travel to their location. Additionally, if you need support in understanding your healthcare coverage and funding for medical equipment, you can consult with program staff to get the most out of your insurance plans.

Reading Recommendation: Biohack Manifesto

A poem by The Cyborg Jillian Weise

Community News & Events

An illustration of Patty Berne, a person with long black curly hair, smiling, with a background of pink and white flowers. Text reads: Celebration of Life Patty Berne. Aug 9, 2025. East Bay Church of religious Science. Tinyurl.com/PBcelebrationoflife

Celebration of Life for Patty Berne

We at SDA mourn the loss of Patty Berne, renowned Bay Area Disability Justice leader and co-founder of Sins Invalid.

You are invited to a celebration of life for Patty Berne, honoring their remarkable life and legacy on Saturday August 9 from 3 to 6 PM PT. 

This will be a hybrid event. Join us in person at East Bay Church of Religious Science, 4130 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, or via a livestream (a link will be shared closer to the date).

Find more details and access information for Patty Berne’s celebration of life here.

A graphic with images of raised fists. Text reads: Solidarity Organizing Initiative Solidarity and Rapid Response, a 2-part training on showing up for immigrant communities and resisting authoritarianism. Tues 8/5 and Tues 8/12, 8-9pm ET, 5-6pm PT

Solidarity & Rapid Response: a 2-part training on showing up for immigrant communities

In these sessions, you’ll learn more about how you can directly support immigrant justice organizing in crisis moments, get grounded in the principles of strategic noncooperation, and dig in on the role of white people in this work. You’ll also be invited to stay after the training to learn how to sustain this work for the long haul by organizing a SURJ “Circle” community group. Sign up and find more information on the Solidarity & Rapid Response training here.

Organized and hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)

Tuesday August 5 and Tuesday August 12, 5 to 6pm PT

In the midst of thousands of detentions and raids, immigrant communities are leading the resistance to authoritarianism here at home. We need to be ready to show up against ICE even before they get to our communities.

2025 Annual San Francisco Family Wealth Conference – August 16, 10am to 1pm

Join SF Office of the Assessor-Recorder for a day of free, expert-led presentations, one-on-one workshops, and a community resource fair — all focused on building financial empowerment for the whole family.

Meet with Assessor-Recorder staff one-on-one to answer your questions related to property taxes, Prop 19, transfers, records, and your notice of assessed value from our office.

Find more info and register for the free Family Wealth Conference here.

Let's build this movement together.

Please become a member or donate today! 

Senior and Disability Action
P.O. Box 423388
San Francisco, CA 94103
www.sdaction.org
(415) 546-1333

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