Public Input Survey Results and 2020 - 2021 Goals, Priorities, and Objectives

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

By Tony DePalma

Earlier this month, Disability Rights Florida’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the organization’s proposed Goals, Priorities and Objectives (GPOs) for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2020. This priority-setting process fulfills federal grant requirements by incorporating input and other feedback from an annual surveying process utilized by Disability Rights Florida (DRF).

A total of 1,344 responses were collected from this year’s survey, which was administered over an eleven-week period from June to August through largely electronic channels. Typically, this survey is provided in-person throughout numerous outreach and other public events that DRF participates in each summer. That said, DRF wishes to thank its staff, board and advisory council members and all other partners who helped to promote the survey and amplify its importance during the current global pandemic.

Each year these surveying and policy-setting efforts help to ensure that DRF receives vital public feedback regarding the range of activities and intervention strategies that are allowable under the organization’s nine federal grants. This feedback is combined with other analysis to help structure the goals, priorities and objectives that DRF performs its case- and project-work under in an upcoming Fiscal Year.

In Fiscal Year 2020-21, DRF is proud to announce that a new agency objective provides that the organization will work to “increase youth representation and leadership opportunities” across DRF’s work and initiatives. Moreover, the organization will officially begin issuing annual communications planning and a public policy agenda as a part of coordinating its advocacy efforts. Other changes include objectives that direct DRF to work with students in post-secondary education or training programs to receive reasonable accommodations, and with students in the juvenile justice system to receive a free appropriate public education. Finally, in an effort to reflect the increasing importance of DRF’s housing advocacy a revised objective now directs DRF to advocate for persons with disabilities to “have access to fair housing and housing-related accommodations that promote the inclusion of individuals with disabilities within their chosen communities.”

Disability Rights Florida sincerely appreciates all feedback and other input received from respondents who participated in this survey and looks forward to the opportunity to continue to refine its service delivery and other agency operations next summer in advance of the 2021-22 Fiscal Year.