Building Bridges Through Code: How River City Resources is Transforming Disability Services in San Antonio

River City Resources Logo

In the heart of Texas, a powerful example of how open source technology can directly improve lives is taking shape. River City Resources, a comprehensive disability services directory for San Antonio, demonstrates that the true impact of software development extends far beyond code – it reaches into communities, connects people with essential services, and breaks down barriers that have existed for too long.

Born from the vision of an Alamo Tech Collective member who recognized the urgent need for better accessibility to disability services, this project exemplifies how grassroots tech communities can drive meaningful social change.

The Problem: Scattered Resources, Isolated Communities

For individuals with disabilities, families, and caregivers in San Antonio, finding the right services has historically been a maze of phone calls, web searches, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Resources for transportation, employment, education, and support services were scattered across dozens of organizations, each with their own websites, contact methods, and eligibility requirements.

This fragmentation doesn’t just create inconvenience – it creates real barriers to accessing life-changing services. When someone needs immediate help finding accessible transportation to a job interview, or when a family is searching for educational resources for their child with autism, every minute spent searching multiple websites is time that could be spent receiving actual support.

The Solution: Community-Driven Technology

Inspired by this community need, Alamo Tech Collective embraced the challenge of creating River City Resources – a centralized, accessible web platform built with Grails 6.2.3. But what makes this project truly special isn’t the technology stack – it’s the intentional focus on accessibility and community impact from the ground up.

Accessibility as a Core Value, Not an Afterthought

From the very first line of code, River City Resources was designed with WCAG 2.1 AA compliance at its core. The platform includes:

Comprehensive keyboard navigation with sophisticated focus management
Screen reader optimization with proper ARIA labels and live regions that announce search results
High contrast mode and font size adjustment controls for users with visual impairments
Skip links and semantic HTML structure for efficient navigation
Form validation with accessible error handling and real-time feedback

This isn’t just about checking compliance boxes – it’s about ensuring that the people who need these services most can actually access the platform that connects them to help.

Real Data, Real Impact

The platform currently connects users to over 35 verified disability service organizations across San Antonio, including:

Transportation services like VIA Metropolitan Transit’s paratransit program and AACOG’s rural transportation
Employment support through organizations like Goodwill San Antonio and Project SEARCH
Educational resources from Any Baby Can’s early intervention services to UTSA’s disability support services
Financial assistance through Social Security Administration, United Way 2-1-1, and local organizations
Community support from independent living centers, adaptive sports programs, and advocacy organizations

Each resource listing includes detailed information about services offered, eligibility requirements, contact information, and hours of operation – all searchable and filterable to help users find exactly what they need.

The Open Source Advantage

By making River City Resources an open source project, Alamo Tech Collective isn’t just building a directory – we’re creating a model that other communities can adopt and adapt. The benefits of this approach are significant:

Transparency and Trust

Open source code builds trust with the disability community, which has historically faced barriers with technology. When advocates and users can see exactly how the platform works, it builds confidence in the system.

Community Contributions

The open source model allows disability advocates, service providers, and community members to contribute directly to the platform’s improvement. Whether it’s adding new organizations, improving accessibility features, or fixing bugs, the community becomes part of the solution.

Sustainable Development

Unlike proprietary solutions that depend on single vendors or funding sources, open source projects can survive and thrive even when circumstances change. This sustainability is crucial for services that communities depend on.

Replicability

Other cities facing similar challenges can fork the project and adapt it for their own communities. The platform’s design makes it straightforward to customize for different regions while maintaining the core accessibility and usability features.

Technology Choices That Matter

The technical decisions behind River City Resources reflect our commitment to accessibility and community impact:

Grails Framework: Provides rapid development capabilities while maintaining the robustness needed for a community-critical application. The convention-over-configuration approach allows more time to focus on user experience rather than boilerplate code.

Server-Side Rendering: Ensures the platform works well with assistive technologies and loads quickly even on slower internet connections – important considerations for many users with disabilities.

Progressive Enhancement: Core functionality works without JavaScript, while enhanced features improve the experience for users who can access them.

Semantic HTML: Every element serves a purpose and provides meaningful information to screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Community Impact Beyond Code

The real measure of River City Resources’ success isn’t in lines of code or technical features – it’s in the stories of people who find the services they need:

The parent who discovers early intervention services for their child with developmental delays
The job seeker with a disability who connects with employment support that leads to meaningful work
The senior who finds accessible transportation that enables them to maintain independence
The advocate who uses the platform to understand the full landscape of available services

These connections happen because the platform removes friction from the process of finding help. By organizing scattered information into a searchable, accessible format, we’re not just building software – we’re building bridges between people and the services that can transform their lives.

The Power of Tech Collectives

Alamo Tech Collective’s approach to River City Resources demonstrates the unique value that grassroots tech communities bring to social challenges. Unlike traditional software development, where requirements flow down from business stakeholders, this project emerged organically from community members who understood both the technical possibilities and the human needs.

This member-driven approach ensures that:

Real problems get solved: The project addresses genuine community needs rather than perceived market opportunities
Diverse perspectives inform design: Tech collective members bring varied backgrounds and experiences to the development process
Knowledge sharing accelerates progress: The collective’s collaborative culture means solutions and best practices spread quickly across projects
Sustainability comes from passion: When projects emerge from community passion rather than external funding, they tend to have longer lifespans and deeper impact

River City Resources represents a new model for how technology projects can directly serve social good. By combining open source principles with accessibility-first design and community-driven content, Alamo Tech Collective is proving that software development can be a powerful force for social justice.

The project’s success demonstrates several key principles that other developers and organizations can apply:

Lead with Community Needs: The platform exists to serve users, not to showcase technology. Every feature decision is made with the end user’s experience in mind.
Make Accessibility Non-Negotiable: True accessibility requires more than compliance – it requires understanding and empathy for how different users experience technology.
Embrace Open Source for Social Good: When software serves a public purpose, open source development creates better outcomes for everyone involved.
Design for Sustainability: Community-critical software needs to be built to last, with clear documentation, maintainable code, and community ownership.
Harness Collective Power: Tech communities can tackle social challenges that individual developers or traditional organizations might struggle to address effectively.

Join the Movement

River City Resources is more than a software project – it’s a demonstration that developers can use their skills to create meaningful change in their communities. The platform is now live at https://rivercityresources.online, connecting San Antonio’s disability community with essential services every day.

Whether you’re interested in contributing code, helping with user testing, or adapting the platform for your own community, there are ways to get involved. The source code is available on GitHub at https://github.com/Alamo-Tech-Collective/River-City-Resources, welcoming contributions from developers who want to help improve accessibility and expand the platform’s reach. Visit the live site to see the platform in action and experience firsthand how accessible technology can break down barriers.

The disability community has long been underserved by technology. Projects like River City Resources show that with intentional design, community focus, and open source principles, we can build platforms that truly serve everyone. When tech collectives like Alamo Tech Collective write code with purpose, they don’t just solve technical problems – they help build a more accessible, inclusive world.

River City Resources was initiated by an Alamo Tech Collective member and developed through collaborative community effort. Built with Grails, hosted open source at GitHub, and now live at rivercityresources.online, it serves as a model for how grassroots tech communities can directly address social challenges while maintaining the highest standards of accessibility and usability.