Long Beach launches survey to gather input from local disabled community

The City of Long Beach is launching a new effort to better understand the needs of residents with disabilities through an online survey.

The survey was created by the City’s Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities and the Office of Equity, as well as community partners. The survey is funded by the City’s fiscal year 2026 budget, which allocated $60,000 for this effort.

In a public statement, the City of Long Beach said the goal is to gather information that can be used to  inform future policies, programs and services designed for people living with disabilities, “particularly as Long Beach prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Along with the online survey, Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities and community partners will gather additional information from the local disabled community through interviews, focus groups and testimonials.

Information collected through this program will also be used to build a public data dashboard and to compile a “Report on the State of Disability in Long Beach,” which the City plans to release in late 2026. The report will be shared with all City departments to help guide decisions about services, facilities and programs.

People with diagnosed and undiagnosed disabilities are encouraged to take the survey if they live, work, study or spend time in Long Beach. The survey will be available online until May 1 in English, and can be taken in Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog. 

The City will also offer paper copies and phone-based surveys in individuals’ preferred language. Public computer labs at open Long Beach Public Library locations will also be available. Those looking to take the survey on paper or over the phone can contact the Citywide Accessibility Coordinator at ada@longbeach.gov or 562-570-6257. 

The Disability Data & Community Survey is part of a two-year project that began with listening sessions in late 2024 and 2025. Those early conversations helped shape the questions on the survey. The City is also working to select individuals for in-depth interviews as part of the project.